Serbia Today Society

Serbian food in New York

2010-07-03T02:06:00.001-07:00

Belgrade June 28. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Products of six Serbian companies will be represented at the World Fair of food specialties "Fancy Food Show", which will be held from 27 to 29 June in New York. The event will bring together 2400 exhibitors and 80,000 visitors. Serbian companies will presented selection of cheeses, wild mushrooms, raspberries, blackberries, dried fruits, chocolate, prayer and sauces under the slogan "Serbia, naturally." Serbian companies which will exhibit products at the York Fair this year are: Biotrend donors, Areks marzipan, Frigo grand, Igda, Dairy, "Sabac" and "Sirogojno. Presentation of Serbian companies at the fair IS organized by the U.S. Agency for International Development, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture of Serbia and Serbian Agency for Investment and promotion of Export.

Roma parents, children and school".

2010-07-01T03:49:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, June, 26. 2010 (Serbia Today) - "The data show that nearly 80 percent of Roma children do not complete primary education. Education is one of the fundamental human rights and should be equally accessible for everyone," said presedent of EU delegation in Serbia Vensan Dezer. He added that Roma parents shood able their children, specialu femail, to atend school, and added that children should not be forced to work and provide money for the family. Education Minister Zarko Obradovic, said that his ministry seeks to enable reforms and make education accessible to all marginalized and vulnerable groups of population. According to the dadas of the Minister of Education, the analysis shows that the Roma children are most vunerable when it comes to incusion in the education system in Serbia."Education is the chances to provide better life conditions and reduce poverty among the Roma population," said Obradovic. Project "Education for All" started in February this year and will last till 2012.

EU helps Serbia to solve the medical waste problem

2010-06-29T04:13:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, June 24. 2010. (Serbia Today) - Serbia has received 54 new vehicles for the transport of infectious waste, gift of the European Union. Serbia produces 48 tons of medical waste, and 20 percent of this waste is "dangerous contagious”. The new vehicle will enable Serbia to efficiently solve this problem. Head of Delegation of the European Union in Serbia, Vincent d Dezer announced that EU would continue to assist Serbia in improving environmental standards. The EU in the medical waste management project has invested six million EUR - for vehicles 600.000, and the rest to set up steam sterilizers in the medical facilities, purchase of grinder for syringes, needles and scalpels, and training personnel who will participate in this program," said Dezer. Serbian Health Minister Tomica Milosavljevic announced that vehicles for infectious transport materials will be distributed in 25 administrative centers in Serbia. Seven large vehicles will go to clinical centers in Belgrade, Nis, Novi Sad and Kragujevac, Institute of Public Health “Milan Jovanovic Batut ", Department of Public Health and General Hospitals in Leskovac and Subotica. Other, smaller vehicles, will go to the Military Medical Academy, Clinical Hospital Zemun, 20 Institute of Public Health, 13 veterinary institutes, seven general hospitals all around hospitals the and two local hospitals in Belgrade” said Milosavljevic.

Decreased number of car accidents in Serbia

2010-06-28T01:43:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, June 23. 2010. (Serbia Today) - The number of traffic accidents in Serbia has decreased by one third compared to the same period last year, say official numbers. As Belgrade daily Vecernje novosti writes this year is also safer for pedestrians, police said. The number of traffic accidents in the first five months of this year was reduced by one third , while the figure is down 25 percent when it comes the deaths. Traffic police warn however that cyclists are more likely to be hurt or killed on the roads in the summer months. Serbian police (MUP) say that 2010 was also safer for pedestrians and that 50 people lost their lives since the beginning of the year while 1,312 sustained various injuries. Police said that the new Law on Traffic Safety, which is being implemented since December 2009, has contributed to this. After several years of disputes, dilemmas and ambiguities, new, more strict traffic regulations have reduced the death toll on the Serbian roads, where an average of 1,000 drivers and pedestrians die annually.

Serbia has the best hart surgeon

2010-06-26T03:28:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, June 22, 2010. (Serbia Today) - Serbian Doctor Dragan Milic (44) of the Clinical Center in Nis recently was given award for the best young vascular surgeon in 2010 outside the USA by the American Association for Vascular Surgery. The USA is the leading country in the world regarding vascular surgery, writes Belgrade daily Blic. Ceremony happened In the presence of about 1,500 guests at the ‘Hynes Convention Center’ in Boston that included the biggest names of the world medicine, I am proud that my name and the name of my country were heard at giving of this award by the large number of people and the elite of the world vascular surgery. The importance of this award is difficult to describe and it is a huge recognition for my work’, Doctor Milic says. ‘Some of the big names already recorded in history of the world vascular surgery were present. One of them is Doctor and Professor Robert Rutherford. All vascular surgeons in the world are learning from his book which is our Bible. He has just promoted its latest edition for 2010. There was also Mr. Thomas Fogarty who invented catheters known as Fogarty catheters, without which a contemporary vascular surgery cannot be imagined. Other famous names present at the occasion were Frank Veith, Roger Greenhalgh, Peter Glovicki, Anton Sidawy… ‘A ceremonial reception at the ‘Public Library of Boston’ was organized by Professor Sidawy, President of the Association. That only contributed to the feeling of pride’, Doctor Milic says. He has been in America since June 9. Until so far he has visited the Harvard University where he has met with representatives of the Yale University as well. He hopes that cooperation between Serbia and the USA will expand in the future. Doctor Miljko Pejic, a vascular surgeon from Uzice has come to America together with Doctor Milic. They two participated together in the work of the reputable forum on popliteal blood vessel diseases held at the ‘Ether Dome’ in Boston known for the first anesthesiology procedure in the world being carried out there. ‘The association was formed by the famous Professor Norman Rich, a living legend of the American surgery and it was him who was leading the forum. It is simply incredible that at the meeting I was elected President of that Forum in the following two years.

Work exploitation of Roma children

2010-06-25T02:41:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, June, 21. 2010. (Serbia Today) - Roma children in Serbia are quitting school at an early age and therefore are more susceptible to falling victim to labor exploitation. This is according to d Deputy Ombudsman for Children’s Rights Tamara Lukšić-Orlandić, who spoke in a news conference in Belgrade.“In hot and cold weather we see (Roma) children who wash car windows. Such scenes must be banished“, she insisted. Lukšić-Orlandić said, in reference to June 12, marked as World Day Against Child Labor, that it was not rare for Roma children to do hard work in order to provide for their families. The deputy ombudsman stressed that Roma children were more susceptible to labor exploitation because they were leaving school at an early age and noted that only 10 to 30 percent of Roma children who enrolled into elementary school made it to the final, eight grade. “About 22 percent out of the total population aged from 15 to 18 does not go school, while that percentage is 90 percent with Roma children“, she said. Lukšić-Orlandić also emphasized that the state should work more actively with Roma parents in order to point out to them the importance of their children's education. According to her, regulations which govern the issue of labor exploitation of children in Serbia are good and in accordance with European and global standards. The deputy ombudsman noted that it was lawful for children aged 15 and over to work, but only when it involved light labor, and not night shifts. “Serbia isn't the Middle East and there are no factories where children work“, she said, and added that Labor Inspection in Serbia had not registered examples of labor exploitation of children so far. Researcher of the Belgrade Center for Human Rights Sonja Tošković, who spoke at the same news conference, said that the problem of labor exploitation of children in Serbia was more pronounced in rural areas, and that there were indications that there was such problems in Bor, in eastern Serbia. Tošković announced that the center would begin a field research in September in order to obtain more precise information about labor exploitation of children in Serbia.

Ombudsman: New low of Electronic communication may compromise citizen’s rights

2010-06-25T02:37:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, June 19. 2010. (Serbia Today) - Citizens Ombudsman Saša Janković has warned that if the new Law on Electronic Communication is adopted, the citizens' right to privacy may be compromised. Janković said for Radio B92 that there was previously an “agreement with security services” to gradually move toward better protection of civil rights in the country, while the draft law that is currently in parliamentary procedure represents “a step back”. “If the law were to be adopted in its current form, the door would be wide open for abuse, without courts, the guardian, that would decide when the constitutionally guaranteed right to privacy of communications could be removed,” he warned. Media reported that the draft would give Serbia's Security-Information Agency (BIA) access to technical details of electronic communication without a court order – not to the actual content of that communication. But the ombudsman and the public information trustee, along with NGOs and the opposition have all voiced their objection to the law, while the ruling coalition defended it, and denied it would enable BIA to effectively wiretap anyone's conversations at will. The draft, the ruling parties say, “explicitly forbids this”. But Janković says that if the door is left open “too wide”, and if courts have no control over the process, “individuals will inevitably abuse the possibilities at their disposal”. “What does all this mean for the citizens? It's possible there won't be only listings (of electronic communications) of criminals and terrorists, but also of people's social networks, journalists' sources,” said Jaković. He noted that the “services” are already given the right to wiretap conversations “without much control” via other legislation that is in place, and that the trend was expected to go toward “better and already accepted standards”. Janković also said he feared that investigative journalism, which he said was “rare in Serbia as it is”, might face insurmountable obstacles with the new law. He went on to tell the ruling parties that “laws last a long time”. “Perhaps they need to be reminded of the fact that the rules remain the same even when the ruling circle of people changes, and that precisely what seems protective to them now, might turn into a dangerous political context for them in the future,” Janković concluded.

Bekim Fehmiu has left the stage

2010-06-24T02:04:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, June 18. 2010. (Serbia Today) One of the most famous film actors in former Jugoslavija Bekim Fehmiu (74) was found dead in his apartment in the Belgrade at June 15. Police said that the death was most likely a suicide. The body was discovered by one of his sons, said reports A gun registered to his name was found next to his body and it is assumed that the actor tragically ended his own life,” said Interior Minister Ivica Dačić. Fehmiu, was an ethnic Albanian born in Bosnia in 1936. He played a large number of roles in domestic and international films and on stage. However, he gained international recognition with his role of Beli Bora in Saša Petrović’s “I Even Met Happy Gypsies”, which won Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1967. Internationally, Fehmiu worked with Italian Producer Dino De Laurentiis, John Huston, Ava Gardner, Dirk Bogarde, Charles Aznavour, Claudia Cardinale, among others. Film critics said that he was the only East-European actor who moved the boundaries and made films in the west “breaking the iron curtain until the appearance of Gorbachev and fall of the Berlin Wall”. Fehmiu enrolled in the Academy of Theater Arts in Belgrade in 1956, and four years later became a permanent member of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre (JDP). But seven years after that, he became a freelance artist and remained so until the end of his life. Fehmiu ended his theater career in 1987 with a role in the JDP. The legendary actor’s last role on the big screen was in Ken Annakin’s Genghis Khan in 1992. Media were reporting that he had voluntarily left acting “due to anti-Albanian propaganda”. Fehmiu’s younger son Uliks, also an actor, once wrote: “The breakup of Yugoslavia, the horrible fratricidal war, the destruction of Vukovar, the bombing of Dubrovnik, the long-running siege of Sarajevo, the war in Kosovo, the bombing of FR Yugoslavia have made my father withdraw even more. He gave up the words which are the strongest and most beautiful means for an actor. He gave them up and turned them into silence – into protest.” In 1985 Fehmiu finished his memoirs describing his life from the birth in 1936 in Sarajevo, life in Kosovo until 1956, but he waited to publish them until 2001 in a book “Brilliant and Scary” which was published by Samizdat B92. The actor had two sons, Uliks and Hedon, from his marriage to actress Branka Petrić.

WAZ media group exiting Serbia

2010-06-23T03:17:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, June 17. 2010. (Serbia Today) - The WAZ media group stated that it has decided to close shop in Serbia and pull out of the country gradually. WAZ President Bodo Hombah sent a “confidential letter” to President Boris Tadić, asking him to help the company by making sure that its exit from Serbia is fair and legal – according to a statement from the company. WAZ will be selling its stake in Serbian companies with concrete conditions and prices, while preserving the economic rights and interest of the groups, the statement added. WAZ also denied claims that it had set conditions for this move, and stated that it “hoped that it will not be leaving Serbia on a bad note, despite great difficulties and public slander”. WAZ is a German newspaper and magazine publisher. In Serbia, they have a stake in Belgrade's Politika and Novi Sad's Dnevnik newspapers.

Experts are coming back to Serbia

2010-06-22T03:33:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, June 16. 2010. (Serbia Today) - Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić said that EUR 20mn would be set aside to get Serbia's most successful experts to return to the country. This money was taken from a favorable credit deal coming from the European Investment Bank, Đelić said, adding that the first wave of returns must be successful. He said that he hopes that the experts will bring back projects with them and high technology from their companies, adding that Serbia will invest EUR 800mn in researchers, programs and equipment over the next four years. These moves will double investments from 0.3 to 0.6 percent of the gross domestic product, and by 2015, it will reach about one percent, which is one of the demands for joining the European Union, Đelić told daily Politika. The key goal is to thwart the loss of intellectuals to foreign countries and to return several hundred of the most talented businesspeople and experts to the country. Đelić said that changes should not be expected overnight, adding that the war for talent is the most important war of this decade. He reminded that there is no exact information on Serbian experts abroad. The Science Ministry has a database of about 500 names, which is only the beginning, adding that most end up in America, Canada or Australia. Some 20,000-30,000 people left Serbia in the 1990s.

Dinosaurs in Svilajnac

2010-06-21T02:23:00.001-07:00

Belgrade June 14. 2010. (Serbia Today) - Three to five million euros will be invested in the construction of the Natural History Center in Svilajnac. Visitors will be able to view dinosaur fossils. The center is approximately 3,000 square meters, including workshops and areas for scientific research, and will present an exhibition which will present replicas of dinosaurs, the original fossils and prehistoric animal display. Scientific and documentary films will take advantage of three-dimensional technology. The construction of the center should begin in the fall and be finished, The Svilajnac Municipality has prepared the project, and as the Minister of Science Bozidar Djelic, announced the state will support it. It is important that science and technology are not concentrated in Belgrade and Novi Sad, so that children in the interior can see something interesting and learn much more", said the deputy prime minister. It is also planned to build a scientific and outdoor amusement park, which will contain life-size dinosaurs and a mock volcano. Besides the exhibition works, the center will be open to scientific meetings and cooperation of scientists, as well as for young researchers. At the entrance visitors will be able to see the development of the biosphere on Earth and the water world of prehistory, which will have 35 items. Three replica dinosaurs, and the original fossil motosaurusa, the oldest types of dinosaurs 245 million years old, will be located in the central part announced the tourism officer for the Municipality, Dragan Miladinovic. She added that the unit will be dedicated to petrified wood and petrified space with ancestors of today's animals.

Ex Japanese Ambassador Nagai envoy is honorary Belgrade

2010-06-15T02:53:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, June, 11, 2010 (Serbia today) - On Monday, former Japanese Ambassador to Serbia Tadashi Nagai, become an honorary citizen of Belgrade. That decision was made by the Belgrade City Assembly Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas explained why Nagai was proposed for honorary citizenship in recognition of the Japanese government providing close to EUR 200mn in aid to the Serbian people since 2000. He pointed out that Belgrade in particular owes Nagai a lot, because a large portion of the donations went to the capital.
"Nagai lived in Serbia for more than 20 years, speaks excellent Serbian and understands the situation in the country completely", concluded Djilas.

Minister Ciplic praises minority elections

2010-06-14T06:06:00.001-07:00

Belgrade June, 10, 2010 (Serbia Today) – Sunday's elections for ethnic minority councils were held in a “democratic atmosphere”, Human and Minority Rights Minister Svetozar Ciplic said on Monday. “I believe that these elections were help in a democratic atmosphere, in a legal way and we believe that national councils will be formed after the results are announced on June 9”, said Ciplic and added that the national minorities showed that they are interested in forming the national councils. Members of 16 ethnic minorities in Serbia voted in the election, with the turnout at 54.47 percent, of the total 436,334 voters registered in special electoral rolls. A total of 19 ethnic minorities were eligible to take part in the vote, while Croats and Slovenians will be choosing their officials via electoral assemblies.

Talks about Pride parade in Belgrade

2010-06-12T04:09:00.001-07:00

Belgrade June 09. 2010. (Serbia Today) - Minister for labor and social policy, Rasim Ljajić recently met with representatives of the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). The GSA called on the government to offer the needed support and protection to make sure that a Pride Parade can be held this year. Ljajić told GSA officials that a meeting has been proposed with the work inspectorate regarding discrimination at the work place on the grounds of sexual orientation. He said that the work in achieving the rights of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gender population in Serbia must be worked on strategically, adding that continuous work is needed in order to decrease homophobia, violence, and discrimination. GSA officials said that discrimination in the work place is a topic that must be discussed seriously, adding that a systematic approach in cooperation between GLBT organizations and the state institutions is needed. They also informed Ljajić of the problems arising from the lack of a system for implementing the law for prohibiting discrimination, which should include education by the state institutions on the ways to fight discrimination at the work place, the GSA stated.

Serbian soldiers in the peace-keeping missions in Lebanon and Cyprus

2010-06-11T03:45:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, June, 08. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac expects members of the Serbian Army (VS) to soon take part in the peace-keeping missions in Lebanon and Cyprus. He said for Vecernje Novosti published on Thursday that this would come besides four other missions that VS soldiers take part in already. In a new interview to the Belgrade daily Sutanovac said that he had informed the European Parliament Security Committee about “what our army will look like when the process of its professionalization is completed. ”The VS is expected to abolish conscription by early next year, and will have about 36,000 members, according to minister. "Our defense system will get a modern character and will be an engine that heads reforms in Serbia and accelerates its movement towards the European Union," said Sutanovac.

Promotion of Serbia in Madrid

2010-06-10T02:57:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, June, 05. 2010 (Serbia Today) - On the occasion of renewal of direct airline flights Belgrade-Madrid in the Spanish capital recently was organized the promotion of Serbia as a summer tourist destination. At the same time the exhibition "Applied nostalgia”, part of the project by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic Cabinet was opened. Previously, in mid — April, the “Spaner” airline organized first flight from Barcelona to Belgrade. Italians, Germans, British, outnumbered Spanish passengers. The restoration of Belgrade-Madrid flight in Belgrade leads tourist organizations to believe that the last obstacle for exchange of tourists now is overcome. Tourist representatives from Serbia hope that more tourists from Spain could now visit numerous music festivals in Serbia, such as beer festival, Exit and Guca trumped festival. "We are confident that Spanish tourists will come to Serbia not only to visit Belgrade as a weekend destination, but also to see various festivals”, said representative of Belgrade tourist organization Ivana Milatovic.

Biometric passport number 2.000.000

2010-06-09T04:14:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, June, 04. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Serbia has recently issued new biometric passport with serial number 2. 000.000. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic explained that the Ministry of Internal Affairs receives 6500 to 7200 requests for new passports daily, and has undertaken several steps to raise capacity to meet 8500 passports requests a day . According to him, the greatest demand for a new passport is in Belgrade so the Ministry has requested the mayor’s assistance in acquiring extra space and personnel. Dacic said that the Ministry faced two problems - lack of space and people, and apologized again to the citizens because of the crowd. He announced that they will test a new system for scheduling the passport request by SMS messages soon. He also announced the possibility of extending the validity of old passports for Serbs living abroad in order to reduce demands on the diplomatic and consular missions. Dacic thanked the police and workers involved in the issue of new documents, adding that so far Serbia has received 1.8 million request for new ID cards. Since July 7 2008, when the new passports were issued, there have been more than 2.1 million requests.

Patriarch Irinej: Nis welcomes all churches representatives

2010-06-09T04:12:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, June 04. 2010. (Serbia Today) - A celebration of the17 centuries since the adoption of the Edict of Milan will see invites to representatives of all churches, said the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irenej. “This will be an opportunity for dialogue between the churches” the Patriarch said. Nis, home town of Constantine the Great, started the preparations for the event in the year 2013. Edict of Milan prohibited the persecution of Christians and allows freedom of religion. The document was adopted during the rule of Constantine the great. "I personally believe that this is an opportunity to all representatives of churches to gather and establish contact and dialogue. There are all sorts of things to say", The Patriarch Irenej said. "I personally hope that it will trigger a new relationship between East and West, between Western and Eastern churches," he expects.

New Fiat already mid-2011th

2010-06-08T03:26:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, June, 03. 2010 (Serbia Today) – Fiat intends to accelerate the implementation of plans in Kragujevac; the trial production of the first new model in the former Zastava will begin in early July 2011. year. Serial production of Fiat's cars in Serbia will begin in the second half of the 2011, writes Danas. The Fiat's top management estimated that the new small Fiat's model, which will be manufactured in Kragujevac, would have a good pass in world markets. Also it is assumed that one reason could be weaker sales of Punto in the domestic market, which could not cover the production costs and salaries of 1,000 workers. More than 95 percent of cars produced in Kragujevac will be sold to foreign markets. Fiat's vice president Alfredo Altavilla this week in Belgrade again clarified that Punt was only an interim solution. The production of new cars will be largely localized, because about 80 percent of the necessary parts and components and positions for installation will be produced in Serbia. The announced localization will be realized in phases, since Serbian local companies have to pass rigorous tests for entry into the automobile sub-contractors for Torino’s giant.

Jeremic: Battle for cultural heritage in Kosovo

2010-06-07T02:56:00.000-07:00

Belgrade/Kosovo, June, 02. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said on Friday that Serbia has a difficult task ahead as it strives to protect its cultural heritage in Kosovo from being “renamed”. He explained on UN Alliance of Civilizations Forum that the “renaming” was directed against Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) monuments, that would be dubbed “Kosovo's.” “A number of countries have submitted their request to have monasteries and monuments of the SPC in Kosovo renamed into Kosovo's cultural heritage. This is absolutely unacceptable to us”, Jeremic stated. “We will face a very difficult diplomatic task in preventing that”, continued Jeremic, adding that blocking the initiative would be one of the most important subjects as he meets with Brazilian ministers of foreign affairs and culture, and also other interlocutors. Brazil is set to host the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Committee Meeting shortly.

EU citizens without passports can enter Serbia

2010-06-05T03:01:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, June, 01. 2010 (Serbia Today) - The government has decided that the citizens of EU countries, as well as Switzerland, Norway and Iceland, will no longer need passports to enter Serbia, announced Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic on Friday. With this decision, the government accepted the Interior Ministry (MUP) proposal that the citizens of the EU member states should be able to enter Serbia with valid identity cards. “This is yet another indicator of Serbia's commitment to further EU integration,” Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told Tanjug earlier in the day. He expressed his conviction that this decision would contribute to the strengthening of mutual trust and will receive a positive response among the citizens and political structures of these countries.

Serbia wants to keep her scientists

2010-05-31T02:11:00.001-07:00

Belgrade May 25. 2010. (Serbia Today) - Serbia has recently established National Council for Science and Technology. As Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic announced that goal of Council is that Serbia no longer export smart people, but smart products. The task of the Council is also to check the quality and control implementation of key reform processes in the field of science and technology in Serbia." Djelic said. He also recently announced that Serbia will, in the next five years, invest around 800 million EUR in science and technological development. These funds should make better living conditions for all scientists in Serbia. We have clear priorities for different science areas such as biology, medicine, information technologies , energy and the economy", Djelic said. The President of the newly established National Council for Scientific and Technological Development Vera Dondur said that the Council has a duty to restore confidence of young people that it is good decision to stay in Serbia. Council will make sure that what scientists do in laboratories can be transformed into technology and products. Looking at our young people in universities, those who go to large research centers, I think we have great potential”, said Dondur.

Tourist visas for the United States now valid for 10 years

2010-05-29T03:14:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, May, 24. 2010(Serbia Today) – Validity of visas for citizens of Serbia for tourist or business travel to the United States will be extended from three to ten years, said U.S. ambassador in Belgrade Vorlik Mary on Thursday.
This is the maximum period to which the citizens of one country in the world may grant the U.S. visa and means that visitors who visit the U.S.
on tourist or business travel, need only visit the embassy only once in 10
years to renew their visas. "This decision represents a turning point in relations between U.S. and Serbia and it is a symbol of our profound friendship. I hope that the introduction of visas for 10
years, with the possibility of multiple entries, will contribute to improving
operations between the Serbian and U.S. firms and that more Serbian
tourists will include the United States in their travel plans ", said Vorlik in Belgrade. Consul General U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, Peter Marilijano explained that the ten years visas are to be issued only for categories B1 and B2 which are related to short-term tourist and business visits, while the validity of all other visas will stay unchanged. Marilijano pointed out that America wants to increase the number of tourist
visits, and the citizens of Serbia who decide to travel first will have to buy PIN number at Raiffeisen Bank, which cost about 10 dollars, and then call the call center to schedule an interview with the relevant Embassy officials. All necessary forms for the visa, which will still cost 131 dollars, can be filled at the embassy website said Marilijano adding that the criteria for obtaining a visa for 10 years will not be changed, compared to the three-year visa. Also, the Serbian citizens who have valid U.S. visas continuing to use them until their expiration.

Penalties for selling alcohol and cigarettes to minors

2010-05-29T03:12:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, May, 22. 2010 (Serbia Today) From June , sellers of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages will be required to prohibit buyers if they think that they are underage. The law on consumer protection has not been completed, and penalties are not officially defined but Serbian media are speculating that it will be up to 200, 000 EUR. Although selling alcohol and cigarettes to minors is already prohibited, minors can usually buy them without a problem. As of June it should not be more difficult, because the sellers and waiters will be required to screen them and check their age and the right to buy cigarettes or drink. Previous law prohibited serving alcohol and cigarettes to minors but has not determined the penalties for those who sell alcohol and cigarettes under 18 years. Researches showed that young people in Serbia first try alcohol at the age of 13.

Climate change conference opens

2010-05-25T02:35:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, May, 21. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Parliament President Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic late on Monday officially opened a two-day climate change conference, called “Learning and teaching climate changesand the United Nations system”. Djukic-Dejanovic underscored that the meeting would give an important contribution to adopting specific programs. “I am confident that conclusions will be made at the conference that will be important and very useful for the stands of governments, international organizations, scientific institutions and all individuals that receive the information in Southeast Europe as a whole”, she said. Djukic-Dejanovic concluded that Serbia will work on improving the environment, both by adopting laws and implementing them.

Ministry of Education awards the best pupils

2010-05-24T01:56:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, May, 20. 2010 (Serbia Today) – The Ministry of Education will reward the best pupils in primary and secondary schools in Serbia announced the Education Minister Zarko Obradovic on Monday. The best students in Serbia will be given 25 coins of alloy of new silver with characters of Serbian statesmen, scientists and artists, and a book on famous personalities from Serbian history, culture and science, such as Dositej Obradovic, Nikola Tesla, Milutin Milankovic and Milena Pavlovic Barili. Obradovic stressed that the goal is to promote education and the best pupils. He said that education in Serbia should be adjusted to the needs of market and economic development, so that Serbia does not fall behind other countries. One of the sponsors of this action is Politika. The president of the Board Sonja Licht said that the goal of action is to promote knowledge and pupils who are best worked. It will be awarded to a total of 1711 students. The best students will determine a classroom and teaching Council in schools, and in addition to success in school into account will be taken conduct and awards in competitions that were organized by the Ministry of Education.

Serbian students wants to leave the country

2010-05-22T03:06:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, May, 19. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Most of the Belgrade university students, about two-thirds, considering leaving Serbia after finishing their studies, writes Belgrade daily Blic. Research by the Marketing Workshop of the Economy Faculty shows that more and more students are considering leaving Serbia after graduation. Results of the survey show that 56 percent of students would leave Serbia after school if an opportunity presented itself, while 21 would leave to continue their schooling and nine percent would leave to find a job. After finishing school, 63 percent of students intend to look for a job in Belgrade, 19 abroad, and 13.5 percent in their cities or towns of origin. More than one-third of those surveyed believe that a connection or acquaintance is needed to find a job, while one-fourth believe that ability is most important, and one-fourth believe that having a diploma is what is key in finding a job.

Organizers of last year’s gay Pride Parade are warning that the atmosphere of hatred toward the LGBT community is stirring up again

2010-05-21T05:27:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, May, 18. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Organizers of last year’s gay Pride Parade are warning that the atmosphere of hatred toward the LGBT community is stirring up again, especially, as they say with the scenario of “planting false news. The announcement from the organizers said in Belgrade on Tuesday that already tested instruments for spreading false information were activated similar to what happened last year, when the parade was in the end canceled to security concerns. Earlier this week, it was announced that the Pride Parade would be held on September 19 in Belgrade, organized by the LGBT Forum Serbia, but the representatives of all relevant gay NGOs in Serbia claim that organization does not even exist. Members of Pride Parade 2009 organizing committee said that this was in fact a web page launched last year when the organization of the parade, which was scheduled for September 20, entered its most delicate phase. The site’s content was completely identical to the content of the Pride Parade’s official web page and the address was almost identical, in order to mislead the public that it was the official source of information. “Several days before the Pride Parade (last year) disinformation that the gathering would begin with the burning of the Republic of Serbia’s state flag was released on that fake website. Conservative centers of power wanted to additionally heighten tensions and increase threats of extreme-rightist groups in this way, which eventually led to the capitulation of the state authorities when they banned the Pride Parade in the scheduled location,” the announcement said. They also point out that the phantom organization LGBT Forum Serbia announced the flag burning again in its statement on Monday. The organizers conclude that will be taken all legal measures in this case.

Avala tower sees 1,500 people a day

2010-05-20T02:24:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, May, 17. 2010 (Serbia Today) - From its opening, less than a month ago, Avala tower sees about 1,500 people daily, with this figure doubling on weekends. For May Day reveille, six thousand persons visited to the highest building in the Balkans. The architect of the tower, Bato Milatovic says for Vecernje novosti, that in less than a month ago, the Avala Tower has become our most attractive tourist site. “The most prestigious view in the Serbia”, is 125 meters high, and with a view that encompasses Belgrade and 70 percent of Sumadija, this view has already been enjoyed by 23 000 people. The only thing that is lacking is a place to sit down and have a drink or something to eat. There is a restaurant, with an area of 100 square meters, located just below the highest point of "observation", and it is expected to open, when the sale has been concluded. This will provide an oasis of national cuisine. Although conceived to bolster tourism and support telecommunications, this lighthouse has inspired romantics and adventurers to make their marriage proposals. Avala tower is open to visitors every day except Monday. On working days, from 10:00 to 16:30 and on weekends the opportunity to see the top is extended for an hour and a half. Ticket price is 50 dinars, and if you are visiting in a group, then 30.

“ Sparrow” - new product of the Serbian army

2010-05-19T02:51:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, May, 15. 2010 (Serbia Today) Army of Serbia will soon receive unmanned aerial vehicles. “Vrabac” (means Sparrow). As medias in Serbia reported, the first Serbian unmanned aerial vehicles will be passing through the last series of tests at Military technical Institute. Aside from military purposes, "Sparrow" will be used for civilian purposes, such as ground reconnaissance during floods and fires and control traffic. "Sparrow" is the first Serbian mini unmanned aerial vehicles. The end of the flight tests should see simulations replaced with practice. "Sparrow is designed to survey the ground for the Serbian army’s needs. It can also be used to survey forest, fire, traffic control and part of the border. So it has a civic purpose," explains Zijah Burzić, Military Technical Institute. System, "Sparrow" will consist of three spacecraft and ground stations. In addition to cameras, "Sparrow" brings the summer computer, in which experts are especially proud of VTI. The ground station in real time read the data sent by "Sparrow" . Unmanned aerial vehicles can stay in the air for over an hour, for up to 500 meters, and exceeding the distance up to 12 kilometers. Weighs about 6 pounds. No one can remember who was the “best man”, who gave the aircraft name Sparrow. Serbian Army two years ago started the use of unmanned aircraft purchase several Israeli aircraft type "orbiter." It is expected that the "sparrow" can become an important export product.

The first salt room in Vojvodina

2010-05-18T02:20:00.001-07:00

Belgarde, May 14. 2010 (Serbia Today) - In Subotica, the first salt- rooms have opened. They are becoming increasingly popular. The first such area is situated in Vojvodina in the studio "Vitas" in Dimitrija Tucovica Street under the slogan "Inhale the scent of the sea - every day." There are currently about 1,000 salt rooms, which are known worldwide for their relaxation values, which they achieve with halo treatment. A salt room simulates the microclimate of salt caves, which is known to have a positive impact on the body, since the ancient Greeks. The presence of particles in the air of salt room salt prevents the growth of bacteria, viruses and fungi. Inhalation of such air strengthens the defense mechanism of respiratory organs and the immune system. In the past 20 years there have been 1,000 salt rooms built, mostly in Russia, Finland, Canada and Central Europe.

New building for school in Leskovac

2010-05-18T02:18:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, May, 14. 2010 -(Serbia Today)In Leskovac recently the foundation stone for the new building of State business School was laid. Norway, Serbian government and local administration will invest 3,65 milion EUR for new building of that education institution. Serbian minister for education Zarko Obradovic and Norway ambassador in Belgrade Haakon Blakenborg laid the foundation stone. Half of the money is a gift of the Norwegian government. Ministry of Education will invest one million EUR, the local government 700,000, and the school itself 100,000 EUR. The building have an area of 300 square meters and could teach about 700 students. The new school building should be finished in a 15 months.

Success of Serbia’s students

2010-05-17T02:02:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, May 13. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Students of the Belgrade Mathematical High School won six medals at the recently held 27th Balkan Mathematical olimpijadi held in Moldova. This success proved that Belgrade students belong among the best young mathematicians in the international arena. From Moldova, they returned with six medals, including the winner of mathematical Balkanijada-Theodore Von Burg. The Serbian team is already looking forward to the next challenge and the next competition. After the Balkan Mathematical Olympiad, and school obligations, the next contest is expected in July in Kazakhstan, which will be held Mathematical world Olympiad.

Serbia is moving closer to EU membership

2010-05-15T02:35:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, May, 12. 2010 (Serbia today) - The Swedish Ambassador to Serbia Krister Bringeus expect that the process of ratification of Serbia's Stabilization and Association Agreement with EU could begin in June. "Based on the mood in Brussels, I believe half of this year we have a signal to begin the process of ratification. I personally think it would be in June," said the Ambassador. As media in Serbia reported, Bringeus pointed out that Sweden strongly supports the ratification of the SAA with Serbia. "Our belief is that Serbia is fully cooperating with the Hague tribunal, for us it is not a problem. Of course we wish that the accused be brought to justice, but we believe that Serbian authorities are doing everything in their power," said Swedish Ambassador. Sweden supports Serbia's candidacy for EU membership, Bringeus added. Also speaking about process of European integration deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić, said that Serbia’s goal is to begin EU membership negotiations by the end of the government’s mandate in 2012. “These are our goals, and it is up to us to secure a consensus within the EU for making them a reality,” Đelić told the Tanjug news agency.

Employment for people with disabilities

2010-05-14T03:12:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, May 10. 2010 (Serbia Today) From May 24, Serbian companies employing 20 or more workers, will be obliged to employ persons with disabilities. Failure to do so will cause the employers to incur a penalty equal to three times the minimum wage of each disabled person. Firms with 20 to 50 employees must employ one person with a disability. Companies with over 50 employees must employ one person with a disability for every 50 employees. This requirement obligation is mandated by the Law on Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities, which was enacted in May 2009. It is estimated that about 10 percent of the world’s population constitute disabled persons. Serbia has around 700,000 people with disabilities.

Serbian alpinists continue scaling the highest peaks of the world

2010-05-13T02:52:00.001-07:00

Belgrade/Prijepolje, May 08. 2010 (Serbia today) -Dragan Petric and Elijah Andrejic, alpinists from Prijepolje, continued their goal - "Climbing the seven highest peaks on the planet." They travel to the next mountain range Denali on 12th May. Expedition "Denali 2010" is also composed of the following: Miroslav Kurkich, then alpinistkinja Neda Milosevic, Drasko Markovic, and mountaineer cameraman Srboljub Dobrosavljevic. The team is half way to conquering all seven peaks, having already scaled Mont Blanc and Elbrus), Asia (roof of the world Mount Everest) and southern America (Aconcagua, which was won twice). Next in the series is Denali (also known as McKinley), the highest peak of America. Denali is in Alaska and has a peak of 6194 meters. Organizers are Mountaineering Association of Serbia and society "Kamena Gora" from Prijepolje. It is expected to reach the Denalija between 30 May and 4 June, depending on weather conditions.

Growing number of poor in Serbia

2010-05-12T01:44:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, May. 07. 2010 (Serbia Today) - In Serbia about 720 000 people below the poverty line, with the number of poor beginning to increase for the first time since 2000 according to data by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. The growing trend of poverty was the theme of the conference in Belgrade "Serbia is hungry" Advisor to the Minister of Labor and Social policyLjubomir Pejakovic said that the most vulnerable are the unemployed, especially older than 50 years, disabled and families with children with disabilities. Pejakovic announced the adoption of amendments to the Law on Social protection which will increase assistance to the poorest citizens. According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy in Serbia, there are about 720 000 unemployed people. More than 480,000 of them have been jobless for more than than one year. Women constitute 55 percent of the unemployed. The highest proportion of the unemployed is youth aged 25 to 29 years. The data show that Serbia employs less than two million people, and that this number grows less every year. At the same time the number of retirees is growing and it presently stands at about 1.600.000.

The Bishops' Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) protest because of the situation in Kosovo.

2010-05-11T02:54:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, May 06. 2010 (Serbia Today) - The assembly announced that it is concerned that the recent incidents were the “latest denial of freedom and violation of basic human rights of the Serbs and other ethnic non-Albanians in Kosovo by the unlawful and uncivilized removal of Serbian mobile network operators in most of Kosovo.”The statement, signed by Bishop Irinej, spokesperson of the Assembly, pointed out that the ethnic Albanian police has destroyed mobile network base stations in Serb villages and places where Serbs and other ethnic non-Albanians reside, putting human lives in danger. The church also expressed concern about the lives and freedom of Serb refugee returnees in the village of Žač and o ther places in Metohija where the Serbs are returning to their homes. The Assembly appealed to the Serbian government, international community in Kosovo, governments of Europe and the U.S. and to the United Nations to put a stop to "any kind of violence against the already afflicted and innocent people in this part of the Balkans and Europe, the cradle of the civilization and source of humanity's spiritual and material culture.”

Serbs on Kosovo can communicate again

2010-05-11T02:52:00.001-07:00

Belgrade/Kosovsko Pomoravlje, May 06. 2010 (Serbia Today) - After more than 10 days without phone signal Serbs in Kosovo can communicate again.“Some 10,000 Serbs have mobile and landline telephony service restored, while municipalities of Novo Brdo, parts of Vitina, and parts of Kosovska Kamenica are still without service,” Kosovsko Pomoravlje District Chief Dragan Nikolić reported for Kim radio. He confirmed that Belgrade-based mobile operators had re-established service in that part of the province late on Sunday, but could not give further details. On April 23, Kosovo Albanian authorities, helped with police, moved to disable or destroy Telekom and Telenor's mobile and landline base stations south of the Ibar River, leaving an estimated 100,000 Serbs in the enclaves without working telephone lines.

30 years since Tito’s death marked

2010-05-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, May 05, 2010 ( Source: Beta) - Tuesday marks thirty years since the death of the late Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito. The Yugoslav Communist dictator, the former country's president for life, and also life-long president of its only party, died on May 3, 1980, in Ljubljana. Thirty years after, there is still no clear stance on his historical role. Historian Branka Prpa said that there is no realistic picture of Tito’s period today, because that part of history is looked at from a different ideological position. Many believe that Tito’s death was the beginning of the break-up of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRJ). The years before the country began to dissolve, there was much criticism and distancing from his actions and persona. He was accused of the murder of political opponents during his long reign, but also for leading economic policies based on taking loans in order to keep the people content, which led to high foreign debt and a fall into economic crisis. There are also many conspiracy theories that aim to find out where Tito’s power and influence in the state and entire world came from. Some claim that Tito was replaced by a “doppelganger” and that he was buried without any religious denotations because he was a Mason, while others claim that he was not buried at the place he was believed to be laid to rest, in the Belgrade neighborhood of Dedinje. But 30 years after his death and 20 years after the bloody disintegration of the country, many still fondly remember the high living standard, safety and well-organized nature of the country during his rule. His tomb has become a much more popular tourist destination over the last ten years. “My memories are nice and warm, grandfather respected us as people, we did not want to trouble him with our problems, but we could talk to him,” his granddaughter Zlatica Broz said.

Constructions of Inexpensive Apartments to begin in August

2010-05-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, May 3, 2010 ( Source: Tanjug) – As Belgrade’s news agency Tanjug reports, the construction of inexpensive apartments where Belgrade military barracks once stood will begin in either late August or early September. “I think that the Spatial Planning Ministry, which has been involved since the beginning, will do its part of the job very quickly. ” Secretary of the Association for the Construction Industry in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS), Goran Rodić, said. "It is then up to the other ministries to secure the finances and other needs in order for the job to be realized," he added. He said that the PKS still has no information on when the financial construct would be closed, adding that the construction operative is waiting for this to be completed. “There is a great deal of interest for this job, not only by construction companies, but also buyers, because of the price of EUR 1290 per square meter in that zone,” Rodić said. He said that the state will be able to improve the construction operative with such moves not only in Belgrade, but also in other larger cities in Serbia where vacant state property exists. Rodić said that the low prices of the apartments will in no way mean that the quality of the housing will not be up to par. He said that most of the site where the Stepa Stepanović barracks were located would have smaller apartments—one room, two room and some three room ones—adding that there would be garages, shopping centers, ambulances, preschools and schools built within the site as well. The Spatial Planning and Defense Ministries announced earlier that there would be 5,000 apartments built at the site.

May 1st celebrations in Serbia

2010-05-08T01:39:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, May 01, 2010 (Serbia Today) - It use to be that biggest state holidays in Serbia. This year it falls on Saturday, so Serbian workers will have long holiday weekend and will go back to work on Tuesday. However, no official Workers May Parades will happen this year. Labor Unions either don’t have funds to organize one, or are to busy organizing one of many workers strikes going on at the moment in various companies throughout Serbia. Some are even questioning if workers class still exists in Serbia. According to official statistics there is about 1.8 million working people out of which more than a half are employed in public services or government and other state agencies. Traditionally, a term “working class” is used for those employed in the industrial sector, which makes more than a half of working people ineligible to call themselves working class. Happy holiday.

U.S. Embassy awards for excellence in investigative journalism

2010-05-08T01:37:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, May 01, 2010 (Serbia Today) - The American Ambassador will join members of the Serbian press and NUNS representatives at the award ceremony for the journalist whose specialty is investigative journalism at the Faculty of Dramatis Arts in Belgrade, on Tuesday May 4th The journalist interested in reporting from this event should be at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, Bulevar Umetnosti 20, on Tuesday May 4th at 6:45 PM.

Serbia gets green light for fish product export to EU

2010-05-07T02:34:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, April 30. 2010 (Serbia Today) - The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management stated that during 2009 it managed to meet first the legislative, and then the practical conditions for exporting fish products to the EU. The statement adds that early in 2010 a veterinary inspection of the EU Food and Veterinary Office visited Serbia and inspected the entire system. It affirmed that Serbia possesses a quality system for producing and selling fish and fish products correspondent to that of the EU, that it introduced EU standards and will join the ranks of countries that are allowed to export these products to EU market. This license signifies a new beginning for Serbia and an opportunity for it to achieve its potential in the fishery sector and sell its fish products to the EU market, the statement adds.

Zastava workers in protest rally

2010-05-05T08:50:00.001-07:00

Beograd/Kragujevac 29. 2010 (Serbia Today) – “Zastava” Cars factory unions organized a protest yesterday of those workers who did not transfer to the new Fiat company. They cite wage cuts introduced in April as the reason for the protest. The workers will be given lower wages until they have been offered jobs in one of the Fiat’s factories, unless they choose to terminate their employment and take severance pay. The government and the Economy Ministry have announced in the meantime that they will not allow the factory to be blocked and that they will take “all lawful measures to prevent that” .Some 400 workers showed up for the protest today, reports from Kragujevac, in central Serbia, said. The union representatives said earlier today that the workers would legitimately express their discontent over the wage reduction, which they believe came in violation of a protocol signed by the union and the Economy Ministry and verified by the government. The government and the Economy Ministry will try to prevent the protest, but the measures are still unknown. The union president said that the protocol verified by the government, as well as the Labor Law were being violated so that the protest was a legitimate form of union action.

Air force operating centre in Zemun opens

2010-05-05T08:47:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, April 28. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac and Danish Ambassador to Serbia Mette Kjuel Nielsen attended the opening of the Operating Centre of Command of the Aviation and Antiaircraft Defense in Zemun yesterday. Sutanovac said that the centre has been equipped through a Danish donation worth €650,000. He explained that this centre will have primarily a military use, but it will be also useful for civil aviation. We need safe skies, Sutanovac said noting that the centre will easily locate off-route spacecraft and will especially be useful for the rescue and transportation of people in emergency situations to military and civilian hospitals. The donation is only one of many which Serbia and the Ministry of Defense has received from Denmark, Sutanovac recalled adding that it has financial, as well as humane value since it is intended for those who need such assistance the most. The Minister announced that after Denmark’s prominent participation in last year’s air show in Batajnica, Serbian aero planes will also take part in an air show in Denmark, scheduled for this June, adding that the relations between the two countries will thus be further strengthened. Head of the Defense Command of Denmark Major-General Kurt Mosgard underscored that Denmark is honored that Serbia chose to cooperate with it in several sections of the defense sector. He voiced the hope that the Operating Centre will enable speedier response in crisis situations, emphasizing that he was impressed by the speed and professionalism of Serbian officers participating in the project. Also present at the opening of the Operating Centre were Serbian Army Chief of General Staff Lieutenant-General Miloje Miletic and Brigadier General Ranko Zivak.

For state titles, national diplomas

2010-05-04T06:34:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, April 27. 2010 (Serbia Today) - The decision of the Ministry of Education to update the law on higher education so that the judges, prosecutors, doctors and educators in the future can be educated only in the state schools facing different reactions among the rectors of private universities. Ministry, namely, prepared a proposal for amending the Law on Higher Education in which the right to education of the judiciary, medical practitioners and teachers exclusively belongs to educational institutions established by the state. The proposal, if approved by the government, would have to pass ratification by the Parliament. Mica Jovanovic, the owner and the rector of the university "Megatrend", said for "Blic" that this is a shocking bad proposal to amend the law. This proposal changes the law and destroys the previous efforts to make equal the rights of state and private universities. It is totally foolish idea that the judiciary, medics and educator must educate only in the national universities. This idea destroys the students rights to the proper selection and opens the door to manipulations. – said Dr. Jovanovic. In his opinion, this is the best way to distroy private higher education institutions in the Serbian education system. Responsibility for this lies with the Ministry of Education. - added Rector Jovanovic. On the other hand, Dr. Milovan Stanisic, rector of the "Singidunum" university, believes that states should have exclusivity in training teachers in primary and secondary schools for pedagogical and psychological subjects, because they propagate the system value that is of importance for the country as a whole. All other teachers, however, may have degrees of private educational institutions.

Mayor: “Work on Gazela Bridge to begin in August”

2010-04-30T20:01:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, April 26, 2010 (Source: B92) - Mayor Dragan Đilas said that serious work on the restoration of the Gazela Bridge would not begin until August. He said that all the necessary materials for beginning work on the bridge have not yet arrived. Đilas said that discussions on the dynamics of work on the bridge would be finished once an acceptable solution for the city is found. The best-case scenario calls for the work that includes the closing of the Gazela Bridge to begin once the bridge across Ada Ciganlija is completed, but the condition of the bridge demands that the work starts earlier. “The city will then be in a state of siege, which is why I expect that work on the Gazela will be ongoing for 24 hours a day. There is still a question of whether work will be able to be done to the lower part of the bridge at night because of the safety of the workers. If there is a way to secure these conditions, there is no reason for work not to be done at night as well,” Đilas said. He said that the Gazela is not the only problem, adding that the restoration of the highway going through Belgrade from Bubanj Potok to Surčin could cause even more traffic problems. “Our demand is for the part from Geneks to the Sava Centar and the part from Mostarska Petlja to Dušanovac to be worked on during the summer, when there is less traffic, because it demands the closing down of one side of the highway. We have already reached an agreement on the highway through Belgrade, where the Ratko Mitrović subcontractor and its workers will be working non-stop. Te realistic problem is that there are not a lot of construction sites in the country, so the contractors are making things harder. But once an agreement is reached, all deadlines must be respected,” the Mayor said. As far as the European Investment Bank's demands for moving the Roma communities from under the Gazela Bridge are concerned, Đilas said that the city will be finishing 80 so-called social apartments for the most endangered citizens of Belgrade in a month’s time.

Signing of contract on financing Serbian language textbooks for children in Diaspora

2010-04-30T19:58:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, April 25. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Minister for Diaspora Srdjan Sreckovic and Director of the Institute for Textbooks and Teaching Aids Miloljub Albijanic will sign a contract on joint financing of making of a set of Serbian language textbooks for children in Diaspora. The contract will be signed at 12.00 on 26 April, at the premises of the Ministry for Diaspora, Vase Carapica 20. In the first phase of cooperation of the Ministry and the Institute, pupils of the first to fourth grade of elementary schools in the municipalities of Canada, the US and Europe will receive 8,400 alphabet books, readers and Serbian language grammar books. All books have multimedia presentations of the content, a CD and a DVD.

Serbia observes Earth Day

2010-04-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, April 24, 2010 (Serbia Today) – Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning Oliver Dulic attended a campaign of dump cleaning at Ada Huja in Belgrade today to mark 22 April – Earth Day. On this occasion, Dulic said that a big campaign of cleaning of Serbia will take place on 5 June and called on all citizens to clean something in their surroundings on that day and thus contribute to environmental protection. The Minister pointed out that there are thousands of places in Serbia like Ada Huja, where garbage has been deposited for years. He recalled that owing to the “Let's Clean Serbia“ campaign, 60 waste dumps out of a total of 4,600 have been cleaned up so far, but citizens have continued to deposit waste on some of them. We need to change our habits, mentality, and to remind people each day that it is important to save the planet, said the Minister and invited students in elementary and secondary schools, representatives of various associations, fishermen and non-governmental organizations to join the cleaning. Dulic then visited Ada Huja and an event at Republic Square traditionally organised by the Society for assistance to persons with developmental disabilities. As part of the marking of the Earth Day, Director of the “Let's Clean Serbia” campaign Milan Kindjic and Director of the National Office of the President of the Republic Tatjana Pasic will plant 50 seedlings of broadleaved and coniferous trees in Paracin.

Floods in Serbia

2010-04-30T05:49:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, April 23. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Several areas of Serbia have been recently affected by the spring river floods. In the area of Leskovac floods damaged about 200 objects, while in Prokuplje region 60 people were evacuated during the night from the Roma neighborhood by members of the Department for Emergency Situations of the Serbian Interior Ministry. River Toplica water level is declining at the present, but in the town of Prokuplje the tennis courts and part of the city cemetery are still under water, while half of the town does not have drinking water because of the flooded wells. Predrag Maric from the Emergency Situations Dept. of the Ministry of Interior of Serbia said this morning to Tanjug News Agency that currently are flooded the most vulnerable regions of Kraljevo, Nis, Krusevac, and Prokuplje. Several emergency teams are involved in the prevention of more floods and in the assistance to the citizens in the affected areas, particularly around rivers Toplice and Ibar. Regular defense measures are implemented in the South Morava River region, the Toponica Gabrovača, in the South Morava River basin, and in the river Ibar region, as well as in the basin of the Western Morava River.

Human rights activist dies

2010-04-29T06:57:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, April 22. 2010 (Source:B92) - Well-known known human rights activist and Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM) President Biljana Kovačević-Vučo passed away Tuesday morning in Belgrade. Kovačević-Vučo was one of the founders of the Yugoslav Action NGO and the independent union Nezavisnost in March 1999. She was also a member of the Working Group for the Future of former Yugoslavia (established at a conference in Bratislava in July 1999. which was organized by East West Institute from New York). During her long career as a peace movement and human rights activist, Kovačević-Vučo was the founder of the Human Rights Council of Center for Antiwar Action in Belgrade and head of the SOS helpline for the victims of political, ethnic and workplace discrimination. She also founded and was secretary general of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights Office for Legal Help in Belgrade from 1994 until 1997, president of the Democracy Transition Center executive board in 1997, and founder and president of YUCOM since 1997. During her career as a lawyer she worked at the Commercial Court in Belgrade from 1978 until 1988 and as a senior associate at the Serbian Supreme Court’s criminal and civil departments from 1988 until 1996. Kovačević-Vučo represented journalist Željko Bodrožić in the only case which Serbia lost before the UN Human Rights Council. Kovačević-Vučo was a member of the YUCOM expert and lawyers team which won two cases before European Court of Human Rights.

Air Traffic Partially Normalized

2010-04-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, 21. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Flights from the Belgrade Airport “Nikola Tesla” have normalized for the most part and are taking off to more destinations after weekend restrictions. Flights to Western Europe that were canceled over the weekend due to the volcanic ash over Serbian skies have restarted. On Monday morning, planes have departed to Athens, Podgorica and Rome and one has arrived from Vienna. After more than 40 hours of the ban on departures and arrivals in Belgrade, the situation has normalized. "Apart from our internet presentation and telephone services, we will update the public through all outlets as soon as we receive confirmations from air travel companies that flights will be reinstated in this emergency situation," Airport Director Velimir Radosavljević said. The number of flights and landings realized depends on how many European countries have reopened their airspaces. Radosavljević said that he believes that there will still be cancellations in the coming days and he expects big crowds at the airport of people trying to receive information on their flights. Air traffic throughout most of Europe has been crippled over the past four days because of the ash clouds drifting into the atmosphere from a volcano that erupted last week in Iceland. The Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Services Agency closed its airspace on Saturday afternoon and reopened it for aircrafts flying through on Sunday evening.

The Avala Tower Ready for the Opening!

2010-04-27T06:55:00.001-07:00

By Milen Vesovic

Belgrade, April 20, 2010 (Serbia Today) - One of the most recognizable symbols of Belgrade - Avala Tower will be officially re-opened on Wednesday April 21 with a live broadcast of national television (RTS) and the presence of government officials of Serbia and Belgrade. The construction of the new Avala Tower lasted almost three years, from 2005-2008. It started on the initiative of the RTS, and was done by Serbian construction company "CIP" and "Ratko Mitrovic". The newly built tower is 204 meters high and is the highest building in the Balkans. The Avala tower will be primarily telecommunication tower as before , and will be used as Belgrade tourist attraction as well. Avala tower, which was originaly put into use in 1965th was destroyed in 1999 th during NATO bombing of Belgrade and Serbia.

“The Edict of Milan” to be celebrated in Nis in 2013?

2010-04-24T03:38:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, April 18. 2010 (Serbia Today) - His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irenaeus said in Nis that he was told by a Roman prelate that it was their opinion that the Nis is best place to organize a central ceremony of the 17 centuries of the Edict of Milan, in the year 2013. "One of the Roman prelates told me that according to their opinion, the most appropriate place should be the city of Nis, because of its location between the East and the West," - said on Thursday Patriarch Irenaeus in his introductory speech before the lecture given by Prof. Vladete Jerotic about Constantine the Great ( 271-337) and Christianity. "It will be an opportunity for us, the Orthodox Christians and religious communities closest to us to be for the first time together, to learn, to remind ourselves of the time of a great beginning of the Christian mind," said the Patriarch Irenaeus at the St. Sava's Hall in Nis. The Center for the Church Study began a series of lectures, panel discussions and scientific conferences on Christianity and the life of Constantine the Great, who was born in Nis. The “Edict of Milan” was brought by Constantine the Great in the 313th , which declares the equality of religions and stops the persecution of the Christians.

The Workers Strike in “Knjaz Milos” Company Continued

2010-04-23T06:27:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, April 17. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Employees of the "Knjaz Milos” mineral water bottling company in Arandjelovac continued this morning a general strike, which begun after failed negotiation with the leadership during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. Strikers announced that the shutdown will continue until the fulfillment of demands, including keeping 106 workers who were suppose to be laid off. Workers are seeking the increase of salaries and working conditions as well as the respect of the collective agreement. CEO Michael Jankovic told Tanjug that the leadership will remain open to negotiations with the union and that they are ready at any time to sit at the negotiating table again. "The precondition is, however, cooperation and willingness to compromise on the other side, because so far we have not seen it. It's not realistic to expect any increase in wages in a situation in which the company operates at a loss, and the average salary of employees, excluding management, amounts to 42,000 RSD," he said, adding that salaries have never been late. Jankovic also stated that the strike was declared, despite the fact that management did not take "no concrete initiative towards reducing the number of employees, without a regular dialogue between unions and employers about important issues." Jankovic said that in the meantime he will insist on compliance with the minimum of the work process, in the common interest, to avoid serious damage to the company. President of the Independent Trade Union "Prince" Zivorad Kolarević said Tanjug yesterday that, in contrast to the employer, the union acted responsibly and that the factory provided a minimum of 20 percent of production. General strike in “Knjaz Milos” company , the first in its 199 year long history, begun on Wednesday morning, when it halted production of the plants for production of bottled water and juices.

Delta MAXI Company donating to orphans

2010-04-22T06:55:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, April 16. 2010 (Serbia Today) - On Monday, April 12th , “Delta Maxi” company informed medias that during the month of March they have raised 3.5 million dinars for orphans. Funds were gathered during the campaign that single out one dinar from each product sold by the brand “Premia”. This money will be used for improvement the living conditions of orphan children in the House “Petar Radovanovic” in Uzice. On Friday, April 16th, grant will be handed over at a ceremony during the anniversary of the House “Petar Radovanovic”. Today the House accommodates 35 children, without parents, age 10 to 20. Two hundred and forty-five students passed through the Petar Radovanovic House. A part of the house was redesigned to accommodate children with disabilities.

The construction of the swimming pool in Novi Sad

2010-04-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

Belgrade/Novi Sad, April 16. 2010 (Serbia Today) - One of the biggest investments for the City of Novi Sad in 2010 will be building of three new swimming pools in the pool complex sports-business center “Vojvodina”, the biggest sport center in Novi Sad. For many years, this Center is waiting for reconstruction and upgrading, and finally, gets his chance in the year to mark 29 years of its existence. After this construction, which will begin in the summer of 2010, Novi sad will be able to host big European and world championships in swimming sports. The project by architect Miroslav Krstonosic, in collaboration with Boris Petrovski and businesses “Sigma Engineering” from Novi Sad and “Jubel” from Belgrade, was chosen for the best general idea pool complex on Spens in Novi Sad. The city Novi Sad and the Ministry of Sports gave 65 million dinars to complete the first phase of works. We except to begin construction this summer, by the end of this year will finish a two-thirds of the work in the first phase. We will finish new pools until next fall, and people from Novi Sad will be able to use it next year. After that comes the reconstruction of the existing closed building, with the most modern following contents.”- said Mr. Sasa Igic, deputy Mayor of Novi Sad.

The new Serbian Language Guide

2010-04-21T06:45:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, April 15. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Dr. Milan Sipka's Serbian language spelling dictionary with spelling-grammar appendix is the first serbian standard language manual in the last 100 years. Last time the similar dictionary was published in 1960 , but it included rules of the Serbo-Croatian language as it was called at the time. Sipka's capital work on more than 1,400 pages was published in Novi Sad by "Prometheus," supported by large number of subscribers and with the support of the Government of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. “ It is not just a spelling dictionary, but also a grammar guide, processing grammatical forms and accented it," Sipka said. According to him, it is a linguistic adviser and it warns of many errors people usually make. The director of the Prometheus, Zoran Kolundzija, said that the most important thing is that the dictionary contains the correct spelling rules in accordance with the Serbian Matica issues, and the rules are named and numbered by the paragraphs. Consultant and supervisor was the member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences Dr. Ivan Klein. This dictionary will be useful to all of those who desire to speak and write properly, and to all those who wish to improve their language skills. This new spelling dictionary was officially released on Tuesday during the ceremony held in the building of the Government of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.

Serbia will make full contribution to solving problems of Roma

2010-04-16T07:03:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, April 10. 2010 – (Serbia Today) - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic said today that the Second European Summit on Roma Inclusion in Cordoba is a milestone that indicates that the whole of Europe is engaged in solving the problems of the Roma population, and stressed that Serbia will give its full contribution to this process. Djelic told the Tanjug news agency that a joint declaration of Spain, Belgium and Hungary, countries that will preside over the EU in the near future, was adopted at this meeting that was held yesterday and today in Cordoba. An action plan will be prepared and structural funds to resolve the problems of the Roma will be opened, according to Djelic. The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that Serbia has contributed to this meeting by suggesting that the European Bank for Development (EBD) becomes a financial partner in the implementation of this policy. Djelic also recalled that Serbia has already proposed projects related to the Roma population in the amount of €64 million.

Serbia committed to combating harmful effects of climate change

2010-04-14T09:19:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, 8 April 2010 – ( Serbia Today) - Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning Oliver Dulic stressed today that Serbia is committed to the fight against harmful effects of climate change and could become a regional leader in “green economy”. Speaking at the “Climate Change and Renewable Energy – Challenges and Opportunities for Local Authorities” conference, Dulic pointed to the importance of local self-governments’ engagement in the process. He stressed that Serbia realized that it is part of the solution to the global problem regarding the fight against climate changes, recalling that a series of strategies and decrees were adopted with that aim. There can be no EU integration unless the glasshouse effect is reduced and adequate activities implemented in agriculture, technology, industry and similar areas to protect the environment, he said. President of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities Sasa Paunovic said that this association is ready to actively engage in the fight against negative conseqPaunovic noted that rational electric energy consumption, along with alternative energy sources, waste management and the resolution of landfill issues and harmful gas emissions not only protects the environment, but can also help to attract investment and open new jobs. UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia William Infante said it is important to combat climate changes, announcing continued support to Serbia in this process. He presented the UNDP’s activities in the region and Serbia, noting the importance of sharing experiences in this area. The gathering, attended by representatives from numerous international and domestic organizations, was organized with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

Croatia sends invite to Serb tourists

2010-04-13T10:35:00.001-07:00

Zagreb, April, 06. 2010 (Source : B92) - Croatia is strengthening its campaign in the region in an effort to get more tourists from Serbia to vacation on the Croatian seaside. The Croatian Tourism Ministry said that last year’s campaign contributed to an increase in the number of tourists from Serbia, so the ministry wants to do the same thing this year, preparing new television commercials that would soon be presented to the public. The ministry stated that the number of guests from Serbia is steadily increasing every year and that last year’s campaign, with the slogan “So beautiful, so close,” increased the number of tourists from Serbia. According to the ministry’s data, 89,000 tourists from Serbia vacationed in Croatia in 2009, which is 1.3 percent more than in the prior year. Serbian tourists spent 441,000 nights in Croatia in 2009, which was an increase of 14.5 percent compared to 2008. Because of the popularity of the Istra region, namely Rovinj and Poreč, there will be direct flights offered from Belgrade to Pula. Pula Airport Director Bruno Rogović confirmed that the route would be introduced in May, adding that it would be one of the most profitable flights this year. According to statistics, JAT Airways had 2,650 passengers on flights in between Belgrade and Pula in 2008, when the route was introduced, and 9,000 last year.

Conference marking World Health Day

2010-04-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, April, 05. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Minister of Health Tomica Milosavljevic will speak at a press conference marking World Health Day at 11.00 on 7 April at Dragoslava Jovanovica 2. The conference will be attended by Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas, Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Serbia Dorit Nitzan Kaluski, Director of the Institute of Public Health "Dr Milan Jovanovic Batut" Tanja Knezevic, deputy chief of the WHO Office for Serbia Melita Vujnović, Secretary of the City Secretariat for Health Zoran Blagojevic, head of the Secretariat for Environmental Protection Natasa Djokic and assistant director of the City Office of Public Health Snezana Matic-Besarabic.

Djelic to speak at press conference on the project “Europe for All“

2010-04-12T08:15:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, April, 05. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Bozidar Djelic will speak at 11.30 on 6 April at Nikola Tesla Airport at a press conference on the project “Europe for All“, as part of which 40 young people without parental care will travel on a three-day visit to Vienna. The Cabinet of the Deputy Prime Minister prepared the trip for the young people from Belgrade, Nis, Krusevac, Negotin and Sremski Karlovci in partnership with the Telenor Foundation, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and the European Movement in Serbia. Apart from Djelic, representatives of the partners and sponsors will also speak at the press conference.

Serbia's Christians to celebrate Easter

2010-04-10T03:18:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, April 02. 2010 ( Source: B92 ) - This year, Serbia's Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Christians will mark the faith's most important holiday, Easter, on the same day. Ahead of the celebrations on Sunday, Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) Patriarch Irinej has sent "brotherly greetings" to Roman Catholic Archbishop of Belgrade Stanislav Hočevar, reports said. Irinej noted that Easter celebrates “the secret of the Bible, kept for centuries in the bosom of the Old Testament, and revealed to the world in the New Testament.” “With sincere respect we stay together in our Resurrected God-Man Jesus Christ,” the patriarch wrote. President Boris Tadić also sent his Easter greetings on Wednesday Patriarch Irinej, Archbishop Hočevar, as well as to "all priests, Christians and citizens". "I wish that we spend the holiday in spiritual and general peace, understanding and tolerance among the faithful, friends and neighbors. By respecting traditions and values, we preserve our identity, and by believing in ourselves, we can create an even better society," says the president's message.

Serbia's Christians to celebrate Easter

2010-04-09T08:16:00.001-07:00

Djelic to open conference “Danube strategy, ideas and projects”

2010-04-07T08:26:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, March, 31, 2010 (Serbia Today) - Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration and National Coordinator for Cooperation with the EU in the Danube Region Bozidar Djelic opened the conference “Danube strategy, ideas and projects” at 9.30 on March 30 in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Resavska 15. Apart from Djelic, speakers in the introductory part of the conference included President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Milos Bugarin, Director of “East Point Holdings“ Zoran Drakulic and Director of “Silver Lake Resort" Slobodan Vucicevic. The conference was organized by the Cabinet of Deputy Prime Minister Djelic and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, with its aim being the promotion of cooperation with the EU in the preparation of a comprehensive Danube strategy.

The TQ City business-residential complex in Inđija has opened

2010-04-06T04:02:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, March 30, 2010 (Source : B92) - Trade Unique invested EUR 35mn in the project. The complex includes shopping and exhibition centers, apartments, a hotel and a helicopter-landing site. The total area of the complex is about 50,000 square meters. Trade Minister Slobodan Milosavljević told journalists that Inđija has received one of the most modern centers in Serbia and that it is a good example of partnership between the municipality and a private company. He said that it is a good sign that a center such as this one is opening in a time when everyone is talking about the economic crisis. The minister said that about 1The Trade Unique construction company has many years of experience in the Russian market, and has built hotels in Spain and Montenegro, owner Mirko Latinović said. Inđija Municipal President Goran Ješić said that there will be a technical studies faculty working within the complex as well, which will be accepting 200 students annually. Ješić said that the Slovenian Cinkarna company is also planning a large investment in the municipality this year ,000 workers will be employed in the center.

Work on Gazela Bridge

2010-04-06T04:00:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, March, 30. 2010 ( Source: B92) - The traffic regime on the Gazela Bridge will be altered on Monday morning, according to the Serbian Roads public company as restoration work begins. The fast lanes will be closed in both directions heading towards the highways to Niš and Šid.
The merging lanes from Savska street and Vojvoda Mišića Boulevard will be closed, as well as the lane coming from Vladimira Popovića street heading towards Jurija Gagarina. Serbian Roads are calling on drivers to respect the traffic signalization that will be installed and to adhere to the new speed limits on the roads resulting from the traffic regime changes.

Lottery Winner

2010-04-06T03:58:00.000-07:00

By: Bojana Janković

Kanjiza, March 30, 2010 (Serbia Today) - A village of Kanjiza had a „Lucky Seven“ lottery winner last week. A lucky participant whose numbers were drawn on March 23, 2010, will collect 4 800 000 Euros!
The name of the lucky winner is still not known, and the State Lottery of Serbia reserves the right not to diclose it. The ticket carrying the lucky numbers 1,2,4,8,13,14,26 was bought at the newstand „Lottery“ in Kanjiza.

Govt. to discuss Telekom, dinar loans

2010-03-30T03:45:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, March, 27. 2010 (Source: Tanjug) - The Serbian government should discuss the sale of 40 percent of state-owned shares of the telecommunications public company Telekom Srbija today. The government is also expected to adopt a package of measure regarding subsidized dinar loans for Serbia's citizens as it meets in Belgrade this Friday.

Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković yesterday stated that now is the right time to sell Telekom, given that new landline and mobile service providers have created competition, and expressed expectation that the transaction will be realized by the end of 2010.

Meeting On Danube Strategy In Belgrade In September

2010-03-27T05:38:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, March, 23. 2010 ( Source: Beta) — In September, Belgrade will host a meeting of the officials from the Danube countries and the European Commission which aims at setting the crucial projects and funding sources for the Danube Strategy of the Danube region, whose patron will be European Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn. The press learned this in Brussels on March 19 from Serbian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integrations Bozidar Djelic after meeting with Hahn, as well as the European Commission's Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas. The Danube Strategy is being prepared by the European Commission, and should be finished by the end of 2010, while Hahn accepted to be the patron of the meeting in Belgrade, Djelic said.He underlined that it is "a sign of great trust" in Serbia, which has not yet become an official candidate for EU membership, and it is about to work on one of the most important questions related to the Danube Strategy. Djelic also reported that he and Kallas considered how to build and develop European transport corridors in the future, including the possibility for Serbia to join the discussion on the financing of large infrastructure projects, especially when it comes to European Corridors 7 and 10, which pass through Serbia. He added that Serbia will take all steps to reinforce the idea about the construction of Corridor 11, from Romania to Montenegro via Bosnia and Herzegovina. Djelic underlined that he and Kallas exchanged opinions on the construction of railway infrastructure, which will be given great priority in the EU, as a more eco-friendly and cost-efficient type of transport than road transport."This is where I see a chance for the ambitious projects Serbia has in the domain of railway Corridor 10," Djelic stressed.

Serbia to lead regional projects preventing natural disasters

2010-03-26T02:55:00.001-07:00

Belgrade, March, 20. 2010 (Serbia Today) – Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Sasa Dragin stated today that Serbia will become the leader of a project dealing with issues such as natural disasters and weather inclemency, which will be implemented together with other countries in the region.

At a press conference following the government session, Dragin told the press that this will be realized on the basis of a Bill the government adopted today, namely one affirming the Memorandum of Understanding on the institutional framework of the initiative for prevention and preparedness in the event of natural disasters for Southeast Europe.

He recalled that Serbia has had its share of forest fires during which it required the help of neighboring countries, adding that its rescuers also answered calls for help from those same countries. The Minister said that the government adopted a Conclusion on reprogramming farmers’ debts for farm land drainage in 2008 and 2009. Dragin stressed that in this Conclusion, the government advised executive boards of water managing companies to allow farmers to repay their debts without having to pay interest on the arrears. He said he is not pleased with the current Law on water management, announcing that a new law will soon be sent to the Parliament. Under the new law, all legal entities will contribute 0.025% of their income to an irrigation fund, from which subsidies will be provided to farmers for building irrigation systems, he said. At its session today the government passed decrees concerning rural development as well as a Decree on the distribution of incentive funds for genetic advancement of livestock during 2010, said Dragin. A Program for the distribution of subsidies for plant protection for 2010 was also approved he said.

"Vreme", finally

2010-03-22T05:41:00.000-07:00

By: Milen Vesovic
Belgrade, March 16, 2010 (Serbia Today) - The Publishing House "Vreme" D.O.O. announced its thousandth issue of the weekly magazine “Vreme”. It is the most informative weekly magazine in Serbia, next to NIN. The Editorial Board of this magazine will celebrate this year their 20 years of work. Dragoljub Zarkovic, the Chief Editor of the weekly “Vreme”, said that the Editorial Board should be proud of their work and that, despite the skeptics, with 1,000 issues behind, “Vreme” proved to be on the right track. Throughout the years the texts for this magazine were written by journalists such as Filip Svarm, Tamara Skrozza, Dragoljub Zarkovic, Teofil Pancic, Ljubomir Zivkov, Dimitrije Boarov and sometimes Ljiljana Smajlovic now president of the Association of Journalists of Serbia, Veselin Simonovic now chief editor of “Blic”, Vesna Pesic, now a deputy in the National Assembly and many others.
The Newsroom today consists of: Dragoljub Zarkovic (Chief Editor) Philip Svarm (Editor), Aleksandar Ciric (Assistant Editor) Dejan Anastasijevic, Duska Anastasijevic, Alexander Andjic (Photo), Dimitrije Boarov, Slobodan Bubnjević, Sofia Ciric, Vera Didanović John Dulovic Slobodan Georgiev, John Gligorijević, Jelena Grujic, Nebojsa Grujičić (Culture), Andrej Ivanji (World), Zoja Jovanov (Business), Tatjana Jovanovic, Slobodan Kostic, Jasmina Lazic Zoran Majdin, Sasa Markovic, Ivana Milanovic Hrašovec, Milan Milosevic, Teofil Pancic, Ana Radic, Sasa Rakezić (Comics), Tamara Skrozza, Vladimir Stankovic, Zoran Stanojevic (Navigator), Tatjana Tagirov, Dragan Todorovic, Tanja Topic, Momir Turudić, Biljana Vasic, Milos Vasic, Marija Vidic (Sunday issue), Ljubomir Zhivkov , Dragoslav Grujic (Text documents), Jelena Mrdja (Photo documentation). During eighteen years, the newsroom has lost four striking Authors: Jug Grizelj, Stojan Cerovic, Uros Kolenović and Drasko Gagović. The first issue of “Vreme” came out on October 29, 1990. The magazine was founded by journalists who left the daily publication “Borba” , the weekly publication “NIN”, and a group of Belgrade dissidents.

Government adopts bill on social security central registry

2010-03-19T00:59:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, March 13, 2010 (Serbia Today) – The Serbian government adopted a bill on the central registry for mandatory social security and amendments to the Law on regional development. At today’s session it also passed several decrees concerning agriculture. The government adopted a conclusion on withdrawing from parliamentary procedure the bill on the election of president and members of the Committee for the Protection of Rights in Public Procurements. The government made this decision after Borislav Galic, a candidate for the Committee president, withdrew his candidacy.

London court releases Ganić on bail

2010-03-18T03:49:00.001-07:00

London, March, 12. 2010 (Source: Beta, Tanjug) - A court in London has released Ejup Ganić, previously arrested in the UK on a Serbian war crimes warrant, on bail today. Ganić was a wartime Muslim member of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Serbia is seeking his extradition on suspicion that he committed war crimes against members of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), in the May 1992 attack and massacre in Sarajevo's Dobrovoljačka Street. The suspect was arrested on March 1 in London. Serbia is looking for 18 more Bosnian citizens in connection to the case. The British court today reviewed Ganić's release, since he appealed an earlier decision to remand him in prison. Serbia's Justice Ministry said on Thursday that it had sent an official extradition request to the UK.
According to announcements, Serbia was to submit new facts about Ganić’s alleged involvement in the war crimes during the court hearing today – new compared to those reviewed by the Hague prosecution in 2003, which concluded that there was not sufficient evidence to indict Ganić. In Londond today, the BBC reports that Ganić's lawyers said "moves to make him face trial in Serbia are politically motivated and his arrest is illegal". The bail was granted on "stringent" conditions, including staying at an undisclosed London address, observing a nightly curfew and not applying for a passport or travel document. He must also report daily to a London police station, the report said. The bail – amounting to GBP 300,000 (EUR 330,000) – had been provided as security by a "well-wisher" described as "a lady of substantial means". Meanwhile, it was reported that Chairman of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Presidency Haris Silajdžić left for London yesterday in order to support the suspect. Silajdžić was expected to hold meetings with British officials, the Federal Television of Bosnia-Herzegovina reported. The Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina did not discuss its chairman’s trip to London at yesterday’s session, and the Serb republic in Bosnia, RS, does not view the visit as official. RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik said that Silajdžić would abuse his position and send a bad message to RS if he visited Ganić in custody, as he had previously planned.

Vicar accused of embezzlement arrested in Greece

2010-03-18T03:45:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, March, 12. 2010 (Source:Tanjug) - SPC Vicar Simeon Vilovski, suspected of embezzlement in the Raška-Prizren Eparchy has been arrested in Greece. This was confirmed today by Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said.

Greek police apprehended Vilovski, for whose arrest an international warrant was issued, around noon in a suburb of Thessaloniki, the interior minister told Tanjug. The criminal charge has been filed to the Higher Prosecution in Belgrade against Simeon, a former abbot of Banjska monastery and the dismissed deputy in the Raška-Prizren Eparchy. He has been accused of financial embezzlement of the eparchy’s funds worth several hundred thousand euros. Vilovski was the secretary of Bishop of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija Artemije, who has been temporarily relieved of his duties with a decision of the Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC ).

RSD 50 million for roads in Novi Pazar

2010-03-17T07:26:00.001-07:00

Novi Pazar, March 11, 2010 (Serbia Today) – Deputy Prime Minister for EU integration and Minister of Science and Technology Bozidar Djelic said in Novi Pazar today that the government will secure funds of RSD 50 million for building asphalt roads in Novi Pazar.

The EU has approved a project costing €25 million to Serbia. Part of these funds will also be used for building university facilities, said Djelic after talks with Novi Sad Mayor Meho Mahmutovic. Students’ hostels, canteens and other facilities will be built. Those who finish their studies should stay in Novi Pazar and help with economic development. We cannot allow young people to go on leaving Serbia, stressed Djelic. Novi Pazar could also benefit from the arrangements concluded recently with the European Investment Bank for investment in knowledge economy, he said. Novi Pazar should put forward science and technology projects which we will then be able to finance with funds of €400 million set aside for big investments in science, said Djelic. Djelic also presented telescopes to Bratstvo Elementary School and the Astronomy Society of Novi Pazar. He visited the State University of Novi Pazar where he talked with Rector Cemal Dolicanin and headed a panel discussion titled Europe for All.

Citizens with ID cards with chips to get free digital signature certificates

2010-03-15T04:33:00.000-07:00

Belgrade, March 10, 2010 (Serbia Today) – First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic and Minister of Telecommunications and Information Society Jasna Matic visited the Savski Venac police station and had their qualified certificates linked to their ID cards.

Dacic stressed that Serbian citizens who have been issued with ID cards with a biometric chip will also be able to have their qualified certificates linked to their ID cards. This will enable them to use their ID cards for electronic signatures or identification in the virtual world. He noted that the adoption of the amendment to the decree on the data included in the ID card and the decree on registering the Ministry of the Interior’s Certificate Authority in the registry of qualified certificate authorities will enable all citizens to get free-of-charge digital signature certificates in police stations, provided they have been issued with ID cards with a biometric chip.

Dacic said this will enable citizens to address the state in most cases when necessary in an electronic way with their ID card, sign their petitions with the qualified certificate and get an answer from the state. This will make queues at the counters shorter and citizens will have quicker and more efficient communication with the state. Matic said that the portal of the Serbian government’s electronic administration will start with its work next month and emphasized the great importance of electronic administration, as it reduces time and costs in getting certain documents, transparency is increased and the opportunity for corruption reduced.

Ejup Ganic arrested in London

2010-03-10T05:08:00.001-08:00

Belgrade, March 03, 2010 (Source: B92) - Former Muslim member of the war-time Bosnian Presidency Ejup Ganić has been arrested and remanded in prison in London according to media source B92 from Belgrade. Mr. Ganić will be detained until March 29. He was arrested on a Serbian war crimes warrant. Belgrade announced late on Monday it would seek his extradition on Tuesday morning. Serbia now has 45 days to provide complete documentation related to the case, substantiating its extradition demand. Serbian MUP in early 2009 issued arrest warrants for 19 Bosnian citizens, including Ganić, for their role in the so-called Dobrovoljačka St. massacre. In May 1992, a retreating convoy of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) was attacked in this Sarajevo street. Ganić was arrested as he was trying to leave Britain, police said. News agencies reported that he is accused by Serbia of conspiracy to murder 40 soldiers, in breach of the Geneva Convention, "primarily in respect of the killing of wounded soldiers".

Cvetkovic, Dinkic present 200 mattresses to flood victims in Zajecar

2010-03-09T02:59:00.000-08:00

Zajecar, March 02, 2010 (Serbia Today) – Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Regional Development Mladjan Dinkic presented Zajecar municipal authorities with 200 mattresses today, intended for flood stricken citizens. Cvetkovic visited the flooded areas and talked to citizens whose houses were damaged in floods that have struck Timocka Krajina in the last few days. He recalled that the government donated RSD 20 million dinars to Zajecar, which is around RSD 30,000 for every flood-affected household. Cvetkovic called upon all businesspeople to help the flood-affected areas in Serbia, stressing that apart from financial assistance, Zajecar will receive aid in the form of mattresses and blankets. Dinkic said that the relevant ministry secured the mattresses in cooperation with the Simpo Company, adding that the state cannot prevent natural disasters, but is under an obligation to help people in flood stricken areas. Zajecar mayor Bosko Nicic said that the aid arriving in the town will be gathered in one place and then distributed to citizens. The government decided yesterday to send emergency financial aid in the sum of RSD 77 million to towns and municipalities in which floods caused the greatest damage. Apart from the RSD 20 million for Zajecar, the government also earmarked RSD 8 million each for Aleksinac, Pozega and Knjazevac, RSD 6 million for Negotin, RSD 4 million for Svrljig and RSD 3million for Boljevac. The municipalities of Merosina, Doljevac, Koceljeva, Ub, Lajkovac, Ljig, Vladimirci, Zitoradja, Priboj and Prijepolje will receive RSD 2 million each.

Youth Delinquency Decreasing

2010-03-09T02:57:00.001-08:00

Novi Sad, March 02, 2010 (Souce: Beta) – The percentage of delinquency among young people in Serbia has decreased in 2010, according to the Interior Ministry and Police Administration. Police Chief Mladen Kuribak said that the trust of citizens in the police has increased. Vojvodina Speaker Šandor Egereši said that the statistics of violence among minors is “defeating and frightening,” which is a great concern for him as a parent of two young children. He said that it is encouraging that the public is aware of the presence of violence in the community, and that there is a readiness for young people to help people who are victims of violence. Vojvodina Education Secretary Zoltan Jegeš said that in multi-national communities, the “Safe School” program has shown concrete results, with the number of incidents decreasing in these communities. School teacher Zdenka Ivković said that it is important to work on preventing violence in schools, instead of handing out punishment once violence has occurred. She said that the Novi Sad school she works in has received a “School Without Violence” certificate from a UNICEF program that contributed to a change in the mentality of those working in the schools, enabling them to recognize all forms of violence.

Dacic meets with Patriarch Irinej

2010-03-09T02:54:00.001-08:00

Belgrade, March 02, 2010 (Serbia Today) – First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic spoke with Serbian Patriarch Irinej on Friday, Feb. 26. The Minister and the Patriarch pointed out the importance of the Serbian church and the place it occupies in society and they also discussed the protection of monuments of culture and monasteries in Kosovo-Metohija by representatives of the international community. Dacic said that the Serbian police are willing to help the church within their competencies and in the organization of the international celebration of the anniversary of the Edict of Milan, which will be held in Nis. Patriarch Irinej thanked the Serbian police for providing the highest security standards for the funeral of Patriarch Pavle.

Flooding in the Timok Region

2010-03-01T07:25:00.001-08:00

Kursumlija, Feb.23, 2010, (Serbia Today) – Beli Timok River (White Timok) broke flood barriers during the night between Saturday and Sunday and flooded some two hundred households. Around 450 residents were forced to evacuate. In some areas houses have been submerged under more than 6 feet of water. The level of Beli Timok River is over 3 feet above the flood barrier level.
Emergency units of the Police and Fire Departments, in cooperation with local construction companies, are trying to rebuild broken barriers and to evacuate remaining residents of the flooded villages. The level of the nearby Crni Timok River (Black Timok ) rose some 6 inches , but for now it is not expected to rise further.
This winter saw frequent snow storms in Serbia, which resulted in the accumulation of huge piles of snow on the ground. Sudden warming in the past several days caused the snow to melt and led to the rise of the levels of many rivers. Emergency services of the local governments are on alert for possible flooding in other areas of Serbia as well. As a result of the flooding, traffic on the road Debelica – Ravan has been closed.

Bellow poverty line 700.000 citizens in Serbia

2010-03-01T03:24:00.000-08:00

Belgrade, Feb. 22, 2010, (Serbia Today) – According to the statement by the Serbian Minister of Labor and Social Politics Rasim Ljajic to the press, the number of citizens living bellow the poverty line in 2009 was higher that in previous years. It is estimated that some 670.000 to 700.000 people in Serbia lives bellow poverty line, which is close to 10% of total population.

In 2008, this index was at 7.9%. Some 160.000 people has been covered by the state welfare programs at the moment, and thanks to the new welfare law that is in making, welfare benefits will be extended this year to another 90.000 recipients, Ljajic told reporters.

He also added that extra expense on welfare will put more burden on the budget, and the amount of money that will be separated for this purposes depend on the ability of country’s economy to get out of economic crisis.

Minister Ljajic hopes that this will be achieved by 2011. The most vulnerable groups of citizens at the moment are retired people over 65, young children, single mothers, families with more than six members, and families in rural areas of Serbia.

U.S. Embassy-sponsored training program in economic journalism

2010-03-01T03:21:00.001-08:00

Belgrade, Feb. 20, 2010 ( Source: US Embassy) - On February 12, Ambassador Mary Warlick attended the closing event of a three-month, Embassy-sponsored training program in economic journalism at TV Studio B. She presented Certificates to Participants of Training Program in Economic Journalism
Ten journalism students and young professionals learned research and reporting techniques for economic, business, and finance stories. The participants, working with resources and professionals from Key Connection Media, developed 12 television features about corporate social responsibility on topics such as corporate-sponsored scholarships and food bank donations. The features were broadcast primetime on Studio B.
The Ambassador presented certificates to the young reporters stressing that a free press leads to a free economy, and she expressed hope that professional journalists will continue to play an essential role in Serbia’s economic transformation. Asked about her first impressions of Belgrade and Serbia, Ambassador Warlick praised the warmth and hospitality of Belgraders and the Serbian people. “I look forward to exploring more of your country and meeting your people,” Warlick concluded.

Patriarch apologizes to Muslim citizens

2010-03-01T03:15:00.000-08:00

Belgrade, Feb. 19, 2010 (Serbia Today) - Serbian Patriarch Irinej apologized on Friday to the Muslim citizens for his recent statement in which he spoke of Islam in an imprudent manner according to the official statement from the headquarters of the Serbian Orthodox Church. In a statement issued by his office, Patriarch Irinej pointed out that his actual position on Islam is based on the absolute appreciation of identity, dignity and integrity of Muslims as individuals, the Islamic community as a whole, and Islam as a great world religion.
Explaining that his statement was taken out of the context, Patriarch said that Belgrade daily Blic, which published the interview, left out the beginning and the end of his statement, in which he said that “we are all God's creation, and, as a consequence, we are invited to overcome all existing differences with human affection, and to live together in mutual love and respect.” “I express my deepest regret over the statement and its consequences, and I apologize sincerely to Muslims – our fellow-creatures and brothers,” the statement reads. In the interview, as published by Blic on St. Sava's Day, Patriarch Irinej evaluated that the philosophy of Islam is that Muslims, when there is a small number of them, know how to behave themselves and be fair, but when they become predominant and superior, they exert pressure. Islamic communities in Serbia reacted harshly to this demanding apology.

Serbs living abroad have helped Serbia during the crisis more than the IMF

2010-02-25T01:48:00.000-08:00

Belgrade, Feb. 18, 2010 (Serbia Today, B92, Vecernje Novosti) – Serbs living abroad have helped Serbia during the crisis more than the IMF and all other international financial organizations. This is according to Minister for the Diaspora Srđan Srećković, who believes that for this reason, it would be useful to include representatives of the Diaspora even more actively in the country's economic and political life. “A large number of our people are willing to participate in the political life of Serbia. My task is to articulate their requests and put them on the agenda of the public debate in the country,” Srećković told Belgrade daily Večernje Novosti. “One of the ideas is to get the Diaspora more actively involved in the political life and this is yet to be discussed,” he said ,and pointed out that "our country would certainly benefit from any model of the Diaspora’s political involvement". Speaking about the Serbs abroad as Serbia’s economic backbone, the minister said that contrary to all assessments coming from political analysts, last year’s hard currency inflow from remittances was about USD 5.5bn. “That’s fantastic growth of about 15 percent compared to the previous year, and it makes more than 14 percent of the total GDP,” he pointed out. The minister stressed that it was precisely this inflow of hard currency that influenced in the greatest degree the macro-economic stability, and that of the Serbian dinar (RSD).

“Scandalous treatment of Roma in Kosovo”

2010-02-24T02:09:00.000-08:00

Kosovska Mitrovica, Feb. 18, 2010 (Source: Tanjug) – The Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg called for an end to forcible return of Roma to Kosovo. After his second visit in ten months to the contaminated Roma camps in Česmin Lug and Osterode, Hammarberg said that the situation had not changed, and called for an urgent evacuation of the settlements. “The fact is that these camps have been inhabited for an entire decade is scandalous. The international community is partly to blame for this situation,” Hammarberg said. He said that the lead contamination posed a very serious danger for the people and children of the community. “New, safe housing is needed for about 600 people, in order to close the camps. They all need immediate medical care as well,” he said. Hammarberg said that he is concerned about the fact that Europe is implementing a forcible return of Roma to Kosovo. According to UN statistics, 2,500 people from EU countries were returned to Kosovo in 2009. Some of the Roma forced to go back to the province were sent to the contaminated camps, most of them being from Austria, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. “I am calling on European countries to stop the forcible return until Kosovo is ready to secure the necessary conditions of life, medical care, education, social services and jobs,” he said. He reminded that Kosovo has already signed readmission agreements with several countries. “In Kosovo alone there are 20,000 internally displaced persons and the unemployment rate is at about 50 percent, which clearly shows that Kosovo still lacks the infrastructure needed to allow a sustainable reintegration of refugees,” Hammarberg said. He added that some of the refugees have lived in other countries for a long time and have children that were born in European countries, speak the languages of these countries fluently and have no ties to Kosovo. “The result is that many refugees are trying to return as soon as they can to the countries they used to live in,” the commissioner said. In a report published last summer, Human Rights Watch said that the Roma district in the northern city of Kosovska Mitrovica was attacked by ethnic Albanians in June 1999. "By June 24, the district had been looted and burned to the ground, and its 8,000 inhabitants had fled. Many were resettled by the UN in camps in a heavily contaminated area located near a defunct lead mine. The move was originally intended to be temporary, yet about 670 Roma still live in camps near the site, with damaging consequences for their health," said the report.

Malovic and Vukcevic visit Canada

2010-02-24T02:06:00.000-08:00

Belgrade, Feb. 17, 2010 (Serbia Today) – Minister of Justice Snezana Malovic and war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic are on a three-day visit to Canada, where on 18 February they will attend the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding concerning war crimes proceedings.

The Ministry of Justice says in a statement that Malovic said that the signing of the Memorandum is of historic importance since this will be the first such agreement regulating the cooperation between Serbia in Canada in this remit. The signing of the document will demonstrate the high level of understanding the two countries have achieved, Malovic said. She noted that through the CIDA project, Canada is among the countries that have backed Serbia’s judicial reform for years. The Memorandum of Understanding and Improvement of Voluntary Mutual Assistance in Investigative Cases and Proceedings on War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and Genocide is the first bilateral agreement in this remit that Serbia will have signed with another country. Its guarantors will be Serbian Minister of Justice Snezana Malovic and Canadian Minister of Justice Robert Nicholson, Director and General Advisor of the War Crimes Section at the Canadian Justice Department Terry Bitner and Serbian war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic. On 17 February Malovic will talk with Canadian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Allen Keseol about the possibilities of signing the Agreement on Judicial Cooperation in Criminal and Civic Matters. Malovic and Keseol will also discuss the finalization of talks and the signing of the Social Insurance Agreement, which Canada already signed with Bosnia-Herzegovina. They will look at the points regarding the finalization of talks and the signing of the Agreement on Air Traffic and the Convention on Avoiding Double Taxation, as well as begin talks on the Agreement on Facilitated Movement of Young People. Malovic will also visit the Canadian Supreme Court and Canadian Parliament, the statement adds.

Monks clash at Monastery Gracanica

2010-02-22T00:27:00.001-08:00

Belgrade, Feb. 17, 2010 (Serbia Today) - A group of monks, supporters of Archbishop Artemije, tried to force their way into the Gracanica Monastery to protect the dismissed church dignitary right after the arrival of his successor Bishop Atanasije, Kosovo Radio reported on Sunday.

After several unsuccessful attempts, the group of 12 monks attacked the ones who supported the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC)' decision. The group allegedly withdrew to afterwards enter the monastery from the back door. The Kosovo police didn't interfere, only made attempts to set the opposed groups apart, the radio said. The SPC Holy Synod, the church's top body, ruled Saturday that Archbishop Artemije can no longer lead the church in Kosovo. Artemije was investigated by the church for allegedly mishandling millions of Euros in aid and government funds over several years.

The Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church released Bishop Artemije from his duties

2010-02-21T04:38:00.000-08:00

Belgrade, Feb. 15 2010 (Serbia Today) – The Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church decided on Friday to release Bishop Artemije immediately from his duties as the Bishop of the Ras & Prizren Diocese. In their statement Synod makes clear that Bishop Artemije has not been suspended from his post, but only that he is prevented from doing his duties until the inquire into the financial and business transactions involving Bishop and his Diocese is not completed. . Retired Bishop of the Hercegovuna Diocese Atanasije will take temporarily over Bishop Artemije’s duties
Synod started its deliberations on Thursday after representatives of the Synod reported back their findings from the interview with Bishop Artemije and the review of the financial books and records of the Ras and Prizren Diocese. Further, Synod was not pleased with the attitude and responding of the Bishop Artemije towards Synod’s representatives during the interview. Also, they will ask for a criminal charges for embezzlement to be brought against some of the Bishop’s employees.
Some two hundred supporters of the Bishop Artemije including a number of monks from the Ras and Prizren Diocese gathered on Friiday in front Serbian Orthodox church Headquarter in downtown Belgrade in a show of support for the troubled Bishop Artemije. The heavy snow and winds didn’t prevent them to express their dissatisfaction with the decision of the Holy Synod. They claim that Bishop Artemije was unjustly accused and a victim of the media hunt and power struggle within a leadership of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Proposed changes to Serbian pension and disability insurance system (PIO) in line with European standards

2010-02-19T04:25:00.000-08:00

Belgrade, Feb 13, 2010 (Serbia Today) – Deputy Prime Minister Jovan Krkobabic informed a delegation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday, led by Albert Jeger, about proposed changes and amendments to the Serbian pension and disability insurance system (PIO).

IMF representatives welcomed the changes and the professionalism with which the previous four funds were merged into a unique pension system. They said that the proposed changes are compatible with European standards and that they form a basis for a pension system which will sustainable in the long run and which will not jeopardize the country’s economic stability. Talks with IMF representatives on some technical issues, which started on Monday, will be continued in the next few days. These talks were preceded by a series of meetings with World Bank representatives, who also welcomed the proposed changes to the pension system.

Discounted Monthly Bus Passes only to 50.000 unemployed

2010-02-17T01:16:00.000-08:00

Belgrade, Feb. 12, 2010 (Serbia Today) - The National Employment Agency have signed the contract with the Belgrade Public Transportation Company that will secure 50.000 discounted monthly bus passes to unemployed citizens of Belgrade. This in itself would be a good thing if the Belgrade does not have over 90.000 people on the lists of the unemployed.
As it was explained in the National Employment Agency, securing the discounted monthly bus passes is not one of the benefits of the unemployed regulated with any law or rule. It is simply the administrative decision by the Agency to purchase a certain number of discounted bus passes for the unemployed. The contracted quote was 50.000 and nobody never thought of buying passes for the total number of unemployed on the territory of the City of Belgrade. Passes are sold on the first come, first serve basis and that’s the whole of the story.
Nevertheless, unemployed in Belgrade are neither satisfied nor amused with this explanation. They can not accept the fact that each month almost half of them will not have bus passes and not be able to travel on the public transportation system. For many public transportation tickets are already very expensive and take big part of the realy small house budgets of those out of work.

Roma’s Inclusion in the Serbian Society

2010-02-17T01:09:00.001-08:00

Belgrade, Feb. 11, 2010 (Serbia Today) - – Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integration Bozidar Djelic chaired on Tuesday the fourth session of the Council for improvement of the position of the Roma, in which it was concluded that last year significant progress was made during Serbia's chairmanship over the Decade of Roma, as the official government website reports.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said that progress has been made by adopting the Strategy for improving the position of the Roma and the Action plan for its implementation, as well as a series of laws and by-laws, such as the Law on basics in the education system, in order to increase the social involvement of the most populous minority group in Serbia. Implementation of important projects, "Education for all" and "Social Inclusion" was also announced in the meeting. These projects will be financed from IPA funds in the amount of €8 million. The participants in the meeting examined the use of funds from the 2009 and 2010 budgets, in the amount of RSD 530 million each. This year, additional funds will be set aside for the housing and development of Roma entrepreneurship. The next session of the Council for improvement of the position of the Roma will be held in early April, just before the European Summit on Roma in Cordoba, Spain, at which the Serbian delegation will propose the adoption of the Strategy for Roma inclusion for the entire continent.

Roads mostly clear in Serbia, traffic slowed due to winter weather

2010-02-16T02:43:00.000-08:00

Belgrade, Feb. 09, 2010, (Serbia Today) – After latest snowfalls in Serbia all main roads have been cleared, however, vehicles are traveling at a significantly slower pace. According to the Automobile and Motorcycle Association of Serbia (AMSS), throughout most of Serbia, snow is falling and temperatures are below zero. Citizens are being urged to drive carefully because of the slippery road conditions, or to not travel at all unless it is absolutely necessary. After Saturday’s freezing rain, snow and high winds, the winter weather situation in Serbia is not as extreme on Sunday, AMSS states. AMSS added that most of the main roads have been completely cleared, but recommended to drivers to remain cautious.

Mayor Dragan Djilas: “No Increases in prices of communal services”

2010-02-16T02:39:00.000-08:00

Belgrade, Feb. 08, 2010, (Serbia Today) – As Serbian news agency Tanjug reports, Belgrade Mayor Dragan Đilas said that there will be no other increases in prices for communal services in Belgrade other than for heating.

We have no plan to increase the prices of other communal services. Recently, we even decreased the price of water and garbage removal,” Đilas said. He said that there is a possibility that the costs of other services will be decreased, if the companies working in these fields find that it can be done after evaluating their income. The Mayor said that heating prices are related to energy prices, and if one increases, the other must as well.

“We are now in a difficult position and asking for heating price to be increased by more than six percent in a time when people are barely making ends meet. However, if we do not do this, we could end up with no heat,” he said. “The state must decide whether it will have an agreed or market price. You cannot say that the energy prices are formed freely and according to the market and then have an increase of 30 percent in four months, and for heating to increase by six percent. That is not possible,” Đilas said. He said that the state should take a stance on whether it wants to co-finance the price of gas and other energy sources in order to enable the citizens to have cheaper heating.

Low-cost Apartments in Serbia

2010-02-15T03:47:00.001-08:00

By: Bojana Jankovic
Kragujevac, ,Feb. 06 ,2010 (Serbia Today) - Building of the first low-cost apartments will begin in May this year. The investors are receiving building permits for the provided locations in Nis, Novi Sad and Kragujevac. However, it is not enough, because investors are asking the state to specify conditions with banks’ lending; that the debts should be reprogrammed to two years but also that some construction companies should not be favorites..
Recently adopted, the Regulation of transfer laws of usage of property over city’s construction lands, should accelerate the construction of apartments. Accumulated stocks of construction materials are going to be used in building these low-cost apartments.
Price of a square meter will depend on the location and infrastructure, but can not be higher than 1 600 Euros. The government representatives say that the citizens are very interested about the announced construction of low-cost apartments.
“To start running this construction cycle, the Investors have to start buying the land, and the Bank to accelerate the approval of subsidized credits.”- said Mr. Goran Rodic from Serbian Chamber of Commerce.
The largest settlement in Belgrade will be built in Vozdovac, while the area of the former military barracks will provide building of about 4 000 apartment units. Price of a square meter should be about 1 300 Euros. Ministry of department will build plan documentation and issue a building permit. The city will provide the infrastructure. Building Directorate of Serbia is a project manager. On this occasion, Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Oliver Dulic said, “Building Directorate will be the user of funds for project financing, will sell the apartments and negotiate building of all these apartments with the work groups of Serbia.”
Real estate agents believe that the construction of low-cost apartments will break monopoly, but that prices will not fall. The invitation for the construction of low-cost apartments was sent to all construction companies that have prepared the locations, and to the local governments to reduce the price of compensation for construction sites preparation.

Srebrenica Resolution

2010-02-15T03:43:00.000-08:00

Novi Sad, Feb. 05, 2010, (Serbia Today) – While the declaration with which parliament would condemn the Srebrenica crimes is supported by 20.6 percent of Serbia’s citizens, 46.2 percent would support the adoption of one all-inclusive resolution, according to an article in Novi Sad daily Dnevnik. According to a survey conducted by the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, as many as 55.2 percent of those polled believe that the crime committed in Srebrenica was “maliciously blown out of proportions by our enemies and media”. Social Democratic Union (SDU) President Žarko Korać, who was the initiator of the version of Srebrenica resolution that was not accepted by either the government or opposition, said that the fact that President Boris Tadić proposed the resolution this time around is important. Korać said that there is no use in voting for such a resolution if the people think that it is imposed, if there is no sincerity and it is being done just because someone is asking for it. “There can be a purpose only in the desire for Serbia to be relieved of the burden, because there is a video that was shown on television in Serbia with Ratko Mladić saying: ‘I have finally freed this city of Turks, and I’m handing it over to the Serb people’,” Korać said. Korać added that “no one asked the Serb people about that, nor did the Serb people give Mladić the authority to do that in their name”. “And that is why the Serb people should show that they do not want to accept this responsibility, which belongs to the criminals that planned and carried out the crime,” he said. Korać also stated that this was the time for the political elite in both the ruling coalition and opposition to show maturity and do what was needed for Serbia in the long-term, and that would help relieve it from the burden of the horrible tragedy.

Regional Automobile „Clusters“

2010-02-10T01:18:00.000-08:00

By: Bojana Jankovic

Kragujevac, Feb.04,2010 (Serbia Today) - On Monday February 1, 2010 in the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Kragujevac, the Chambers of Commerce of Kragujevac, Krusevac and Kraljevo signed a letter of intent to support the establishment of regional business initiative called car „clusters“ of Central Serbia.

During the meeting the study funded by the Dutch organization „SPARK“, on development of networks of suppliers of small and medium companies for the automobile industry in Central Serbia was presented. This promotion was atended by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Serbia, Mr. Ron Von Dartel. He said that this study gave an impuls to the suppliers to direct their business plans towards the Fiat coming in Kragujevac, but also that the Netherlands are interested in business opportunities.

In addition, at this meeting on February 1st, the Chamber of Commerce announced that the first International Automobile Suppliers Industry Fair will be held in Kragujevac from May 19- 21st, this year. Center of auto industry of the Western Balkans- a Regional Chamber of Commerce Kragujevac, and Sumadia Fair will appear as the organizers of this Fair.