Balkans

Bosnia Serb Party Leaves Coalition, Govt Stable

The junior partner in the Bosnian Serb ruling coalition, the Party of Democratic Progress, PDP, said it was walking out of the government led by the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, and going into the opposition. The walkout does not affect the stability of the government in the Serb-dominated …

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World Bank Demolished Albania Village

A World Bank project meant to safeguard Albania’s coastal zones was used to selectively demolish parts of a village in southern Albania and leave many families homeless, according to an internal report , which additionally notes allegations of corruption and efforts by World Bank officials to cover up the events …

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Belgrade’s Underground Film Scene: Small, But Thriving

Every Sunday, the Illegal Cinema puts on a movie that has never been regularly distributed. But, although the screenings are free, there are strings attached. Six o’clock had already come and gone while people were still piling in and taking their seats in the small 25-square-metre room that no one …

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EU Trying To Sway Serbia Over Kosovo Serbs

The European Union is trying to convince Belgrade not to pursue its plan for parallel structures in Serb areas of Kosovo, said the head of Kosovo’s International Civilian Office, Pieter Feith. Belgrade has vowed to never recognise Kosovo’s secession in February last year and is keeping a firm hold on …

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Serbia Wary Of Kosovo Force Role Abroad

Serbia is worried that Kosovo’s Security Forces (KSF) will not only be the starting point for a bigger armed force, but could participate in peacekeeping missions abroad before Serbia itself does, said Serbia’s Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac. Last week Kosovo inaugurated a NATO-sponsored security force that is an army in …

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Serbia’s Jeremic Lobbies UN On Kosovo

Serbia’s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic visits the United Nations on Thursday for meetings with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and other top diplomats to discuss the implementation of the six-point plan in Kosovo and the formation of the Kosovo Security Forces. Jeremic has also sent letters to 80 countries around …

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Slovenia, Croatia Inch Closer On Border Row

Croatia said it had moved closer to resolving an 18-year-old border dispute with Slovenia which has been threatening to freeze its European Union membership bid. Diplomats say the dispute, which the two countries have not been able to settle since the dissolution of federal Yugoslavia in 1991, must be resolved …

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CEZ Pulls Out from 1.4 Bln Eur Bosnia Project

Czech power company CEZ said it will pull out from a joint venture project with the power company of the Serb-dominated Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska, Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske, effectively putting the kiss of death on a 1.4 billion euro project to overhaul the existing power plant and build a …

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Croatia High In Globalization Index, Serbia Last

Croatia is the most globalised country in the Balkans, and Serbia the least, according to the Index of Globalization 2009, that each year measures the economic, social and political scope of globalization in 208 countries and territories. The report is compiled by the Zurich-based KOF Economic Institute. The economic dimension …

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Romania Hosts Sudanese Refugees

A group of 42 Sudanese refugees has arrived in Timisoara, western Romania, after being evacuated from a makeshift camp in the desert in Iraq, according to UNHCR sources. The refugees, who have been provided with winter clothing, are staying in the new Emergency Transit Centre set up by the Romanian …

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