All News from Balkans

Bulgarian Trade Union Commemorates 92 Workplace Fatalities in 2013

A total of 2768 accidents and incidents at work happened in 2013 in Bulgaria, the number of victims being 92.

Interior Minister Denies Allegations in Human Rights Watch Report

Bulgaria's Interior Minister Tsvetlin Yovchev said he was surprised by the claims in the Human Rights Watch report on the country's immigration policies.

The report, which will be officially released next week claims that the Bulgarian border police was forcefully pushing back into Turkish territory asylum seeker and was beating and abusing them.

EC Dismisses Bulgarian EconMin's Remakrs on South Stream

European legislation is applied to all infrastructure which is under the EU's jurisdiction, the EU Commission said on Thursday.

Russia could "remember" permission to use force

MOSCOW, KIEV -- In case the situation in Ukraine’s southeast deteriorates, Russia "will remember the permission to use armed forces in Ukraine given by the Federation Council."

This was stated on Friday by Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who emphasized that his country was not seeking that scenario.

Josipović opens Serb cultural center in Croatian town

PULA -- Croatian President Ivo Josipović has opened a Serb cultural center in Pula, a coastal Adriatic town in Istria.

Parliament ends debate in principle, to reconvene Saturday

BELGRADE - The Serbian parliament concluded late Thursday the debate in principle on the new bill on ministries and amendments to the law on government, which are a prerequisite for electing the new government.

The parliament will be in recess on Friday, with the amended bills to be discussed and adopted on Saturday, April 26.

Josipovic opens Serb cultural center in Pula

PULA - Croatian President Ivo Josipovic has opened a Serb cultural center in Pula, a city at the tip of the Istrian peninsula, and said that Croatia wants to be a country where everyone will have the opportunity to affirm their culture and tradition and that Croatia is ready to lend a hand to all people of goodwill, including friends from the Republic of Serbia.

Bulgaria's Tobacco Growers Set for Protest

Bulgarian tobacco growers are to stage a protest on Friday demanding for a new distribution of the BGN 100 M state subsidies, which vary for different sorts of tobacco.

Growers have said that "double standards" were being applied by the government in allocating the grants, which are a little over BGN 2 per kg for some types and BGN 3 per kg for other types of tobacco.

International conference on World War One begins

BELGRADE - An international conference on World War One is being held in Belgrade on Friday, with the goal to objectivise the truth abou that great conflict.

The conference started on Thursday and includes distinguished scientists, historians and military experts from 20 countries in Europe and Asia.

Lagarde, Merkel to meet in Washington on May 2 for talks on eurozone, Greece

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde is to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on May 2 in Washington for talks expected to focus on the broader economic situation in the eurozone in general and to touch on the Greek economy and on the prospects for a launch of talks on lightening Greece's debt burden.

PISA tests in Serbia also in 2015, trial scheduled for May

BELGRADE - The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) testing will be conducted in Serbia in 2015, the state secretary in the Serbian Ministry of Education Muhedin Fijuljanin has said, announcing that a trial test has been scheduled for May.

The agreements concern the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline.