February, 2009

• 13 February

  Last Russian general warns US on Afghanistan

  MOSCOW – Twenty years after Red Army troops pulled out of Afghanistan, the last general to command them says the Soviets‘ devastating experience is a dismal omen for U.S. plans to build up troops there. On Friday, the anniversary of the Soviet departure from the Afghan capital, the Russian parliament’s …

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• 13 February

  New U.S. envoy in Afghanistan to assess security

  KABUL (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama’s new envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan met key ministers in the Afghan capital on Friday, two days after triple Taliban attacks in the city demonstrated just how much security is deteriorating. Wednesday’s attacks on government buildings show how hard it is for the …

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• 13 February

  Imam In Bosnia Sex Abuse Case Found Guilty

  A Bosnian court has found an Imam (local Islamic priest) guilty of sexually abusing an underage girl and sentenced him to 18 months in prison, in a case that shocked Bosnia and stirred up tensions between local media organizations and the country’s influential Islamic Community. The family of the girl …

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• 13 February

  Republika Srpska EU Office Triggers Dispute

  Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity of Republika Srpska opened a representative office in Brussels on Thursday, triggering a new round of criticism from Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) officials who see this as yet another proof of its distancing itself from Bosnia and Herzegovina. All top Republika Srpska officials attended the official opening ceremony …

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• 13 February

  Serb Doctors Leave Kosovo After Pay Cuts

  Serb health workers have started leaving Kosovo after Serbia decided to halve the so-called ‘Kosovo allowance’ part of their monthly pay, a controversial benefit amounting to a de facto double wage for those who worked in the civil service and recognised Belgrade, not Pristina as their capital. Belgrade has vowed …

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• 13 February

  Controversy Brews In Macedonia Mayor Race

  The case of Rufi Osmani, a popular ethnic Albanian former local leader who has been barred from running from mayor in the western town of Gostivar, has injected controversy into Macedonia’s local election next month. The local election commission found him unfit to run as an independent candidate on the …

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• 13 February

  Bosnia Federation To Sell Off Top Firms

  The Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim)-Croat federation will privatize parts of its 11 biggest public companies this year, including BH Telecom, Energoinvest and Hidrogradnja Sarajevo and Aluminijum Mostar, which are estimated to be worth at least 500 million euros, the government decided at its session on Thursday. The government has officially abandoned …

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• 13 February

  EU Says Serbia Needs SAA Before Candidacy

  The European Union will decide whether to accept Serbia’s application for candidate status based on its progress and efficiency in implementing the pre-membership agreement and trade deal, EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn said on Thursday. Rehn was in Belgrade to discuss the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, cooperation with the United …

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• 13 February

  Romania Unemployment 4.9 Pct In Jan

  Romania’s unemployment rate rose by half a percentage point in January to 4.9 percent compared to the previous month, the National Employment Agency, ANOFM, said on Thursday. In January 2008, the unemployment rate was 4.2 percent. The number of unemployed people in January stood at 444,907, while in January 2008 …

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• 13 February

  Imam Sex Abuse Trial Stirs Tensions in Bosnia

  The trial of an Imam (local Islamic priest) on charges of sexually abusing an underage girl in a Bosnian village has stirred up tensions between local media organizations and the country’s influential Islamic Community. The family of the girl pressed charges against the Imam last year, accusing him of sexually …

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