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Current News from Yugoslavia |
mak nows
In Kosovo and Macedonia today Albanian fighters are pursuing their goal of a Greater Albania. These battles are threatening to destabilize the Balkans yet again and have the potential to draw several nations into the fray. Below are a series of editorials that analyze the conditions that exist today and provide incisive analysis as to the root causes.
serbian nows
Government "knows where Mladic is"
BELGRADE -- Friday -- The whereabouts of Hague Tribunal fugitive Ratko Mladic are known, Danas writes today
US releases assistance to Serbia
WASHSINGTON -- Friday – The Washington Adminsitration has approved financial aid to Serbia, just hours after Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns praised Belgrade's resolve to arrest Ratko Mladic
Government suspends former police chief
BELGRADE -- Friday – The former chief of Belgrade police, Milan Obradovic, has been suspended from duties
Diplomatic snub for Nis mayor
NIS -- Friday – The British ambassador to Belgrade, David Gowen, has refused to meet the mayor of the south Serbian city of Nis, Smiljko Kostic
Agreement on army debts
BELGRADE -- Friday – Serbian Finance Minister Mladjan Dinkic and federal Defence Minister Prvoslav Davinic have reached agreement on the need for an urgent injection of resources for the Serbia-Montenegro Army
Petersen in Belgrade
BELGRADE -- Friday – Kosovo governor Soeren Jessen-Petersen said in Belgrade today that he is pleased with progress in cooperation between Pristina and the Serbian capital
Scorpions sent to Bosnia from Serbian Croatia
SREBRENICA, PODGORICA, THE HAGUE -- Friday – A former police minister of the Republic of Srpska said today that the Bosnian Serb High Command sought military backup from Serbia and the Republic of Serb Krajina, the short lived Croatian Serb Republic, in 1995
New list of Srebrenica missing
BANJALUKA -- Friday – The Srebrenica-Potocari Foundiation has published a new list of people missing after the 1995 Srebrenica massacre
Kosovo independent, says Jovanovic
BELGRADE -- Friday – Kosovo is already independent, the leader of the breakaway Liberal-Democratic faction of Boris Tadic's Democratic Party said today
Women, children in new mass grave
BRATUNAC -- Thursday – The bodies of 38 women, children and elderly people have been exhumed from a mass grave in the village of Suh in eastern Bosnia's Bratunac municipality
US official praises resolve to arrest Mladic
BELGRADE -- Thursday — US Under-Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, visiting Belgrade today, praised Serbia-Montenegro authorities for their cooperation with the Hague Tribunal
Kosovo: negotiations ahead
BELGRADE -- Thursday – US Under-Secretary for State Nicholas Burns is in Belgrde today for discussions on the future of Kosovo
Haradinaj returns to Pristina
PRISTINA, BELGRADE -- Thursday – Former Kosovo prime minister Ramush Haradinaj returned to Pristina today after being released on bail by the Hague Tribunal where he is to stand trial on war crime charges
OSCE to host regional parliamentary meeting
PRISTINA -- Thursday – Members of parliaments throughout south-eastern Europe will gather tomorrow in Pristina
Montenegrin Parliament adopts EU declaration
PODGORICA -- Thursday – The Montenegrin Parliament has adopted a declaraton on association with the European Union which calls on the govenrment to develop a strategy for fulfilling the necessary conditions as soon as possible
Church silence no surprise
BELGRADE -- Thursday – The Serbian Orthodox Church has no right to bless arms or those who use them, religious sociologist Mirko Djordjevic said today
Army in crisis
BELGRADE -- Thursday – The material and human resources of the Serbia-Montenegro Army are at such a low level that it is barely functioning, Defence Minister Prvoslav Davinic said today
Government denies Mladic negotiations report
BELGRADE -- Thursday -- Serbia's justice minister today denied reports that the Serbian Government is negotiating with Hague Tribunal fugitive Ratko Mladic for his surrender to the Hague Tribunal
Prosecution U-turn on "Vukovar Three"
BELGRADE -- Thursday – The Hague Tribunal Prosecution has sought to withdraw its application for the trial of the "Vukovar Three" to be transferred to local courts in the states of the former Yugoslavia
Hague releases Perisic on bail
THE HAGUE -- Thursday – The Trial Chamber of the Hague Tribunal has ruled that former Yugoslav Army chief-of-staff Momcilo Perisic may be released on bail pending the beginning of his trial
No change as Telekom monopoly expires
BELGRADE -- Thursday – Telekom Serbia's monopoly on landline telephone connections formally expires today, but no challenges to the state provider are expected for now
Rehn's visit, a positive one
BELGRADE -- Monday – After a day's worth of meetings with Serbia-Montenegro officials in Belgrade, European Union Enlargement Commissar Olli Rehn said that he will submit a positive report in Brussels upon his return
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Members of the Serbia-Montenegro water polo team celebrate their gold medal win over Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships.
It was the Serbs' first world title since they competed as Yugoslavia in 1991.
Ikodinovic led them with four goals, including two in the fourth quarter.
Hungary was led by Norbert Madaras, Tamas Molnar and Peter Biros with two goals each.
The game was close throughout, and only once did Serbia-Montenegro lead by more than one goal. Trailing 7-5 with 4:33 left in the game, Molnar scored two consecutive goals to tie the game at 7. Hungary stole the ball, but Molnar was sent off for a 20-second penalty. That led to Ikodinovic's power-play goal that won the game.
The Hungarians have dominated men's water polo in recent years, beating Serbia-Montenegro for the gold medal at the Athens Olympics. Overall, Hungary has won eight Olympic and two world championship titles. The Serbs finished third in the 2003 world meet.
In the bronze medal match, Georgios Afroudakis scored the winning goal in overtime, giving Greece an 11-10 victory over Croatia. The Greeks' medal was their first in water polo at either the world championships or the Olympics.
Christos Afroudakis put the ball into the upper left corner of the net with 9 seconds left in regulation, forcing overtime tied at 9-all. Captain Teo Dogas gave Croatia a 10-9 lead on his fifth goal of the game. Miho Boskovic added three goals.
Greece's Anastasios Schizas tied the game at 10-all with 48 seconds left. With 11 seconds to go, Christos Afroudakis sent a no-look backhand pass to Georgios Afroudakis, who scored past Croatian goalie Josip Pavic.
"I've dreamt of this since I was young," Georgios Afroudakis said. "I wanted to score a goal that was so important in the match, that would win the match."
Greece showed it was an emerging power by finishing fourth as the host country at the Athens Olympics. At the 2003 world meet, the Greeks lost in the bronze-medal game. They were sixth in 2001 and eighth in 1998.
"This is a big moment in Greek water polo. A few years before, we were at zero, really zero," Georgios Afroudakis said. "We can take something like this and go higher. We saw in the semifinals that we are very close to the top two teams. We can go higher."
Theodoros Chatzitheodorou led Greece with three goals. Christos Afroudakis, Dimitrios Mazis and Argyris Theodoropoulos added two goals each. Greek coach Alessandro Campagna felt his team didn't have enough time to prepare for the Olympics. Afterward, some younger players joined the team.
"This team should be good in the future and give the Greek nation a lot of pride," Campagna said. "We've made a definite jump to go up with the top water polo teams."
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Top News:Zeljko Joksimovic' new album is scheduled to be released in October. The album will feature his most recent hit songs Lane Moje, and Ledja Do Ledja.
Songs of the week by an artist!
Dragana Mirkovic- Evo dobro sam.mp3
Dragana Mirkovic- Fobija.mp3
Dragana Mirkovic- Nekad je valjalo.mp3
Dragana Mirkovic- Poljubi me.mp3
Dragana Mirkovic- Prezivecu.mp3
Dragana Mirkovic- Prsten.mp3
Dragana Mirkovic- Rodendan.mp3
Dragana Mirkovic- Slobodna kao vetar.mp3
Dragana Mirkovic- Sta bih ja da nema tebe.mp3
Dragana Mirkovic- Tamo gde je milo moje .mp3
Dragana Mirkovic- Trag u vremenu.mp3
Dragana Mirkovic- Ucini greh.mp3
Dragana Mirkovic- Zasto zoro svanjavas.mp3
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.In Yugoslavia, children celebrate the second Sunday before Christmas as Mother's Day. The children creep in and tie her feet to a chair and shout, "Mother's Day, Mother's Day, what will you pay to get away?" She then gives them presents. Children play the same trick on their father the week after.
Those Yugoslavs who live in the country fear bad luck if their Christmas log burns out and so someone has to stand over the log all Christmas night to ensure it stays lit up.
A Christmas cake called chestnitsa, contains a gold or silver coin and is said that whomever gets it can expect lots of good luck.
The Yugoslavs eat roast pig as their Christmas dish and it must be carved a particular way, according to old customs.
Every household has a Christmas crib. According to old customs they go on an expedition to the forests to gather moss with which to line the crib. Also families would have an old-fashioned music box that plays Christmas carols.
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The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941 was resisted by various paramilitary bands that fought each other as well as the invaders. The group headed by Marshal TITO took full control upon German expulsion in 1945. Although Communist, his new government and its successors (he died in 1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a half decades. In the early 1990s, post-TITO Yugoslavia began to unravel along ethnic lines: Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were recognized as independent states in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" (FRY) in April 1992 and, under President Slobodan MILOSEVIC.In 1998-99, massive expulsions by FRY forces and Serb paramilitaries of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo provoked an international response, including the NATO bombing of Serbia and the stationing of a NATO-led force. Federal elections in the fall of 2000, brought about the ouster of MILOSEVIC and installed Vojislav KOSTUNICA as president. The arrest of MILOSEVIC in 2001 allowed for his subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia to be tried for crimes against humanity. In 2001, the country's suspension from the UN was lifted, and it was once more accepted into UN organizations under the name of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Kosovo has been governed by the UN Interim Administration Mission since June 1999, under the authority of UN Security Council Resolution. In 2002, the Serbian and Montenegrin components of Yugoslavia began negotiations to forge a looser relationship.
Area:
total: 102,350 sq km
land: 102,136 sq km
water: 214 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Kentucky
Climate:
in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well distributed rainfall); central portion, continental and Mediterranean climate; to the south, Adriatic climate along the coast, hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall inland
Terrain:
extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and hills; to the southwest, extremely high shoreline with no islands off the coast
Natural resources:
oil, gas, coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, antimony, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone, marble, salt, hydropower, arable land
Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in tourist-related areas such as Kotor; air pollution around Belgrade and other industrial cities; water pollution from industrial wastes dumped into the Sava which flows into the Danube
Protests: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
Population:
10,829,175 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.1%
15-64 years: 66.9%
65 years and over: 15%
Life expectancy-male:72 years-female:77
Ethnic groups:
Serb 62.6%, Montenegrin 5%, Hungarian 3.3%
Religions:
Orthodox 65%, Muslim 19%, Roman Catholic 4%, Protestant 1%, other 11%
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
male: 97%
female: 88%
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Svetozar MAROVIC (since 7 March 2003)
head of government: President Svetozar MAROVIC (since 7 March 2003)
cabinet: Federal Ministries
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (126 seats - 91 Serbian, 35 Montenegrin - filled by nominees of the two state parliaments for the first two years
Judicial branch:
The Court of Serbia and Montenegro; judges are elected by the Serbia and Montenegro Parliament for six-year terms
Agriculture - products:
cereals, fruits, vegetables, tobacco, olives; cattle, sheep, goats
Industries:
machine building (aircraft, trucks, and automobiles; tanks and weapons; electrical equipment; agricultural machinery); metallurgy (steel, aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, chromium, antimony, bismuth, cadmium); mining (coal, bauxite, nonferrous ore, iron ore, limestone); consumer goods (textiles, footwear, foodstuffs, appliances); electronics, petroleum products, chemicals.
Exports - partners:
Italy Germany Austria Greece France Slovenia US
Imports - partners:
Germany Italy Austria Slovenia France Netherlands Bulgaria Greece
Communications
Telephones -2,611,700
Telephones -cellular: 3,634,600
Television broadcast stations: more than 771
Internet users: 847,000 |
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Learn basic Yugo language |
Good morning--Dobro jutro
Good afternoon--Dobar dan
Good night--Lacu noc
Dog-çutre
Cat--maçka
One--Jedan
Two--Dva
Three--Three
Four--çeteré
Five--Pét
Red--Cerveno
Blue--Plavo
Green--Zeleno
Yellow--Zuto
Black--Crno
White--Belo
Apple--Jabuka
Orange--Portocal
Grape--Groziça
Pear--Cruça
Peach--Praska
Picture--Slika
Telephone--telefone
T.V.--televisia
How are you--Kako si ti
What are you doing--Sta radic
Who--Koj
What--Sto
Where--Deka
When--Kada
How--Kako
Why--zasto
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St. Petka-Paraskeva of Serbia Commemorated October 27
She was born in the town of Epibata on the shore of the Sea of Marmara, near the imperial city of Constantinople. Her parents were faithful in fulfilling God's commandments and well-known for their charitable deeds. By their prayers and example, Petka and her brother both decided at an early age to dedicate themselves wholly to Jesus Christ. Petka's brother received his parents' blessing to become a monk and he was later made a bishop. Petka, like most girls of her time, was educated at home. Here she matured in her desire to imitate the saints and enter into their company in heaven.In church one day, Petka heard the Gospel reading, If any man will follow Me, let him deny himself. Christ's words so impressed themselves on her heart that on leaving the church she gave away her good dress to a poor woman on the street, exchanging it for the woman's rags. She did this several times. When she was scolded, she replied that she could not live otherwise. To be a disciple of Christ meant to be a doer of the word and not a hearer only. After her parents died, Petka went to Constantinople, a city full of churches with many relics and wonder-working icons. There she met some zealous ascetics who instructed her in the spiritual life. Settling in an isolated place outside the city, she spent five years in concentrated prayer and fasting before making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where she had long desired to venerate those places where our Saviour had lived and walked. She did not return to Constantinople but, yearning to withdraw still further from the world and its distractions, she crossed the River Jordan into the wilderness. St. Petka struggled hard to regain that likeness to God, which mankind lost when Adam fell. She sustained her body with desert grasses, eating only after sunset. Her spirit she nourished with prayer, her mind constantly on God, Who is mighty to save from faintheartedness and from tempest as her body grew withered, her soul blossomed with virtues as befits a true bride of Christ. In her were fulfilled the words of the Psalmist, And the King shall greatly desire thy beauty.Years passed, and Petka grew old. One night she was praying as usual when an angel in the form of a radiant youth appeared to her and said,"Leave the wilderness and return to your native land, for there you are to leave your body on the earth and ascend with your soul to the Lord." The Saint, discerning in this God's will, rejoiced that she was soon to part from the earthly temple of he body, although she was sorry to leave her desert solitude, for nothing so cleanses the soul and draws it near to its original likeness as the desert and silence.Back in her native town of Epibata, St. Petka lived for another two years in asceticism before God called her into the next world, to join the choir of the righteous. She was given a Christian burial, but as no one knew who she was or where she was from, she was buried in an unmarked grave. It pleased God, however, to reveal the glory of His saint. Years after her repose, the body of a dead sailor washed ashore. It had already begun to decay and give off a horrible stench before a stylite saint nearby detected it and asked the villagers to bury it. They unknowingly dug the grave right over the relics of St. Petka. That night, one of the grave-diggers, a pious man by the name of George, had a dream. He saw a queen seated on a throne, surrounded by a glorious company of soldiers. One of them said to him, "George, why did you disdain the body of St. Petka and bury a stinking corpse with it? Make haste and transfer the body of the Saint to a worthy place, for God desires to glorify His servant on earth." Then St. Petka herself spoke: "George, dig up my relics at once. I can't bear the stench of that corpse." And she told him who she was and that she was originally from Epibata. That same night, a devout woman, Euphemia, had a similar dream.On being told about these dreams the next morning, the villagers took lighted candles and went to the cemetery, where they dug down and discovered St. Petka's relics, fragrant and incorrupt. The relics were taken to the church of the Apostles Peter and Paul, where, by the prayers of the holy ascetic, many people were healed of various diseases and the blind received their sight.The relics of St. Petka-Paraskeva did not remain in Epibata. They were transferred several times for safe-keeping before coming to rest, on October 27, 1641, in the Church of the Three Hierarchs in the Moldavian capital of Jassy, where they are venerated to this day. Water from St. Petka's spring in Belgrade has effected many cures for those who with faith call upon her intercession.
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