March 27, 2009 Balkan News, Croatia
Public service unions are likely to file a lawsuit challenging a decision by the Croatian government to adopt a law that will reduce the base salary for 180,000 public service employees by six percent. Instead of cancelling collective contracts with employees, the cabinet has decided to introduce a law that …
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March 27, 2009 Albania, Balkan News
Albania’s central bank warned the government on Wednesday against increasing budget expenditure, as this could put the macroeconomic stability of the country at risk. The central bank called for a tighter fiscal policy saying the government has no room to offer further fiscal stimulus. “This is the maximum that the …
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March 27, 2009 Balkan News, Eurasia News, Serbia
The chief of the International Monetary Fund’s mission in Serbia Albert Jagger confirmed today at a press conference that the IMF will approve the loan arrangement with Serbia, but said the Serbian goverment must fulfill some conditions first. “These conditions are: rebalancing the budget, changes in tax regulations, and getting …
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March 27, 2009 Balkan News, Montenegro
About 2,000 workers in Montenegro protested Wednesday over the possible closure of a factory owned by embattled Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska, the Associated Press reported. The workers at aluminum maker KAP, the biggest Montenegrin exporter, defied a police ban and gathered in front of government headquarters to put pressure on …
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March 27, 2009 Balkan News, Romania
Around 1,000 employees of Romania’s state-run railway company, CFR, have started a protest in Bucharest’s main railway station following government plans to scrap around 12,000 jobs this year. “Until now, our negotiations with the government have failed, but we still hope a solution will be found in order to save …
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March 25, 2009 Balkan News, Croatia, Eurasia News
Slovenia`s Constitutional court has rejected the request of the SSN party for temporary cease raising signatures for a referendum. Slovenia`s Constitutional court has rejected the request of the Slovene People`s Party (SSN) to temporarily cease raising signatures for a referendum on Croatian NATO membership until the court passes a decision …
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March 25, 2009 Eurasia News, Turkey
Today, Kenan Evren, the leader of a 1980 military coup is falling from grace as are other coup-era generals in Turkey. For decades, he was the embodiment of a Turkish “pasha” general, one of those stern custodians of the republic’s secular principles, always ready to step in to salvage the …
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March 25, 2009 Balkan News
Prime Minister Robert Fico called an extraordinary meeting of his Security Council to prepare measures to counter `export of extremism.` Slovakia accused a far-right Hungarian movement on Tuesday of recruiting ethnic Hungarians in southern Slovakia to stir up trouble and distract attention from Hungary’s own economic problems. Prime Minister Robert …
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March 25, 2009 Eurasia News, Turkey
The current NATO secretary general steps down on July 31 and his successor is expected to be named at a NATO summit on April 3 and 4. Turkey has not decided whether to back Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the next NATO chief, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said …
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March 25, 2009 Balkan News, Bosnia Hertegovina, Serbia
Krsto Savic, 49, the ex-police chief in the town of Gacko, was sentenced to 20 years for killing, detention, forcible transfer and torture. Bosnia’s war crimes court jailed two Bosnian Serb wartime policemen on Tuesday for 20 years and five years for persecution of non-Serbs in southeastern Bosnia early in …
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