Balkans

On the eve of the first anniversary of the declaration of independence, Kosovo’s government and parliament are racing to finalize work that has been delayed throughout the year. In less than two weeks, the government finally recruited a chief for the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, form a security council and attempted …

After the deadline for registering for Macedonia’s March 22 presidential election expired last night at midnight, the state election commission confirmed seven candidates had fulfilled the requirements and would be allowed to run. Two professors at the Skopje Law Faculty, Georgi Ivanov and Ljubomir Frckoski, the first nominated by the …

The European Union has asked the Albanian government to reconsider the legal and political ramifications of its recently adopted lustration law, a much-criticised and controverisal item of legislation both domestically and abroad. “The new Law on Lustration gives rise to concern with regards to certain aspects on both procedure and …

A new resolution at the United States Congress calls on President Barack Obama to urgently restore American efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, help it face challenges and avoid further a worsening of the situation, and “maybe a new conflict.” The new resolution focusing on the troubled country was proposed on …

A Macedonian court has sentenced Besim Nesimi and Ramadan Imeri, former special unit policemen, to jail terms of 18 months and 12 months respectively for the brutal 2007 beating up of a cameraman of the local Alsat M TV. In September 2007, the two beat up the cameraman Igor Ljubovcevski …

Macedonians are three times more concerned about the local economy in 2009 amid global crisis than in the same period last year, shows the latest opinion poll done by the International Republican Institute, IRI. There is a tendency of growing pessimism related to the economic developments, IRI Regional Director for …

The government of the Serb-dominated Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska will put the prices of all basic products and key services under its control, its Premier Milorad Dodik said at the weekend. During his visit to northeastern town of Bijeljina over the weekend, Milorad Dodik said that despite the general …

A Bosnian court has found an Imam (local Islamic priest) guilty of sexually abusing an underage girl and sentenced him to 18 months in prison, in a case that shocked Bosnia and stirred up tensions between local media organizations and the country’s influential Islamic Community. The family of the girl …

Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity of Republika Srpska opened a representative office in Brussels on Thursday, triggering a new round of criticism from Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) officials who see this as yet another proof of its distancing itself from Bosnia and Herzegovina. All top Republika Srpska officials attended the official opening ceremony …

Serb health workers have started leaving Kosovo after Serbia decided to halve the so-called ‘Kosovo allowance’ part of their monthly pay, a controversial benefit amounting to a de facto double wage for those who worked in the civil service and recognised Belgrade, not Pristina as their capital. Belgrade has vowed …