PULA (AP) – A fire on a Turkish cargo ship, carrying 200 trucks and tons of hazardous material, was subsiding yesterday afternoon while being kept away from the Croatian coast. Officials said a potential ecological disaster seemed to have been averted. The ship, the Und Adriyatic, “is absolutely under control now,” Minister for Sea and Transport Bozidar Kalmeta told the Cabinet. It is “stable, there is no more open fire on it,” Kalmeta said. The ship was pushed by overnight winds to within 5 miles (8 kilometers) of Croatia’s Brijuni Islands in the northern Adriatic, but moved off later yesterday as the wind changed course.

ANKARA (AP) – A Turkish air assault this week destroyed dozens of Kurdish rebel shelters and training sites in northern Iraq, the military said yesterday. Turkish warplanes destroyed 42 shelters, six caves, 15 logistics facilities, seven training facilities as well as weapons, ammunition and other materials in Monday’s attack on rebel targets, the military said. The operation was part of a US-backed campaign to chip away at guerrilla strength while avoiding the risks of a ground-based offensive across the border.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday reiterated a call for German authorities to shed light on an apartment block blaze that killed nine Turks as he left for a four-day visit to Germany. “We are in contact with German authorities to investigate the incident in all detail and fully shed light on it if it turns out to be an attack or arson,” Erdogan told reporters before his departure to Germany. “If it turns out be arson, then we expect the perpetrators to be found and prosecuted,” he added. “Xenophobia is a crime against humanity.” (AFP)

Bosnia should move faster to secure EU membership as a safeguard against a possible crisis in Serbia’s breakaway province of Kosovo, an international peace envoy told the Oslobodjenje daily yesterday. Miroslav Lajcak also said Bosnian leaders should focus on the issues crucial for closer EU ties and stop bickering at a time when political instability as regards Kosovo’s expected independence clouded the region. “The relation between Bosnia and Kosovo is another obvious reason why Bosnia needs to find its place within European structures,” Lajcak told the Sarajevo daily in an interview. (Reuters)

A ban on gossiping, miniskirts and rudeness is what the doctor has ordered to improve patient care in Serbia’s hospitals, according to new rules issued by the country’s Health Ministry. The rules, posted on the ministry’s website, say staff are not allowed to criticize their hospital or superiors, and should not accept gifts for their services. Hospital staff are often bribed with cash or gifts for better treatment. “There need to be ground rules for decency,” a ministry spokesman said. (Reuters)