Geography

Countries co-operate to form Balkan roaming-free zone

Experts praise the recent agreement to end high roaming charges for cell phone users next year.

Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Albania agreed to eliminate mobile roaming charges for their citizens travelling to the other countries beginning in 2015, officials said.

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Code orange weather alert has been issued for four districts in northwestern Bulgaria for September 15 due to torrential rains.

The districts under code orange are Vidin, Montana, Vratsa and Sofia district, according to the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

BELGRADE - The Serbian government's Office for Kosovo-Metohija (KiM) has said that it is unpleasantly surprised by the fact that the memorial plaque to Serbian journalists Djuro Slavuj and Ranko Perenic, who disappeared in the province 16 years ago, has been removed for the third time.

Jevremovac has been equipped with a new irrigation system to keep its plants watered and two greenhouses have been rebuilt at a cost of 150 million dinars (over €1.2 million), financed from the EU pre-accession funds.

As well as the greenhouses and the park, its Japanese garden has also been rebuilt, along with the central fountain and the lawns.

Romania and Slovakia agreed to cooperate in the next period to develop the Danube infrastructure, so that the river will become an important waterway in the future for the European traders, Mihai Daraban, head of Romania's Chamber of Commerce and Industry stated on Wednesday.

BELGRADE - Sistema Rinova Uno and Tutin municipality officials signed a cooperation agreement on the construction of five small hydroelectric power plants on the Ibar River, with a combined capacity of 7.5 MW, the company announced on Wednesday.

Macedonia's Teachers Union, SONK, has condemned amendments to the Education Law, which the ruling parties passed in express procedure on Tuesday, as intimidation.

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BELGRADE - Serbia's Minister without Portfolio in chareg of EU integration Jadranka Joksimovic and Council of Europe Development Bank official Stephan Sellen signed on Tuesday an donation agreement worth EUR 26.7 million that will help provide housing for 1,585 of the poorest refugee families.

Buckovski, who was convicted of misusing state funds while buying spare parts for army tanks while he was defence minister, before he became Macedonia's premier, said he would now appeal to the supreme court.

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A 54-year-old man has been arrested on charges of posing as a general pathologist in Katerini, central Macedonia, in northern Greece.

According to initial police reports, the suspect is alleged to have set up a makeshift practice in a semi-outdoor storage area at his residence where he allegedly examined six people, two of whom paid 140 euros for tests and medical advice.