Balkans

One in five marries in Serbia end in divorce, the majority of them in the first three years, statisical data showed, with couples that married because of an unplanned pregnancy having the least chance of making their marriage work. In spite of traditional attitudes and family and social pressures not …

The central Macedonian village of Rilevo near the town of Prilep has cheered the arrival of the first baby born in the village in 21 years, local media reported on Sunday. Two-month old Teodora brought joy in the home of Robert and Anila, and sparked hope of better days in …

Macedonia’s Finance Minister Trajko Slaveski faces a no-confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday after the opposition accused him of missteps that damaged the economy. Slaveski’s party, the ruling centre right VMRO DPMNE and their coalition partners have a majority in parliament so the no-confidence vote is seen as a statement, …

Montenegro’s government has offered a 20 million euro loan to help the owner of the recently privatised aluminum smelter KAP to keep production during the global financial crisis. said Branko Vujovic, head of the Agency for Restructure of the Economy. Branko Vujovic, head of Montenegro’s Agency for Economic Restructuring and …

The United States has for the first time acknowledged Serbia’s efforts to arrest the remaining two war crime fugitives, Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic, and hand them over to the United Nations court in The Hague, said Rasim Ljajic, Serbia’s point man for cooperation with the Tribunal. After meeting the …

The Tahiri family from the western Macedonian town of Tetovo were shocked to find out they had mistakenly mourned and buried a Turkish man instead of their mother. Both the Turkish man and the 65-year old woman died in Germany and their remains were supposed to be transported by plane …

Serbs from north Kosovo blocked the roads at the border with Serbia on Thursday morning in protest at the European Union reopening two customs points that were burnt down just after Kosovo’s declaration of independence last February. The two border points, known as 1 and 31, were set on fire …

The two presidential candidates viewed as favorites in Macedonia’s March 22 election, both employed as professors at the Skopje law faculty, have not received pay checks for two months, sharing the fate of thousands of Macedonians who are still awaiting late salary payments. According to a report in Macedonian daily …

Serbia’s dinar currency, that has lost 25 percent of its value in the last three months, will soon become stable and the state will keep its floating rate to avoid big wage cuts, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said. “We expect the dinar to become stable, ” he said in an …

Two months into the mandate of the European Union police and justice mission, officials and legal professionals in Kosovo say they find the EULEX-operated courts stricter, more procedural, but also more professional and effective compared to the judicial authorities run by the United Nations mission . The United Nations mission …