Russia against setting timeframes for Kosovo status

Russia is against setting artificial timetables to decide Kosovo’s status and attempts to predetermine the
outcome, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman said Tuesday.
Mikhail Kamynin said status talks could start soon “if they are thoroughly prepared by the Contact Group.”
“The UN secretary general is expected to launch this process, which will remain within UN channels, under the supervision [...]

AFGHANISTAN: Environmental crisis looms as conflict goes on

Afghanistan will face a serious environmental crisis, which will have grave consequences for millions of its estimated 27 million population, if the government and international aid organisations continue ignoring the country’s degrading environment, experts warn.
“More than 80 percent of [Afghanistan’s] land could be subject to soil erosion… soil fertility is declining, salinisation is on the [...]

Outline of current Greek economy trends

Greece, Ireland, Finland, and Luxembourg are the most rapidly growing economies in the EU-15, Greek Economy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis said. Presenting the Ministry’s report on current developments and prospects of the Greek economy, Mr. Alogoskoufis noted that Greece’s GDP grew by 4.3 percent in 2006, compared with a 2.7 percent growth rate in [...]

Bush faces Saudi arms hurdle

By By Patti Waldmeir in Washington
 
The Bush administration’s plans for a giant package of arms sales to Saudi Arabia and military aid to Israel ran into congressional opposition at the weekend, with some congressmen vowing to introduce legislation to block the proposal.
The deal, due to be announced this morning ahead of a trip to the [...]

Global defence update

Germany signs for F125 frigate production
The German Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) has awarded the ARGE F125 consortium, led by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), a contract to build four multipurpose frigates for the German Navy. The programme, with an estimated value of EUR2 billion (GBP2.7 billion), will from December 2014 deliver four [...]

Russia’s UTair sends helicopter to fight Greek fires

UTair, Russia’s largest helicopter operator, has sent a helicopter to Greece, where forest fires have been raging, an airline spokesman said Friday.
“The UTair airline [based in the Khanty-Mansi autonomy in the northwest Urals] has sent a Mi-26 helicopter with the crew to Greece to tackle major forest fires,” the spokesman said. The aircraft can carry [...]

Hungary, Serbia to sign strategic cooperation agreement

Backa Topola, Serbia, July 26 (MTI) 
The Hungarian and the Serbian parliaments are scheduled to sign a strategic cooperation agreement later this year regarding ways Hungary will promote Serbia’s efforts to join the European Union, Hungarian Speaker of Parliament Katalin Szili told MTI after talks with her Serbia counterpart Oliver Dulic in Backa Topola, N Serbia.
The [...]

Greece, Italy and Turkey sign natural gas agreement

Greece, Italy and Turkey on Thursday signed a tri-party agreement ensuring a project of creating a European Natural Gas Southern Corridor to transport natural gas from East to the West.
The agreement was signed in Rome by Greek Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas, Italy’s Economic Development Minister Pierluigi Bersani and Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Mehmet [...]

Grand Imam to help prevent further destruction of occupied churches in Cyprus

The Grand Imam of Egypt Mohamed Sayed Tantawi has said that he would help his Christian counterpart from Cyprus to protect churches in the areas of the Republic occupied by Turkey since 1974. The Grand Imam has promised Archbishop Chrysostomos II that he would support a call from the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church [...]

Defective transmission causes Albanian blackout

All of Albania was left without electricity Tuesday afternoon because of a defect in a transmission line importing power from neighboring FYROM, the energy minister said.
The blackout began at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT). Energy Minister Genc Ruli said on public television TVSH that officials were working to restore electricity first to Tirana, the country’s capital.
This [...]