BUCHAREST (AP) - The Romanian health minister accused medical distributors yesterday of corporate greed, after they cut drug and medical supplies to hospitals because of unpaid debts. Several hospitals said that, with a shortage of funds and supplies, they would be able to treat only emergency cases and would ask patients to buy their own drugs. Health Minister Mircea Cinteza said about 70 percent of hospitals were on time with their debt payments, though some were behind schedule. «I warn all these people who are making profits off Romanians' health that by their actions (to halt supplies) they are putting patients' lives in danger,» Cinteza said in a statement.

PODGORICA (AP) - Montenegro's pro-independence government faced a vote of no confidence yesterday from an opposition party which has accused it of ruining the economy and wanting to split the tiny Balkan republic away from a union with Serbia. Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic holds a majority of seats in the 75-member assembly and is likely to survive the confidence vote at the end of the debate. The debate will continue today, but it was unclear when the vote would be held.

An Albanian court yesterday declared innocent a French mine manager and four Albanians accused of the deaths of six miners in a gas explosion. Judge Luan Hasani of the court in Vlore, 140 kilometers south of Tirana, considered the methane gas explosion in Feb. 23, 2004, at the Selenica bitumen mine near Vlore «an accident caused by natural causes» declaring innocent the five defendants. (AP)

Croatian customs officials detained a man from neighboring Serbia-Montenegro who tried to smuggle 504 endangered turtles to Germany through Croatia, officials said yesterday. The market value of the European or Greek turtles was estimated at 2 million kuna (270,000 euros; US$340,000). The man, who was not identified, was caught overnight at a crossing on Croatia's eastern border with Serbia-Montenegro. The turtles were taken to a refuge for endangered species and will be returned to Serbia. (AP)

Workers digging up a road in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica found an unexploded bomb that had been dropped on the city during World War II, reports said yesterday. The bomb, which was estimated to weigh around 300 kilograms, was being removed for disposal. (AFP)

Croatian President Stipe Mesic yesterday canceled a trip to Serbia in protest at Belgrade's backing for a meeting of World War II royalists known as Chetniks. «After Sunday's gathering of Chetniks... there are no conditions to continue with preparations for his planned trip,» the presidency said in a statement. (AFP)