Balkans

Kasim Dal, a former close ally of Bulgarian ethnic Turkish leader Ahmed Dogan, has indicated that he will form a new political party.Dal plans to form the party alongside independent MP Korman Ismailov. Both men were previously members of the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, which is …

Prime Ministers Hashim Thaci and Ivica Dacic are to sit at the same table on Tuesday at the UN Security Council to debate Kosovo’s progress – but no handshake is expected.The Prime Ministers of Kosovo and Serbia are to address the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday to discuss the …

Serbia should take part in all regional meetings, whether or not Kosovo representatives are present, the director of Serbia’s EU Integration Office, Milan Pajevic, said.The director of the Serbian government’s EU Integration Office said that accepting the presence of Kosovo representatives at international meetings did not imply recognition of Kosovo’s …

Constitutional Court decides by six votes to three that the result of an impeachment referendum against President Traian Basescu was invalid.By a majority of six votes to three, the judges of the court decided that the July 29 referendum on the President’s future was not valid because turnout did not …

For the first time, the University of Belgrade has found its place on the list of the 500 best universities in the world.After years of trying to enter the so-called Shanghai list, the University of Belgrade has finally won its place there – one of only two in the region. …

New US ambassador urges Kosovo to show results when it comes to pledges to enforce the rule of law.The United States expects concrete results from Kosovo in fighting organized crime and corruption. This is the message that Washington’s new ambassador, Tracey Jacobson, brought to Pristina on presenting her credentials to …

Bosnia looks likely to miss the EU’s August 31 deadline to resolve the question of the 2009 Sejdic-Finci ruling.The EU “Road Map” for Bosnia – a list of obligations that the country has to meet by given deadlines, given in June in Brussels – is likely to be missed if …

Catholic bishop criticizes atheist Prime Minister for not having gone to church on the day marking Croatian statehood on June 25.Bishop Vlado Kosic of Sisak, said while presiding over a religious service that Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, a declared atheist, was deliberately promoting atheism.

A worldwide survey by the Pew Research Center finds Muslims in the Balkans are markedly less rigorous in their religious practices than their counterparts elsewhere.According to the survey less than half of the Muslims surveyed in the Balkans see religion as central to their lives – and only 15 per …

Agency blamed deteriorating finances and recent measures strengthening parliament’s control over the central bank.The US agency Fitch Ratings has downgraded Serbia’s outlook from stable to negative, citing the weakening fiscal position and low economic growth. “The negative outlook reflects the deterioration in the country’s fiscal and external financing position and …