Greece to lease 40 uninhabited islands to reduce debts
The Greek Privatization Agency has selected 40 uninhabited islands that are of interest for tourism and can be leased for a period of 30 to 50 years. An inspection of 562 out of 6,000 Greek islands with an area of 500 square meters to 3 square kilometers has been conducted. From 2010 onwards, the media have repeatedly published reports with allegations of "a possible selling off of Greek islands” that the Greek authorities have consistently refuted.
Albania to assist in Kosovska Mitrovica
Municipal authorities in Tirana will join the campaign of the Kosovska Mitrovica Municipality for raising money to restore homes in the northern part of the city damaged during the armed conflict in Kosovo and for returning them to their owners, regardless of ethnic affiliation. Tirana Mayor Lulzim Basha promised financial assistance for this purpose and said he would introduce this initiative to the Albanian government, as well.
Rompuy names Montenegro next EU member state
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said after a meeting with Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovi in Sarajevo that, after Croatia, Montenegro would be the next EU member. Rompuy stressed that the rapid process of receiving the status of candidate country and the rapid start of the membership talks are proof that the EU is open to the accession of Montenegro and ready to value the individual achievements of each country towards European standards.
Threats against Croatian President, Government on Facebook
Threats for assassination of Croatian President Ivo Josipovic and for a bomb attack on a government building have appeared on the Facebook page of the Croatian government. The profile from where the threats filled with grammatical and spelling errors were sent has been blocked. The government said that under the law the case has been reported to the police which will now act in accordance with its powers.
The Serbian government adopts measures against food shortages
The Serbian government has temporarily restricted the exports of soybean, sunflower and sugar beet to prevent shortages of these foods in the country. The government has also given its consent to the Republican Directorate for Commodity Reserves to exchange 91.1 million tonnes of fertilizers for wheat and corn in order to stimulate agricultural production and mitigate the effects of the severe drought this summer.
Bosnia needs political will for consensus
European Commission representatives and political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina discussed in Sarajevo the progress made in the implementation of the Roadmap which the country received on 27 June in Brussels. The overall conclusion from the meeting was that there are real prospects for entry into force of the Stabilization and Association Process and for submitting Bosnia’s application for membership in the European Union, provided there is sufficient political will to achieve consensus.
Russia is in no hurry to grant a new loan to Cyprus
The Russian Ministry of Finance has not taken a final decision on the granting of new loans to Cyprus amounting to € 5 billion and is unlikely to have that issue resolved soon. This was announced by Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. The Republic of Cyprus, which has been affected by a severe economic crisis, requested a loan from Russia to the tune of 5 billion euros and financial assistance from the European Union. In late 2011, Nicosia received a Russian loan of 2.5 billion euros at a preferential interest rate.
Romania has no CIA prisons, says President Basescu
A recent investigation has shown that there are no CIA prisons in Romania, said today Romanian President Traian Basescu. The European Parliament has adopted a resolution encouraging Romania, Lithuania and Poland as possible places where secret CIA prisons exist to undertake new investigations of the existence of such prisons in their territory. "We will take this resolution as a recommendation and will follow it. The recent investigation showed that in Romania there are no CIA prisons," said Romanian President.
Fatma and Mehmet are the most popular names in Turkey
Turkish parents are most likely to name their daughters Fatma and Mehmet is the preferred name for boys. Among the most popular female names in Turkey are also Ayşe, Emine, and Hatice and Zeynep. The most popular male names besides Mehmet are Mustafa, Ali and Hussein. Many given names in Turkey are universal and can be used both for women and for men. Most popular surnames are Yilmaz, Kaya, Demir, Celik and Sahin.
English version: Rossitsa Petcova
