Top Story
Journalists in Xharra Case Were 'Misunderstood'
Some of the journalists accused of waging a hate campaign against BIRN Kosovo director Jeta Xharra said their articles had been misinterpreted.
Politics and Society
Serbia Arrests Two Over 1999 Kosovo Massacre
Serbian police have arrested two men, including a current member of the country’s special police unit, on suspicion that they helped murder at least 65 Albanian civilians in a Kosovo village.
Kosovo PM Asked to Testify at Limaj Trial
Kosovo’s former transport minister Fatmir Limaj has demanded that high-profile politicians including Prime Minister Hashim Thaci testify at his trial for organised crime and corruption.
Kosovo Begins ‘Tolerance and Reconciliation Week’
Officials have launched a week-long series of events aimed at raising awareness about tolerance, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence between different religious faiths in Kosovo.
Serbia's Presevo Albanians Ask Pristina for Support
As Pristina and Belgrade seek agreement on implementing their EU-brokered deal, Albanian leaders in Serbia’s Presevo Valley are urging the Kosovo authorities to help them win more rights.
Croatia Leads Balkans on Gay Rights Legislation
Croatia leads the Balkans in providing the best legal environment for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people, while Macedonia offers the least protection, new research says.
Kosovo Local Elections Could Be Delayed Until 2014
Kosovo wants to hold local elections in October, but if conditions are not right in the Serb-run north of Kosovo they could be postponed until spring 2014, sources told BIRN.
Guns Banned for Kosovo Serb ‘Defenders’, Warns NATO
NATO’s Kosovo force warned that only authorised policing groups are allowed to carry weapons in northern Kosovo, not Serb-organised ‘civil defence’ units.
Kosovo MPs Criticised for War Commemoration Sessions
Lawmakers were advised to find different ways of remembering wartime fighters and victims after a series of parliamentary sessions commemorating individual ‘martyrs’.
Business
PTK Buyer Spies Gold in Call Centres
Telecom could become lead player in small but burgeoning industry in Kosovo, which is tapping the low-wage, multilingual workforce.
Bad Loans Soar as Kosovo Economy Stumbles
A 30-per-cent spike in non-performing loans points to a decline in the country’s overall economic health.
Workers’ Day in Kosovo Blighted by Unemployment
As Kosovo marks International Workers’ Day, its official unemployment rate is over 35 per cent, but experts believe that the real number of jobless people is much higher.
Offshore Cash Bankrolls PTK Purchase
ACP Axos Capital’s buyout of the Kosovo telecoms company is financed through a Caribbean tax haven but the purchasers deny claims that they’ve got something to hide.
Slovenian Investigation Ensnares IPKO
Corruption probe into Telekom Slovenije revives accusations that bribery helped secure the mobile phone license of Kosovo’s second-largest provider.
Culture and Lifestyle
Turks Bewitch The Balkans With Their Addictive Soaps
Turkish soaps have replaced Latin American shows as must-sees for many TV viewers in the Balkans - tapping into nostalgia for a system of family values that people in the region have lost, and lament.
Kusturica: West Kicking Serbs Out of Kosovo
Serbian film director says landmark Serbia-Kosovo deal concludes international community's job of creating monolithic ethnic communities in the Balkans.
Clearing the Cultural ‘Mines’ of the Balkan Wars
Kosovo playwright Jeton Neziraj discusses his work on such topics such as nationalism in art, Kosovo-Serbia relations, the links between religion and terrorism, and his new play on the possible independence of Wales.
Kosovo Organ Trafficking Inspires Kusturica Film
Renowned Serbian film director Emir Kusturica has announced that his new movie will deal with human organ trafficking, the focus of a current high-profile trial in Kosovo.
BIRN Fellows for 2013 Selected
The jury in the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence has selected 10 participants for this year’s programme.
Premium
Serbia’s Right-Wingers Dream of Nationalist Resurgence
The protests over the Kosovo agreement revealed deep divisions among Serbia's right-wingers, but they could still become a serious force if they tap into public disappointment with the government.
Zoran Raskovic - The Jackal Who Repented
PTK Buyer Spies Gold in Call Centres
Car Pollution Checks Fall by the Wayside
Press Review
Kosovo Press Review – May 22, 2013
Thaci and Dacic- close to an agreement. Internationals lack will on electoral reform. Kosovo institutions not updated on technology.
Country Profile
Figure in Focus
Ramush Haradinaj, Kosovo Rambo With a Taste for Politics
He had made a successful transition from guerrilla leader to politician - until The Hague threw its spanner in the works, not once but twice.
Key Political Parties
Key Political Parties in Kosovo
As preparations begin for Kosovo elections in the next four to six months, Balkan Insight brings you profiles of the main political parties which will be vying for power in the early poll.
