Full Coverage: South East Europe

30.11.2005 Starting with next school year, the pupils in Montenegro elementary schools will be introduced to a new subject in the Curriculum, called “Healthy lifestyles”. This initiative was launched by Montenegrin organisation for combating HIV/AIDS – CAZAS. Yesterday, CAZAS representatives announced the completion of the first phase of the project “Healthy lifestyles against drug abuse”.

30.11.2005 The Municipality of Tirana organized the “Bright Night”, a party where no one sleeps. Lighting the night, Tirana enlivened its quarters, streets, public and historical spaces, cinemas, museums and theatres with activities that brought a new perspective to the city’s spaces, streets and squares, creating an unusual climate and a party environment.

30.11.2005 Between November 22 and 24, a shipment of six truckloads of corn returned to Croatia, originally exported to Hungary, to a known buyer, by Agragold Company from Zagreb. The Hungarians returned the corn accompanied with a report by a Budapest laboratory which states that the shipment contained genetically modified corn, report Osijek Greens.

30.11.2005 The UN Human Rights Committee ordered Serbia and Montenegro to annul the sentence and compensate Zeljko Bodrozic, a journalist sentenced on charges of defamation filed by former official of the Socialist Party, Dmitar Segrt.

30.11.2005 White Ribbon Week (21 – 25 November) has become an annual tradition for the Women’s Wellness Center in Peja where every year many local citizens volunteer, cutting white ribbons and preparing handouts about the history of International Day against Violence against Women.

29.11.2005 The “Life is What You Make Of It” campaign was designed by the HIV Prevention Network to mark December 1, the International AIDS Day, in several cities and municipalities in Serbia.

29.11.2005 November 25, 2005 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women .The narratives of these two women attest to the fact that there continues to be victims of domestic violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and that collective efforts have been made to better the situation. The improvements can be partially attributed to the international community’s decision to address the issue forthrightly after the war. Their initiatives encouraged citizens of BiH to tackle this taboo subject as well.

29.11.2005 On the occasion of the entry into force of the new Broadcasting Law of the Republic of Macedonia, the Media Development Centre held a press conference earlier today, at the NGO InfoCentre. Roberto Belicanec, MDC Executive Director, and Gazmend Ajdini from IREX-ProMedia addressed the press.

29.11.2005 The EU’s present visa regime with the countries of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Serbia-Montenegro including Kosovo) is fostering resentment, inhibiting progress on trade, business, education and more open civil societies, and as a result contributing negatively to regional stability, claims the latest report by the International Crisis Group.

29.11.2005 ORCA is promotes the recognition of animal rights protection as an important social issue; respect, care and responsible treatment of animals with the goal to achieve harmonious coexistence of people and other animals.

29.11.2005 Today (Tuesday, November 29), under the auspices of the 16 Days of Activism campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and before the B&H Parliamentary Elections 2006, a pre-election tea-party will be organized, to discuss the role and position of women in B&H politics.

29.11.2005 The Kotor-based NGO for promotion of peace and non-violence ANIMA, together with the students of the Kotor Women Studies course, presented the “Audio and Visual Fascism” Performance, on November 26.

29.11.2005 The Eko Kvarner environmental association confirmed yesterday, on basis of information received from international institutions and Russian NGOs, that the Russian oil companies have given up on the opening of new oil transport line, through the Adriatic, implemented in the Druzba Adria Project.

29.11.2005 Marinko Jurcevic, the Chief Prosecutor of the B&H Office of Prosecution, denied all allegations that his Office doesn’t treat equally all parties in the war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

28.11.2005 Over 18000 participants attend the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis. Presidents, prime ministers, ministers as well as representatives of the development, civic and private sector were among the participants. Macedonia was one of them, represented on both official Governmental and civil society level. Read the report by Metamorphosis.

28.11.2005 Under the auspices of the “Continuance of plan concretization through increase of contact” project, implemented by the three implementing organizations: “Syri i Vizionit” from Peja, “Vision 02” from Istog and “Jug” from Kraljevo, the five-day visit of Serb youth displaced from Kosh and Berkovë villages of the Istog and Klina municipality, respectively, ended several days ago. The IDPs currently live in Kraljevo and Kragujevac, cities in Serbia.

28.11.2005 The Matija Gubec civic initative for resistance to the space for political discretion, came out with public reaction on the ruling adopted by the Constitutional Court to abolish the Law on Changes and Amendments to the Law on Public Gathering.

28.11.2005 One third of the total number of murders in Serbia take place in the family. There is more and more violence in the family. Over the past several years, positive moves forward in the systems of protection have been noticed. On the other hand, the shelters for women and children are overcrowded and there is a need for such shelters in every city in Serbia.

28.11.2005 MANS, the UN Development Programme, LO Podgorica and the Ministry for Environment Protection and Spatial Development are organizing public hearings on issues of illegal settlements in Montenegro. Public hearings are held in all Montenegrin municipalities and so far there was 14 out of 21 meetings held with citizens of Montenegro.

26.11.2005 The “No Shame” action organized yesterday in Zagreb by the Autonomous Women’s House Zagreb, B.a.B.e. women human rights group, and the ROSA Centre for women victims of War>, and with participation by the Zenska Soba (Women Room) organization, marked the International Day of Fight against Violence against Women. The topic of the action was the violence against women and the legal and judicial treatment of the criminal offence of rape.