Today news:

- Serbia: Verdict on Alleged Mladic Helpers Delayed

A much anticipated verdict in a trial against individuals who allegedly helped war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic hide from authorities, expected to be announced on Thursday in Belgrade, has been postponed.

- Albania Arrests Five Over Fake Dollar Bills

Police in Durres announced the arrest of five people suspected of trying to place million-dollar bills as real.

- Tadic Appeals for Reconciliation in Vukovar

On an emotionally loaded visit to the town of Vukovar, which Serbian forces besieged and overran in Croatia’s bitterly fought independence war, Serbia’s President made a pitch for reconciliation.

- Macedonia Leads Balkans in "Doing Business"

The business environments in Balkan countries fall across a wide range in the "Doing Business 2011" report, published on Thursday by the World Bank, as governments in the region attempt to recover from the effects of the global economic crisis.

- Bosnian Cardinal Says Eviction "Over My Dead Body"

Bosnia’s Cardinal Vinko Puljic said Thursday he will resist eviction from one part of his official residence ordered by a Sarajevo court in response to a repossession request filed by the family of a man accused by church officials of spying on them during communist times.

- Karadzic Questions Investigations into Shelling Incidents

During the course of his cross-examination of a protected prosecution witness, wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic pointed to alleged omissions in an investigation into the shelling of a marketplace in Bascarsija, Sarajevo in 1994.

- Balkan Sailors Abducted off Somalia Await Release

Sailors from four Balkan countries abducted by Somali pirates last Saturday remain anchored off the coast of the lawless east African country, waiting for the vessel’s insurers to negotiate their release.

- Romania Expects Annual Inflation to Rise to 8.2%

The National Bank of Romania has revised its annual inflation forecast for 2010 to 8.2 percent from the previous 7.8 percent, governor Mugur Isarescu said on Thursday at a presentation of the third-quarter inflation report.

- Serbian FM Pledges Support to Republika Srpska

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said Wednesday in Banja Luka that his country will continue to support Bosnia’s predominantly Serb region, Republika Srpska, and its leadership.

- Macedonian "Passport Frenzy" Ends

Macedonians no longer have to wait for an absurdly long period for new biometric passports that allow them visa-free travel to the EU, a police spokesman told Balkan Insight.

- ‘New Chapter in Kosovo-Turkey Relations Needed’

One of Kosovo’s leading businessmen has called for a new chapter in relations with Turkey as its Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Pristina on Wednesday.

- Vukovar Pushes Investment as Croatia, Serbia Leaders Visit

The first-ever joint visit by Croatian and Serbian presidents to the Croatian town of Vukovar on Thursday marks a new beginning for the town and will usher in economic development, the town’s mayor predicts.

- Putin to Prod Bulgaria Over Belene Plant

Russia is expected to put pressure on Bulgaria to start the construction of a nuclear power plant at Belene during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to Sofia, due to start on November 13.

For further information: Balkan Investigative Reporting Network