Balkans

At their next meeting with Serbian prosecutors EU investigators will consider whether to examine an unnamed witness who claims he removed a Serbian prisoner’s heart – which was then handed to a client at Tirana airport.A member of the EU special investigation team for the Kosovo organ trafficking case said …

The Supreme Court on Monday disqualified as evidence a key video, which appeared to show former economy minister Dritan Prifti sharing a hefty bribe with his former deputy.Fatmir Braka, Prifit’s lawyer, said the judges had ruled the video inadmissible as proof on the defence’s request. “Because the video is inadmissible, …

Civil society activists and officials have condemned the beating up of three men – two of whom took part in making a video promoting gay rights in Montenegro.Danilo Marunovic, director of the video, Todor Vujosevic, an actor in it, and their friend, Mirko Boskovic, a journalist at Montenegro’s public broadcaster, …

Belgrade has acted to restore IMF confidence by adopting a draft budget review and a package of anti-crisis measures.Serbia’s Socialist-led government has adopted a 2012 draft budget review and 12 laws regulating public finance, designed to avert financial collapse. The measures aim to reduce Serbia’s consolidated budget deficit from 7.1 …

The US embassy attacker, Mevlid Jasarevic, was removed from court for showing disrespect while his wife’s statement was read out; in it, she recalled her attempts to disssuade him from going to Sarajevo.The statement of Mirela Demirovic, Jasarevic’s unmarried wife, previously given to investigators, was read out at the trial …

A new TV station, A3, will try to revive the spirit of the once prominent national station, A1 TV, which was shut down last year by the authorities.The new station’s editor-in-chief, Aco Kabranov, said he intended to bring back the old A1 team of journalists. “We will bring back 80 …

A French minister is flying to Romania to try and get Bucharest to address the problem of Romanian Roma now living illegally in France.The French Interior Minister, Manuel Valls, and the Minister for European Affairs, Bernard Cazeneuve, are to come to Romania on Wednesday to discuss the sensitive situation of …

As the period of international supervision of Kosovo’s independence draws to a close, Prime Minister Thaci hails a milestone in the country’s history and promises a new deal for disaffected Serbs in the north.After 13 years of international oversight, Kosovo formally obtained full independence on Monday when Western Powers terminated …

Sarajevo is hosting hundreds of religious, political and cultural leaders from more than 60 countries as part of the International Gathering for Peace.The event, organised by the Christian Community of Sant’Egidio from Italy, was held with the help of Islamic, Catholic and Jewish communities in Bosnia and the Orthodox Church …

The president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said Montenegro is likely to become the EU’s 29th member.Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, has told Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic that the small Adriatic country is likely to become the next EU member state after Croatia joins in …