ANKARA (AFP) - The number of foreign tourists visiting Turkey increased by 24.8 percent to a record 17.5 million last year compared to 2003, the Tourism Ministry announced Wednesday. “With this figure, Turkey has surpassed the 17 million target which the World Tourism Organization set for our country for 2010,” the ministry said in a statement. Most of the foreign tourists visiting Turkey were Germans, with 3.9 million, while Russians constituted the second-largest group, with 1.6 million. Tourism was Turkey’s leading source of foreign earnings in 2003 with 14 million tourists generating $13.2 billion (9.9 billion euros) in income.

BELGRADE (AP) - About one-third of Serbs support the extradition of suspects to the UN war crimes tribunal, a poll showed Wednesday, but less than 12 percent said they had confidence in the court. The Belgrade-based Institute for Social Sciences found 35 percent of 2,000 adults surveyed last month supported cooperation with the UN tribunal in The Hague. Twenty-eight percent remained opposed to cooperating with the tribunal, even at the risk of failing to achieve the desired EU and NATO membership; 37 percent were undecided.

A row between journalists at one of Romania’s top newspapers and its Swiss owners escalated on Wednesday when half its editorial staff quit in protest at the sacking last month of its editor in chief. Thirty-five journalists at the Evenimentul Zilei daily resigned amid claims the Ringier group, which owns the paper, was pressing it to soften its tough stance on corruption and sleaze among Romania’s ex-communist political elite. Ringier denied interfering with editorial policy, saying Dan Turturica was fired due to falling circulation. (Reuters)

Romanian police yesterday called for a ban on most fireworks after hundreds of people were injured during New Year’s celebrations. The number of injuries doubled to 323, compared to 169 last year. Eight of the injured lost their eyesight. There was also significant property damage, with 11 houses and four cars damaged by fires caused by fireworks. “People used pyrotechnics chaotically, generating serious disturbances of public order,” a police statement said. (AP)

Albania’s health minister yesterday discouraged an initiative by non-governmental organizations to send a 25-member medical team to tsunami-stricken areas in Indonesia. Leonard Solis said the World Health Organization believes Albanians could better help by donating money to relief funds. (AP)