Bulgaria Bans Smoking, Record Russian Arms Exports

Plus, Russian youth suicides mount, and harsh winter terrorizes Czech roads.

by S. Adam Cardais and Joshua Boissevain 17 February 2012

1. Bulgarian legislators pass clean air measure

 

Bulgarians will not be allowed to light up in enclosed public spaces beginning in June, following the approval of clean air legislation by the country's parliamentary health commission, Balkan Insight reports.

 

"This is one of the very rare cases where members of parliament vote as people and experts, not as members of a particular party," Health Minister Stefan Konstantinov said, according to Balkan Insight.

 

The government postponed a similar measure in 2010, saying it might harm the tourism industry. Clean air law critics often say smoking bans carry economic costs for the hospitality industry, though many objective studies discredit this argument.

 

Nearly 40 percent of Bulgarians smoke, the second highest rate in the European Union, according to Balkan Insight. Yet most of the population reportedly favors the public smoking ban.

 

2. In Russia, 2011 a banner year for international weapons sales

 

For the Russian arms industry, business is good. The country exported a record number of weapons in 2011, Radio Free Europe reports.

 

 

Despite heavy competition from China and fewer Arab clients, Russia sold $13.2 billion in arms abroad last year, Mikhail Dmitriyev, head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, told RFE. Roughly half the exports went to Algeria, India, and Vietnam.

 

Veering toward civil war, Syria is one of Russia's best arms customers, with some $5 billion in outstanding contracts, according to RFE. On 16 February the European Parliament called on Moscow to stop selling Damascus military equipment. This month Russia and China blocked a UN Security Council resolution calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

 

3. Why are so many young Russians killing themselves?

 

The spate of alarming youth suicides in Russia continued 16 February with four more youngsters taking their own lives, RIA Novosti reports, bring the toll to 12 teen suicides in Russia in two weeks.

 

Russia's adolescent suicide rate is triple the world average, according to UNICEF. A recent TOL report on this alarming trend began, arrestingly, with the story of Valentina, a high school student who "describes her life as 'one long ever-failing suicide attempt.' "

 

What's to blame? Adolescent depression is much higher in Russia than in most Western countries. Yet opportunities for counseling are scarce, according to experts cited by TOL. UNICEF also draws a link to troubles at home, including parental alcoholism and abuse.

 

For solace, many young people turn to the Internet to share their stories, on blogs for instance. Vkontakte, the Russian equivalent to Facebook, even has "suicide forums."

 

4. Several injured in massive pileups near Prague following snowstorm

 

The brutal winter in Europe this year continues to take a toll. Nearly 100 cars were entangled in two massive auto accidents in the Czech Republic 15 February following a heavy snowstorm.

 

Two people were injured in the first series of crashes, on a highway 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of Prague. The second accident, just southeast of Prague, saw five injuries.

 

This has been one of the coldest winters on record in Central and Eastern Europe, with temperatures bottoming out at minus 30 degrees Celsius in some countries. As a result of the harsh conditions, more than 600 people have reportedly died.

 

5. Bosnian Islamic Community to appeal ruling over demolished mosques

 

Bosnian Muslims say they will appeal a recent ruling that Republika Srpska is not required to pay 32 million euros ($42 million) in compensation for the destruction of 16 mosques in Banja Luka, the main town of the Serb-run entity, during the Bosnian War, the Southeast European Times reports. The Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been fighting the case since 2009 when the Basic Court of Banja Luka ruled in its favor, but the case was later thrown out by a district court and the community was ordered to pay 24,000 euros in court costs. It then lost an appeal in Republika Srpska’s Supreme Court. In an early February ruling, the court said the statute of limitations for the case had expired, according to Balkan Insight.

 

Esad Hrvacic , a lawyer for the Islamic Community, told SETimes the group will soon file an appeal to the Appellate Court of Bosnia. “We believe that damage created in the war should be treated as a war crime and therefore cannot become outdated. If the Appellate Court of Bosnia does not adopt the appeal, we will appeal to the International Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg,” he said. According to the Community, hundreds of mosques were destroyed in Bosnia during the 1992-1995 war, SETimes reports.