It has rumbling disputes with Slovenia over sea and land borders dating back to the break-up of Yugoslavia and the construction of a controversial coastal bridge that will allow motorists to skirt Bosnian territory has drawn criticism from Bosnia.

A country of striking natural beauty with a stunning Adriatic coastline, Croatia is again very popular as a tourist destination.

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Launch of The Tribune’s Bathinda Edition

It has been assembled in-house, at my farm, Bhullar Orchards, and I have taken technical guidance locally. Grading, washing, drying and waxing will be done by this machine and for this whole process; total cost per kilograms of Kinnows will come out to be 75 paisa. Punjab Agro charges Rs 1.5 per kg and there is 50 per cent subsidy on it. For drying, I want to use cheap source of energy so that the cost per kg comes down.

Now that he owns this machine, from next season onwards, he would outsource kinnows from other farmers also. ``Our farmers know how to grow good quality kinnows but fail when it comes to marketing. I would help them to market their produce nationally as well as internationally.

He has also applied for the Euro GAP quality certification, which would be awarded to him by the end of this year.

Prepare to say goodnight to some shows

The Writers Guild of America strike is officially over, but its effects will linger for a while on Fridays. According to various trade-magazine reports, the futures of Women's Murder Club and Friday Night Lights are in doubt, and I get the sense that folks shouldn't get too close to Las Vegas, either. CBS, meanwhile, has announced anticipated April returns for first-run episodes of Ghost Whisperer, Moonlight and Numbers.

Friday Night Smackdown!: And you thought Valentine's Day was over -- in this episode of the wrestling series, World Heavyweight Champ Edge gives Smackdown general manager Vickie Guerrero a valentine.

CME rival eyes Archipelago founder as chief

The upstart electronic futures exchange planning to face off against the CME Group is considering Archipelago founder Jerry Putnam for its chief executive, say people close to the discussions.

Putnam has been at the forefront of computerized trading for well over a decade and could be in the market for another opportunity after stepping down as vice chairman of NYSE Euronext in August.

A spokesman for the proposed exchange declined to say whether Putnam is a CEO candidate.

Down $77b and falling

Australian shares plunged a massive 6 per cent this afternoon as panic selling set in among investors over an expected slowdown in global growth.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Share Index had shed more than 6 per cent, down 335.4 points to 5245 points - its lowest since November 2006 - placing the market on course for a record 12th day of declines.

The plunge equated to a $77 billion loss of market value. The latest plunge means the sharemarket has now lost more than 23 per cent of its value since hitting a record high in November and is now officially in a bear market.

The broader All Ordinaries Index was down 294.4 points, or 5.23 per cent, to 5336.5 before noon.

Asian bourses were also softer, with Japan's benchmark Nikkei Share Average Index down 4.8 per cent and the boarder TOPIX index down 4.6 per cent.