SESELJ SAYS PROCEDURE TO EXTRADITE HIM HAS BEGUN

Vojislav Seselj has said that proceedings for his extradition to the Hague Tribunal have begun.
Addressing a news conference in the Serbian capital on Thursday, he said he would respond to the summons of "the War Crimes Court in Belgrade."
Seselj said he received a document from the Higher Court in Belgrade to report there on March 10 as the accused, and added that he would seek to be allowed to publicly present the evidence for his claim that the extradition would be unlawful.

He pointed out that he would refer to the European Convention on Human Rights, signed by Serbia, which guarantees the right to a fair trial.

Asked how he plans to behave in case the extradition goes ahead, Seselj said he would offer "passive resistance."

"They'll have to carry me to the airport, I will not fight with the police, and if the police beat me, I'll find a way to let you know," Seselj told reporters, and added he would not invite his supporters "to help him not go to The Hague."

Seselj also said that it would be up to his party, the Serb Radicals (SRS), to decide what to do after his extradition.

Asked whether he "really expects to be extradited," Seselj said he "believes that the authorities are severely tormented" and that Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic is "aware of what this would mean for him."

Seselj added, however, that he does not know how the prime minister would react, and whether he will be "one of those who have extradited Serbs to the Hague. "

The Hague Tribunal asked last May that Seselj be arrested again and transfer to The Hague, and the Higher Court is to decide on the fulfillment of conditions for his extradition.

The Hague Tribunal is to deliver its verdict in the trial on March 31.

JORDAN RAID EIGHT KILLED IN IRBID AS FORCES FOIL IS PLOT

Jordan says a raid in the city of Irbid that left seven suspected jihadist militants dead foiled attacks being plotted by so-called Islamic State.

A security officer was also killed and five were injured during the overnight raid, which triggered armed clashes.
Jordan is part of a US-led coalition battling IS fighters in Syria and Iraq.
It launched air strikes on IS positions in Syria in 2014 to ensure the "stability and security" of its borders, and has stepped up a crackdown on suspected IS sympathisers inside the kingdom.
Last year, Jordan executed two convicted jihadists following the killing of a Jordanian pilot who was captured by IS militants after his jet crashed in Syria.The operation in Irbid, which is 20km (12 miles) from the Syrian border, was reportedly one of the largest targeting suspected jihadists in years.
Government spokesman Mohammad Momani told the public security department's Amen radio station that the raid started at around 19:00 (17:00 GMT) on Tuesday and lasted until 03:00 on Wednesday, according to the Jordan Times newspaper.Mr Momani described those targeted as "outlaws".
Later, the official Petra news agency published a statement by the GID, which said it had thwarted a plot by an IS cell to attack "civilian and military sites in order to destabilise national security".
Security forces tracked the suspected militants to a residential building in Irbid, which security sources said was near a Palestinian refugee camp in the city centre.
"The terrorists refused to surrender and put up strong resistance using automatic weapons," the GID said, adding those killed were wearing explosive belts.
Weapons, ammunition, explosives and detonators were also found at the scene.
The GID said 13 people linked to the cell were detained in earlier raids in Irbid.

ALBANIA IS THE MAIN PRODUCER OF MARIJUANA IN EUROPE

The annual report of the US State Department on narcotics is prepared for the Congress.
The US State Department has published today its report on the fight against narcotic substances and states that Albania is a major source country for the production of marijuana and a transit point for shipments of cocaine and heroin destined to the European markets.
During 2015, the report says, Albanian authorities carried out several arrests and seized a significant amount of narcotic substances by producers and drug rings that operate in the country, continuing the 2014 tendency. This success is mainly attributed to the ongoing cooperation with Italian authorities and the growing efforts of the political leadership and police.
According to the Albanian police, the report says, during the first ten months of 2015, authorities seized 6,87 tons of marijuana and they destroyed 689,815 roots of marijuana in an area of 44 hectares based on an identification carried out from air by Italian authorities. Authorities also seized 55,3 kg of heroin and 26,4 kg of cocaine.
The annual report of the US State Department on narcotics is prepared for the Congress, in the framework of the law for the assistance to other countries and reflects the efforts of a number of countries to fight all aspects of drug traffic.
The full report on Albania
Albania remains a major source country for marijuana, as well as a transit route for shipment of cocaine and heroin destined for European markets. Albanian authorities recorded an impressive string of arrests and seizures against drug production and trafficking networks operating in the country in 2015, continuing a trend that began in 2014. This success can be attributed to continuing regional cooperation with Italian Police surveillance units and greater commitment by political and police leadership to prioritize counter-drug enforcement. With the exception of cannabis, Albania is not a significant producer of illicit drugs, precursor chemicals, or synthetic drugs. The Government of Albania does not maintain drug-use prevalence statistics. Except for marijuana, illegal drug use does not appear to be common.
According to Albanian State Police (ASP), through the first 10 months of 2015, the volume of marijuana seizures totaled 6.87 metric tons. An ongoing nationwide eradication effort also destroyed 689,815 marijuana plants on 44 hectares of land as identified by Italian surveillance overflights. The ASP also seized 55.3 kilograms (kg) of heroin and 26.4 kg of cocaine.
The ASP, including border police, arrested 827 people for offenses linked to drug trafficking over the first 10 months of the year. Through September, the Serious Crimes Prosecution Office (SCPO) investigated 188 criminal proceedings for narcotics trafficking. Of this total, 105 were cases carried over from previous years, with 81 cases registered for the first time in 2015. The SCPO sent 40 cases to court, and the Serious Crimes Court rendered 68 guilty verdicts, including cases that were resolved from previous years.
Albania continues to receive assistance from the United States and European Union countries to enhance its counternarcotics capacities. The government implemented 31 joint operations with international law enforcement agencies through October, mostly in cooperation with Italian authorities. The United States continues to provide assistance for integrated border management with a focus on maritime border control, counternarcotics investigations, and judicial sector assistance programs. To reduce demand for illegal drugs, with U.S. support, the ASP and the Albanian Education Ministry continued to co-sponsor a drug-awareness and demand reduction project in 300 public elementary schools, reaching over 30,000 students.

EU TALKS FOCUS ON GREECE MIGRANT CRISIS

European Council President Donald Tusk is due to visit Greece and Turkey as he tries to find a common approach to Europe's worsening migration crisis.
Mr Tusk has said reducing the number of migrants travelling from Turkey to the Greek islands is key to avoiding a humanitarian disaster.
More than 25,000 migrants are now stranded in Greece as border controls further north are tightened.
Migration is also due to be discussed at a UK-French summit on Thursday.
UK PM David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande will hold talks in the French city of Amiens. Counter-terrorism and conflicts in Libya and Syria are also expected to be on the agenda.Hours before the meeting, French Finance Minister Emanualle Macron said his country could allow migrants to travel unchecked to the UK if British voters chose to leave the European Union in a June referendum.
Authorities in the northern French port of Calais have been clearing part of a sprawling camp known as the Jungle, from where many migrants are trying to enter the UK illegally.
But Mr Macron said an exit vote in the referendum could end a bilateral deal allowing the UK to vet new arrivals on French territory.
"The day this relationship unravels, migrants will no longer be in Calais," Mr Macron told the Financial Times newspaper.Mr Tusk has been touring capitals in central and south-eastern Europe this week, trying to ease tensions caused by the migration crisis.
His visits are seen as laying the groundwork for an EU-Turkey summit on the issue on 7 March.
"Not for a moment can we stop our efforts to improve the co-operation with our neighbours, starting with Turkey," Mr Tusk said in Vienna on Tuesday.
He said Europe was ready to grant "substantial financial support" to countries neighbouring war-torn regions such as Syria and Iraq."But at the same time we expect a more intensive engagement from our partners as an absolute precondition to avoid a humanitarian disaster. This will be the subject matter of my talks in Turkey this Thursday and Friday," he said.
Turkey has expressed frustration at the lack of a common position from the EU on the crisis
BBC Europe Correspondent Chris Morris, who is on the Greek island of Lesbos where 75,000 migrants have already arrived so far this year, says the EU wants to see arrivals in Greece drop below 1,000 a day.
New figures suggest last year's total of one million seaborne migrants arriving in Europe could be matched well before the end of the year.

CARDINAL PELL ADMITS HE DID NOT ACT ON ABUSE CLAIM

Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell has admitted he did not act after a boy told him about a paedophile priest.
The cardinal told an Australian Royal Commission into child abuse that a student at St Patrick's College in Ballarat said Brother Edward Dowlan was "misbehaving with boys" in 1974.
He said it was "casually mentioned" and the boy did not ask him to act.
Dowlan, who has since changed his name to Ted Bales, was jailed last year for abusing boys in the 1970s and '80s.
Cardinal Pell is giving evidence from Rome to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse.
He was excused from flying back to Australia due to a heart condition.
A group of abuse survivors and supporters have flown to Rome to face Australia's most senior Catholic as he testifies.

MOMENTS OF JOY CAN DAMAGE HEART

The emotional stress that causes chest pains and breathlessness can occur in moments of joy as well as anger, grief and fear, a Swiss study suggests.
Three-quarters of cases of takotsubo cardiomyopathy, a change in the shape of the heart's left ventricle, which can be fatal, are caused by stress.
The University Hospital Zurich study, in the European Heart Journal, suggests about one in 20 cases is caused by joy.
The condition is normally temporary and people are generally fine afterwards.
In the study of 1,750 patients, researchers discovered heart problems caused by:
a birthday party
a son's wedding
meeting a friend after 50 years
becoming a grandmother
a favourite rugby team winning a game
winning a casino jackpot
a computerised tomography (CT) scan giving the all-clear from another condition
The study also suggested most cases were in post-menopausal women.
Dr Jelena Ghadri, one of the researchers, said: "We have shown that the triggers for takotsubo syndrome can be more varied than previously thought.
"A takotsubo syndrome patient is no longer the classic 'broken-hearted' patient, and the disease can be preceded by positive emotions too.
"Clinicians should be aware of this and also consider that patients who arrive in the emergency department with signs of heart attacks, such as chest pain and breathlessness, but after a happy event or emotion, could be suffering from takotsubo syndrome just as much as a similar patient presenting after a negative emotional event."She said it was likely both sad and happy events shared a common "emotional pathway" leading to the condition.
Prof Peter Weissberg, the medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Takotsubo syndrome is a rare event.
"This study suggests that in a very few cases, the triggering event may be a happy one.
"Much more research is needed to understand how such emotional events can trigger temporary heart damage in a few susceptible individuals."

NORTH KOREA FIRES PROJECTILES INTO SEA

North Korea has fired several short-range projectiles into the sea, South Korea's defence ministry said.
It comes hours after the UN Security Council unanimously voted to imposesome of its strongest ever sanctions against North Korea.
A South Korean spokesman told the Yonhap news agency the projectiles were fired at about 10:00 local time (01:00 GMT) from Wonsan on the east coast.
He said they were still trying to determine exactly what was fired.
Yonhap quoted officials as saying all the objects fell into the sea.
The new UN measures are a response to North Korea's recent nuclear test and satellite launch, both of which violated existing sanctions.
They will result in all cargo going to and from the country being inspected, while 16 new individuals and 12 organisations have been blacklisted.
The United States and North Korea's long-standing ally China spent seven weeks discussing the new sanctions.US President Barack Obama said the international community was "speaking with one voice" to tell the North it "must abandon these dangerous programmes and choose a better path for its people".
South Korea's President Park Geun-hye welcomed the sanctions, saying she hoped the North "will now abandon its nuclear development programme and embark on a path of change".
North Korea insists its missile programme is purely scientific in nature, but the US, South Korea and even its ally China say such launches like the one which put a satellite in orbit last month are aimed at developing inter-continental ballistic missiles.
The North claimed its January nuclear test - the fourth since 2006 - was a test of its hydrogen bomb technology.