Monday 25th of August 2008 MEDIA HEADLINES IN ENGLISH
You’re listening to NEWS REPORT, a summary of today’s media, prepared by UNMIK ON AIR

UNMIK to be political reporter
Romania's economy strongest in 20 years
Bishkek air disaster

Kosovo
UNMIK’s spokesman said that the reconfiguration process is expected to leave UNMIK without almost any administrative competencies and with mainly a role for political reporting and counselling. Alexander Ivanko added that UNMIK will maintain regional offices in Kosovo Serb majority areas.

The head of the EU Rule of Law Mission, EULEX, said all EU governments support EULEX, adding that EU countries that have not recognized Kosovo will take part in EULEX. Additionally, Yves de Kermabon said that Kosovo Serbs are being pushed to see EULEX as a demon.

A Kosovo Serb official said that Serbs need to accept the deployment of the EULEX mission to Kosovo. “I expect Belgrade and President Tadic to change their position about the EU mission in Kosovo,” Rada Trajkovic, deputy chairperson of the Serb National Council, said; adding Serbia is seeking stability for Kosovo and a European perspective.

Kosovo’s opposition parties have announced that this autumn will be quite hot for Kosovo. “A number of joint issues have already ended and a new phase of political and parliamentary life is starting,” head of the AKR parliamentary group Ibrahim Makolli said. The Assembly starts its fall session next week.

Former Kosovo Trust Agency (KTA) employees and Kosovo Police took over the KTA HQ in Pristina late Sunday afternoon. With no violence and no damage to property, the take over was completed with the removal of KTA signs from the gates.

Nine Kosovo Albanian families from the north of Mitrovica are expected to submit their applications to Mitrovica municipal assembly for return to their houses, media report. This initiative is being supported by the government of Kosovo, which promised family heads it would support the return process to the north.

Six employees of the Kosovo Railways were yesterday injured when a train transporting sand to Peja slipped from the railway near Glogovac. Kosovo’s Minister of Transport, Fatmir Limaj visited those being treated at Pristina hospital.

Regional
Bishop Artemije the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) was reportedly dismissed Bishop Teodosije, accusing him of creating a dual authority in his eparchy. The two bishops clashed over the process of reconstruction of the Serb monasteries and churches and over cooperation with international representatives in the province.

Romania's economy grew by a record 8.9 percent between April and June, the country’s Finance Minister said on Thursday. This is the economy's strongest growth in the last 20 years, Finance Minister Varujan Vosganian said.

“Buick Riviera” A Croatian film about two men from opposing sides in the Bosnian conflict has scooped the main prizes at the Sarajevo Film Festival. Buic Riviera gained honours for director Goran Rusinovic, as well as best actor awards for stars Leon Lucev and Slavko Stimac

International
Sixty-five people, including members of a teenage basketball team, died on Sunday when a Boeing 737-200 Kyrgyz airliner crashed shortly after take-off from the Central Asian state's main airport in Bishkek. The plane was bound for Tehran. 25 people survived the crash.

A suicide bomber killed at least 25 people at a celebratory feast in Baghdad's western Abu Ghraib district. The explosion took place at the home of a tribal sheikh, attended by police and members of the Sunni "Awakening" group, which opposes al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Burma's main opposition party has dismissed the latest visit by UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari as a waste of time. Nyan Win, of the National League for Democracy (NLD), said Mr Gambari had not established any dialogue between the military rulers and the opposition.

Weather
Today will be sunny with a low tonight of 12 degrees; tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 25 degrees Celsius.
And that’s all for today, thank you for listening.

 

Disclaimer
This media summary consists of selected local and international media sources. The inclusion of articles in this summary neither implies, that the articles are factually correct, nor is there inclusion proof of any endorsement by UNMIK. For more information please contact Patrick Morrison, at morrisonp@un.org

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