The mass protests by students against a politically appointed rector in an Istanbul university have turned into a broader battle for democracy and the rights that the government has taken away.

In Skenderaj/Srbica, hometown of several Kosovo Liberation Army commanders including ex-President Hashim Thaci, who is awaiting trial in The Hague for war crimes, tensions have risen amid a strong opposition challenge in the election campaign.

Court records in Bosnia reveal that prominent members of Serb nationalist Chetnik organisations have been charged with war crimes, while the Bosnian Security Ministry has warned that such groups are extremists who could pose a security risk.