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May 05
- ZAGREB: Great Britain is willing to help the fugitive Croat general, Ante Gotovina, after he gets arrested and extradited to the Hague, if he helps the authorities in London in identifying IRA terrorists, reports the Zagreb "Vecernji list" daily referring to unnamed sources in the Croatian police.
British intelligence agents are interested in Gotovina because they believe that as a former member of the Foreign Legion, he is keeping contact with big arms smugglers supplying Irish terrorists.
"Glas javnosti", 5. 5. 2005.
- NOVI PAZAR: Yesterday the Sandzak Democratic Party officially submitted to the federal Ministry of Human and Minority Rights an initiative for the election of a new Bosniak National Council in
Serbia&Montenegro. "The initiative was started by 7 Bosniak political parties and several
NGOs because we are not satisfied with the work of the Council whose president is Sulejman Ugljanin", said the vice-president of the Sandzak Democratic Party, Mujo Mukovic.
"Glas javnosti", 5. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: Yesterday the Bulgarian court released the colonel of the Army of Serbia&Montenegro, Cedomir Brankovic, with an explanation that he has diplomatic immunity because he was a member of an official delegation of the Army of Serbia&Montenegro.
"Glas javnosti", 29. 4. 2005.
- SVRLJIG: According to the Republic Statistics Institute, the average salary in the Serbian industry in March was 14.578 dinars and in non-industry - 18.771 dinars. In 20 comunes, the employees in the industry had salaries below 5.000 dinars. Dimitrovgrad was the commune with the lowest industrial salary in March - 1.262 dinars, in Lebane the average salary was 1.497 dinars and in Blace - 1.591 dinars, in Medvedja - 2.264 dinars, in Bosilegrad - 2.878 dinars, in Bela Palanka - 3.048 dinars, in Svrljig - 3.311 dinars etc.
The average salaries in non-industry in March were betweeen 17.000 and 20.000, which means that for example in Dimitrovgrad, the salary in non-industry in March was as many as 16 times higher than the average industrial salary in the commune etc.
"Glas javnosti", 5. 5. 2005.
- LESKOVAC: Health-epidemiological situation of the Roma in Leskovac is very bad, given that 30% of the total number of patients suffering from infective hepatitis and other intestinal diseases are among the
inhabitants of the Roma settlements, says Caslav Nikolic epidemiologist.
"Blic", 5. 5. 2005.
- KURSUMLIJA: The 150 tenants of the collective center of Selovo near Kursumlija have found themselves in a desperate situation. It is getting harder and harder for them to endure the living conditions in the center but they have nowhere else to go. The first refugees arrived in the prefabricated barracks after the operation "Storm" and a few years later, the people exiled from Kosovo arrived.
"There are no concrete announcements of the closing of the center but the problem of these people's bare survival is evident. None of them have any income and the funds from the Commission for Refugees are minimal and not enough to even cover the basic necessities", says Milomir Nikolic, secretary of the municipal Red Cross organization in Kursumlija. He says that all three meals, accommodation and heating are included in the 168 dinars per person per day. Due to the lack of money, the reduction of the meals is being considered.
There are also "double refugees" in the center, who were housed in Kosovo after the operation "Storm".
"Blic", 4. 5. 2005.
- VUCITRN: Accessory building belonging to Milovan Pajovic in the village of Grace near Vucitrn in Kosovo burnt down in a fire two nights ago. The fire was extinguished by the local villagers because the fire brigade didn't come to the scene of the fire to intervene.
"Blic", 3. 5. 2005.
- UNMIK: Deputy chief of UNMIK, Lorens Rosin (pardon the spelling-Z), has announced that the regulation set by UNMIK that comes into effect on July 1st, on the admission of foreigners in Kosovo, does not mean introduction of visas but temporary residence visas. According to the new regulation, the authorities on the border crossings will be issuing
residence permits valid for 90 days for foreigners who are enterning Kosovo.
"Blic", 30. 4. - 2. 5. 2005.
- ZVORNIK: During the war in Bosnia&Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995, 445.000 or 37% of the homes in the country were destroyed. According to the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia&Herzegovina, 299.392 or 67% of the homes in the Federation, 130.451 (29%) in Republika Srpska and 15.366 housing units (3,4%) in the Brcko District were damaged or destroyed.
The largest number of reconstructed housing fund is in the Federation - 116.024 houses; in Republika Srpska - 40.543 and in the Brcko District - 7.128. It is estimated that the reconstruction of the rest of the damaged and destroyed homes would cost around 2,5 billion KM.
"Danas", 5. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: On Sunday it will be ten years since the Croat armed forces' operation "Flash" in western Slavonija. In the operation that lasted two days, a large number of Serb cvilians were killed and around 30.000 were exiled.
According to the report by the Croatian Helsinky Human Rights Committee, presented on July 24th, 2004, the Croatian army killed a total of 83 Serb civilians in the operation "Flash" - 30 were killed in the attacks on the refugee convoys and 53 were killed in their homes. According to the records of the "Veritas" Documentation-Information Center, 283 Serbs were killed or went missing during the operation "Flash".
"Danas", 30. 4. - 3. 5. 2005.
- TIRANA: Two Albanians were killed in the village of Fjer, 100km south of Tirana, when a home-made bomb that they were trying to put together exploded. The police have announced that the victims, Pelumb Reslani and Armando Duraj, were going to make an explosive device with a highly explosive compound trinitrotoluene.
"Danas", 30. 4. - 3. 5. 2005.
- VOJVODINA: The average age of the population of Vojvodina is 41; every year, the population of the Province reduces by 9.000; 17% of the marriages are sterile; women have their first child at the average age of 27; none of the communes in the Province have positive birth rate; in order to keep the same number of inhabitants in the Province, every
family should have at least 3 children.
"Danas", 4. 5. 2005.
- NOVI PAZAR: Batnjik is a former garbage dump of the town of Novi Pazar. It has also been the home for 22 Roma families from Kosovo for 6 years now. The "houses" are made of cardboard and nylon. The settlement has caught fire several times and then "rebuilt" again on the same location. The Romas manage to survive somehow - partly thanks to their own work and partly thanks to the aid provided by the local Red Cross.
The majority of the local population don't mind the new neighbours. But there are those who don't look with a good eye on the presence of the Roma families. It was confirmed around ten days ago when someone cut the water pipe for the faucet supplying the settlement with fresh water. At the insistence of the secretary of the local Red Cross, Ljiljana Kostic, the republic waterpower inspector visited the field. The place where the pipe had been cut was found and repaired. A report on the incident was made, and a request was sent to the local police department to find the perpetrator.
The tents provided by UNHCR, intended for the Roma families in Batnjik, have been sitting in the warehouse of the local Red Cross for several years now because setting them up on the garbage dump wasn't acceptable. The municipality was expected to find an adequate location. The solution is finally found thanks to the "Srbijasume" Public Company which has conceded a location in the immediate vicinity of the Roma settlement. Ljiljana Kostic stresses that with the municipality's help, the location will be arranged and a road to the location will be built. A total of 24 tents will be set up because 2 Roma families from Kosovo who are currently living in the neighbouring town of Raska will also move to the new settlement because of the intolerance of the local Roma in Raska towards them.
"The tents are comfortable and every tent comes with a heater. This is only a temporary solution because we have announcements from the Swedish Government that it will help in taking care of these families. We are expecting containers for them. The most important thing is to provide better accommodation for these people", stresses the secretary of the Red Cross in Novi Pazar.
"Danas", 11. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: According to the 2002 census, 61,9% of the Roma in Serbia don't even have elementary education, only 7,8% have highschool education and 0,3% have college or advanced education.
It is estimated that around 80% of the Roma population is completely or functionally illiterate. Roma children abandon school very early, they are not very good students and a large number of children are unjustifiably sent to special schools. Only every 3rd Roma finishes elementary school.
The Ministry of Education and Sports and the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights have made a Unique Action Plan for the Improvement of the Education of Roma in Serbia. The plan was adopted in January and its implementation will start soon. The main precondition for the acomplishments of the goals presented in the Plan is the creation of a data base on the number of the Roma population, says Radmila Gosovic, higher consultant to the Minister of education and sports.
According to official statistics, around 100.000 Roma are living in Serbia but the real number is estimated at 450.000. The Ministry of Education and Sports should enable the enrollment in schools for the Roma without registered residence and provide professional and financial assistance for schools and teachers who need to go through special training. "It is planned to introduce Roma language and elements of Roma culture as a new subject in elementary schools and we also plan to introduce a Roma assistant in some colleges.We should reduce discrimination against Roma in schools and create an atmosphere of respect for ethnic minorities", stresses Gosovic.
29 schools in Serbia have special programs for Roma students. In the last 2 years, 6.000 free textbook sets were provided for Roma students, 74 project were financed and actions were supported for the enrollment of Roma in secondary schools.
Roma are the most destitute social group in Serbia and the main causes are high unemployment rate, low education level of the Roma population and discrimination against Roma. They also have a very poor quality of health protection and living conditions in general, since they mostly live in isolated settlements, often with no running water or sanitation, and every 10th Roma settlement in Serbia doesn't even have electricity.
Birth rate among Roma is very high but they also have a high death rate so children aged up to 14 make up as much as 41% of the Roma population and only 4% of the population is over 60 years old. Romas rarely register with labour market bureaus and even when they do, they avoid declaring as Roma, they rather register as Serbs, Hungarians, Romanians.
"Glas javnosti", 10. 5. 2005.
- KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: UNMIK has announced that Kosovo Prime Minister, Bajram Kosumi, promised at yesterday's donors' conference in Kosovska Mitrovica that the Government in Pristina will provide 200.000 euros for the reconstruction of the Roma Mahala on the south bank of the Ibar river and the UNMIK chief, Soren Jesen Petersen, announced that the international community will provide even a larger sum for the purpose.
Petersen said for the press that donors had been invited to support the reconstruction of the Mahala where around 8.000 Roma, Ashkaelia and Egyptians lived until June, 1999. "It will be one of the largest returns so far", said Petersen and added that it would be a signal that the return to urban environments was possible.
"Glas javnosti", 8. 5. 2005.
- SMEDEREVO: Yesterday Television Smederevo started broadcasting news in Roma language two times a day, announced the director of this media house, Vesna Vitorovic. She says that the news program, "Romano Diary", will not be dealing with the problems of Roma but with the news from the life of Smederevo where 5.000 of the 120.000 inhabitants are Roma. She stresses that she expects more cooperation with the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights in the realization of the program.
The founder of the Television Smederevo is the municipality.
"Glas javnosti", 6. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: Montenegro has 18.047 registered IDPs from Kosovo. They believe in the Union of IDP and Refugee Associations in Montenegro that Serbia and international organizations who have the UN mandate to look after these people until the conditions for their return to Kosovo are created, have forgotten about them. IDPs are left to themselves.
"Our mother state, Serbia, not only hasn't tried to make our lives easier but it has deprived us of our basic human and civil rights", says Milenko Jovanovic, president of the Union which consists of 10 IDP associations. IDPs from Kosovo who have found refuge in Montenegro haven't had the right to vote in any of the elections in Serbia. Unlike them, IDPs who are living in Serbia proper did have the right to vote and in the latest presidential election, even the Serbian citizens living abroad as immigrants had the right to vote. For Jovanovic, it is a clear sign that they are being neglected deliberately, because they have appealed to the institutions of the Republic of Serbia many times about the problem and they ahve never received any answer.
"We are deprived of our rights regarding social and health security. IDPs in Montenegro don't have the possibliity to obtain the right to child allowance or the right to free medical treatment in Serbia (we have the right to health security in Montenegro). The problem of child allowance is partly solved thanks to the "Kosmet" Association in Sutomore and the Coordination Center in cooperation with the Serbian MInistry of Labor, Employment and Social Policy. In the meantime, due to the reduction of international donations, almost all collective centers in Montenegro are closed and the humanitarian organizations who were providing food aid for IDPs have left this region a long time ago", says Jovanovic.
He has highlighted the Union's good cooperation with the state institutions in Montenegro and the Commssion for Refugees. The Montenegran Government has recently adopted the Strategy for IDPs and Refugees and Jovanovic believes that it will solve lots of issues.
According to an opinion poll that the Union has conducted in cooperation with the American Committee for Refugees, 81% of IDPs in Montenegro want to return to Kosovo and the rest of them want local integration or to go to third countries.
"Glas javnosti", 10. 5. 2005.
- KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: Unknown persons stoned the house of Snezana Cvetnic in the ethnically mixed
Bosnian Mahala in northern Mitrovica, placed a bomb on the front gate of the house and then ran in the direction of the Albanian houses.
In the moment of the attack, Snezana Cvetnic was in the house with her two children. It was lucky that the family didn't try to leave the house after the stoning because in case they tried to open the front gate, the bomb would have exploded, said an international policeman who was investigating the scene of the incident.
"Glas javnosti", 8. 5. 2005.
- KLOKOT (Kosovo): Yesterday morning the house of Milan Marinkovic (aged 72) that he had built for his 4 grandchildren, was destroyed in a heavy explosion.
His son Slobodan, the father of the 4 children, was kidnapped by Albanians and while Milan was still looking for his son, Albanians killed his daughter Svetlana while she was working in a field. Slobodan's body was found in Drenica 6 months ago.
"A week ago, the local authorities in Klokot Banja cut the drinking water supplies to our village so now the only water we have is from the wells most of which are contaminated", says the inhabitants of Klokot.
In Kosovska Vitina there are still around 100 Serbs who are spending most of the time closed in their homes, waiting to sell their properties and then leave the town.
"Vecernje novosti", 11. 5. 2005.
- WASHINGTON: Security isn't a problem in Kosovo, Serbs only think that they are not safe, said the commandant of the Kosovo Protection Corps, Agim Ceku, in Washington. "It is just a matter of their perception. They have never checked if they are safe or not. Serbs have freedom of movement, they can go into the state institutions, cooperate with the Albanian majority population. I believe it is just a psychological barrier towards Albanians", said Ceku during his visit to the American Peace Institute.
"Glas javnosti", 11. 5. 2005.
- THE HAGUE: The prosecution office of the Hague Tribunal has opposed to Ramus Haradinaj's release pending his trial. He was one of UCK commandants and he is accused of war crimes against Serbs, non-Albanians and disloyal Albanians committed in the spring of 1998. Despite Haradinaj's voluntary surrender and the guarantees provided by UNMIK, the prosecution office doesn't believe that the international administration in Kosovo "is practically capable of arresting Haradinaj and sending him back to the Hague if necessary".
"Glas javnosti", 10. 5. 2005.
- ZAGREB: The "Blood and Honor" Movement, behind which some well organized skinhead "divisions" are hiding, is spreading throughout Croatia - the Movement has its branches in Zagreb, Rijeka and Pula and the branches in Osijek and Dubrovnik are being established.
They present themselves as nationalistic and patriotic youth of Croatia whose aim is the awakening of the national pride and promotion of pan-European modern nationalism. They operate in secret. The name of the Movement was borrowed from the moto of the elite Hitler's SS division "Blood and Honor", reports a Zagreb daily newspaper.
"Glas javnosti", 8. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: Belgrade branch of the Academy of Humanistic Sciences from Novi Pazar will enroll 80 students this schoolyear in each of the departments of English language and literature, politicology and interantional relations, and journalism. The annual tuition is 1.200 euros and it can be paid in several monthly installments.
"Glas javnosti", 11. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: Unemployment rate in Serbia is 18,5% and there is 1,61 unemployed person to every employed person. This is the result of the latest poll of the Republic Statistics Institute.
The largest number of the unemployed (65% - 70%) have highschool education; around 20% have elementary education and 5% of the unemployed have advanced or college education.
Half the unemployed persons are aged between 20 and 34, which is common but the alarming fact is that 1/3 of the unemployed in Serbia are aged between 40 and 60.
The poll was conducted in October, 2004. In that period, the employment rate was 45,2%.
"Danas", 6. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: Serbia&Montenegro has signed readmission agreements with 15 countries and, as the federal Minister of human and minority rights Rasim Ljajic said at a round table on the implementation of the readmission agreements, by June of 2005 the ratification is expected of similar agreements with another 12 countries of the European Union and the region. However, the Minister couldn't say exactly how many of our citizens are living in other countries. The largest number of requests for the readmission of illegal immigrants from Serbia&Montenegro have been submitted by Germany, Switzerland and Luxemburg and from these countries have returned the largest number of people. He pointed out that the majority of the people who are being sent back to Serbia&Montenegro are Roma and IDPs from Kosovo who are in the most difficult situation because there are no security conditions for their return to the Proivnce. In order to help the returnees from the countries of the West, the Ministry plans to open a readmission bureau at the Belgrade Airport in cooperation with Sweden, said Ljajic.
Representatives of a number of ambassies, international and non-governmental organizations took part in the round table held in the Palace of the Federation in Belgrade.
"Danas", 11. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: The rights of IDPs from Kosovo are not on the same level as the rights of other citizens of Serbia&Montenegro and it is necessary to work on their equalization - this is the conclusion of the report by the NGO called "Group 484" which was presented at the Media Center yesterday. It is a report on the human rights situation of refugees from Bosnia&Herzegovina, IDPs from Kosovo, asylum seekers and people who have returned to the country under the readmission agreements from 2004. The report was done from November, 2004, to March, 2005 and it represents an analysis of the situation of these social categories.
It was especially pointed out during the investigation that there are no accurate statistics on refugees yet, although it is evident that their number is dropping. The most numerous are IDPs from Kosovo - there are 225.738 registered IDPs in Serbia - and they are in the worst situation. The International Committee of the Red Cross estimates that as many as 90% of IDPs are below or close to the poverty line. 11.000 have returned to Kosovo until March, 2004, when the return process was stopped.
Vesna Golic, director of the Group 484, stressed that the report doesn't just deal with the basic rights, such as the right to security, but also the social-economic rights, institutions, social integration in Serbia&Montenegro, as well as recommendations and measures.
"Danas", 7. 5. - 8. 5. 2005.
- KIKINDA: The local authority in Kikinda, held by the Serbian Radical Party, has introduced a special rule for the private TV station "VK TV" which often criticizes the actions of the local authority, under which this TV station has to ask for a permission to film a report in the Town Hall three days beforehand and in writing. The staff of the VK TV claim that the rule is illegal, that it is a form of retaliation and it is impossible to know 3 days in advance if there is going to be a need to film anything.
At the same time, a restricted entrance has been introduced for local citizens - they can't enter the first floor of the Town Hall any more where the vital municipal services are located. On one side the security prevents them from entering the building while the other door has an electronic lock and a warning that it is the entrance only for the staff of the municipal services. Older citizens of Kikinda remember that similar rules were in force during the German occupation in Second World War.
"Danas", 7. 5. - 8. 5. 2005.
- NOVI PAZAR: Two nights ago, unknown vandals stoned the house of Dejan Radovic, vice-president of the local branch of the Serbian Radical Party in Novi Pazar and a member of the local parliament. The front door of the house was damaged and the Radovic family and other Serbs in the neighbourhood are seriously disquieted.
The members of the Serbian Radical Party demand from the local police department to find the perpetrators of the incident and to step up the security measures in ethnically mixed environments.
"Vecernje novosti", 11. 5. 2005.
- ALEKSANDROVAC: Dragan Jovanovic, Roma from Aleksandrovac, is dissatisfied with the decision of the Municipal Court in Aleksandrovac to sentence Aleksandar Pavlovic to 11 months imprisonment for beating him up with a baseball bat on November 28th, 2004, for no reason or motive. The attack took place in the "Club of the Roma" in Aleksandrovac and Jovanovic obtained severe injuries. Jovanovic says that Pavlovic didn't repent for a moment, to the contrary, he publically said that he would kill him as soon as he got out of the prison. Jovanovic says that the words "white cleaner" were written on the bat "meaning that it 'cleans the black' or the Roma". Jovanovic says that he lives in a family of 9 members and he was the
only family member who had a job before the attack. With a salary of 10.000 dinars, he was maintaining his wife, their two sons, two daughters-in-law and three grandchildren. "Since November 28th, I haven't received one dinar because the compensation for my medical treatment is paid by the Social Work Center", says Jovanovic.
"Blic", 16. 5. 2005.
- BOR: Thanks to donations, a half-an-hour radio and TV program in Roma language is to start on RTV Bor. It will be mostly news program. There is also a possibility for the Vlach populationto also get a 13-minute program starting from June 15th. It will be the first time since the establishment of Radio Bor (35 years ago) and TV Bor (12 years ago) that besides the programs in Serbian, programs in the languages of ethnic minorities and groups are broadcasted.
"Glas javnosti",17.5. 2005.
- KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: UNMIK spokesperson, Remi Durlo, announced yesterday that the remains of 10 persons had been found in the mass grave near Malisevo and they are believed to be Serbs who went missing in 1998. He said that some of them had their
hands tied behind their backs.
"Glas javnosti", 17. 5. 2005.
- PRISTINA: Kosovo Prime Minister, Bajram Kosumi, has stated that if Gracanica or Golap (area between Pristina and Podujevo) obtained municipality status, it wouldn't mean creation of new enclaves. "If Gracanica became a municipality with Serbs as majority population, it wouldn't be creation of an enclave but it would be a part of direct administration for the citizens so they wouldn't have to go to Pristina and wait for weeks to get a birth certificate", said Kosumi for the
"Koha ditore" daily.
"Glas javnosti", 17. 5. 2005.
- PRISTINA: According to the authorities in Belgrade, in Montenegro there are nearly 30.000 IDPs from Kosovo. A delegation of the Montenegran Government arrived in Kosovo yesterday and by May 18th, it will visit various communes in the Province to
which IDPs in Montenegro should return. The delegation is visiting Kosovo at the invitation of UNMIK's Office for Return and Communities and the Kosovo Ministries of Local Self-government and of Return and Communities.
"Glas javnosti", 17. 5. 2005.
- LONDON: Political leaders of Kosovo Albanians are working on a "Kosovo constitution" and they are ready for the "unilateral separation from Serbia" unless a satisfactory solution is found. "Any gradual transition towards independence" is unacceptable for Pristina.
"Vecernje novosti", 17. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: For the first time this year, the "chetnik rally" in Ravna Gora was organized under the auspices of the state of Serbia but only the ministers who are members of the Serbian Renovation Movement attended the rally: Vuk Draskovic (federal Minister of External Affairs), Dragan Kojadinovic (Serbian Minister of Culture) and Vojislav Vukcevic (Serbian Minister of Diaspora). So far no one from the Serbian Government has distanced themselves from the "chetnik happening" that took place on Sunday. There have been no other public reactions except for those by "Igman Initiative" regional association and the Socialist Party of Serbia, who strongly protested over the Government's participation in the organization and financing of the rally. The rally was organized to mark the anniversary of the formation of the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland in Second World War.
"Danas", 17. 5. 2005.
- ZAGREB: The Croatian President, Stjepan Mesic, has cancelled his visit to Serbia & Montenegro because of the "chetnik rally in Ravna Gora which was organized and supported by the Serbian authorities and attended by some of the Government's officials", announced the President's cabinet.
"Kurir", 17. 5. 2005.; "Vecernje novosti", 17. 5. 2005.
- ZAGREB: Croatian "24 sata" daily newspaper has documents to prove that the United States and the American President at the time, Bill Clinton himself, strictly controlled the military operation "Storm" and even issued open orders to the Croatian state leadership. The documents are transcripts from the meetings that the President Franjo Tudjman held with his closest associates on August 7th, 1995, the third day of the "Storm". Among others, the current Croatian Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader, also participated in the meeting. He was deputy Minister of External Affairs at the time.
"Danas", 17. 5. 2005.
- ZAGREB: In the local election in Croatia, in 10 communes where Serbs were majority population before the "Storm", the Independent Serb Democratic Party took absolute victory and won the local election in Knin for the first time with 36,6% of the votes.. The Croatian Democratic Community is in the second place in Knin with 31,7% of the votes.
"Vecernje novosti", 17. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: In its latest report, the International Crisis Group considers dangerous the introduction of Bosnian language in the schools in Sandzak and qualifies it as "probably the most dangerous political move in Sandzak since the fall of Milosevic's regime, which could ruin the good relations between Serbs and Bosniaks". The International Crisis Group fears that the introduction of Bosnian language could lead to the division of students on ethnic basis.
"Vecernje novosti", 17. 5. 2005.
- PRIJEPOLJE: The local parliament in Prijepolje has set up a commision for the construction of a monument for the 19 Bosniak passengers kidnapped from a train in Strpce on February 27th, 1993. The head of the commission is the president of the commune, Nedzad Turkovic.
"Vecernje novosti", 17. 5. 2005.
- CACAK: According to the local Labour Market Bureau, 1/3 of the unemployed persons in the commune are young people aged between 18 and 30.
"Blic", 16. 5. 2005.
- BEOGRAD: Gvozden Gagic, president of the commission for missing persons of Serbia & Montenegro, says that the bodies of 11 victims were found in Malisevo and the exhumation is complete. On the other hand, UNMIK spokesperson, Marcia Pool said yesterday that the remains of 13 bodies had been found in Malisevo and they are believed to be Serbs.
"Glas javnosti", 19. 5. 2005.
- BEOGRAD: Veljko Odalovic, president of the Working Group for the Missing in Serbia & Montenegro, says on the occasion of the exhumation of Serb victims in Volujak and Malisevo, that during 1999 and 2000 the Hague investigators, supported by KFOR and UNMIK, exhumed and then buried again 2.018 bodies in different locations, without identifying the bodies. "The Hague investigators exhumed 4.019 bodies in Kosovo between June of 1999 and the end of 2000 and identified one Serb and 2.000 Albanians. We have evidence that they buried the remaining 2.018 bodies in various locations in Kosovo", says Odalovic.
"Glas javnosti", 18. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: Deputy prosecutor for war crimes, Dragoljub Stankovic, interrogated another 4 witnesses of Albanian nationality as part of the procedure in the Batajnica case, announced the prosecution office today.
Bruno Vekaric, spokesperson for the War Crime Prosecution Office says that requests for investigation and for bringing indictments in the cases of the mass graves can be expected by the end of the year. In three mass graves in Serbia, 835 bodies of Kosovo Albanians have been found - 707 in the training center got special police units in Batajnica, 84 near the training center for the members of the state security in Petrovo Selo near Kladovo and 44 in Perucac.
"Glas javnosti", 19. 5. 2005.
- KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: Dragisa Krstovic, representative of the Serb list for Kosovo in the Kosovo Parliament, says that a coordinated action of the authorities in Belgrade, Kosovo Ministry of Return and Communities and the international factors could create conditions for larger return movements of IDPs to Kosovo. He emphasizes that the Kosovo Minister of return, Slavisa Petkovic, needs support from Belgrade.
"Glas javnosti", 19. 5. 2005.
- VUKOVAR: Two interethnic incidents took place in the area of Vukovar in the last couple of days between Serb and Croat students, reports the Zagreb "Vecernji list" daily. Both incidents happened on the bus that drives highschool students from the village of Berak to Vukovar. The first incident ended up in insults only but later a student from
Negoslavci, where Serbs are majority population, beat up a Croat student from Berak.
"Glas javnosti", 18. 5. 2005.
- BANJALUKA: 51,8% of the citizens in Republika Srpska still regard Radovan Karadzic as a hero and 29,5% regard him as a war criminal. These are the results of the latest research of the "Partner" Agency published by the "Reporter" magazine.
"Glas javnosti", 19. 5. 2005.
- LIST FOR SANDZAK; The "List for Sandzak" coalition has stated that "the participation of the Serbian Government in organizing and financing the rally in Ravna Gora was an irresponsible and rash move" which represents "a heavy insult for all those who were victims of the chetnik movement in Second World War".
"Blic", 18. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: The Croatian President was so bothered by the rally in Ravna Gora that he first cancelled his visit to Belgrade and then threatened that there wouldn't be any visit any time soon. Bojan Dimitrijevic, of the Institute for Modern History in Belgrade, says that if the fact that Mesic's uncle was an ustasha colonel in Second World War doesn't bother us when it comes to good bilateral relations with Croatia, then why should they be bothered by our recognition of the Ravna Gora Movement.
"Vecernje novosti", 18. 5. 2005.
- PODGORICA: The Montenegran Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted Croatia's authority and distanced itself from the actions of the federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia & Montenegro, Vuk Draskovic, who attended the rally in Ravna Gora.
"Vecernje novosti", 18. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: The "Jasenovac" Investigation Institute in New York requests from the European institutions to block the admission of Croatia into the European Union until the issue is solved of the damages for the inmates of the concentration camp in Jasenovac and the properties robbed in the ustasha Independent State of Croatia, said Danko Vasovic, advisor to the director of the Institute.
"Glas javnosti", 19.5. 2005.
- NOVI PAZAR: NGOs in Novi Pazar signed yesterday an agreement to form the Civic Parliament in this town. "The goal is solving the problems of the local community, the affirmation and realization of the ideas of the civil society, human rights and democracy, solving the issues important for the local community, improving the work of the local
self-government i building up the confidence between the citizens and the local self-government", says Aida Corovic, coordinator of the NGO called "Urban-in" that initiated the formation of the Civic Parliament. The constant coordination body of the asociation will be made up of the representatives of the following NGOs: Urban-in, the Sandzak Intellectual Circle, the "Damad" Cultural Center, the Sandzak Human Rights Committee, the Center for Peace and Reconciliaiton, the ecological societies "Raskin sliv" and "Golija", the Eco-family, the Fishermen Association of Novi Pazar, the Mountaineers Association of Sandzak, the "Zeman" NGO and the Astrological Society of Novi Pazar.
"Danas", 19. 5. 2005.
- NOVI PAZAR: Dr Sefadil Spahic, head of the Hygienic-epidemiological Service of the Health Center in Novi Pazar, has stated that every third child in Novi Pazar has parasites. "The most common cause of the parasitosis is water. And I think also the fact that in some villages there is still a habit to use human fecals as fertilizer. The eggs of the parasites stay on the vegetables and then people eat them and insert the parasites into their bodies".
"Blic", 18. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: Nearly 1/3 of the college students in Serbia would pay bribe if they couldn't pass an exam any other way, showed the latest research into the corruption in colleges conducted last year by the Student Union of Serbia. Dragan Mihajlovic, coordinator of the Union's Anti-corruption team, says that 31% of the students in Serbia choose bribe as the only way to pass their exams. According to the same research, 69% of the college students would cheat on their exams if they knew they wouldn't get caught.
"Kurir", 18. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: The average salary in Serbia in March was 3,7% higher than February but 8,6% lower than last December.
"Glas javnosti", 19. 5. 2005.
- FRANKFURT: The information that the German Government has started the deportations of Kosovo Roma and that 200 were deported on Thursday despite the warning from UNMIK that their life would be in danger among Albanian extremists - is false. One airplane from Duseldorf, where the collective camp for the entire Germany is located, has landed in Pristina with a total of 37 deported persons, of which 32 are Albanians and only 5 are Ashkalia. As announced, Kosovo Roma are not planned for deportation for the
moment because UNMIK being unable to accept them and guarantee their safety, is preventing the deportations. In Germany there are 54.000 refugees from Kosovo, among them around 24.000 Roma and a few Serbs who are exempted from the deportations. Under the Government's previous decision and its agreement with UNMIK signed in April, as of the beginning of May 300 Ashkalia and Egyptians are to be deported per month (in Germany there is a total of 8.200 Ashkalia and 1.800 Egyptians from Kosovo). According to some information, their problem is that when they were seeking asylum in Germany, they stated that they were solidary with Albanians, that they spoke Albanian and they were running from Serbian terror. So now they are not threatened by Albanian extremists. As for Roma from Serbia, they are not regarded as threatened so they can be returned to Serbia through abbreviated procedure.
"Vecernje novosti", 20. 5. 2005.
- The office of the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Javier Solana, has asked the Zagreb "24 sata" daily for the transcript related to relations between the United States and Croatia regarding the organization of the "Storm" in 1995.
"Vecernje novosti", 20. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: In Serbia 30.000 people get cancer per year and more than 20.000 of them die.
"Vecernje novosti", 19. 5. 2005.
- PRISTINA: Radio Free Europe reports that the UN Court in Gnjilane has sentenced a group of 6 Albanians to a total of 38 years imprisonment for killing Slobodan Peric during the anti-Serb riots in Kosovo in March, 2004. After a five-month trial, Nedzad Ramadani (aged 21) was sentenced to 16 years, Seladin Salihu (aged 33) to 11 years and their accomplices were sentenced to 2 - 3,5 years imprisonment.
"Glas javnosti", 22. 5. 2005.
- PRISTINA: On Friday night, a strong explosion destroyed two shops some 300 meters from the police station in Urosevac. No one was hurt, only the windows on the nearby houses got crashed. Police investigation is underway.
"Glas javnosti", 22. 5. 2005.
- PRISTINA: Kosovo Police Service arrested 4 Serbs from Gnjilane commune on Saturday. They came in front of the police station in Gnjilane under the influence of alcohol and tried to enter the building, said the spokesman for the Kosovo Police Service, Refki Morina. Among the arrested, one is a member of the Kosovo Police Service, one is a member of the prison security and two are civilians.
"Glas javnosti", 22. 5. 2005.
- PODGORICA: Daut Dauti, spokesman for the Kosovo Prime Minister, said yesterday that Kosovo "will be independent in a year" and that the authorities in Pristina "have promises from the international community" for this.
"Glas javnosti", 23. 5. 2005.
- PODGORICA: Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Per Stig Meler announced yesterday that the talks on the future status of Kosovo are starting in New York next Friday.
"Glas javnosti", 22. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: Yesterday the federal Parliament of Serbia&Montenegro ratified the Agreement with Croatia on the protection of the rights of the Serb and Montenegran minority in Croatia and the Croat minority in Serbia&Montenegro.
"Glas javnosti", 21. 5. 2005.
- VUKOVAR: Last night two bombs exploded outside the town halls in Trpinja and Borovo, stated the Vukovar-Srem Police Department. No one was hurt in the blasts, only property damage was caused on the town halls.
"Glas javnosti", 23. 5. 2005.
- VUKOVAR: An unidentified person threw a bomb on a business-apartment building in Vukovar yesterday morning. No one was hurt but major damage was caused in one of the apartments and the wall separating the apartment from the premises of the Party of Dunav Serbs is also damaged. The owner of the apartment is living in Zagreb at the moment.
"Glas javnosti", 22. 5. 2005.
- ZADAR: The shepherdess Bojana Mrsic in Donji Karin has discovered a body of a man believed to have been killed with a knife. They say at the Police Department in Zadar that the victim is Dusan Vidic (aged 81) from Karin Donji who is a registered resident of Zagreb.
"Vecernje novosti", 20. 5. 2005.
- ZAGREB: Serbs in the village of Karin near Zadar where Dusan Vidic was found two days ago with his throat slit, say that they are living in fear and they will leave the village unless the Croatian police finds the killer soon. The investigating judge who is in charge of the case, has confirmed that there is a suspicion that it is a "political assassination" but
there is also a possibility that the motive for the murder was personal interest. The Serbs in Karin believe that it is an ethnically motivated murder and the first to express similar suspicion was the vice-president of the Independent Democratic Serb Party, Milorad Pupovac, after which he was exposed to a heavy verbal attack by the Croatian media and the right wing representatives in the Croatian Parliament. Serb returnees and Croat settlers from Bosnia&Herzegovina make up the population of Karin so interethnic incidents are not so uncommon.The Croatian Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader, has stated for the Rijeka "Novi list" daily that he severely condemns the crime in Karin and ordered that an investigation should start immediately. The Government in exile of the Republic of Srpska Krajina has stated that the murder of the old Dusan Vidic proves that the suffering of Serbs in Croatia on religious and ethnic basis hasn't stopped.
"Glas javnosti", 21. 5. 2005.
- BIJELJINA: President of the Bijeljina regional Association of Refugees and IDPs, Veljko Stevanovic, announced yesterday that the lawsuits brought by 450 Serb refugees against the Federation of Bosnia&Herzegovina demanding damages for the properties destroyed after the ratification of the Dayton agreement in November of 1995, will not be dropped.
He says that the representative of the public attorney's office of the Federation, Nermina Denkic, requests that the Serbs who have filed the lawsuits state precisely who destroyed their properties although the municipalities where the properties are located don't have those data. The 450 Serbs are suing the Federation for 50 million KM in damages.
Most Serb houses were intact even 3 years after the end of the war and then started the destruction in order to prevent the owners from returning.
"Glas javnosti", 23. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: According to the Republic Statistics Institute, the lowest salary in Serbia for the period January-March was in Dimitrovgrad - 3.542 dinars and the highest salary was in the Vracar municipality in Belgrade - 24.000. According to the official statistics, the number of employed persons in Serbia in April totalled 2.050.000 and the number of unemployed - 770.000.
"Glas javnosti", 21. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: Privatization and restructuring of the public companies in Serbia impacted the "older" labour the most and more and more of them have to go back to the Labor Market. The chances for those with over 20 years working experience to get a
job again are very small. There are around a million unemployed persons in Serbia at the moment. Unfortunately, most of those who will get fired from the public companies are middle-aged people and it won't be easy for them to get another job because employers rather hire younger people, even if they don't have any working experience. Although the National Labour Bureau has started an action of finding jobs for older people by freeing the employers of taxes for each woman over 45 and man over 50 that they hire, companies rarely hire people over 45. According to the Bureau, of the 28.607 unemployed persons over 50 in Belgrade, only 191 were hired by March.
"Glas javnosti", 23. 5. 2005.
- KRAGUJEVAC: In the first 4 months of this year, there were 494 traffic accidents in the area of Kragujevac (14 more than the same period last year) in which 9 persons were killed and 46 severely injured.
"Glas javnosti", 22. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: The average age of the population in Serbia is 40.
"Vecernje novosti", 22. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: One of the specific features of our "economic reforms" is that some quite atypical professions are appearing. For example, there are more than 60.000 registered bodyguards.
"Vecernje novosti", 22. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: The Statistics Institute in Serbia regard as illiterate all those over 10 years of age who have finished more than 3 classes of elementary school or who have finished 1-3 classes of elemetary school or who haven't attended the school at all but are able to write and read a short text before a census taker. Under these criteria, 232.925 people in Serbia are illiterate (3,45% of the entire population). 357.552 people in Serbia (5,7%) have no qualifications, 896.847 people (14,2%) have finished 4th -7th class of elementary school which, if we include those who have finished 1st - 3rd class of elementary school
makes a total of 16,2% uneducated population. And now we come to a shocking sum: in Serbia, included the illiterate, 21,9% of the population or every 5th person has no qualifications; another 1.509.462 only have elementary education, which along with
those of lower education levels makes up 45,8% of the population in Serbia.
Around 55% of the unemployed persons in Serbia have no working experience.
"Vecernje novosti", 22. 5. 2005.
- PODGORICA: If a referendum on the status of Montenegro were to be held now, 40,5% of the citizens would vote for independence and 36% would vote against independence, shows a research presented yesterday by the Center for Democracy and Human Rights; 42,2% of the interviewed people are against the idea of a union of independent states of Serbia and Montenegro and 31,4% support the idea.
"Glas javnosti", 25. 5. 2005.
- ZAGREB: The Croatian Government believes that the bomb attacks in the municipalities of Borovo Selo and Trpinja, as well as the recent killing of a Serb in Karin are "provocations planned on the other side of the Danube river, intended to create an atmosphere of interethnic intolerance, which is damaging for Croatia", reports the "Vjesnik" daily referring to unofficial sources in the Government.
"Danas", 25. 5. 2005.
- PRISTINA: Deceits, malversations, bribery and other forms of corruption by organized criminal groups are blocking the Kosovo society where the misuse of the money from the official budget is considered almost normal. "There is organized crime and corruption in Kosovo and sometimes even persons in high political positions are involved in those 'deals'. If this situation continues indefinitely, Kosovo will never become attractive for foreign investors", says Andrea Venegoni, international public prosecutor. The official administration, be it the UNMIK or the Kosovo administration, can't start the "healing process" because there are no laws, i.e. there are 3 law systems - there is the UNMIK's regulations, the laws passed by the Kosovo Parliament and even the laws of the former Socialist Federal Repubic of Yugoslavia are still in effect.
"Danas", 25. 5. 2005.
- KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: Two members of the Kosovo Police Service last night as they were crossing the bridge on the ibar river on their way to the northern section of Mitrovica. "Seven people encircled them and started to attack them. The policemen identified themselves but the attack continued. One of the policemen suffered light injuries", says a police statement.
"Danas", 25. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: In the first months of 2005, Serbia has made some significant improvements but in many areas the policy of the Serbian Government is regressive, says the latest report on Serbia by the International Crisis Group. Although Serbia and her Government are identified as the successors of Milosevic's regime and the causes of uncertain stability of western Balcans, the analysts here believe that this document can't have a major echo among the "big powers". In its report, the Group says that the only real reforms that took place are economic reforms and the ministries contolled by G17+, the
most liberal member of the Government. The International Crisis Group concludes that it will take a strong and coordinated international pressure to prevent further regression in
Serbia. The analyst Milan Nikolic says that the International Crisis Group is rather a lobby than an expert group who took the side of the "imagined and real opponents of Serbia, above all Albanians and Muslims". His colleague Zoran Stoiljkovic says "the criticism of our reforms are grounded for sure but it is not a reason to demand pressure from the
international community because the negative elments are exaggerated and the positive are reduced to minimum, even only mentioned as a passing remark".
"Glas javnosti", 25. 5. 2005.; "Danas", 25. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: In the first three months of 2005, the "Astra" NGO registered 31 victims of people trafficking in Serbia, of which 15 were underage, Aleksandra Jovanovic of the "Astra" said yesterday at the "Save the children"'s promotion of a new campaign for protecting minors from people traffickers. She said that the underage victims are aged
between 14 and 17 and so far the "Astra" hasn't registered any victims younger than that, which doesn't mean that there haven't been such cases in Serbia. Minors are mostly used for sexual exploitation, forced labor, begging and even for participation in armed conflicts.
"Glas javnosti", 25. 5. 2005.
- BEC: The population of Serbian&Montenegro are less discontent with the current situation than the citizens of Bosnia&Herzegovina who are sceptical about the future, shows a study of the "Paul Lakersfield" association. 80% of the people interviewed in Bosnia&Herzegovina stressed that they were happy with the old communist regime, whereas in Serbia only 40% were happy with that regime.
"Glas javnosti", 25. 5. 2005.
- BEOGRAD: The Hungarian President, Ferenc Madl has decorated Dejan Janca, the Serbia&Montenegran ambassador to Hungary, "for his contributions to the development of the relations between Hungary and Serbia&Montenegro".
"Danas", 24. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: The minimum amount of foodstuffs for a household of 4 members in Serbia cost 13.822 dinars in March. It means that this money could buy 33 loaves of bread, 20 liters of milk, 4 liters of yogurt, 90 eggs, vegetable, fruit, 4kg of chicken meat; 2, 2 kg of pork; 2,2 kg of bowels; 2,2kg of salami and sausages; 620 dinars of the money are paid
for sugar, coffee, biscuits and spices.
"Vecernje novosti", 24. 5. 2005.
- ZAGREB: It has been announced in Zagreb that the celebration of 10 years since the operation "Storm" will be held in Knin.
"Glas javnosti", 26. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: It is estimated that around 10% of Serbia's population suffers from some kind of mental disorder and our phychiatrists say that mental diseases make up 20% of all the diseases in Serbia.
"Glas javnosti", 26. 4. 2005.
- ZRENJANIN: The latest records of the Health Protection Institute show that mostly elderly people live in the Zrenjanin municipality. According to the 2002 census, the municipality has 132.051 inhabitants, of which 15,12% are under 15 and 35,07% are over 50 years old. The birth rate is negative - last year 1.258 children were born and 1.929 citizens died.
"Glas javnosti", 26. 5. 2005.
- "When we in UCK are promoting reconciliation, then no one has the right to say anything against it", says Agim Ceku, commandant of the Kosovo Protection Corps.
"Glas javnosti", 27. 5. 2005.
- ROZAJE: President of the municipality of Rozaje, Nusret Kalac, estimates the damage caused by the storm at more than 500.000 euros, maybe even a million. He couldn't state the exact number of households who are in danger and whose properties are damaged.
The rain in this part of the commune started two days ago at 16:00 and at around 18:00 all the 150 households in Basce were under the water. Only 12 km away, in Rozaje, the weather was dry and the people couldn't believe what was happening in the neighbouring village. The president of the Municipal Headquarters for Natural Disasters, Bele Camovic, says there is not one household whose furniture and appliances on the ground floor weren't destroyed.
"Glas javnosti", 27. 5. 2005.
- MERDARE: Yesterday the representatives of the Commission for Missing Persons of Serbia&Montenegro handed over 64 bodies of Kosovo Albanians to UNMIK. The bodies were exhumed in three mass graves in Serbia. So far a total of 838 has been exhumed and 421 have been handed over to the families of missing Albanians whereas more than 300 mortal remains are waiting for identification.
"Glas javnosti", 27. 5. 2005.
- ZAGREB: The investigation into the murder of Dusan Vidic (aged 81) of Serb nationality, who was found in Karin 7 days ago with his throat cut, is almost complete and the circle of suspects is getting more and more narrow, reports the "Slobodna Dalmacija" daily quoting the sources in the police.
Around 150 local Croats and Serbs have been interviewed in connection with the recent explosions in the area of Vukovar and the investigation is directed towards a group of Croatian defenders who were celebrating the triumph in the local elections in a cafe in Vukovar two days before the blasts.
The Rijeka "Novi list" daily says in a text entitled "The Increasing Serbophobia" that in the case of the bomb attacks in Vukovar, the presidents of the state, of the Government and the Parliament are a disappointment because they didn't call the act its real name - terrorism.
"Glas javnosti", 28. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: The Anti-corruption Committee will not be abolished by the National Strategy neither is it possible for the Committee to be abolished by a strategy, says the deputy Minister of Justice, Branislav Bjelica. The Committee was set up as the Government's expert-advisory agency and only the Government can abolish it with its decision, says Bjelica. He says that the Strategy and the Action Plan are among the most important documents to be adopted by the Government and they are strategic documents which are not dealing with specific agencies.
"Danas", 26. 5. 2005.
- ZAGREB: President of the Independent Democratic Serb Party, Vojislav Stanimirovic, says that "according to the official statistics in Croatia, 110.000 people have returned but we believe that around 80.000 Serbs have ruturned. There are at least another 150.000 people who have settled permanently in Serbia&Montenegro and many people only come to Croatia from time to time because there are no adequate conditions for them to return on permanent basis".
"According to the OSCE records, Serbs in Croatia have lost around 24.000 apartments. For those who had tenancy right until 1991, we have enabled to apply for accommodation. All those who have Croatian papers and file an application, the state will have to provide with apartments where they will become 'leaseholders' which later will make it possible for them to buy the apartments under the same conditions as the rest of the citizens of Croatia. Although the term for the submission of the applications expires in June, only 2.000 applications have been filed so far. The term for former UNPA zones is unlimited", says Bjelica.
He says that the number of "occupied" Serb houses has dropped from 2.800 to 1.100 - the owners have applied for the repossession of 700 houses and no one has asked for the remaining 400.
"Vecernje novosti", 27. 5. 2005.
- BRCKO: Hajrudin Jusufovic, head of the Department of Public Register in the government of the Brcko District, in a conversation with his secretary, Andjelija Nikolic, has expressed a wish for ther to "be transferred to another department within the next 3 months" because "he only wants a person of Bosniak nationality" for that job.
Jusufovic's action is severely condemned by the public in Brcko, especially because of the fact that the above mentioned secretary is a single mother who suffered a family tragedy during the war.
"Vecernje novosti", 27. 5. 2005.
- BIJELO POLJE: Six persons were rather badly injured in a mass fight between two Salimovic families in the Roma settlement of Strojtanice on Thursday. They were detained for treatment in the Health Center in Bijelo Polje. The fight started when Husnija Ringo Selimovic (aged 23) accused Velimir Selimovic (aged 22) of stealing 30.000 euros and golden jewellery from his wife's house in Bijelo Polje. Eight persons (four on each side) took part in the fight using clubs, stones, an ax, metal bars and knives.
"Kurir", 28.-29. 5. 2005.
- BIJELO POLJE: A young man with the initials Dz.F. and a group of his vehabia supporters have beaten up the local Muslim priest in Lozna near Bijelo Polje, named Ragib Licina (aged 42), who is now recovering in the hospital in Bijelo Polje.
"Blic", 26. 5. 2005.
- CACAK: This year around 1.000 day laborers from Bulgaria and Romania are expected to be working on the farms in the area of Cacak. They can earn around 10 euros per day plus food and accommodation.
The day laborers from Bulgaria have already arrived and those from Romania are fewer than last year due to a more strict visa regime in that country.
"Blic", 27. 5. 2005.
- LAKTASI: Miraculous underpants - Dragan Tadic (aged 44) of Laktasi in Republika Srpska has patented men's underpants with "ventilation and thermoregulation" to help the anti-sterility struggle, for which invention he won a gold medal in the "Lepan" exposition in Paris.
"Vecernje novosti", 30. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: According to the 2002 census,
a.. more than 1/3 of the married couples in Serbia have no children
b.. the average family has become smaller - today the average household in Serbia has three members
c.. the population of Serbia has dropped by 78.836 in the last decade
d.. only 16% of the population is up to 14 years old
e.. positive birth rate is only registered in Presevo, Bujanovac, Medvedja, Nova Varos, Sjenica and Tutin; Serbia has 380.000 refugees (IDPs were not included in the census)
f.. the average age of the population in Serbia is 40
g.. the oldest ethnic minorities are Slovenians, Germans, Bulgarians, Vlahs and Croats
h.. Roma are the youngest ethnic group with the average age of 24,4
i.. due to low birth rate and emigrations, the Hungarian population has decreased by 40.000 and the Albanian population has decreased by 13.000 due to emigrations.
j.. the number of farmers in Serbia has dropped from 904.127 (17,2% of the population) in 1991 to 529.236 (10,9%) in 2002.
"Vecernje novosti", 30. 5. 2005.
- BANJALUKA: While defending two underage Serb girls in Maoca near Brcko from the attack by the members of the radical Islam sect of Vehabia, Fuad Sabanovic of Bosniak nationality injured Dzevad Kopcalic of the Vehabia with a knife, stated the police department of the Brcko District.
The incident took place on Thursday, when Sabanovic (aged 47) tried to protect the two underage daughters of his neighbour Zeljana Radmanovic from the attack by Dzevad Kopcalic (aged 33). Zeljana Radmanovic is living with her family in the collective center in Prutace.
"Vecernje novosti", 30. 5. 2005.
- VISEGRAD: An office has opened in the Town Hall in Visegrad where the households are registered which have no employed members or no members engaged in income generating activities in order for the municipality to try and provide employment for at least one household member. The office will be open by the mid-June.
"Vecernje novosti", 30. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: Eight NGOs have proposed to the Serbian Parliament to pass a special declaration to regulate the obligation of the state to take all the available measures to protect the war crimes victims, especially the victims in Srebrenica.
"Glas javnosti", 29. 5. 2005.
- BRCKO: The Association of Refugees in Bistric in Brcko has expressed indignation over the actions of the local police who have arrested and beaten three Serb youths previously attacked and beaten up by a group of Bosniaks.
The Serbs were celebrating the end of their final year in highschool outside a cafe in Bistric, when the group of Bosniaks started insulting them and threatening to "cut Serbs' throats" and then beat them up.
"After the attack, the Bosniaks ran away and a police patrol arrested us in a most brutal manner and started beating us", says one of the three Serb boys, Milenko Cvijanovic (aged 19) adding that one of the policemen of Bosniak nationality threatened to kill him. Stojan Kablinovic (aged 19) and Mladen Grbic (aged 20) were also beaten up.
The parents of the boys have asked for the names of all the policemen who participated in the arrest and maltreatment of their children but the police haven't provided the names so they say they will complain to the EU Police Mission.
"Glas javnosti", 29. 5. 2005.
- GORA: Gorans live on the junction of the borders of Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania. They are the only members of the Islam religion in Kosovo who have kept their original Serbian language, culture and tradition.
During the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between First and Second World War, because of their situation and importance, Gorans were freed from paying taxes by a decree issued by the king himself.
After Second World War, in 1949, Albanians are trying to carry out a forced assimilation of Gorans. And they managed with threats and pressure to only albanize the Gorans' family names. Gorans, however, have managed to keep their Serbian language, culture, songs, tradition to this day.
They say that outside their homeland they are regarded as Shiptars and in their homeland they are regarded as Serbs. They never deny though, in front of anybody, that they are a people of Slavic origin and Islam religion but they are oriented towards Serbia the most - a large number of Gorans have been living in Belgrade for decades, as well as all over Serbia. After the March violence in Kosovo last year, Gorans in Serbia paid the price because many identified them with Shiptars. So the Gorans claim that more and more of them are adding "-ic" to their last names, going back to their roots before the islamization and the albanization of their family names.
"Vecernje novosti", 29. 5. 2005.
- Stjepan Mesic, Croatian President, is going to visit Belgrade after all. As reported by the sources of B92 in Belgrade, Mesic will visit Belgrade on June 28th, while the sources in Zagreb have only confirmed that the Croatian President will most probably come to Serbia in the end of June.
Mesic has cancelled the preparations for his visit to Serbia&Montenegro because some official representatives of the authority in Belgrade took part in the rally in Ravna Gora.
"Danas", 30. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: Six persons were injured two days ago outside an apartment building in Belgrade when two groups of neighbours tried to settle their accounts using bottles and metal bars.
The fight broke out when a married couple and their friend tried to set up a terrace for the future cafe outside the above mentioned apartment building and then a neighbour started to argue with them trying to stop them from setting up the terrace so they attacked him with metal bars. Although injured, the neighbour went and fetched a friend of his who lives in the same street so the two of them went back with similar "armament" and got revenge. The builders tried to defend themselves with bottles.
"Blic", 28. 5. 2005.
- ZAGREB: The posters with a picture of the fugitive general Ante Gotovina put up in Livno two days ago, are not removed yet. It says on the posters "Stay free for the homeland".
"Glas javnosti", 31. 5. 2005.
- BELGRADE: The percentage of smokers among health professionals in Serbia is alarming. For instance, 37% of the doctors and 52% of the nurses in the Clinical Center of Serbia in Belgrade are smokers.
"Glas javnosti", 31. 5. 2005.
- NOVI PAZAR: Novi Pazar hasn't been in a worse situation in a long time: most of the factories aren't working, there is no export, drugs are taking their toll, there has never been more crime. The previous municipal authority has devastated the town (as if a minor tsunami passed through it) and turned the once successful Novi Pazar into a "black hole" from which we should get out as soon as possible.
Dr Rasim Ljajic, federal Minister of Human and Minority Rights and president of Sandzak Democratic Party, said this in Novi Pazar. He emphasized that "we can't be in a boxing ring forever" and called for the end of political conflicts and for joint efforts for the "salvation of Novi Pazar".
"Vecernje novosti", 31. 5. 2005.
- LEPOSAVIC: Around 5.000 persons displaced from other parts of Kosovo are housed in Leposavic. The biggest problem is Roma who are living in very difficult and unhygienic conditions in a hangar that used to belong to the Army of Yugoslavia. A sports hall is to be built on the location of the hangar and many young inhabitants of Leposavic are looking forward to it.
The president of the municipality of Leposavic, Velimir Bojovic, says that people are no longer leaving Leposavic, partly because there are no jobs in central Serbia and also because they want to stay in their homes. "If our economy was better and if we had larger support by the state, many would return from Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Smederevo and other towns in Serbia", says Bojovic and stresses that the return of the Pristina University was a major encouragement for the Serb population in this and in other Kosovo municipalities. "The Advanced Business College of Pec, the Teachers College, the Faculty of Agriculture and the Faculty of Physical Education are now located in Leposavic", says Bojovic.
"Vecernje novosti", 31. 5. 2005.
- LJUBOVIJA: In the space of 60 kilometers along the banks of the Drina river between Bacavac and Mali Zvornik. there are 30 illegal dumps of garbage and other waste.
"Vecernje novosti", 31. 5. 2005.
- RUMA: The Christian Adventist Church of Serbia has stated that the building of this religious community in Ruma was attacked two nights ago. The attackers were "seen and reported" but the police are "still shrugging their shoulders helplessly", says the Church's statement. This was the fifth attack on the building in the last 6 months.
"Blic", 31. 5. 2005.
- NIS: Behind an apartment building in Nis, garbage was piling up until one day someone got fed up with it so he or she took the matter into his or her own hands and covered the illegal garbage dump with - a carpet! And so another problem is "successfully" solved in Nis by being pushed under a carpet.
"Blic", 31. 5. 2005.