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☆ Serbia's Parliament Convenes as Opposition Protests Vote Result
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

On Dec. 17, President Aleksandar Vucic's populist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) secured nearly 47% of the votes in the parliamentary election and the opposition alliance Serbia Against Violence (SPN) almost 24%. At the opening session, opposition lawmakers blew whistles and waved banners reading "Election fraud" and "You stole elections", trading insults with their SNS counterparts. Radomir Lazovic, an opposition lawmaker, said plainclothed police and the parliament's security detail had stepped up checks at the parliament building to intimidate the opposition. Since the election, the SPN, other opposition parties and civil society groups have staged protests to demand a rerun of the vote. Serbia's opposition and rights watchdogs accuse Vucic and the SNS of stifling media freedoms, violence against opponents, corruption, and ties with organised crime.

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic's, Radomir Lazovic, Marinika, Vucic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Ros Russell Organizations: BELGRADE, Reuters, Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, European Union Locations: Serbia

☆ Serbian Journalists Protest Acquittal of Suspects in 1999 Killing of Colleague
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Dozens of Serbian journalists and rights activists protested peacefully in Belgrade on Monday against the acquittal of four men who had previously been sentenced over the 1999 killing of opposition journalist and newspaper publisher Slavko Curuvija. The Belgrade-based Appellate Court announced the acquittal last week of four State Security operatives, including Radomir Markovic, the former head of the agency. The protesters carried a banner reading "You killed justice, but truth lives on," which they left in front of the building housing the Appellate Court in downtown Belgrade. Dusko Milenkovic, the head of the Appellate Court, said the court had concluded that the prosecution "did not provide enough evidence to prove the indictment." The Supreme Court has the power to overturn the Appellate Court's decision and order a retrial.

Persons: Slavko Curuvija, Radomir Markovic, Curuvija, Slobodan Milosevic's, Markovic, Dusko Milenkovic, Ivan Stambolic, Vuk Draskovic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Timothy Heritage Organizations: BELGRADE, Reuters, State Security, Journalists ' Association of Serbia, Milosevic, NATO, Serbia Locations: Belgrade, Curuvija, Kosovo

[1/3] Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov disembarks from a plane upon his arrival at an airport ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Skopje, North Macedonia, November 30, 2023. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told reporters on Wednesday in Brussels where he attended a NATO meeting. The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said he understood unease about Lavrov attending the meeting in Skopje, North Macedonia. But he said it was a chance for Lavrov to hear broad condemnation of Russia's war in Ukraine. I think that is simply wrong," said Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins.

Persons: Sergei Lavrov disembarks, Russia's Sergei Lavrov, Margus Tsahkna, Lavrov, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Dimitar Kovacevski, OSCE Michael Carpenter, Antony Blinken, Helga Schmid, Krisjanis Karins, Humeyra Pamuk, Aleksandar Vasovic, Ronald Popeski, Francois Murphy, William Maclean, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Organisation for Security, Cooperation, Russian Foreign Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Organization for Security, Baltic, OSCE, Soviet, NATO, Tass, Russian, North Macedonia's, Kremlin, AS, Ukraine, United, U.S, United Nations General Assembly, Thomson Locations: Europe, Skopje, North Macedonia, BRUSSELS, VIENNA, Ukraine, U.S, Russia, Estonian, Brussels, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Belarus, United States, Moscow, West, New York, Latvian

☆ Serbia's police detain over 4,500 migrants, seize weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Detained migrants sit on their knees with cuffed hands, at their makeshift camp close to the Serbia-Hungary border, near the city of Subotica, Serbia September 12, 2023. It said that eight smugglers and 119 people have been arrested on charges including human trafficking and illegal possession of weapons and drugs. Many migrants cross borders with the help of elaborate networks of smugglers who are sometimes armed, and shootouts between criminal groups are frequent. Last month three migrants died in a shootout near Serbia's border with Hungary, a route increasingly used by people smugglers for entering the European Union. Belgrade has pledged to align its visa policies with those of the EU to help stem the flow of illegal migrants westward.

Persons: Marko Djurica, Djurovic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights BELGRADE, Serbian, Serbian Ministry of Interior, Internal, European Union, Center for Protection, Asylum, RTV TV, Thomson Locations: Serbia, Hungary, Subotica, Sombor, Kikinda, Hungarian, Pirot, Bulgaria, East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Africa, Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia's, Austria, Belgrade

☆ Serbia's Vucic dissolves parliament, sets snap vote for Dec 17
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The parliamentary election will coincide with local votes in 65 municipalities, including the capital Belgrade. Experts say the vote and an absence of a working parliament, will allow Vucic to buy time and delay decisions over ties with independent and predominantly Albanian Kosovo, which Serbia still sees as its southern province. Opposition parties and rights groups accuse Vucic, the SNS and its allies of autocracy, oppressing media freedoms, election fraud, violence against political opponents, corruption and ties with organised crime. After signing the decree, Vucic said it was important for Serbia to "preserve peace, stability, and internal cohesion and (to) show democracy". "This campaign is an opportunity to present different ideas, programs, policies ... , but which must never threaten vital interests of Serbia," he said.

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic, Vucic, Ursula von der Leyen, Stata, Aleksandar Vasovic, Andrew Cawthorne, Alison Williams Organizations: EU, Russia, Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, Thomson Locations: BELGRADE, Serbian, Kosovo, Belgrade, Albanian Kosovo, Serbia, Ukraine

☆ Montenegro votes in new government with Milojko Spajic prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Members of 44th Montenegrin government pose for a family photo in front of the parliament in Podgorica, Montenegro, October 31, 2023. The new government, led by economist Milojko Spajic of the Europe Now Movement, will have 18 ministries and five deputy-prime ministers. It will include the centre-right pro-European Democrats, the pro-Serbian Socialist People's Party and five parties of the Albanian minority. Montenegro joined NATO in 2017, a year after a botched coup attempt that the then government blamed on Russian agents and Serbian nationalists. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, Montenegro, unlike Serbia, joined EU sanctions against Moscow, sent aid to Ukraine and expelled a number of Russian diplomats.

Persons: Stevo, Milojko Spajic, Spajic, Andrija Mandic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European Union, European Democrats, Serbian Socialist People's Party, NATO, World Bank, EU, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Montenegrin, Podgorica, Montenegro, Rights PODGORICA, Europe, Serbian, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine

☆ ECB's Schnabel can't rule out more hikes amid inflation risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Isabel Schnabel, member of the German advisory board of economic experts attends the 29th Frankfurt European Banking Congress (EBC) at the Old Opera house in Frankfurt, Germany November 22, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank may need to raise interest rates again if wages, profits or new supply snags boost inflation, ECB board member Isabel Schnabel said in an interview published on Friday. Schnabel said a recent moderation in inflation, which fell to its lowest level in two years at 4.3% in September, was "encouraging" but risks abounded, from stronger-than-expected wages or profits to new disruption to supply. "I still see upside risks to inflation," Schnabel told Croatian newspaper Jutarnji list. But Schnabel played down the chances of such a move in the near term.

Persons: Isabel Schnabel, Ralph Orlowski, Schnabel, Aleksandar Vasovic, Francesco Canepa, Christina Fincher, Toby Chopra Organizations: Frankfurt, Banking Congress, Old Opera, REUTERS, Rights, European Central Bank, ECB, Croatian, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Belgrade

☆ ECB's Schnabel keeps more hikes on table amid inflation risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Isabel Schnabel, member of the German advisory board of economic experts attends the 29th Frankfurt European Banking Congress (EBC) at the Old Opera house in Frankfurt, Germany November 22, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank may need to raise interest rates again if wages, profits or new supply snags boost inflation, ECB board member Isabel Schnabel said in an interview published on Friday. "I still see upside risks to inflation," Schnabel told Croatian newspaper Jutarnji list. "If they materialise, further interest rate hikes could be necessary at some point." Reporting By Aleksandar Vasovic in Belgrade Writing by Francesco Canepa in Frankfurt Editing by Christina Fincher私たちの行動規範：トムソン・ロイター「信頼の原則」

Persons: Isabel Schnabel, Ralph Orlowski, Schnabel, Aleksandar Vasovic, Francesco Canepa, Christina Fincher 私 Organizations: Frankfurt, Banking Congress, Old Opera, REUTERS, Rights, European Central Bank, ECB, Croatian Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Belgrade

☆ Serbia Lowers Number of Troops Near Kosovo, Army Chief of Staff Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

"Serbia had deployed 8,350 troops near (the border) ... with Kosovo, ... and reduced them to 4,500 at the moment," Mojsilovic said. He said the army presence in the so-called Ground Safety Zone, a 5 kilometre-wide (3-mile) strip inside Serbia along the Kosovo border, had "reverted to normal." Serbia has not "formally raised the level of readiness" of its 22,500-strong army, Mojsilovic said. Some 50,000 Serbs who live in northern Kosovo do not recognise Pristina's institutions and see Belgrade as their capital. NATO, which still has 4,500 troops in Kosovo, said on Friday it had "authorised additional forces to address the current situation".

Persons: General Milan Mojsilovic, Mojsilovic, Milan Radoicic, Ivana Sekularac, Aleksandar Vasovic, Alex Richardson Organizations: BELGRADE, Reuters, NATO, Kosovo police, Belgrade Locations: Serbia, Kosovo, Belgrade, Pristina, Kosovo's, Banjska, Serbian, Albanian Kosovo, United States, Kosovo Serb

☆ Serbia lowers number of troops near Kosovo, army chief of staff says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kosovo police officers patrol, in the aftermath of a shooting incident, in Banjska village, Kosovo September 27, 2023. "Serbia had deployed 8,350 troops near (the border) ... with Kosovo, ... and reduced them to 4,500 at the moment," Mojsilovic said. He said the army presence in the so-called Ground Safety Zone, a 5 kilometre-wide (3-mile) strip inside Serbia along the Kosovo border, had "reverted to normal." Serbia has not "formally raised the level of readiness" of its 22,500-strong army, Mojsilovic said. Some 50,000 Serbs who live in northern Kosovo do not recognise Pristina's institutions and see Belgrade as their capital.

Persons: Ognen, General Milan Mojsilovic, Mojsilovic, Milan Radoicic, Ivana Sekularac, Aleksandar Vasovic, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, NATO, Kosovo police, Belgrade, Thomson Locations: Banjska village, Kosovo, Serbia, Belgrade, Pristina, Kosovo's, Banjska, Serbian, Albanian Kosovo, United States, Kosovo Serb

Some 50,000 Serbs who live in north Kosovo, do not recognise Pristina institutions and see Belgrade as their capital. Vucic told Reuters that Belgrade condemned the killing of the policeman, adding Serbia "will launch proceedings before appropriate judicial bodies" and investigate suspects. Belgrade finances schools, public health system, and most of other institutions in parts of Kosovo where Serbs constitute a majority. Vucic accused Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti of wanting to expel Serbs from Kosovo and of stalling a compromise solution needed for mending the ties between Belgrade and Pristina. "For us the position (in Kosovo) is clearly dreadful, but ... we have to be with our people, ... (and) try to preserve peace," Vucic said.

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic, Vucic, Veton Elshani, ”, Vjosa Osmani, Milan Radoicic, Albin Kurti, Kurti, Ivana Sekularac, Aleksandar Vasovic, Fatos Bytyci, Alison Williams Organizations: Reuters, BELGRADE, Kosovo police, Kosovo Albanian, Kosovo, Pristina, EU, NATO, Serbian, United Nations Security, of, Serbia, Thomson Locations: Reuters Belgrade, Serb, Serbia, Kosovo, Pristina, Belgrade, Serbian, Banjska, Albanian, Vucic, Russia, China, of Serb Municipalities

Kosovo authorities say around 30 heavily armed Serbs stormed the village of Banjska on Sunday, battling police and barricading themselves into the Serbian Orthodox monastery. Police recaptured the monastery late on Sunday after three attackers and one police officer were killed. Kosovo has accused Serbia of backing the armed militants; Serbia says Kosovo is to blame for mistreating residents in the Serb-majority area. It said one of them was Milan Radojcic, a Kosovo Serb politician and one of the leaders of the Serb List party. Serb List was the dominant Serb party in Kosovo's parliament before Serbs from the north and those loyal to Belgrade boycotted Kosovo's institutions nearly a year ago.

Persons: Milos Vucevic, Bjoern Arild Gram, Ognen, Aleksandar Vucic, Albin, Kurti's, Milan Radojcic, Dejan, Dusan Maksimovic, Fatos Bytyci, Aleksandar Vasovic, Ivana Sekularac, Christina Fincher, Alison Williams Organizations: Kovoso Police, Kosovo police, Police, ", Kosovo Serbs, REUTERS, KFOR, Kosovo, Reuters, Belgrade, Kosovo's, Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party, Thomson Locations: PRISTINA, BELGRADE, Kosovo, Banjska, Serbian, Serbia, NATO, Belgrade, Pristina, Serb, Zvecan, United States, EU, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Kosovo Serb, Kosovo's

☆ Montenegrins vie for record in lying down contest
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Participants lay inside a hut, as they participate in a satirical contest to mock a popular myth that labels Montenegrins as lazy people, in the village of Brezna, Pluzine, Montenegro, September 6, 2023. REUTERS/Stevo Vasiljevic Acquire Licensing RightsBREZNA, Montenegro, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Seven competitors lying down on mats are vying for the coveted title of "Laziest Citizen" after smashing the previous record in a satirical contest held annually in a holiday resort in northern Montenegro. A lying down record of 117 hours was set at last year's contest in the resort village of Brezna, but as this year's competition entered a 20th day on Thursday, the remaining contestants said they were determined to keep going. She said the seven remaining contestants from a starting field of 21 had been lying down for 463 hours so far. ($1 = 0.9338 euros)Reporting by Stevo Vasiljevic and Aleksandar Vasovic Editing by Helen PopperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stevo, Dubravka Aksic, Radonja Blagojevic, Filip Knezevic, Stevo Vasiljevic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Helen Popper Our Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Brezna, Pluzine, Montenegro, Mojkovac

☆ Wild horses prosper on Serbia's Mt. Stolovi
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Slavljub Nikolic is seen with a wild horse on the mountain Stolovi in Serbia, August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Zorana Jevtic Acquire Licensing RightsSTOLOVI, Serbia, Sept 1 (Reuters) - A herd of about 40 mares, stallions and foals graze lazily on dry grass over the rugged Stolovi mountain in Serbia's southwest, one out of three such bands of wild horses in the Balkan country. The horses, mainly from the sturdy Bosnian Mountain Horse breed used as pack animals and in agriculture, were brought to Mt. Away from humans, the animals gradually became feral, reverting to behaviour more closely resembling that of wild horses, 73-year-old farmer Slavoljub Nikolic said on Thursday. The Stolovi herd is the second biggest in Serbia.

Persons: Slavljub Nikolic, Zorana, Slavoljub Nikolic, " Nikolic, Nikolic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Louise Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Serbia, Serbia's, Balkan, Mt, Stolovi, Suva Planina

☆ Serbia joins Ukraine's Crimea platform, vows friendship with Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BELGRADE, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Serbia on Wednesday joined a Ukraine-led platform on the reintegration of Crimea, signalling a swing away from Russia, a historical ally and its sole supplier of natural gas. In an online address to the forum, Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said Serbia "sincerely regrets the suffering of Ukraine and Ukrainian people." The Crimea Platform was launched by Zelenskiy in 2021 with the aim of reintegrating the Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014. In April, leaked Pentagon documents showed Serbia had agreed to supply arms and ammunition to Kyiv, or sent them to Ukraine. Vucic said Serbia had never sold weapons or ammunition to Ukraine or Russia although Serbian arms might have reached the battlefield via third countries.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Aleksandar Vucic, Ana Brnabic, Vucic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Wednesday, Serbian, Serbia's, Zelenskiy, NATO, European Union, United Nations, Thomson Locations: BELGRADE, Serbia, Ukraine, Crimea, Russia, Athens, Ukrainian, United States, Great Britain, Moscow, Kosovo, Belgrade, Serbian

☆ Ukrainian and Serbian presidents hold 'good' and 'open' talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, August 21, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic held talks in Athens on Tuesday which both leaders described as "good" and "open". Vucic said Serbia had never sold weapons or ammunition to Ukraine or Russia although Serbian arms might have reached the battlefield via third countries. "An open, honest, and fruitful meeting with the President of Serbia," Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app under a photograph of the two leaders shaking hands. "We have tackled developments in Ukraine and Kosovo and I have stressed once again that Serbia respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Vucic wrote.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Aleksandar Vucic, Vucic, Zelenskiy, ’, Dan Peleschuk, Max Hunder, Aleksandar Vasovic, Timothy Organizations: Serbian, Presidential Press Service, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, United Nations, European Union, UN, Balkan, EU, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Serbian, Serbia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Kosovo, Belgrade, Kyiv

Archaeologists excavate the hull of a wooden ship, an ancient Roman flat-hulled riverine vessel at the ancient city of Viminacium, near Kostolac, Serbia, August 2, 2023. REUTERS/Zorana Jevtic/File PhotoKOSTOLAC, Serbia, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Archaeologists in Serbia are painstakingly brushing sand and soil off the ancient woodwork of a Roman ship discovered by miners in a vast opencast coal quarry. "We may assume that this ship is Roman, but we are unsure of its exact age," he told Reuters at the dusty site hanging precariously above a vast open coal pit. The intention is to put the latest discovery on display with thousands of artefacts unearthed from Viminacium near the town of Kostolac, 70 km (45 miles) east of Belgrade. Mladen Jovicic, who is part of the team working on the newly-discovered ship, said moving its 13-metre hull without breaking it would be tough.

Persons: Zorana, Viminacium, Miomir Korac, Mladen Jovicic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Viminacium, Kostolac, Serbia, Roman, Moesia Superior, Belgrade

☆ Wildfires spread near Croatia's Adriatic pearl of Dubrovnik
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SARAJEVO, July 25 (Reuters) - Firefighters battled wildfires that were spreading in the area south of the Croatian Adriatic city of Dubrovnik late on Tuesday, with strong southerly winds preventing deployment of aircraft and landmines exploding, local media reported. "A hurricane southern wind blowing in the Dubrovnik-Neretva canton has fuelled a widespread open space fire in the area of the Dubrovnik Plat community," the Croatian Firefighters Community (HVZ) said on its website. The area affected by fire is just 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from the medieval Mediterranean town of Dubrovnik, a top tourist destination in Croatia. Another bushfire occurred in the Split-Dalmatian county on Tuesday, with 65 firefighters and three aircraft battling the flames. Also on Tuesday, two people drowned and several were injured in neighbouring Montenegro when strong southern winds hit its coast, port authorities in the towns of Ulcinj and Petrovac said.

Persons: Petrovac, Daria Sito, Aleksandar Vasovic, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Firefighters, Croatian Firefighters, Canadair, Local, Thomson Locations: SARAJEVO, Croatian Adriatic, Dubrovnik, Neretva, Croatia, Local Dubrovnik, Du, Dalmatian, Montenegro, Ulcinj, Europe

☆ Three dead in storm in Croatia and Slovenia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BELGRADE, July 19 (Reuters) - Three people were killed in a severe thunderstorm that hit Slovenia and Croatia on Wednesday, as parts of Europe struggled with record-high temperatures and wildfires, authorities said. In Croatia two people were killed and several were injured, the Civilian Defense Department said on its website. In neighboring Slovenia a woman was killed by a falling branch, and at least one person was injured, authorities said. Meteorologists in Serbia also issued a weather alert and warned that the so-called supercell storm, which brings hurricane-force winds, hail and rain, was moving in from Croatia and was expected to hit the country later in the day. Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aleksandar Vasovic, Richard Chang Organizations: Civilian Defense Department, Thomson Locations: BELGRADE, Slovenia, Croatia, Europe, Serbia

☆ Cerberus heatwave fans out to Balkans
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] A couple covered in mud that is believed to be curative sit at the Queen's beach in Nin, Croatia, July 13, 2023. REUTERS/Antonio BronicBELGRADE, July 13 (Reuters) - Swathes of the Balkans sweltered in temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Thursday in a heatwave named "Cerberus", after the three-headed dog of the underworld in Greek mythology, that has fanned across Europe. In the country's Adriatic resort of Nin, dozens of beachgoers covered themselves in thick black mud believed to have medicinal properties and an effective sunscreen. Temperatures were expected to stay around 40 degrees Celsius across the region into next week. Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic in Belgrade and Antonio Bronic in Nin; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antonio Bronic, Josef, Aleksandar Vasovic, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, Antonio Bronic BELGRADE, Thomson Locations: Nin, Croatia, Antonio, Balkans, Europe, Sibenik, Slovakia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, Belgrade

☆ Ukraine reports 'particularly fruitful' few days in counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The last few days have been particularly fruitful," he said, without providing any details from the battlefield. On Monday, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said fighting had surged around the eastern city of Bakhmut, captured by Russian forces in May. She said the Ukrainian military had taken back 37.4 square kilometres (14.4 square miles) of territory overall in heavy fighting in the past week. He said the Ukrainian military was managing to hold back an attempted advance by Russian forces in the Lyman, Avdiivka and Marinka directions in eastern Ukraine. Russian shelling on Tuesday morning killed a man and a woman in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, the local prosecutor's office said.

Persons: Read, Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine's, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Valeriy Shershen, Hanna Maliar, Andriy Kovalev, Avdiivka, Aleksandar Vasovic, Timothy Organizations: SIRKO TEAM, 225TH, Russian, National Security, Defence Council, Russia, Ukraine's Defense Forces, Ukraine's National Security, Defence, Twitter, Ukraine, Lyman, Reuters, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Russian, Northwest Bakhmut, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, KYIV, Ukrainian, Moscow, Bakhmut, Russia, Kherson

☆ Bill Clinton tells Kosovo: stop 'foolishness' in Serb-majority north
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Former U.S. president Bill Clinton delivers his speech during a welcoming in Tirana, Albania, July 3, 2023. REUTERS/Florion GogaTIRANA, July 3 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, largely credited for ending the Kosovo war more than two decades ago, on Monday told Kosovo's government to stop its actions in the Serb majority north, where tension has flared over the past few months. But the real thing we need to do is to stop this foolishness," Clinton said during a ceremony in Tirana where he received a medal from Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama. The United States and the European Union, Kosovo's main allies, have mainly blamed Prime Minister Albin Kurti for igniting tension in the north by installing four mayors in their offices with police despite objections from local Serbs. In Belgrade, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said growing tensions between Belgrade and Pristina "cause great concern, as well as the increase in violence".

Persons: Bill Clinton, Kosovo's, Clinton, Albin Kurti, Mark Rutte, Aleksandar Vucic, Rutte, Fatos Bytyci, Aleksandar Vasovic, Sonali Paul Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Former U.S, Monday, NATO, Albania's, Edi Rama, Kosovo, Serbia's, European Union, Dutch, EU, Thomson Locations: Tirana, Albania, Florion, TIRANA, Former, Kosovo, Pristina, Serbia, Serbian, Kosovo Albanian, United States, Belgrade, Europe, Ukraine, Florion Goga

☆ Serbia releases three detained Kosovo policemen, easing crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The European Union welcomed the move and urged Kosovo and Serbia to take further steps to defuse the simmering crisis, including holding new local elections in northern Kosovo. [1/5]One of the released Kosovan policemen (L) arrives at the Kosovo-Serbia border crossing, in Merdare, Kosovo June 26, 2023. The ruling effectively allowed the Serb authorities to maintain the charges while letting the three return to Kosovo, beyond the reach of the Serb court. Albanian-majority Kosovo, formerly a southern province of Serbia, declared independence from Belgrade in 2008 with the backing of the West following a 1998-99 war. Violence flared in four northern Kosovo municipalities late last month after ethnic Albanian mayors took office following a local election.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Albin Kurti, Kurti, Oliver Varhelyi, Aleksandar Vasovic, Fatos, Andrew Gray, Toby Chopra, Andrew Heavens, Alex Richardson Organizations: European Union, Prosecutors, REUTERS, Court, Kosovo's, Twitter, Thomson Locations: BELGRADE, Serbia, Kosovo, Luxembourg, United States, Merdare, Serbian, Kraljevo, Belgrade, Serbs, Brussels, Washington, EU, Pristina

☆ Serbia army chief urges NATO, international agencies to protect Kosovo Serbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BELGRADE/PRISTINA, June 23 (Reuters) - Serbia's army commander urged NATO peacekeepers and other international bodies on Friday to step up measures to protect minority Serbs in Kosovo, adding that "the international community is not fulfilling its obligations." Mojsilovic in a rare public address said he had asked NATO peacekeeping mission KFOR and other international bodies to undertake urgent measures to protect ethnic Serbs there. Earlier on Friday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was "very alarmed" by the situation in northern Kosovo, citing "extrajudicial arrests" of Kosovo Serbs and the march by Kosovo Security Forces "followed by heavy rhetoric from Serbia". Ethnic Serbs, who make up the majority of the population in the region, had boycotted the vote. Ethnic Albanians make up more than 90% of the population in Kosovo, while the Serbs form the majority in four northern municipalities and several enclaves inside Kosovo.

Persons: Milan Mojsilovic, Mojsilovic, Xhelal Svecla, Svecla, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Armend Mehaj, Aleksandar Vasovic, Fatos, Andrew Gray, Hugh Lawson, Mark Porter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: NATO, European Union, KFOR, Belgrade, Kosovo Security Forces, Kosovo, Twitter, Kosovo Defence, Kosovo police, Serbian, Thomson Locations: BELGRADE, PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbia, Mitrovica, Mojsilovic, Zvecan, Kosovo Serbs, Serbian, Brussels, Belgrade, Pristina, Yugoslavia, Montenegro

☆ No breakthrough as EU's Borrell holds crisis talks with Kosovo, Serbia leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, June 22 (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell proposed steps to end weeks of violence in predominantly Serb areas of northern Kosovo to the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia on Thursday, but there were no signs of an immediate breakthrough. Tensions worsened after Serbian police arrested three Kosovo policeman last week, saying they crossed the border between the two countries. The top EU diplomat said he asked Kurti "to announce early elections, as soon as possible, in all four municipalities on condition of participation of Kosovo Serbs". "Here is the core of the problem and also the core of the solution - early elections, as soon as possible," Borrell told reporters after four hours of talks. Vucic said he was ready for more talks with EU mediators, adding that meeting Kurti in person "makes no sense".

Persons: Josep Borrell, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Borrell, Kurti, Borell, Vucic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Andrew Grey, Fatos, Alex Richardson Organizations: Kosovo, Kosovo police, EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Kosovo, Serbia, Pristina, Serbian, Brussels, Kosovo Serb, Kosovo Serbs, EU

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