SofiaEcho RSS feed South Eastern Europe

Czech Republic, Romania mull shale gas moratoriums

The Sofia Echo staff — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:18:00 +0300

Governments in Prague and Bucharest could soon join Sofia in instituting temporary moratoriums on shale gas exploration.

Serbia: Tadić leads as presidential elections head for second round

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Sun, 06 May 2012 23:33:00 +0300

Coalition around ruling Democratic Party has largest share of vote in Serbia's parliamentary election, according to exit polls.

Greek voters punish major centre-right, socialist parties at polls

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Sun, 06 May 2012 22:56:00 +0300

Centre-right New Democracy is said by exit polls to have largest share of votes, but diminished even from its 2009 defeat, while socialists Pasok – the 2009 victors – gets somewhere around 14 to 17 per cent.

Deal on OSCE role in Serbian elections welcomed

The Sofia Echo staff — Wed, 02 May 2012 08:31:00 +0300

An agreement reached with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will allow voters with dual citizenship in Kosovo to vote in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in Serbia.

Macedonia arrests 20 suspected terrorists

VOANews — Wed, 02 May 2012 08:01:00 +0300

Twenty radical Muslims suspected of being members of a terrorist group that has been linked to the murder of five fishermen in early April.

Turkish Nobel laureate Pamuk's Museum of Innocence parallels book

Dorian Jones, VOANews — Wed, 02 May 2012 07:56:00 +0300

Author says museum is unique - dedicated to fictional lives, times of his characters, from his similarly named novel

Greeks weigh austerity, discontent ahead of May 6 elections

Dominic Laurie, VOANews — Wed, 02 May 2012 07:51:00 +0300

Sunday’s election will radically change the makeup of Greek politics. The big traditional parties will be weaker.

Romanian cabinet felled by no confidence motion

The Sofia Echo staff — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:29:00 +0300

The ruling coalition parties refused to take part in the vote, but a number of MPs representing ethnic minorities, who traditionally vote with the government, swung the vote.

Greek economy contracting at rapid rate

VOANews — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 23:48:00 +0300

Greece's central bank's governor, George Provopoulos, said on April 24 that the Greek economy will contract as much as five per cent in 2012 - the country's fifth straight year of recession.

More calls to defuse ethnic tensions in Macedonia after murders

The Sofia Echo staff — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 09:36:00 +0300

Media urged to ensure fair coverage of events in Macedonia. Earlier, presidents of Albania and Macedonia called for calm, as have the EU, Nato, OSCE and US, amid warnings about ethnic tensions with Albanians.

UN chief Ban praises progress in dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, urges flexibility

The Sofia Echo staff — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:58:00 +0300

Meeting Kosovo prime minister Hashim Thaci, Ban underlined the importance of taking a flexible and constructive approach to resolving differences between Serbia and Kosovo to maintain calm, especially during the sensitive period of elections.

Greek ferryboat strike to halt Sofia-Athens flights

The Sofia Echo staff — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:31:00 +0300

Bulgarian tourists who plan to spend the four-day Easter weekend in Greece are advised to contact their tour operators, since Bulgarian flag carrier Bulgaria Air has also cancelled its flight to Athens on April 15.

Greece mourns suicide of pensioner hit by austerity cuts

VOANews — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:28:00 +0300

The retired pharmacist's extreme action quickly made him a fateful symbol of the debt-ridden country's economic plight.

Amnesty slams Bosnia for neglecting victims of wartime rape

VOANews.com — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:58:00 +0300

In a statement issued on March 29, the group says that Sarajevo in 2010 made a commitment to ensure justice, truth and reparation for hundreds of survivors of wartime sexual violence, but failed to enact it.

MEPs welcome progress of Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro towards joining the EU

The Sofia Echo staff — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:20:00 +0300

The European Parliament says the EU should start accession talks with Serbia as soon as possible, welcomes plans to start them with Montenegro in June and calls on the five EU member states that have yet to recognise Kosovo's independence to do so, in three resolutions adopted on March 29.

EU starts feasibility study into Kosovo joining the bloc

VOANews — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:33:00 +0300

Kosovo's president Atifete Jahjaga said Kosovo and its people are a part of the European civilization and that all of its political and ethnic groups support a path toward membership in the EU and Nato.

Greece's financial plight eases slightly

VOA News — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:32:00 +0200

US treasury secretary Timothy Geithner told a congressional committee that Europe has 'made very significant progress' in resolving the continent's two-year governmental debt crisis that centered on Greece's massive financial problems.

Second world choir festival

The Sofia Echo staff — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:05:00 +0200

It also takes place during a historic time for Thessaloniki which in 2012 celebrates the 100th anniversary of its liberation.

Greek finance minister resigns

VOA News — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:12:00 +0200

Venizelos officially replaced former Greek prime minister George Papandreou as head of the PASOK party on Monday.

March for peace held in Macedonian capital Skopje: Photo Gallery

VOANews — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0200

The demonstrators were protesting against clashes between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians over the past two weeks.