Latest News from Montenegro

"Media freedom declines worldwide, including Serbia"

Serbia ranks as 67th out of 180 countries ranked according to the Press Freedom Index, according to the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) annual report.

The organization stressed that media freedom suffered a "drastic decline" worldwide last year.

Slavic Carnivals exhibition to be held in Belgrade in June

BELGRADE - The Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade will host an exhibition titled Slavic Carnivals, authored by curators of 12 museums in Slavic countries, in June.

The exhibition, organized by the Forum of Slavic Cultures, under the auspices of UNESCO, will also feature a round table on new forms of carnival as tourism potential.

Montenegro MPs Debate Packet of Judicial Reforms

Montenegro's parliament on Wednesday began a debate on a set of important judicial laws aimed at defining the work of the Constitutional Court, the lower courts, the Judicial Council and redefining the tasks of judges.

Romanian Politician Linked to HSBC Scandal

Amid the continuing fall out over the HSBC scandal, a journalistic project in Romania has named a key figure in the ruling party as one of those who held secret accounts in the Swiss branch of the British bank.

State-run Ziraat posts record high profit at 4 bln liras

Turkey's state-run Ziraat Bank posted a record high net profit at 4.05 billion Turkish Liras ($1.62 billion) in 2014 on net interest income of 8.6 billion liras with a 22 percent rise from the previous year.

The bank said in a written statement to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) late Feb. 10 that its loan book expanded to 141.9 billion liras from 111.05 billion liras in 2013.

EU Offers Funds For Montenegro-Albania Crossing

By the end of this year, Montenegro and Albania will have a new border crossing aimed at solving the long-term problem of traffic congestion in this area.

Montenegro to Absor More EU Funds

The European Commission's top official, Jean-Eric Pique, on Tuesday praised the progress of Montenegro in judicial reform and expressed his expectations that in the future Montenegro will use money from EU funds in an "even better way than before."

Croatia Readies for New President's Inauguration

Croatia's newly elected President, Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, is finalising preparations for her inauguration on Sunday.

The candidate of the opposition centre-right Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, she won the second round of the elections in January against the incumbent, Ivo Josipovic, by a smallest margin ever - just 32,509 votes.

US Reminds Montenegro to Probe Telekom Sale

The US Ambassador in Podgorica, Sue Brown, on Tuesday repeated a call for the Montenegrin government to examine evidence that the US authorities have concerning alleged bribery in the privatization of the state-owned Montenegro Telekom firm in 2005.

Montenegrins Urged to Cut Down on Smoking

The Cancer Society of Montenegro has warned that 40 per cent of adult Montenegins still smoke, which is way above the European average.

The organization on Monday said that of a total of 478,000 Montenegrins over 18 years, almost 200,000 are smokers.

The country has the third highest smoking rate in Europe, beaten only by Turkey and Greece.

Montenegro, Croatia to Discuss War Theft Payback

Montenegro and Croatia will resume talks on their dispute about property and equipment stolen by Montenegrin troops serving with the Yugoslav Army in Dubrovnik during the war in 1991.

Dacic, Mihajlovic to attend ministerial meeting in Pristina

BELGRADE - The meeting of ministers from Western Balkan countries which will be organised in Pristina on March 25 will be attended by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic and Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic, the Serbian Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure posted on its website.

Buses carrying immigrants headed for Hungary and on to other EU countries are no longer allowed to go via this administrative line crossing, located between Kosovo and central Serbia.