B92 News in English

Russian foreign minister visits Syria

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:07:00 +0000

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is on Tuesday visiting Syria amid ongoing clashes in that Middle Eastern country.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will declare a date in the near future for a referendum on a new constitution Lavrov said in Damascus today.

Negotiator: Belgrade constructive, Pri�tina stalling

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:01:00 +0000

Borislav Stefanovi� says Belgrade maintains a constructive approach, insisting on the continuation of the dialogue and providing new solutions.

At the same time, said the government's chief negotiator in the ongoing Kosovo talks, "Pri�tina is stalling with the negotiations".

Another train derails in region due to snow

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:58:00 +0000

A train that was traveling on the Split-Zagreb line in Croatia on Tuesday derailed near the town of Knin, said reports.

Nobody was injured, Croatian Railways said, and added that the heating system in the train was functioning.

Icicle kills woman in Belgrade

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:19:00 +0000

A woman died today after an icicle formed on the roof of a building in Belgrade fell on directly on her, police sources have confirmed.

Previously, Belgrade medical emergency services spokeswoman Nada Macura said, however, that it was still unclear whether "ice fell on the victim, or if she fell on ice", and what the "mechanism of injury" and the exact circumstances of the deadly accident were.

Candidacy in jeopardy unless dialogue resumes

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:20:00 +0000

Serbia will not become a candidate for EU membership if Belgrade fails to, by the end of next week, reach an agreement with Pri�tina on Kosovo's representation.

This is according to a Tanjug news agency report, citing diplomatic sources in Brussels.

�okovi� named Laureus World Sportsman of Year

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:45:00 +0000

Serbian tennis player and World No. 1 Novak �okovi� has been named Sportsman of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards in London.

"This award means a lot to me, my team, my family, and my country," said �okovi�, who attended the ceremony on Monday with his girlfriend Jelena Risti�.

"Next govt. should declare political neutrality"

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:42:00 +0000

Vojislav Ko�tunica has voiced his opinion that following elections - expected this spring - a new government should declare political and military neutrality.

That would mean putting an end to the current state policy aimed at Serbia's future EU membership, said the leader of the opposition DSS party and the country's former prime minister for two terms.

Referendum "will damage Serbia politically"

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:40:00 +0000

Goran Bogdanovi� has said that holding a referendum in Kosovo's north might not be a huge economic damage, but would cost Serbia dearly in political terms.

The minister for Kosovo believes that if held, the referendum can only damage the interests of the citizens both north and south of the Ibar River, especially the latter ones. He stressed that the referendum would also frustrate the interests of the Serbian authorities, who fought for the rights of Kosovo Serbs.

Big freeze continues, ice forms on large rivers

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:38:00 +0000

Serbia went through another extremely cold night, to wake up to morning temperatures ranging from minus 15 to minus eight degrees centigrade.

The day's highs will not go over minus five degrees, while snow continues to fall in much of the country.

"2012 inflation within planned framework"

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:08:00 +0000

The 2012 inflation will be within the planned framework of 5.5 to 6 percent", considering the indicators at the end of 2011, says IZIT's Sa�a �ogovi�.

�ogovi�, who is an associate of the Institute for Market Research (IZIT), recalled at a press conference that deflation was recorded in December 2011 as consumer prices went down by 0.7 percent when compared to November.

Councilors wish to name street after terrorist

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:04:00 +0000

Councilors from ethnic Albanian parties in Bujanovac, southern Serbia, have adopted a proposal to change the names of several local streets.

Using the fact they had four members over three Serbs in a municipal committee that made the decision, the ethnic Albanians decided to rename 17 streets currently named after Serbian historical, cultural, and scientific figures.

Parliament committee on Kosovo to convene

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Chairman of the Serbian Parliament's Committee on Kosovo and Metohija Ljubomir Kragovi� has scheduled a session of this body for Tuesday.

Committee members are expected to consider a report about the Serbian government's activities aimed at stabilizing the situation in Kosovo from November 1, 2011 until January 31 this year.

IMF, Serbian government launch talks

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:26:00 +0000

Serbian officials met in Belgrade on Monday with a visiting IMF mission and opened talks on the first review of the current precautionary stand-by arrangement.

The talks started with a plenary meeting in the National Bank of Serbia, Beta is reporting.

Zemun Clan members attempt escape

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:23:00 +0000

Two former members of the Zemun Clan criminal group last night attempted to escape their detention union in Belgrade, local media are reporting.

According to Belgrade-based Prva TV, Sretnko Kalini� and �eljko Milovanovi� cut the bars on the window of their cell at around 05:30 CET, and jumped into the District Prison yard.

Doctors arrested for taking bribes

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:19:00 +0000

The Serbian police on Monday arrested four doctors of the General Hospital in U�ice, western Serbia, on suspicion that they solicited and received bribes.

The figure mentioned in connection to the corruption case is in excess of EUR 10,000.

UN chief to present Kosovo report on Wednesday

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:05:00 +0000

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will present Wednesday his regular quarterly report on the situation in Kosovo and Metohija.

The potentially unstable situation in Kosovo affects the Belgrade-Pri�tina dialogue under the auspices of the EU and the talks about the European perspective of the entire region. Status quo cannot be a path to a permanent resolution of the Kosovo issue, reads the report, which Tanjug has seen.

Russian envoy receives top Church honor

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:15:00 +0000

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Konuzin has received the highest honor given by the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC).

SPC Patriarch Irinej presented the Order of St. Sava 1st Class to the diplomat in a ceremony in Belgrade on Monday.

State of emergency in Serbia due to cold weather

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:23:00 +0000

The Serbian government declared on Sunday evening a state of emergency on the entire territory due to heavy snowfall and very low temperatures.

The decision was made as multiple problems caused by cold snap could no longer be resolved by regular means including road clearing, food, medicine and electricity supply.

Region struggles with cold wave

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:20:00 +0000

Snow and very low temperatures have continued to cause trouble in the entire Western Balkans region.

The weather has caused five deaths in Croatia, where it was snowing again on Monday and certain areas were without power.

Ex-Slovenian FM to take over as EUSR

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:07:00 +0000

Former Slovenian foreign minister Samuel �bogar will assume the office of the European Union Special Representative (EUSR) in Kosovo on Monday.

Slovenian news agency STA reported that his tenure will last until mid 2013, with the possibility of extension.