· March, 2009

Stories about Serbia from March, 2009

Serbia: More on NATO Bombing

  27 March 2009

Belgraded links to blog coverage of the 10th anniversary of NATO bombing, including his own 2006 post: “In the beginning, the first few days, it was scary because nobody knew what to do in this situation. This was the kind of things you only see on movies. The sirens go...

Serbia: Remembering NATO Bombing 10 Years Later

  26 March 2009

On March 24, 1999, NATO forces began attack on Serbia and Montenegro. The bombing went for 78 days. A few thousand people were killed, many buildings, bridges, railroads, roads and factories were destroyed. Also, many people still experience mental and psychic effects of the fear they had been through. Ten years later, Serbian bloggers are reminded of those terrible days. Below is a selection of some of their journal notes and recollections from the beginning of the war.

Serbia: Dragan Markovic Palma and Anti-Discrimination Law

  20 March 2009

Balkan File writes about a Serbian politician who seems to think that “if it is enshrined in law that homosexuals can’t be discriminated against, straight men in Serbia are going to suddenly become gay and there will be a lot of unsatisfied Serbian women.”

Serbia: Anti-Discrimination Law Controversy

  14 March 2009

Belgraded writes about a proposed new anti-discrimination law: “In short, The Churches don’t like two articles – one concerns person’s right to change religion. This is the same reason we can’t keep our mobile phone number if we switch to a different mobile carrier here in Serbia. Both the Churches...

Russia, Ukraine, the Balkans: Eurovision News

  12 March 2009

The controversy caused by Georgia's Eurovision Song Contest entry seems to be over (or, depending on one's perspective, has reached its climax), now that Georgia has decided not to take part in this year's event in Moscow, following the European Broadcasting Union's demand that the lyrics of the 'We Don't Wanna Put In' song are either changed or a different song entered. Russia's own entry is causing controversy now as well, however.