Latest News from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria President to Take Over SE European Cooperation Process

Bulgaria's head of state is due to take over from Albania the presidency of the Southeastern European Cooperation Process (SEECP) while on a visit to Tirana on Tuesday, his press office has said.

President Rosen Plevneliev is to take part in a Tuesday summit bringing together all heads of state and government of countries who participate in the SEECP.

Romanians Linked to HSBC Scandal Face Probe

The Romanian Agency for Fiscal Administration, ANAF, is to verify whether there are differences between the money declared by the 50 HSBC clients and the amounts found in their accounts in Switzerland, according to media reports on Monday.

Any unreported income will be taxed at 16 per cent, ANAF officials were quoted as saying by Digi24 television.

Bulgaria, Croatia Unanimous on Need of Western Balkans' Integration into EU

Croatia's Foreign Minister Minister Vesna Pusic and her Bulgarian counterpart Daniel Mitov have agreed that the EU integration of the Western Balkans and the preservation of the territorial integrity of the region are issues of absolute necessity.

100 Bosnians Still Homeless One Year After Floods

A foreign diplomat who is familiar with the recovery effort told BIRN on condition of anonymity that at least 100 people who were displaced by massive floods and landslides in May last year are still living in public shelters.

Over 100 more are also dependent on non-residential help, the diplomat estimated.

"This does not, however, mean that this is the final number," he said.

Another Bosnian war on the brink?

Sarajevo is a typical Ottoman town where you instantly come across mosques, bazaars and fountains remaining from the Ottoman era, while there are many Turkish-speaking people to be found walking through its streets. Yet there is a major factor which differentiates the city from other Ottoman towns: Its gloom.

Bosnian Serb Reform Laws Meet Some Opposition

The business community and economic experts in Republika Srpska have expressed concern that new laws adopted to improve the economy in Bosnia's mainly Serbian entity may have the contrary effect.

The assembly in the entity debated a set of reform laws on Wednesday and adopted several of them on Thursday.

Dusa: It is our duty to dwell on the past, acknowledge, understand our values, respect our heroes

It is our duty to always dwell on the past, acknowledge and understand our values and respect our heroes, Defence Minister Mircea Dusa told a military and church ceremony at the Heroes' Monument at Oarba de Mures on Thursday, Heroes' Day.

Photo credit: (c) Liviu SOVA / AGERPRES PHOTO

Bosnia, Croatia Arrest Police in Drugs Crackdown

In a coordinated operation codenamed "Mask," police raided several locations in Bosnia and neighbouring Croatia on Thursday and arrested more than 20 people - including four policemen - believed to be involved in organized crime, as well as drug and weapons trafficking between those two countries.

Turkish President Cements Ties With Bosnia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Sarajevo on Wednesday on a trip packed with diplomatic and business events and designed to highlight close Turkish ties to Bosnia - an almost half-Muslim country and a former province of the Ottoman Empire.