The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 09-02-26

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From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <www.ert.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] UN War Tribunal Acquits Milutinovic

"The trial chamber finds you, Milan Milutinovic, not guilty ... and orders that you be released from custody," said judge Iain Bonomy of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

This was the court's first ever ruling on crimes committed by Serbs during the 1998-9 Kosovo war.

Milutinovic, 66, had been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the deportation and forcible transfer of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo, murder and persecution.

His five co-accused, including former Yugoslav deputy prime minister Nikola Sainovic, were convicted for what the judges described as a "broad campaign of violence directed against the Kosovo Albanian civilian population".

All six men had been close allies of the late former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic.

Source: AFP

News item: 19461

[02] Valdis Dombrovskis, Latvia's New PM

Latvia's president has nominated former finance minister Valdis Dombrovskis as prime minister and asked him to form a new coalition government. Ivars Godmanis resigned as PM last week amid economic turmoil in the country.

The president also explained that he had chosen Mr Dombrovskis amid the financial crisis because of his experience in financial and international issues, as he had served Finance minister from 2002-2004 and earlier as head economist in Latvia's Central Bank.

The political crisis in Latvia is stepping up the financial shrinkage hitting EU member-state Latvia with its 2.3 million citizens.

Despite the fact that Latvia in 2006 had broke a record in development in the EU with a 12.2% increase of its GDP, President Zatlers had to take a loan of 7.5 billion euros by the EU in December and the International Monetary Fund, saving the country from bankruptcy.

However, the outgoing government's policy on austerity caused riots and violent rallies in Riga in January, while analysts expect fresh rallies in view of the materialization of programmes on the slashing of working positions in the public sector, cuts in fiscal expenses and increase in taxes.

News item: 19447

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