Balkans

European Union officials on Monday started discussing the appointment of a new peace overseer for Bosnia in the dual post of the Office of the High Representative, OHR and Special EU Representative, to replace outgoing envoy Miroslav Lajcak. Lajcak, announced his departure two weeks ago to take up the post …

Kosovo’s police detained some 40 Roma children for begging on the streets of Pristina at the weekend and sent them back to Albania, officials said. Thousands of Roma, including children and teenagers, have moved from Albania to Kosovo since the end of the 1998-99 war, many eking out a living …

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 …