BOSNIA WAR FILM WINS ROME FILM FESTIVAL

ROME, Italy (November 3,2008) - A hard-hitting new movie about the mass murder of some 10,000 Bosnian civilians committed by the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor in the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica in July 1995,during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia, has won the top prize at the Rome Film Festival in Italy."Resolution 819", directed by Italian Giacomo Battiato, won the Best Film Award on Friday (31Oct08).

The title refers to the UN resolution that guaranteed the security of Bosnian civilians in the "safe haven" of Srebrenica.

The film follows a French investigator played by Benoit Magimel, sent by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague to investigate the genocide in Srebrenica.

The public, who could vote as they left each screening, came out in favour of "Resolution 819" by Italian director Giacomo Battiato after a voting by the tens of thousands of people who attended the 10-day festival, where 150 films were screened.

The Rome Film Festival's Critics Award went to Afghan film Opium War.
Ukrainian Bohdan Stupka claimed the Best Actor prize for his part in Polish comedy With a Warm Heart and Italy's Donatella Finocchiaro took home the Best Actress honour for her role in Galantuomini.

Italy's Donatella Finocchiaro, who starred in the mafia film "Galantuomini" by Edoardo Winspeare, won best actress, while Bohdan Stupka of Ukraine won best actor for his role in the Ukrainian-Polish drama "Serce na Dloni" (A Warm Heart) by Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi.

Also Friday, a lifetime achievement award was bestowed on Italian legend Gina Lollobrigida, whose career has spanned more than six decades.
.

12.000 BOSNIAN STATE EMPLOYEES GO ON STRIKE

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (November 3,2008) - More than 12,000 Bosnian state employees went on a strike today, in a fresh attempt to demand higher salaries and an improvement in working conditions.

The state employees going on strike includes low and medium-level technical staff employed in several key state agencies, including the Bosnian Defence Ministry and the Bosnian State Agency for Investigation and Protection, (SIPA).

Unlike top political appointees and deputies in the Bosnian State Parliament, who have drastically increased their salaries over the past year, most of the other state employees are often less paid than those in municipal organisations or communal firms.

As a result, the union of state employees has called for a strike, demanding better treatment and salary raises for its staff. During the strike, all involved state employees will cease working between 11:00 and 13:00 each day until their requests are met.
.

SWISS JUSTICE MINISTER VISITS BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (November 3,2008) - The Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf arrived yesterday in Bosnia for a two-day visit, her second trip to the country.

Widmer-Schlumpf met the director of the Bosnian border police and will attend an official dinner hosted by the country's justice ministry and police departments.

Today, Widmer-Schlumpf will have discussions with her counterpart Tarik Sadovic and will sign agreements that will make it easier for Bosnians to enter Switzerland.

She will also hold talks with representatives from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the International Organisation for Migration, and will visit a non-governmental association that supports Roma people.
.

BOSNIAN CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR WARNS ABOUT TRADE DEFICIT IMPACT

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (November 3,2008) - Speaking at a forum organized by the Krug 99 intellectual association yesterday, the Governor of the Bosnian Central Bank Kemal Kozaric asserted once again that Bosnia would be affected indirectly by the global financial crisis, but the national financial system would not be threatened, because it is based on traditional banking services of taking deposits and giving loans.

Governor Kozaric urges bankers to refrain from raising interest rates, although he cannot prevent them from doing that.He expects the inflation rate to remain around 7.5 per cent by the end of 2008, but what worries him is the lack of interest among government members to tackle the economy’s key burning issue – the trade deficit.

The measures he recommended include subsidies to food producers; continuing with privatization and cutting public spending.
.