THE BALKANS.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 January 1917, Page 5

THE BALKANS.

ENEMY PRESSURE WEAKENING. MACKEXSEXV- DEMAXE FOP. REIN- . fORCEJIEXTS TURKEY AXD BULGARIA OIXLINE. ' « ; Received Jan. 10, 8 40 ;>,in. : i Petrograd, Jan. 15. Enemy pressure in W-iilavliLi and the Dobrodja has diminished, o>vip; to the Allies' resistance and -be weather.' The Danube plains are now immense swamps. Oenera! von Mackensen is doinanding reinforcements from Bulmr'.a ana Turkey, whicli they are mabie to provide, Turkey fearing danger oc the Ascan frontier, .and her reserves boiny exhausted. Dobrodja prisoner? f.tate that the army is excessively fatigued, ,>m! that the commanders sacrifice their men freely. ITALIANS REPULSE 1 ATTACKS. PROGRESS MADE. ! London, .T.'ii. 1.". A French communique suites: —Tlie • Italians repulsed an enemy attack on a munition depot north of Annaliis. Engagements occurred south ot Lake Ochrida, particularly at Vciiterna when an Indo-Chinese detachment fought another detachment.' iVe siigiitiy progressed lieyond Sveti. ■TRANSFERENCE AUSMIAXS. Paris, Jan. IS. M. Marcel Hutin- points o"t that tlie Austro-Hungarian oommunifjurs for the • first time for six month? refer to fighting south of Lake Ochrida. T!> ; s suggests that there has been a tniusference under General Falk?nhayn from the Roumanian front. FLOODS IN MACEDONIA. London. J,"n. 15. A French communique reports that bad weather in Macedonia caused numerous floods, and heavy snowstorms occurred in the Lake Prespa region. . SUSSO-HOUMANIAN SUCCESSES.' t Admiralty, per Wireless Pross '-ondon, -Jan 15. Russian official reports show that the Roumanians attacked tlie height? in tlie region of the Kasino River, and in violent -bayonet fighting thre-v lack the enemy a verst southwards. The RussoRoumanians repulsed an offensive in the same region, and pressed th.» enemy back two versts southwards. We withdrew slightly northwards in the Vedeni > region, but we repSilsed, viih great ■losses, several attacks :.orth-east of Focsani. A German official message states: — .We repulsed strong Russo-ilcumanian attacks northward of the Susita Valley. EXCOURAGING NEWS. Paris, Jar. 15 Admiral du Fonrnier, writing to Le Matin regarding his visits to the RihsoBolimanian front, . says t'nat the Czar told him that in a few weeks the situation in the Balkans would assiur.e a different aspect. Admiral du Fournier anticipates that the enemy will he mastered, and his progress stopped by cold ~ and exhaustion,, while his increasingly heavy losses will paralyse bis, efforts "towards Salonika.