Bosnia's Federation

Bosnia's two main Bosniak and Croat parties, the Party of Democratic Action, SDA, and the Croat Democratic Union, HDZBiH, are reportedly edging towards ending the deadlock that has paralyzed political life in the ethnically divided southwestern city.

ArcelorMittal could shut down its operations across Bosnia and Herzegovina as a result of a tax dispute with the government of Republika Srpska, a senior company employee told BIRN on Monday.

Facing a growing problem with vermin infestation, the mayor of Bosnia's main southern town of Mostar, Ljubo Beslic, has asked for an urgent financial support for an extermination campaign from the Environment Fund in Bosnia's Federation entity.

A city official told BIRN on Monday that Beslic sent a letter to the Federation Environment Fund at the end of last week.

The head of the Privatization Agency in Bosnia's Federation entity, Suhret Fazlic, has resigned in a disagreement over the government's decision to form a private company that would assume some of the agency's responsibilities.

In an unusual sign of cooperation, the Prime Minister of Bosnia's Federation entity, Fadil Novalic, and his counterpart in Republika Srpska, Zeljka Cvijanovic, met to pledge to work together on reforms aimed at speeding up Bosnia's EU accession.

Leaders of the union of pensioners' associations in Bosnia's Federation entity will meet next week to decide the date for protests against worsening living standards, the vice-president of the union, Mehmedalija Rapa, said.

Rapa said that up to 35,000 pensioners are expected to join the protests, expected sometime in the latter half of September.

The House of Representatives of Bosnia's Federation entity is due to vote late Friday on the new labour law - part of the reform agenda that Bosnia's leaders have agreed with the international community and one of the conditions for getting a new loan from the International Monetary Fund and reopening Bosnia's path towards eventual EU membership.

The bank accounts of the Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina, BHRT, could be blocked any day, due to the accumulated debt of Bosnia's main public broadcaster.

Officials warn that this could disrupt the broadcasting of both BHRT and the main broadcaster in Bosnia's Federation entity, Radio and Television of BiH Federation, RTVFBiH.

The trade union of Elektroprivreda BiH, one of the two power companies in Bosnia's Federation entity, has warned of imminent strike action if the government goes ahead with a plan to cut their salaries.

Bosnian farmers handed out food for free to the public in Sarajevo on Thursday, to express outrage over government inaction and draw attention to their plight.

The free handout was the work of the Union of Agricultural Associations in Bosnia's Federation entity.