SKOPJE (AFP) - President Boris Trajkovski of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) yesterday labeled as «a terrorist act» a Christmas Day blast that shattered months of calm in a volatile region, killing one man and leaving five injured, including a 7-year-old girl. The explosion in front of a school in the center of the northern town of Kumanovo was a «terrorist act» aimed at destabilizing the former Yugoslav republic, Borjan Jovanovski, spokesman for the FYROM president, said during a press conference. «This type of terrorism happened long before yesterday,» Vladimir Buckovski, FYROM defense minister, said, warning that the blast could have «serious consequences.» A device, thought to have been a hand grenade, exploded on Wednesday afternoon in a garbage bin, killing a 66-year-old man who was passing by. The blast also left five others injured, including the 7-year-old girl, police said.

ANKARA (AFP) - Senior members from six German non-governmental organizations pleaded not guilty to spying charges when they appeared in court here yesterday, the first day of their trial for undermining Turkish national security. Eleven of the 15 defendants, six Turks and nine Germans, were present at the hearing, while the remaining four pleaded through their lawyers. The accused - represented by some 100 lawyers, according to the Anatolia news agency - rejected the charges and asked the court to throw out the case on the grounds of insufficient evidence. But the chief judge rejected the demand saying Turkish law did not allow for such a move and ordered the trial to be adjourned until January 30, giving the defendants permission not to attend future hearings.

Serbian police announced yesterday that they had filed charges against the head of Yugoslavia's central bank for his refusal to report known financial crimes. The lawsuit followed an interview this week with the National Bank governor, Mladjan Dinkic, who told Belgrade's Blic newspaper that he is withholding data he uncovered on many cases of financial wrongdoing. In the interview, Dinkic said that he had not reported the violations or the perpetrators because of his disappointment with the police and the judiciary, whom he accused of incompetence and corruption. (AP)

Bosnian police said yesterday they had arrested a Bosnian-Muslim member of a Saudi-financed Islamic organization over the killing of three members of a Bosnian-Croat family, local media reported. The suspect, identified only as Topalovic, was suspected of killing Andjelko Andjelic, 67, and his two daughters, aged 47 and 29, after opening fire on their home in southern Bosnia. Andjelic's 30-year-old son was also injured during the shooting that occurred at Christmas, in Kostajnica village near Konjic. (AFP)