Balkans

Aside from its IMF stand-by loan, Serbia is trying to secure more funds from international institutions such as the World Bank and European Commission to help it cope with the global financial crisis and ensure economic stability, Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic said on Wednesday. “Serbia currently has an aid …

Albanian’s former Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu and several former high officials of the Ministry of Defense are expected to be charged on Wednesday with abuse of power over the deadly blast at army depot outside Tirana last March, sources inside the prosecution told Balkan Insight. The blast at an army …

Czech CEZ Group is interested in investing in three key energy sectors in Kosovo, and could even buy the troubled KEK distribution company, a senior company official said. CEZ could dominate the energy sector, starting with the buying of power plant “New Kosova”, the buying of KEK distribution, and investment …

Worsening economic conditions, high prices and low salaries are pushing almost half of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the verge of famine, consumers’ associations warn. “The income of about 40 percent of the population is such that it is insufficient to cover even the costs of food,” Mesud Lakota, secretary general …

Belgrade will probably need a bigger International Monetary Fund loan than the 402.5 million euro foreseen by a deal it signed a month ago, and it will also need to make tough choices in tightening its fiscal policy, IMF deputy managing director Murilo Portugal said on Tuesday. Serbia sought the …

If a Macedonian mayor has her way, the landmark gracing Skopje’s main square would in a novel way bring together two men seen as among the nation’s greateast sons: Alexander the Great mounted on a horse, floating in a fountain to tunes of revered late pop star Tose Proeski The …

A recent decision by local authorities to separate ethnic Macedonian and ethnic Albanian high school students in different shifts has sparked a debate about the ethnic segregation of young people in a country where ethnic relations are generally calm, but still far from cordial. Earlier this month, Macedonian and Albanian …

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has called on Kosovo’s judicial authorities to prosecute members of the Romanian police unit believed to be responsible for the death of two men during protests held in Pristina two years ago. “On the second anniversary of the unlawful killing of Mon Balaj and Arben …

Nine artists from Kosovo will get the opportunity to show their work at the Balkan Democracy exhibition, presented at the Palais Thurn und Taxis Art House in Bregenz Austria. The exhibition will offer a glimpse of Kosovo from the 1990s to the present, illustrating a tough but formative time for …

Parts of the Cessna plane which went off the radar near Croatia’s Mount Velebit last Thursday were found this morning on the north side of the Vagan Summit, but there was still no information on the pilots. Source: javno.com Srdjan Vrsalovic, head of the Mountain Search and Rescue Service’s helicopter …