Turkey, BiH eye closer economic ties

Strengthened trade, investment seen as beneficial for both countries.

By Drazen Remikovic for Southeast European Times in Sarajevo -- 31/12/12

Turkey Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Bosnia and Herzegovina's Foreign Affairs Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija in Ankara. [AFP]

As bilateral trade between Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) booms, stakeholders on both sides are calling for even deeper economic co-operation.

In 2011, Ankara and Sarajevo conducted 271 million euros' worth of bilateral trade, an increase of 20 percent from the previous year, according to figures provided by the Turkish embassy in Sarajevo.

"Economic relations between Turkey and BiH are increasing steadily," Ahmet Yildiz, the Turkish Ambassador to BiH, told SETimes in a written statement.

"Turkey believes that BiH has a great economic potential waiting to be fully tapped with its proximity to the European market, its large natural resources such as minerals, forestry and hydraulic energy capacity,

Finding the Good in the Bad: A Profile of Rita Levi-Montalcini

Editor's Note: Neurobiologist Rita Levi-Montalcini, a Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine in 1986, died December 30 at the age of 103. We are making this profile of her free online for the next 30 days. This story was originally published in the January 1993 issue of Scientific American.

As a feminist in a family with Victorian mores and as a Jew and free-thinker in Mussolini’s Italy, Rita Levi-Montalcini has encountered various forms of oppression many times in her life. Yet the neurobiologist, whose tenacity and preciseness are immediately apparent in her light, steel-blue eyes and elegant black-and-white attire, embraces the forces that shaped her. “If I had not been discriminated against or had not suffered persecution, I would never have received the Nobel Prize,” she declares.

Poised on the edge

Fergie rules out big-name United arrivals

Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out making any significant purchases during next month's transfer window.

Whilst Manchester United tend to stay out of the mid-winter scramble for new players, it is not entirely unknown for Ferguson to bolster his squad.

Henrik Larsson is one player who springs to mind, whilst Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra both arrived in January.

However, despite fresh rumours linking the Red Devils with Everton full-back Leighton Baines, Ferguson has dampened expectations of a big-money arrival at Old Trafford.

"Don't hold your breath waiting for Manchester United to jump through the transfer window when it opens

Molby calls for patience with Rodgers

Former Liverpool midfielder Jan Molby believes the club have made progress under Brendan Rodgers but also insisted rebuilding the club would be a long-term project.

By ESPNSTAR.com staff

Liverpool fell to their sixth defeat of the season against Stoke earlier in the week and have already dropped 35 points thus far.

Former manager Roy Hodgson had the exact same record albeit having led the side for an extra two games before being sacked in January 2011.

Molby, however, has seen positive signs at the club and cautioned against making a hasty judgement on Rodgers' tenure.

"I'm firmly in the camp of those who believe that progress

Super-Tasting Science: Find Out if You're a Supertaster!

To supertasters, the flavors of foods are much stronger than to average tasters. Image: flickr/veteze.com

What a Plant Knows

How does a Venus flytrap know when to snap shut? Can it actually feel an insect's tiny, spindly legs? And how do cherry blossoms know when to bloom? Can they...

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Introduction Have you ever noticed that some people are a lot pickier about the food they eat than other people are? They might be more selective because they are supertasters! To supertasters, the flavors of foods are much stronger than to average tasters. Whether or not someone is a supertaster comes down to the taste buds on his or her tongue, and you can actually investigate a person's supertaster status by looking at this. Are you a supertaster? Find out with this tongue-based activity!    Background Do you hate the taste of broccoli? Or think that grapefruit is extremely bitter? If so, you may be able to blame it on your taste buds! Taste buds, located on small bumps on the tongue called fungiform papillae, are each made up of about 50

Good year ahead for Mexico while investors feel frustrated with ‘Brazil cost’

A turnaround for Mexico boosted by the recovery of the US and lower labour costs

Brazil, for a decade Latin America’s unchallenged behemoth, is expected to grow a mere 1% this year, down from 2.7% in 2011 and an incredible 7.5% in 2010, according to official figures.

By contrast, Mexico, the perennial underachiever in Latin America, is suddenly eying a position among the world’s 10 largest economies with projected growth of between 3.5% and 4%.

Mexico took a massive hit from the

Welbeck: Newcastle are no pushovers

Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck believes his side will be given a stern test when they take on Newcastle United despite the Magpies' poor form of late.

By ESPNSTAR.com staff

The Red Devils have been in good form recently, picking up a respectable total of 25 points in their last 10 games, and Sir Alex Ferguson's men currently find themselves top of the Premier League table on 43 points, four points clear of nearest challengers Manchester City.

In contrast, Newcastle have been nothing short of woeful, picked up a mere 10 points from their last 10 games, and the St James Park-based outfit

Turkey and Macedonia co-operate to open Ottoman archives

The State Ottoman Archives of Turkey and Macedonia are launching a joint project to catalogue, digitalise and share Ottoman archives.

By Biljana Lajmanovska and Menekse Tokyay for Southeast European Times in Skopje and Istanbul -- 24/12/12

Macedonia contains some of the richest Ottoman archives outside Turkey. [Menekse Tokyay/SETimes]

Turkey and Macedonia are launching a joint project to catalogue, digitalise and share Ottoman archive documents as part of a pilot project that the Turkish National Archives hopes to implement in nearly 40 other countries.

The project aims to further transparent historical research and make the detailed Ottoman archives more accessible

Pradaxa Lawsuit Lawyer Groups file Pradaxa Side Effects Lawsuits

Pradaxa Lawsuit Lawyer Groups file Pradaxa Side Effects Lawsuits

Pradaxa Lawsuit Lawyer

12/21/2012 Pradaxa Lawsuit Lawyer groups are continuing to file Pradaxa Lawsuit cases on behalf of individuals who have suffered a Pradaxa related injury. Many of the injuries related to Pradaxa are due to Pradaxa Side Effects related to Pradaxa Internal Bleeding events. A large number of the Pradaxa Lawsuits that have been filed to date have been cases in which the victims Pradaxa Bleeding event fatal. If you or a family member suffered a bleeding event while taking Pradaxa that required medical attention, please contact us

Perennial Flu Vaccine Gets Closer

More 60-Second Science Norovirus Survives Restaurant Dishwashing Protocols 12/20/12 Whales Sing When and Where They Wanna 12/19/12

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Every fall, you need a new flu shot. That's because today's vaccines train your immune system to recognize specific strains of flu—identified by two proteins on the virus's coat: hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. That's where the 'H' and 'N' come from in H1N1.

Problem is, those proteins are a moving target—they mutate quickly. Once they do, your immune system can't recognize them. And you've got something like the 2009 swine flu, a strain the flu shot never primed us to

Kingfisher COO Euan Sutherland quits for The Co-op

Former Kingfisher CEO Euan Sutherland, who was named chief operating officer last February, has announced he is leaving the home improvement giant from March 2013 to become CEO of The Co-operative Group.

Euan Sutherland, 43, has been with Kingfisher for four years

The former B&Q chairman has been a non-executive director of The Co-op's food business since 2010. Kingfisher has confirmed Mr Sutherland will remain in his current role until March 2013 allowing an extensive handover of his responsibilities.
It is not yet known who his successor at Kingfisher will be. He replaces The Co-op's Peter Marks, who is retiring.

Border management begins for Kosovo and Serbia

The implementation of the agreement will also contribute to prevention and fighting cross-border crime and smuggling.

By Linda Karadaku and Igor Jovanovic for Southeast European Times in Pristina and Belgrade -- 20/12/12

A Serb couple walk by the Kosovo-Serbia border crossing of Merdare, one of two crossings that opened this month. [AFP]

Kosovo and Serbia's shared border management duties are continuing amid a dispute over customs duties that are being charged on goods entering Kosovo.

The two sides began implementation of the integrated border management agreement on December 9th, with representatives staffing crossings at Jarinje and Merdare. Crossings at Brnjak and Dheu i Bardhe will open by the end

Macedonia, Turkey military co-operation gains importance

A recent donation of eight military vehicles is the latest example of co-operation between the two countries.

By Aleksandar Pavlevski for Southeast European Times in Skopje -- 19/12/12

Turkey has donated millions to support the military in Macedonia. [AFP]

Macedonia and Turkey are deepening their military ties through investment and co-operation, nurturing a relationship that allows Turkey to maintain influence in the Balkans while bolstering Macedonia's ties with a NATO member.

The most recent donation -- seven Land Rover lightweight vehicles and a Cobra light armoured vehicle, collectively valued at about $700,000 (530,000 euros) brings Turkey's investment in the Macedonian military to $18 million (13.6 million euros).

"The equipment will be deployed in units of the Army of

Women struggle to have equal access to property

Times are changing and new government measures supporting women's economic rights are sustaining the momentum.

By Muhamet Brajshori in Pristina, Menekse Tokyay in Istanbul and Ivana Jovanovic in Belgrade for Southeast European Times -- 18/12/12

Women in Kosovo, like widower Fahrije Hoti of Krusha (centre), increasingly want to use their legal right to inherit and own property. [AFP]

Governments in Southeast Europe and Turkey are advancing reforms to overcome traditional barriers that stifle women from inheriting and owning property and consequently obtaining capital to develop their own businesses, experts said.

In Serbia, women own 37 percent of the total property, but the percentage varies between 50 percent in Vojvodina and

Fury over airline's treatment of sick kids

Ryanair has been criticised for its treatment of sick children. Picture: Mikelo/Flickr

RYANAIR has been criticised for its treatment of a group of children with life-threatening conditions who were on the "trip of a lifetime" to Disneyland in Paris.

The children were travelling with the Share a Dream Foundation as they were recipients of the Irish National Children of Courage awards, when their experience turned sour at Dublin Airport, the Independent reported.

Several families in the group say they were "humiliated and annoyed" when airline staff made them repack their bags – which contained the children's medicines and other items – as they exceeded weight limits.

Members of the group helped one parent, whose luggage was six kilograms over the 15kg limit leaving her facing

Houston Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers Facts and Information

Houston Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers Facts and Information

Houston Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

12/14/2012  Houston Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers deal with a large number of spinal cord injury cases as do spinal cord injury attorneys in most large cities. If you have suffered a spinal cord injury call our toll free number to arrange a free consultation with a Houston Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer.

 

Spinal Cord Injury Statisitics

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, the number one cause of severe spinal cord injuries is vehicular accidents. The statistics provided by the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical

BiH, Serbia war crimes protocol sparks debate

An agreement allows for trials without extradition, eliminates parallel investigations.

By Anes Alic for Southeast European Times in Sarajevo -- 15/12/12

Former Bosnian leader Ejup Ganic talks to reporters in London in 2010 after a British court denied Serbia's request to extradite him on war crimes charges. [AFP]

After almost two years of negotiations, authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have green-lighted the signing of a protocol on war crimes co-operation between the BiH State Prosecutor's Office and its Serbian counterpart.

The agreement paves the way for Serbia and BiH to eliminate parallel investigations and facilitates the mutual

Balkans overloaded with unsolved court cases

Resolving litigation quickly is a condition that regional countries have to meet for EU integration.

By Katica Djurovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade -- 14/12/12

Montenegro eliminated its court case backlog through reform measures. [AFP]

Courts in the Balkans have been inundated with unresolved cases, but a set of comprehensive measures undertaken in Montenegro may be the way to eliminate the backlog and improve judicial transparency, legal experts said.

"Courts in Montenegro are no longer burdened with old cases. The duration of trials, appeals procedures and extraordinary remedies have been drastically shortened so that a court case that

Serbia tycoon arrested on corruption charge

Serbian police arrested one of the wealthiest people in Serbia, Miroslav Miskovic, on suspicion of manipulation during the privatisation of road companies.

By Igor Jovanovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade -- 13/12/12

The arrest of tycoon Miroslav Miskovic is part of the new Serbian government's crackdown on corruption. [AFP]

The arrest of influential Serbian tycoon Miroslav Miskovic could be very important in the fight against corruption, an analyst told SETimes.

"If, as some say, the richest man in Serbia has been arrested, that may be a sign that all are equal before the law and that no one is protected," Nemanja

Bollywood dance Scholarships handed to lucky group

NINE budding Bollywood dancers have been awarded scholarships by dance supremo Honey Kalaria.

Over 300 people auditioned for the places at Kalaria’s HDA Bollywood Performing Arts Academy based in East London.

Twinkle Jaiswal, 6 from Croydon, Shreena Makwana, 7, from Dagenham, Rahul Velani, 14, from Gants Hill, Kareena Mira Lawson, 16, from East Sussex, Mitesh Kumar Parmar and Kareena Raichuda both from Wembley were awarded dance scholarships.

Kalyani Mane from North London and Kishore Kumar from Luton were awarded teacher trainee scholarships, while an additional teacher training hardship scholarship was awarded to Shruti Limaye from East Ham.

Honey Kalaria, known as the Bollywood ‘Ambassador to the UK, said: “The scholarship auditions were extremely competitive

What Happens If We Fall Off The 'Fiscal Cliff'?

Enlarge iStockphoto.com

iStockphoto.com

Lines of communication remain open in an effort to avert the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff," according to the White House and House Speaker John Boehner.

If no deal is reached between now and the end of the year, would the consequences be that drastic?

To answer that question, let's imagine it's January and the nation has gone off the "fiscal cliff." You don't really feel any different and things don't look different, either. That's because, according to former congressional budget staffer Stan Collender, the cliff isn't really a cliff.

"It was a great communications tool, but it was a misnomer from the beginning," says Collender, who now works at Qorvis Communications. "The idea of jumping off the cliff and just having the economy go into the tanks immediately is just absolutely, positively, incontrovertibly incorrect."

"Yes, taxes technically will go up on Jan. 1. And yes, federal spending will be cut on Jan. 2, but you really won't start to see any real effects of that for a couple of weeks at the minimum and maybe not even until the end of the month," he adds.

He says the Obama administration would most likely instruct departments to delay the cuts for a little while to see if something can be worked out with Congress.

But what about taxes?

"For most people, it's life goes on," says Bob Meighan, vice president of TurboTax, the program some 25

If Chavez does not show up on January 10, new presidential election

Maduro (R) and Diosdado Cabello (L), prominent figures of the Chavez regime

In the absolute absence of the president: resignation, removal, mental or physical incapacity, abandoning the post, revocation of the mandate or death, the constitution describes the situation in three articles, 233, 234 and 235.

Article 233 says that if the absolute absence of the elected president occurs before he takes the oath of office (next January 10), a new election will take place in the following

Fiscal Battle A Senator's Last Challenge

Sen. Kent Conrad has chaired the Senate Budget Committee since 2006. The Democratic senator from North Dakota is retiring in January 2013, but before leaving the Senate, he is a key player in the negotiations to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff." Weekend Edition Sunday host Rachel Martin speaks with Sen. Conrad about the challenges to achieving a budget compromise.

Source: NPR : National Public Radio

Spring Fair adds new Outdoor Living & Leisure hall

A dedicated Outdoor Living & Leisure section will be a new feature of next year's Spring Fair International, situated in Hall 10.

There will be 13 different show sectors at next year's Spring Fair

The hall opens a day early, on Saturday February 2, and will host everything from garden furniture, tents and sleeping bags to gardening gifts and accessories.

Also new at the show, and of help to any DIY or garden retailer wanting to know more about using ecommerce and social media to help their business, will be the Ecommerce and Social Media Theatre in Hall 12.

Bents reports record footfall and sales

Bents Garden & Home bucks the doom and gloom trend recording its highest ever footfall last weekend and best week of sales.

The Cheshire-based garden and home centre saw a record 9,880 people visit centre on Sunday, December 2 and also recorded its best-ever week of sales, with takings of £679,239 for the week commencing November 26 and best-ever performing November .

Bents md Matthew Bent said of the results: "Summer was literally a wash out so it's great to be able to report such fantastic figures for the Christmas period.

"The weather obviously had a

The world's top 10 sexiest accents

Models present flamenco dresses during the Moda de Sevilla at the Triana bridge in Sevilla, Spain. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

IN THE pursuit of love, the right accent can be as attractive as a bright smile or dreamy eyes.

But not all accents are created equal.

So what are the world's sexiest accents? Here are our top 10.

Do you agree with this list? Leave a comment below.

Argentine

Famous tongues: Fernando Lamas, Gabriela Sabatini

A South American melting pot, Argentina has a proud, pouty tone. With its own pronunciation of Spanish letters, it's a hard-to-get dialect, but with an undeniable attraction.

Thai

Famous tongues: Tony Jaa, Tata Young

With five tones, those with this fragile accent can turn any language into a song of seduction. Thai is mostly monosyllabic, resulting

FDA Under Pressure to Relax Drug Rules

The FDA's Janet Woodcock. Image: Brendan Smialowski/Bloomberg/Getty

The latest skirmish in the battle between human and microbe played out on 29 November in a hotel conference room in Silver Spring, Maryland. There, an assembly of scientists and clinicians debated the merits of an experimental antibiotic. For some, the coveted prize was not just an endorsement of the drug itself, but a sign that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is finally ready to rethink its clinical-trial requirements for antibiotics — requirements that the drug industry says are unrealistic.

The number of FDA approvals of new antibiotics has dropped even as multi-drug-resistant strains of bacteria have proliferated. FDA advisers at last week’s meeting did recommend approval of telavancin (Vibativ) — a derivative of vanco­mycin — for the

New Pristina-Nis motorway to benefit both countries' economies

The new highway is expected to become a major transit route to Eastern Europe and the Adriatic.

By Muhamet Brajshori and Ivana Jovanovic in Pristina and Belgrade -- 04/12/12

The Kosovo portion of the Pristina-Nis Highway is expected to be built in 2013. [Laura Hasani/SETimes]

Kosovo and Serbia have launched talks on building a highway linking the two countries, which would connect with the existing Pristina-Durres Highway. Experts said that the highway will benefit both economies and would enable better conditions for movement of people and goods between the two countries.

Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and Serbia Prime Minister Ivica Dacic discussed the project, which the EU is expected to financially support, in early November at a

Region needs joint defence strategy, experts say

A joint security and defence strategy could resolve recession impacts on the sector in the Southeast European countries, experts say.

By Ivana Jovanovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade -- 03/12/12

The region needs to implement a joint defence and military strategy to overcome the economic crisis, experts said. [AFP]

Regional defence and security experts are focusing on overcoming the economic crisis that has stymied the transition process and the efforts towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration, sector experts said at a recent conference in Montenegro.

In order to overcome the setback, the regional countries need to form a joint strategy to co-ordinate a common policy,

Region needs joint defence strategy, experts say

A joint security and defence strategy could resolve recession impacts on the sector in the Southeast European countries, experts say.

By Ivana Jovanovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade -- 03/12/12

The region needs to implement a joint defence and military strategy to overcome the economic crisis, experts said. [AFP]

Regional defence and security experts are focusing on overcoming the economic crisis that has stymied the transition process and the efforts towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration, sector experts said at a recent conference in Montenegro.

In order to overcome the setback, the regional countries need to form a joint strategy to co-ordinate a common policy,

Region needs joint defence strategy, experts say

A joint security and defence strategy could resolve recession impacts on the sector in the Southeast European countries, experts say.

By Ivana Jovanovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade -- 03/12/12

The region needs to implement a joint defence and military strategy to overcome the economic crisis, experts said. [AFP]

Regional defence and security experts are focusing on overcoming the economic crisis that has stymied the transition process and the efforts towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration, sector experts said at a recent conference in Montenegro.

In order to overcome the setback, the regional countries need to form a joint strategy to co-ordinate a common policy,

Region needs joint defence strategy, experts say

A joint security and defence strategy could resolve recession impacts on the sector in the Southeast European countries, experts say.

By Ivana Jovanovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade -- 03/12/12

The region needs to implement a joint defence and military strategy to overcome the economic crisis, experts said. [AFP]

Regional defence and security experts are focusing on overcoming the economic crisis that has stymied the transition process and the efforts towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration, sector experts said at a recent conference in Montenegro.

In order to overcome the setback, the regional countries need to form a joint strategy to co-ordinate a common policy,

Kazakhstan Celebrates First, And Only, President

On Dec. 1, Kazakhstan celebrated a new holiday: "First President's Day." The central Asian country feted its long-time leader, Nursultan Nazarbayev, though outside observers have criticized what appears to be a growing cult of personality around the president in the oil-rich country.

Source: NPR : National Public Radio

Support Rally For Egypt's President Counters Protests

Tens of thousands of people waving Egyptian flags and hoisting large pictures of the president are demonstrating across Egypt Saturday in support of him and Islamic law.

The rally, organized by the Muslim Brotherhood, is seen as a test of strength for Islamists seeking to counteract large opposition protests held this past week. The Islamists argue that the liberals, who are still laboring to create a cohesive opposition nearly two years after the uprising that ousted longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, do not represent the vast majority of Egyptians.

The Brotherhood and harder-line Islamists won nearly 75 percent of the seats in last winter's parliamentary election. But liberals highlight the fact that President Mohammed Morsi, a member of the Brotherhood's political party, won only 25 percent of votes in the first round of presidential elections. He went on to win the runoff by just over 50 percent, after a divisive race against a former regime figure.

Hundreds of thousands of people, mostly liberal and secular forces, took to the streets twice this week opposing Morsi's decrees to grant himself sweeping powers. On Friday, up to 200,000 people packed the streets of