Sofia. According to a report of the World Bank, Bulgaria is among 6 EU member states that might undergo a symbolic economic growth of 0-2% during 2009, along with Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia, The Dnevnik Daily informs. “The prognoses for the region are very uncertain, negative …

A scandal linked with grandiose affairs in Bulgaria’s Customs Agency will shake the country next week, MP Yane Yanev, who will file evidential documents in the prosecution, told Darik Sunday. He claims to be in the possession of data and facts that will reveal a person within the Customs Agency …

Traditional Shrovetide festivities culminated after nearly two weeks of events taking place across the country with carnivals in numerous Slovenian towns. Slovenia’s biggest carnival took place in Ptuj, a town in north-eastern Slovenia with a rich cultural tradition that can be traced back to the Roman times when it was …

Slovenia will not keep the vignette tolling system for long, however, it will remain as long as a new, more sustainable and fair system of motorway tolling is found, Transport Minister Patrick Vlacic said. He added that the Slovenian Motorway Company DARS could be facing a deficit of between EUR …

The Serb-dominated Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska and its biggest city of Banja Luka were ordered to pay 32.4 million euros to Bosnia’s Islamic Community as compensation for destroying 16 religious sites, including mosques and shrines, during the 1992-95 war. Banja Luka’s Main Court announced the first instance ruling on …

Macedonia’s Democratic Party of Albanians, whose activists were blamed for violence and fraud at last June’s general election, has accused the government of targetting its members for selective punishment, while ignoring the actions of their rival, the Democratic Union for Integration. TheWest wants Macedonia to punish the perpetrators of the …

An Albanian convict and the Greek ringleader of his gang escaped from an Athens high security prison using a helicopter for the second time in three years, one day before they were due to appear in court. In a prison break worthy of a Hollywood action movie, Alket Rizai and …

After near 10 years of interethnic deliberations, a commission has agreed on the text of Bosnia’s national anthem. The melody of the Bosnian national anthem was adopted in June 1999, but politicians were unable to agree over its text. The new anthem, with both melody and lyrics, was performed for …

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – A battle just outside southern Afghanistan’s largest city has killed at least six Taliban fighters, while an airstrike against militants elsewhere in the south killed eight, officials said Sunday. A battle in the Panjwayi district — 15 miles (25 kilometers) west of Kandahar city — began late …

KABUL, Feb. 21 — The additional 17,000 troops the Obama administration is preparing to send to Afghanistan will face both an aggressive, well-armed Taliban insurgency and an unarmed but equally daunting foe: public opinion. In more than a dozen interviews across the capital this week, Afghans said that instead of …