Geography

All eyes will be on the skies March 20 for a total solar eclipse expected to offer spectacular views, if only in the far northern Svalbard archipelago and Faroe Islands.
      
A partial eclipse of varying degrees should also be visible, weather permitting, across most of Europe, northern Africa, central Asia and the Middle East.
      

Europe eyes energy from Balkans

The Western Balkans may provide a remedy to energy-starved Europe by exporting power across the Adriatic.

Hydropower plants, such as this one in Vrutok, Macedonia, are a way for Balkan states to secure energy independence. [Tomislav Georgiev/SETimes]

The Bulgarian Commission for Protection of Competition has imposed a fine in the amount of BGN 137, 887 to Dante International AD for using unloyal client attraction practices.

According to the commission's press office, the reason for the fine has been violation of Bulgarian law during the advertising campaign for ''Win a Trip to the Canary Islands''.

The first train from Greece to Auschwitz Concentration Camp left Greece with 2,800 Jews on board on March 15, 1943. It was a one-way journey for the passengers on the steam engine, LV 964, that day. To commemorate the event 72 years owards, the train will return to the old station of Thessaloniki at 11.30 a.m. on March 15.

BELGRADE - An exhibition entitled Great Figures of African and Caribbean Cinematography will be opened at the French Institute in Belgrade on March 12.

Environmental organisations in Montenegro have announced a protest rally on Tuesday in the coastal town of Budva against the government's decision to allow the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas in the Adriatic Sea.

They say the Montenegrin government has not produced a convincing argument that drilling is either necessary or desirable. 

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias told his FYROM counterpart Nikola Poposki that Greece stands by its position on the long-standing name dispute with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The two men met in Riga, Latvia, on Saturday on the sidelines of a two-day EU Foreign Ministers meeting that focuses on the war in eastern Ukraine.

Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic on Tuesday said oil and gas deposits in the Croatian Adriatic will not be exploited before the country has a chance to voice its opinion in a referendum.

The Prime Minister gave the pledge on a visit to the island of Rab on the northern Adriatic coast, saying the issue was of obvious public importance.

Although Greece remains a top holiday destination for Germans, January’s stats show that Germans hold back on making reservations.

At the same time, according to the travel agency Germany’s holiday reservations on other competitive destinations such as Egypt increased dramatically, proving once again the Egyptian market comeback.

BELGRADE - Kuwaiti Ambassador to Serbia Yusuf Abdul-Samad has hosted a reception in Belgrade to mark the 54th anniversary of Kuwait's independence and the 24th anniversary of its liberation, noting that his country considers Serbia as a dependable political partner.