Europe

A protected witness was fined by the Bosnian court because he refused to testify at Serb fighter Dragan Sekaric's war crimes trial, claiming he was attacked and his family was not safe.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has begun talks with Turkish officials over the common threat posed by extremist jihadists in Iraq and Syria as Washington suggested the formation of a coalition to destroy the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

BELGRADE - If the conflict in Ukraine escalates, Serbia will face more resolute requests to show that it agrees with the EU, which it strives to join, Austrian Ambassador to Serbia Johannes Eigner has said.

Serbia is expected to gradually harmonise its policy with the EU's and complete the process in its full at the point when it is about to join the EU, he stated.

The European Union is to introduce a new round of sanctions against Russia.

Her comments come after European sources told Interfax agency the bloc was determined to go with the measures against Russia.

Sanctions will be in force from Tursday depend on the situation in Ukraine and will therefore be "reversible", the BBC quotes the official as saying.

Bulgaria needs BGN 12-24 B to reconstruct its water supply and sewerage infrastructure, according to Rumen Arsov from the Hydro-technical Faculty of the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UACEG).

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a bill allowing the concession of underground gas depots to EU and US companies especially created for that purpose.

Under the new legislation Ukraine's gas transmission grid will remain state-owned, but companies will be able t have shares and to manage its depots and pipe system.

Sentiment in the eurozone fell for a second straight month to its lowest level in more than a year in September, suggesting the single currency bloc will fall back into recession, a survey by Sentix showed on Monday.

Bulgaria continues to be at the bottom at the EU ranking by research & development expenditure, registering R&D spending of 0.26% of GDP in 2013, compared to an EU average of 0.7% of GDP.

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Kosovo’s appeals court has reopened the case against former guerrilla commander turned politician Fatmir Limaj and nine other ex-fighters accused of abusing prisoners at the wartime Klecka detention centre.

BELGRADE - As a country in membership negotiations with the EU, Serbia must align not only with its legal framework and practice, but also the Union's new developments, head of Serbia's EU ačešion negotiating team Tanja Miscevic has said.