Back to the english site
Tillbaka till hemsidan

August

- GNJILANE: The news media mention more and more often the problem of Kosovska Mitrovica, and no one seems to be interested in the fact that 40.000 Serbs in the Morava valley in Kosovo, another 40.000 in central Kosovo and another 17.000 in the Sirinic County have been living without basic necessities.
"Glas javnosti", 3. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: Although Serbs and Muslims in Bosnia&Herzegovina are neighbors who respect each other only on paper, once again it proved to be impossible in Bratunac. On each major church holiday, Serbs fear what their neighbors have prepared for them. On Saint Peter's Day, Muslims burnt the Serbian flag in the local orthodox cemetery.
"They don't let us be. The other day they attacked a man in Konjevic Polje near Bratunac. He is the only Serb living among there. He owns a gas station. They don't let us live in peace", says an elderly lady from Bratunac whose 19-year-old son, killed by Naser Oric's units in 1992, is buried in this cemetery.
"Glas javnosti", 3. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: President of the Central Office of the Roma of Kosovo and member of the World Roma Parliament, Bajram Haliti, has appealed to west European countries not to return Roma to Kosovo until the conditions are created for a normal life in the Province.
He reminded that the return of around 50.000 Roma is expected from western European countries this autumn. Haliti, who is also a member of the Forum of Internally Displaced Roma from Kosovo, stressed that there is no guaranteed freedom of movement in Kosovo or democratic institutions.
"Glas javnosti", 1. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: Serbia's Ministry of Health will finance 31 projects of preservation and improvement of Roma's health, as part of the Roma Decade.
A total of 93 projects have been submitted, and in the first stage the Miniistry of Health will finance 31 projects for the improvement of the reproductive health of Roma women (medical examinations, early detection of malignant diseases, of sexually transmitted diseases etc.), for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other mass noninfectious diseases among adult Roma.
"Glas javnosti", 1. 8. 2006.

- CACAK: The "Gradsko zelenilo" Public Utility has finished the construction of 50 reinforced concrete frames for the burial of the most vulnerable beneficiaries of the Social Work Center and the Commission for Refugees, Exiled Persons and IDPs over the next several years. The project cost around a million dinars.
Of the 50 frames, 38 are intended for the beneficiaries of the Social Work Center and 12 for refugees, exiles persons and IDPs.
"Cacanski glas", 4. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: Living in houses made of cardboard and tin, with no basic hygienic conditions and collecting waste materials is everyday reality for most Roma in Belgrade. There are 152 unhygienic settlements on the territory of Belgrade with around 15.000 Roma selling waste materials for a living. It is estimated that of the 15.000 Roma, around 5.000-8.000 are children.
The recently published study "Paper Life" by anthropologist Mejling Simson-Herbert, sociologists Aleksandar Mitrovic and Gradimir Zajic, and architect Milos Petrovic, is the result of 12 months of research into the life of the Roma in nine unhygienic settlements. The study actually deals with the poverty and deprivation surrounding these inhabitants of Belgrade.
"These people want a better life and they work hard in order to achieve it. The book struggles against the key prejudice that poverty among Roma is the result of their inactivity", said one of the authors at the presentation of the study.
Rajko Djuric, president of the Romas Union of Serbia who is the author of the Introduction to the study, says that the "Paper Life" presents the cruel reality of this people.
"This book not only deals with Romas and their settlements, but it is also an image that speaks about this country and people", Djuric says. On the occasion of marking the anniversary of the sufferings of Romas in the Auschwitz concentration camp, the Romas Union of Serbia held a peaceful protest in the Pioneer Park where the public was warned of the bad conditions in which Romas are living in Belgrade, but also in the entire country.
Radmila Hrustanovic, deputy mayor of Belgrade, says that solving such a complex problem is a long-term process that calls for time and patience and cooperation between the city authorities, NGOs, Belgrade's citizens and Romas themselves. She emphasizes that Romas, are one of the ten socially vulnerable categories for whom the construction of social apartments is planned, and that the first unhygienic settlement to be dismantled is the one under the Gazelle bridge.
It has been exactly a year since the failed attempt of the city authorities to move the Romas from some of the unhygienic settlements to the part of Novi Belgrade called Dr Ivan Ribar. Namely, a year ago the city received a donation in containers to house the Romas from unhygienic settlements. But the inhabitants of the Dr Ivan Ribar virtually started an uprising, so the city authorities gave up this bad idea. Since then, nothing has been done to solve the problem of the Romas living in 152 unhygienic settlements in Belgrade.
"Danas", 10. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: On August 4th, 1995, the Croatian army-police action "Storm" started and lasted for 3 days during which more than 250.000 Serbs were expelled, 1.960 Serbs went missing or got killed, of which 1.205 were civilians, among them 522 women and 12 children.
In the meantime, 60.000 Serbs at the least or 130.000 at the most (the statistics depend on who they come from - Croatia's authorities state larger numbers and Serb and humanitarian organizations state smaller numbers). Most houses are destroyed in which Serbs lived by 1990s in former Republika Srpska Krajina and in other parts of Croatia, but only the right to emergency accommodation is recognized to the returnees.
Physical attacks on Serb returnees don't stop even 11 years after the "Storm", although there have been visible improvements lately in interethnic relations between Serbs and Croats and also in the relations between Serbia and Croatia.
"Glas javnosti", 4. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: On the city garbage dump in Vinca near Belgrade, Romas collect waste materials, metal, plastic, cardboard. Entire families collect waste materials here.
One of them, Dominik, is a professional cook. He used to work as a cook on the Montenegran coast, abroad and in his native Zrenjanin. But since the "Pet Ambalaza" company engaged him for collecting plastic bottles on the Vinca garbage dump, he left his professional work and started collecting waste materials. "Working as a cook on the Montenegran coast, I have tried that. I spent more money than I earned. Working on the dump, I make as much as 20.000 dinars a week", Dominik says.
We have seen for ourselves that this story can be true when we took a look at the price list of the "City Cleanness" Public Utility which pays 12-13 dinars for a kilogram of plastic. Multiplied by 3.820 kg, which is how much plastic the Romas collect, it is 45.000 dinars per day, but 85 Romas, who have a contract with the "Pet Ambalaza" company, have to split it between themselves.
The Roma waste materials collectors live with their families in an improvised settlement close to the garbage dump. The settlement consists of 7-8 shelters made of plastic and cardboard. The oldest inhabitant of the settlement, Djulizar Dubovic, says "You sometimes make 20.000 dinars on the dump in a month. It all depends, but life is not easy".
Her neighbor Abaz says, "I have been here on the dump for 27 years, and I am around 54 now. I came here from Macedonia. There I was also on a garbage dump. I can't tell where is better. Now when it is summer, the temperature in the city is 35 degrees and it is 40 here. But it gets much worse in the winter. Your fingers freeze but you have to work. Or else some other Romanians come and take all the plastic. It is the same everywhere for us Gypsies".
They also say that the waste materials collectors in Belgrade take all the good stuff from garbage containers. By the time the garbage trucks get to Vinca, only pure garbage is still left. Nothing of value.
"Glas javnosti", 4. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: During the conflict in Krajina, around 3.200 persons went missing. According to the Association of the Families of Missing Persons from Krajina, after 11 years of search, identifications and exhumations, the fate of 2.627 persons is still unknown.
Even now, after 11 years, Serb refugees from Krajina mostly live as homeless and expatriates in collective centers, where the living conditions are dehumanizing. One of the tenants of the collective center in the part of Belgrade called Kosutnjak, says, "Until three years ago we were getting food aid, but now we get nothing. Luckily, I obtained a refugee ID last year again, so I can go to a doctor for free".
Another, younger tenant of the collective center says, "I wish I got married back then! Years have passed. No one wants to marry a refugee. I can't form a family. I don't have a place to live, I don't have a job or personal documents. Not ours or Croatian. When I tried to take out some documents in my native town in Croatia, I was put through harassment and humiliation. There is no place for us anywhere", says this guy, while preparing firewood for another winter in the dilapidated pavilions of the collective center in Kosutnjak.
"Glas javnosti", 5. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: 20 new members from minority groups have been admitted to the Kosovo Protection Corps, TANJUG reports - 3 Serbs, 3 Turks, 3 Croats, 7 Bosniaks, 2 Ashkalia and 1 Roma and 1 Egyptian. In the Kosovo Protection Corps there are 215 non-Albanians or around 8% of the members of minority groups. The Document on the standards in Kosovo provides that 10% of the Kosovo Protection Corps be members of minority groups.
"Glas javnosti", 6. 8. 2006.

- OBILIC: The head of the Kosovo Mitrovica county, Momir Kasalovic, says that of the 180 Serb households in Svinjare, only three have returned so far.
"Glas javnosti", 7. 8. 2006.

- ZADAR: On the fence wall of the family house of a Serb returnee in Vrana near Biograd in Croatia, unknown person or persons have painted the following graffiti: "Kill the Serb", "Your daughter had cut people's throats around Skabrnja", "Where is your son", "Hang Serbs on willows", "NDH" (short for the Independent State of Croatia), "Storm 95". The owner reported the case to the police and police removed the graffiti swiftly.
"Glas javnosti", 7. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: There are nearly 4.800 villages in Serbia today. It is estimated that 1.200 of them will disappear over the next 15 years. The average age of the inhabitants of the villages is around 60. If the current trends continue, there is a risk for Serbia to become an agricultural country without any villages and farmers - says the vice-president of the Economic Chamber of Serbia, Stojan Jevtic.
"Glas javnosti", 16. 8. 2006.

- UNITED NATIONS: The new UN administrator in Kosovo is the German diplomat Joachim Ruecker. He is the sixth and possibly the last UNMIK administrator.
"Glas javnosti", 15. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: The NGOs list of the Center for Non-profit Sector Development contains the names of 2.781 NGOs registered in Serbia&Montenegro, of which 2.170 are active (1.909 on the territory of Serbia). The Center updates the list every day.
"Glas javnosti", 15. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: The following NGOs: the Association of Roma Intellectuals, the Youth Forum for Education of Romas, the ROOM Association, the ROMM Society, the Chidlren's Aid and the Romani Asvi have announced the start of the implementation of their joint project "Let's Recycle Today for a Better Tomorrow". The project is financed by the EU and realized by the European Agency for Reconstruction, implemented by the consortium of the Center for Non-profit Sector Development and the Center for Democracy fund. The aims and details of the project will be known on Wednesday, August 16th, when the representatives of the said associations and societies will address the public.
"Glas javnosti", 14. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: Nearly 1,5 million people are living below the poverty line and can barely afford all three daily meals for themselves and their families, show the latest researches, whereas the number of public assistance allowance beneficiaries increased from January to May by around 6.000 (from 132.272 to 138.162). Among these 1.5 million persons, 107.000 are persons with official refugee status, around 200.000 are refugees who have taken Serbian citizenship and another 220.000 are IDPs from Kosovo.
In 2005, 9,1% of Serbia's citizens lived below the poverty line, with monthly incomes under 6.500 dinars and this year poverty has reduced since citizens are spending more money than last year. The experts claim that things are "looking up" in Serbia and that "only" 880.000 Serbia's citizens have the minimum salary of 8.820 dinars.
"For destitute families with multiple children, the state provides child allowance, public assistance allowance (the MOP) and older children or parents can also apply for monthly allowance for the unemployed if they are registered with the National Employment Service", they say at the Ministry of Work, Employment and Social Policy.
When all these benefits are added up, a multiple members family only gets several thousand dinars, so if some of the family members don't get any more income "on the side", this money is insufficient even for the food only.
They say at the Ministry of Work, Employment and Social Policy that the number of families using the MOP has increased since the year 2004.
The beneficiaries of the compensation for another's care and assistance get around 4.000 dinars a month.
"In the course of 2004, the average number of families using this form of assistance was 43.900, in 2005 it was 43.913 families, and in the first 5 months of 2006 - 53.191 families", they say at the Ministry.
"Glas javnosti", 13. 8. 2006.

- PRISTINA: The County Court in Gnjilane has sentenced three high-ranking officers of the Kosovo Protection Corps (general Seljim Krasnici, colonel Bedri Zumberaj and top official of the Kosovo Protection Corps Headquarters and former member of UCK, Agron Krasnici) to 7 years imprisonment each, and acquitted another three officers, for war crimes against civilians committed in Orahovac municipality in 1998, Pristina electronic media in Albanian have reported.
"Glas javnosti", 12. 8. 2006.

- PROKUPLJE: The police department in Prokuplje has confirmed that last week the former president of Prokuplje Municipality was checking his orchard accompanied by his wife and their underage daughter in the village of Tacevac in Kursumlija municipality, when they were shot at from the Kosovo side of the administration line. Fortunately, none of them were wounded.
The police states that a detailed investigation wasn't possible due to the specific terrain and the fact that the shots came from the other side of the administration line, from Kosovo, which is the jurisdiction of the KFOR.
"Danas", 14. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: The soup-kitchens in Belgrade distribute 5.659 free daily meals in 26 distribution centers for the most destitute citizens whose incomes don't exceed 7.000 dinars a month.
In order to get the right to a daily free meal, a person needs to take a certificate from the local Social Work Center in the municipality of residence and to be on the unique list of the City Center for Social Work.
The most numerous soup-kitchen beneficiaries live in the parts of Belgrade called Zemun and Novi Belgrade.
"Danas", 15. 8. 2006.

- PRISTINA: Meningitis epidemic has been declared in Kosovo. More than 280 meningitis patients are being treated for brain inflammation in the Clinical-Hospital Center in Pristina.
"Danas", 15. 8. 2006.

- NOVI SAD: The integration of Roma is going slowly. The most common problems faced by the Roma organizations are of financial nature, so some good projects cannot be implemented due to the lack of funds. Therefore, it is necessary for the local self-governments to form special funds - this was said at yesterday's promotion of the Program for helping Roma created by the Democratization Department of the OSCE Mission to Serbia.
According to Dragan Jovanovic of the Roma Association of Secanj municipality, although there is a good support from NGOs, from the structures of both the Province of Vojvodina and of the Republic of Serbia, Romas are not regarded as sufficiently serious partners, like other national minorities. It is necessary for their efficient integration to be provided with more jobs within the state administration and economy by applying affirmative measures, but for this it would be necessary for a larger number of Roma to get education.
One of the crucial problems when it comes to the arrangement of the unhygienic Roma settlements and their legalization is that there is more talk and less action on creating normal living conditions for these people.
As stressed by the representatives of the Roma communities, an important factor in the integration process is education, so it is necessary to create a long-term training program for Roma teachers and also to create adequate conditions so more Roma children can be involved in the education process in their first language. Classes in Roma language are currently held in 43 elementary schools, on the territory of 21 municipalities.
"Danas", 12.-13. 8. 2006.

- LOZNICA: The representatives of Loznica Municipality and the International Organization for Migrations signed a contract yesterday for the construction of 8 apartments for refugees and socially vulnerable categories. The Loznica Municipality will provide a location and infrastructure. The start of the construction is announced for the end of September and the tenants are expected to be able to move into the new apartments next spring.
"Blic", 16. 8. 2006.

- KRAGUJEVAC: 76 apartments are under construction in the settlement of Aerodrom in Kragujevac. Refugee and IDP families and also local socially vulnerable families will have the right to rent the apartments at 1,3 euros per square meter.
"Blic", 12. 8. 2006.

BELGRADE: Romas from the villages in the underdeveloped municipalities in the south of Serbia and those internally displaced from Kosovo cannot exercise their right to medical and social services, education and employment due to the impossibility to register their residence - this is the result of a research conducted by the Belgrade based Minority Rights Center. "So it often happens that pregnant women and children get deprived of medical services because they don't have a medical-care booklet. There were cases of pregnant women who used other people's medical-care booklets, therefore incorrect data were entered in the documentation", reads the study "The Roma and the right to the status of a legal subject in Serbia".
"Glas javnosti", 21. 8. 2006.
 
- BELGRADE: Zoran Markovic, program coordinator of the Belgrade based Center for Non-profit Sector Development, says that although some believe that Serbia has too many NGOs, their number is actually very small, particularly when compared to other countries. He says that Croatia, for example, has around 40.000 NGOs and Sweden has around 6 million, while Serbia has less than 2.000.
When it comes to funding NGOs at the Republic level, the aid from the state for NGOs is almost none.
"According to the records of this June, 2,2% of the NGOs stated the money they get from the state budget as their main funding source. A much greater percentage are the NGOs funded by the local communities - 9.9%. However, the largest percentage - 40,3% - are financed with the money from various foundations", Markovic says.
The situation will not be improved by the new law (which is yet to be adopted-Z), he says, because it doesn't deal much with the ways of financing NGOs but rather with their registration.
"NGOs turn to our Center for legal advice, registration, bylaws changes... Lots of these issues are badly regulated at a national level, so often lots of things depend only on the tax authority employees. In such cases it is hard to give good advice to anyone. But we are trying", Markovic says.
"Glas javnosti", 21. 8. 2006.
 
- NOVI SAD: Because of the great importance of human and minority rights, Serbia should have a special ministry for this domain, said Petar Teofilovic, Vojvodina Ombudsman.
The Ministry of Human and Minority Rights of Serbia and Montenegro, the highest authority when it comes to civil rights and liberities protection in the former state union of Serbia and Montenegro, has been incorporated into the Serbian Goverment's Service for Human and Minority Rights thus creating the conditions for the Service to get much more powers in the human rights protection, Teofilovic said.
"Glas javnosti", 19. 8. 2006.
 
- BRCKO: The Basic Court of Brcko District has prolonged custody for another 2 months for seven Bosniaks, members of the radical Islamic movement of Vehabies, accused of an attack on three Serbs and for inflicting severe injuries on one of them.
"Glas javnosti", 19. 8. 2006.
 
- KOSOVO: A total of 374 meningitis patients are being treated in Kosovo at the moment.
The most common cause for this disease is unclean drinking water. Only 40% of Kosovo's citizens use the water from the waterworks, the rest get drinking water from water wells where fecals are frequently present!
"Glas javnosti", 19. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: Slavisa Petkovic, Minister of Return in the provisional Kosovo Government, says that a total of 14.088 Serb families have returned to the Province in the last 1,5 years since he was appointed minister.
"Eight construction sites are active in Kosovo at the moment and we expect another 3.900 Serb families to return to Kosovo by the end of the year", Petkovic says, adding that 2.200 Serbs have returned to Kosovo recently.
According to the report for the month of July, released by the Working Group of Kosovo's Government, 306 IDPs returned - 53 Serbs, 107 Roma and 123 Ahkalia, Egyptians and others.
"Glas javnosti", 20. 8. 2006.

- NIS: Since 2002, the Danish Refugee Council has been implementing a project for IDPs of informing and returning to Kosovo. The Council also works on a houses reconstruction program and has taken direct part in the return process of more than 120 families to the villages of Suvi Lukovac, Kos and Vidanje in Pec region. The Danish Council also acted as a mediator in the individual returns of 250 families with around 800 members.
The projects are financed by the EU, through the European Agency for Reconstruction.
"Danas", 17. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: Training for Roma children on how to collect PET and aluminum bottles and cans and then sell them to recycling factories and the investment of the money earned in this way into new activities aimed to protect the environment, represent the basis of a new joint project of the European Agency for Reconstruction and five NGOs from underdeveloped municipalities in the south of Serbia.
As emphasized by Ljiljana Vasic, director of the Help the Children organization and leader of the project team, the campaign "Let's recycle today for a better tomorrow" is aimed primarily to start a continuous cooperation between the profit sector and the NGO educational sector and also to raise the citizens' awareness of the need for environmental protection.
"Bujanovac, Vranje, Surdulica, Vladicin Han and Vlasotince are chosen for the program because they are among the most destitute in Serbia, and the project should initiate the creation of further partnership with the business sector. At the same time, over a period of 12 months, which is how long the project will last, the local NGOs will be trained to manage their finances, to raise funds and to ensure financial sustainability", Vasic says.
The children in elementary schools in the said municipalities will be able to learn through workshops how to engage themselves in the activities of collecting PET and aluminum waste and only then shall a campaign start of collecting, weighing, transporting and purchasing. Vasic says that the partners have to invest the money earned in this way into new recycling programs, which will allow them to solve one of the main problems of the non-profit sector - projects financing.
The project is worth 125.000 euros and it will be realized by the following NGOs: Help the Children, the ROMM Association from Surdulica, the ROMM Society from Vlasotince, the Romani ASVI from Vranje, the Roma Intellectuals Association from Vladicin Han and the Youth Forum for Education of Romas from Bujanovac.
"Danas", 17. 8. 2006.

- VRANJE: Yesterday Serb refugees from Croatia and Bosnia&Herzegovina were handed the keys to 20 newly built apartments (ten are 30 sq meters in area each and the other ten are 42 sq meters in area each).
330.000 euros from the EU donations were invested into the construction.
"Blic", 19. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE/PRISTINA: 40 new cases of meningitis were registered in Kosovo this weekend so now the total number of meningitis patients exceeds 400, the National Public Health Institute in Pristina announced yesterday. Iljir Begoli, director of the Institute, says that unclean water in the swimming pools and unclean drinking water are the main cause for the meningitis epidemic. Most patients are children aged 6-10.
Not a single meningitis case has been registered in the northern section of Kosovska Mitrovica or in the Serb enclaves in Kosovo.
"Glas javnosti", 22. 8. 2006.

- LOZNICA: As part of a project financed by the European Agency for Reconstruction, a contract has been signed for the construction of 8 housing units for IDPs, refugees and socially vulnerable persons in Loznica. The contract was singed by the representatives of Loznica Municipality and the International Organization for Migrations (IOM).
"Glas javnosti", 22. 8. 2006.

- DECANI: 55-year-old teacher Vuk Danilovic was beaten up by two Albanians in the center of Decani two days ago. He brought 5 Serb children there to take part in the "Multiethnic Camp" campaign organized by OSCE. The campaign started on August 21st and 30 children from the Serb, Albanian and Roma communities took part. The campaign was aimed to improve the cooperation between ethnic communities in Decani municipality.
Serbia's President Boris Tadic, as well as Kosovo's Government, have condemned the attack on Danilovic.
"Glas javnosti", 24. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: The Eko-Servis from Belgrade has started the implementation of the "Aid program for Romas in Serbia" through which a training will be organized for unemployed persons to collect waste materials. Fifteen waste materials collectors from Belgrade will go through a 3-day recycling training aimed to teach them how to select paper and operate the presses and forklifts in the Belgrade Paper Factory.
After completing the course, the 15 trainees will get a job in the Eko-Servis.
The project is financed by the European Agency for Reconstruction and the CARE International from Germany.
"Glas javnosti", 24. 8. 2006.

- CROATIA: Five persons were arrested yesterday suspected of a brutal killing of the Serb family of Olujic in Cerna in 1991, the Croatian national television HRT reports. According to unofficial information, one of the arrested has a status of a protected witness and another one is an active officer of the Croatian army.
"Glas javnosti", 25. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: According to official statistics, the average salary in Serbia in July was 21.774 dinars. But the question is how realistic this figure is, given the huge difference between the salaries of the directors of the companies (which is often several hundred thousand dinars) and the salaries of ordinary workers; as well as the difference between the average salaries in the rich and in the underdeveloped municipalities. For example, the average salary in Bela Palanka is 6.652 dinars, in Ivanjica - 7.768 dinars, in Svrljig - 8.368 dinars; and in Belgrade municipalities of Lazarevac, Surcin and Beocin, the average salaries are 35.923, 34.389 and 32.471 dinars respectively.
The lowest average salary in July was in the textile industry - 4.854 dinars and the highest was in the tobacco industry - 71.825 dinars.
"Glas javnosti", 25. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: There were 34.033 traffic accidents in Serbia from the beginning of January to July this year, in which 444 people lost their life and 9.770 persons were injured, announced the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"Glas javnosti", 25. 8. 2006.

- JAGODINA: The Health Center in Jagodina has received 500.000 dinars from the MInistry of Health for a project of improvement of medical services for the Roma in the village of Strizilo 15 km from Jagodina, said Dr Snezana Mitrovic yesterday, director of the Health Center.
The project is aimed at the prevention through early detection of hypertension and diabetes mellitus, and it will be implemented through the local Health Station in Strizilo where a specialist doctor will be working three times a week instead of once a week, Mitrovic said. The Health Station in Strizilo will also get new instruments, primarily instruments for measuring blood pressure and blood sugar.
Strizilo has a population of around 2.500 and it is one of the largest Roma settlements in central Serbia.
This week the municipal administration in Jagodina has finished the reconstruction of the elementary school and the People's Home in Strizilo and promised to start, "one of these days", to put asphalt on some of the roads in the village that the locals have indicated as priority.
"Danas", 25. 8. 2006.

- KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: On Saturday, at around 7p.m., an unidentified person threw a bomb on the "Dolce Vita" cafe in northern Mitrovica. Nine persons were injured. They are hospitalized and their life is not in danger. At the moment of the attack, Oliver Ivanovic of the Serbian List for Kosovo was sitting on the terrace of the cafe and he wasn't hurt.
Kosovo Police Service has confirmed that a person suspected of the attack has been arrested.
According to unofficial sources, the attacker was 16-year-old Adem Dibrani from southern Mitrovica.
"Danas", 28. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: Serbia's Commissioner for refugees, Dragisa Dabetic, says that the remaining collective centers won't be closed by the end of the year as previously planned, because there is no possibilities to provide adequate alternative accommodation for all the 9.000 people (6.000 IDPs and 3.000 refugees) who live in the centers.
He says that there are 107 collective centers in Serbia at the moment, of which 17 are in Kosovo. Around 10 of the collective centers are planned to be closed by the end of this year.
During the armed conflicts on the territory of former Yugoslavia, there were 700 collective centers in Serbia; in January 2002, there were 388; since March 2004, 92 collective centers have been closed.
Dabetic says that there is not even an approximate deadline for closing the centers, it will be done gradually, in accordance with the amount of funds coming in, and after all the preparations are completed for housing those people adequately.
"Collective centers are in themselves a necessary evil. They were organized as emergency accommodation, for a period of 6 to 12 months, but some of them have been open for 15 years now. It is indisputable that they should be closed but it is a complicated process", Dabetic says.
One of the problems in this process is that the main donor for closing the centers, the European Agency for Reconstruction, is "always late with the money", sometimes as late as 12 months. "That's how the EAR works and it has slowed down the process a little bit, but I can only say the nicest things about the EAR, they are really investing lots of money into this", Dabetic says.
He emphasizes that before leaving a collective center, the tenants are offered building materials for those who have started building their own homes, or aid in money and goods - for those who choose to pay for private accommodation for a while, as well as the purchase of households in the villages. Older tenants have a possibility to stay in old people's homes but most of them don't want to go to old people's homes. Only the most vulnerable stay in the collective centers. The problem is also that there are no integration programs for IDPs who are the most numerous tenants of the collective centers. IDPs are offered aid in money and goods, and also the construction of units for their temporary accommodation has started, Dabetic says.
He expects the situation for these people to improve after the adoption of the amendments to the Law on refugees this autumn. The amendments will enable the refugees who live in the apartments built for them, to buy those apartments at a popular price and then this money will be used to provide housing for other vulnerable people.
"Danas", 28. 8. 2006.

- ZAGREB: Croatia's Government passed a decision on Friday to provide 4.000 apartments for returnees for which they would pay a guaranteed rent of 2,54 kunas (around 0,35 euros-Z) per sq meter. The returnees could stay in the apartments as long as they live, but then their children wouldn't be able to inherit the tenancy rights. Instead, the apartments would become state property.
Serb returnees, former tenancy rights holders, cannot be satisfied with the Government's decision, said Milorad Pupovac, vice-president of the Independent Democratic Serb Party, because it doesn't offer a possibility of affordable purchase of the apartments.
"Danas", 28. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: According to official statistics, before October 5, 2000, it took 3,45 salaries for the basic necessities for a family of four per month, and this spring it took 1,3 salaries.
The structure of the monthly expenses is such that 40% of the family income is spent on food, 27% on utilities (electricity, water), 13% on services and 20% on all the other needs such as clothes, shoes, school materials, medicines, cultural needs, reparations, house appliances, furniture etc.
"Blic", 28. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: Of the 2,6 million households in Serbia, 12,12% have internet connection (among the rural households, 5,04% have internet connection and 10,05% have a computer). At the same time, more than 60% of Serbia's households have firewood stoves used for heating and cooking.
These are the official statistics of the Statistics Institute of Serbia.
"Blic", 27. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: Montenegro's citizens spend an average of 23 euros each month on landline and mobile telephone bills (a total of 14,2 million euros a month); Croatia's citizens spend 29 euros a month, Macedonians and Bulgarians spend 13,5 euros a month and Serbia's citizens - 6,75 euros.
"Glas javnosti", 29. 8. 2006.

- PODGORICA: After 7,5 years of temporary stay in Montenegro, 22 internally displaced Roma families with a total of 120 members have returned to Pec. The Roma families have received food supplies enough for 3 months, they are provided with furniture and new houses and jobs are waiting for them in Kosovo.
"Glas javnosti", 30. 8. 2006.

- SARAJEVO: Serbian is treated as a foreign language in Sarajevo, even though it is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina where all the joint state institutions are located of the Federation and Republika Srpska.
"Serbian language has been put out of use in Sarajevo Canton, and the proof is that I work as a court interpreter for Serbian", said Miroslav Cabarkapa, candidate of the Democratic Progress Party for the parliament of Sarajevo Canton.
"Glas javnosti", 27. 8. 2006.

- CROATIA: Croatia's tax payers will pay 300.000 euros for the 50 new plates sets purchased for this country's embassies abroad, reports the Zagreb "Vecernji list" daily. Each set costs 6.000 euros. However, the plates are too big for a dish washer and Croatia's coat of arms on the plates is not painted correctly and the colors are smudgy.
"Glas javnosti", 31. 8. 2006.

- LONDON: Maria Calavis, UNICEF Regional Director for South East Europe, has warned that child trafficking is increasing in the region, particularly in Kosovo. "We know that child trafficking is on the increase in Kosovo. Children are being recruited for various jobs and various forms of exploitation and then they get transferred from rural to urban settlements", said Calavis for BBC radio.
"Glas javnosti", 31. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: Students' loans and scholarships will stay the same as last year because the price for food and accommodation hasn't changed since last September. It means that high school students will be getting 3.000 dinars a month and university students - 5.100 dinars a month. The scholarships and loans cover the costs for accommodation and food in students' homes - accommodation in high school students' homes cost 750 dinars a month and food costs 2.250 dinars; university students pay 3.270 dinars for food every month and 675 -1.100 dinars for accommodation.
They say in the Ministry of Education that each year the number of students applying for loans and scholarships increases.
"Glas javnosti", 31. 8. 2006.

- BELGRADE: 30.000 people get cancer in Serbia every year. Every 5th person who dies, dies of cancer.
In the rich countries the number of cancer patients increases all the time but the death rate stagnates or drops, and in Serbia the death rate increases.
"Glas javnosti", 31. 8. 2006.

- CETINJE: Mandatory military service has been abolished in Montenegro. The head of the General HQ of Montenegro's Army, general Jovan Lakcevic, has said that all the recruits who are currently serving in the Army of Montenegro will go home by September 5th.
"Glas javnosti", 31. 8. 2006.

- KRALJEVO: As of this year, 6-year-olds will have to go to preschool because without a certificate of the successful completion of preschool education, they will not be able to enroll in elementary school.
More than 1.000 children from the villages in the area of Kraljevo will not go to preschool because the local school buildings are dilapidated and neglected, inadequate for children. The municipal budget has no funds planned for solving this problem.
"Glas javnosti", 31. 8. 2006.

- KOSOVO: Joachim Rucker, the new head of UNMIK, has said for "Frankfurter Rundschau" that he agrees with the assessment by his predecessor Soren Jessen Petersen that Kosovo "is a democracy that functions" and that "any solution to the status of Kosovo, which is expected to be found by the end of the year, will guarantee minority rights".
"Danas", 30. 8. 2006.

- KOSOVO: Since July 1st, 553 persons in Kosovo have been infected with meningitis.
"Danas", 30. 8. 2006.

- KOSOVO: Kosovo Police Service is preparing new arrests of suspects in inciting and participating in the March violence in 2004, reports the Pristina "Zeri" daily. Last week police arrested 5 suspects from Kosovo Polje and Obilic. They have been assigned 30-day custody. They are charged with torching a number of buildings during the March violence.
A special investigation unit within the Kosovo Police Service Head Command is collecting evidence on the violence that broke out in Kosovo in March 2004 and UNMIK police has a counseling role.
"Danas", 29. 8. 2006.

- NOVI PAZAR: Yesterday the Mesihat of the Islamic Community of Sandzak expressed deep disappointment with the way police had treated the Community's high dignitaries and mufti Muamer Zukorlic, and requested from Prime Minister Kostunica to react and explain whether it was just local arbitrariness or something more serious.
The mufti has explained for "Danas" that two days ago near Gornji Milanovac, police stopped two vehicles of the Islamic Community of Sandzak and searched them for 95 minutes. The Community's delegation lead by mufti Zukorlic were on their way from Belgrade Airport back to Novi Pazar. They had been abroad on an official visit. "I warned the police officers that we were the representatives of the Islamic Community and I even showed them my diplomatic passport. But it didn't help anything", says Zukorlic who immediately phoned President Tadic and Velimir Ilic, Minister of capital investments and former mayor of Cacak because the police officers who stopped the cars were from Cacak Police Department. "Tadic and Ilic said they were sorry and they would do everything they could but maybe because it was Sunday their intervention had no results", Zukorlic says. He says that the policemen told them they had orders from their superiors to search everyone.
In a letter sent to the news media, mufti's deputy Mevludin Dudic says that he expects the Prime Minister Kostunica to determine who ordered the "provocation" and that the competent authorities will adequately punish both those who issued the order and those who executed the "dishonorable act". "Due to all the above, the Mesihat has suggested to the mufti to reduce his trips to Belgrade to the minimum and to avoid Belgrade Airport for his travels abroad", says the letter.
"Danas", 29. 8. 2006.

- NOVI SAD: 42 village households will be purchased and renovated in four municipalities in Vojvodina and refugee families will be housed there in order to enable their permanent integration in Vojvodina. They will have the obligation to engage in organic food production.
This is part of the integration project for refugees in Vojvodina financed with 600.000 euros by the Swedish humanitarian organization "Individual Aid". The project is aimed at creating conditions for permanent solution to the economic and social problems of marginalized persons, refugees and IDPs to enable their successful integration into the local community.
The implementation of the project started in January 2006 and it will be completed on December 31st, 2008.
"Danas", 29. 8. 2006.

Back to the english site
Tillbaka till hemsidan