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☆ Trial of Bosnian Serb Leader Dodik Formally Begins After Delays
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - The trial of Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik on charges of defying the rulings of an international peace envoy formally begun on Monday after delays due to his protests against judges he said were biased and other complaints. The trial is taking place at Bosnia´s state court in the capital Sarajevo. The state court dismissed Bubic's earlier requests for eight judges to be exempted from the case over alleged political biases against Dodik. Asked if he has understood the indictment, Dodik said he did not understand any part of it and that it represented a "distortion of facts". "It has not been backed by a single fact, it was done under political pressure by incompetent prosecutors," Dodik told the judge.

Persons: Milorad Dodik, Dodik, Goran Bubic, Sena Uzunovic, Judge Uzunovic, Christian Schmidt, Schmidt, Bubic's, Dodik's, Gordana Bosiljcic, ´, Dodik ´, Daria Sito, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Bosnia, High, United Nations Security Council Locations: SARAJEVO, Bosnian, Bosnia, Serb Republic, German, Sarajevo, Republic

☆ Montenegro court approves extradition of 'cryptocurrency king' Do Kwon
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Do Kwon, the cryptocurrency entrepreneur, who created the failed Terra (UST) stablecoin, is taken to court in Podgorica, Montenegro, March 24, 2023. The decision will be made after Do Kwon completes serving his prison sentence for document forgery, the court said. A South Korean national, Kwon is the former CEO of South Korea-based Terraform Labs, the company behind the stablecoin TerraUSD that collapsed in May 2022, roiling cryptocurrency markets. Following Kwon's arrest, the U.S. District Court in Manhattan made public an eight-count indictment against him for securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud and conspiracy. In late May, a Montenegrin court scrapped a bail of 800,000 euros for the pair, saying it could not be taken as a solid guarantee, nor their promise they would not run away once released from detention.

Persons: Kwon, Stevo, Do Kwon, Kwon ´, Han Chang, joon, Daria Sito, Mark Potter Organizations: UST, REUTERS, Rights, Police, Terraform Labs, Court, Korean, Labs, U.S, Thomson Locations: Podgorica, Montenegro, Rights SARAJEVO, South Korea, United States, U.S, Rican, Montenegrin, Dubai, Manhattan

☆ Bosnian, Palestinian Gaza evacuees arrive in Bosnia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Daria Sito-Sucic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Palestinians holding Bosnian citizenship and their relatives arrive at Sarajevo after having been evacuated to Egypt from Gaza, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, November 20, 2023. Another group of 11 Gaza evacuees was set to arrive later on Monday, Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic told reporters. "I have been in the Gaza Strip for 40 days of war," said Khaled Mosleh, a Palestinian with Bosnian residence who went to Gaza to visit a sick mother and got stuck there. Mosleh graduated from the Sarajevo medical school and lives in Bosnia with a Bosnian wife and five children. While happy to reunite with his Bosnian family, Mosleh said his heart was bleeding for his Gaza family.

Persons: Daria Sucic Sito, Elmedin Konakovic, Khaled Mosleh, Mosleh, Halid, Imad Sehada, Sumeja, Daria Sito, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Bosnian, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Sarajevo, Egypt, Gaza, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Rights SARAJEVO, Bosnian, Rafah

☆ NATO's Stoltenberg concerned by secessionist rhetoric in Bosnia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Daria Sito-Sucic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shakes hands with Bosnian Prime Minister Borjana Kristo during his visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, November 20, 2023. Bosnia emerged from a 1992-1995 war with a federal structure uniting a Serb-dominated republic with a federation of Croats and Bosniak Muslims. "We are concerned by secessionist and divisive rhetoric as well as .. foreign interference including Russia," Stoltenberg told reporters in Sarajevo, his first stop during a tour of the Western Balkans region. NATO has warned about risks for Bosnia from foreign interference, particularly from Russia, and agreed to help to shore up its ability to defend itself. Every country has the right to choose its security arrangements without foreign interference," Stoltenberg said after meeting the chairwoman of Bosnia's Council of Ministers, Borjana Kristo.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Borjana Kristo, Amel, Milorad Dodik, Stoltenberg, Christian Schmidt, " Stoltenberg, Borjana, Daria Sito, Toby Chopra, Peter Graff Organizations: NATO, Bosnian, REUTERS, Rights, Representative, UN Security Council, Bosnia's, Ministers, Thomson Locations: Sarajevo, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Rights SARAJEVO, Serbia, Russia, Western Balkans, Yugoslavia, masse, EU, Ukraine, Balkans, Bosnian, Russian Bosnian Serbs

☆ Coca Cola HBC withdraws some drinks in Croatia while illnesses investigated
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsZAGREB, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Coca Cola HBC said on Wednesday it was temporarily withdrawing batches of two soft drinks from sale in Croatia while the authorities there investigate cases of illness suspected to have been caused by the beverages. Earlier Croatia's state inspection office ordered the local arm of Coca Cola HBC, which distributes Coca-Cola products, to withdraw a batch of Coca-Cola Original Taste 500ml. At the weekend, a young man in the Adriatic town of Rijeka suffered throat injuries after consuming a Romerquelle Emotion drink. The individual is being treated in hospital, Health Minister Vili Beros said on Wednesday, later telling state television HRT that 13 other people across Croatia had also reported symptoms after consuming Coca Cola drinks. Coca Cola HBC said in its statement: "We are working closely with our customers throughout this process".

Persons: Arnd, Vili Beros, Antonio Bronic, Daria Sito, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Coca Cola HBC, Health, HRT, Thomson Locations: Glattbrugg, Switzerland, Rights ZAGREB, Croatia, Adriatic, Rijeka

☆ EU to Help Western Balkans Reforms With 6 Billion Euro Package - Von Der Leyen
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - The European Union plans to help the countries of the Western Balkans to pursue reforms needed for integration with the wealthy bloc with 6 billion euros investment, the EU executive's president Ursula von der Leyen said in Skopje on Monday. North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina all need to seize the "window of opportunity" for the enlargement of the EU and work to align their standards to those in the bloc, von der Leyen said. Von der Leyen said the EU's new growth plan for the region would include the opening of its common market to the Western Balkan countries in areas such as free movement of goods and services, transport and energy. "These reforms will come with investment," von der Leyen said during a news conference with North Macedonia's Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski at the start of her Western Balkans tour. "We have proposed a 6 billion euro ($6.34 billion) package for Western Balkan partners," she said.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Dimitar Kovacevski, Daria Sito, Alison Williams, Ed Osmond Organizations: European Union, EU, ., North Macedonia's, Western Balkan, Brussels Locations: SARAJEVO, Balkans, Skopje, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, EU, North Macedonia

☆ EU to help Western Balkans reforms with 6 billion euro package - von der Leyen
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SARAJEVO, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The European Union plans to help the countries of the Western Balkans pursue reforms needed for integration with the wealthy bloc with an investment of 6 billion euros ($6.4 billion), the EU executive's president, Ursula von der Leyen, said in Skopje on Monday. North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina all need to seize the "window of opportunity" for the enlargement of the EU and work to align their standards to those in the bloc, von der Leyen said. Von der Leyen said the EU's new growth plan for the region would include the opening of its common market to the Western Balkan countries in areas such as free movement of goods and services, transport and energy. It also urged the countries to open a common regional market, and pursue it with necessary reforms. "These reforms will come with investment," von der Leyen said during a press conference with North Macedonia Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski at the start of her Western Balkans tour.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Dimitar Kovacevski, Daria Sito, Fatos Bytyci, Alison Williams, Ed Osmond, Mark Porter Organizations: European Union, EU, ., North Macedonia, Brussels, Thomson Locations: SARAJEVO, Balkans, Skopje, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, EU, North Macedonia, Pristina

☆ Toxic smoke from Croatia depot fire spreads in region, may spell ecological risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Residents near the outskirts of Osijek where the fire began were urged to remain indoors and keep windows shut as clouds of thick, black smoke enshrouded the area. Schools were closed and there were unconfirmed reports the smoke was moving towards Bosnia in the south. Ivan Anušić, governor of the Osijek-Baranja region, accused the owners of the depot, Drava International, which makes plastics, of neglect and violations of law. "This has created an ecological disaster which will hit the whole region, and some neighbouring (regions) as well." [1/5]A firefighter stands near the fire at Drava International factory near Osijek, Croatia, October 4, 2023.

Persons: Ivan Anušić, Anusic, Antonio Bronic, Dragan Vulin, Zeljko, Daria Sito, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Residents, Drava, REUTERS, Reuters Television, Thomson Locations: OSIJEK, Croatia, Croatian, Osijek, Bosnia, Baranja, Drava's

☆ One Police Officer Killed, Another Hurt in Kosovo Gunfire - PM Kurti
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

PRISTINA (Reuters) - One Kosovo police officer was killed and another injured in a shooting in a village in the north of Kosovo early on Sunday, in the first such major violence in months, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a statement. "At this moment, gunfire with various caliber firearms against our police is still ongoing," Kurti said in a post on Facebook, describing the incident as terrorist action. Tensions have run high in Kosovo, the former Serbian province, after clashes in May when more than 90 NATO peacekeeping soldiers and some 50 Serb protesters were injured in northern Kosovo. Ethnic Albanians form more than 90% of the population in Kosovo, with Serbs being the majority only in its northern region where a Serb-majority municipalities association is planned. (Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; writing by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Jamie Freed and Bernadette Baum)

Persons: Albin Kurti, Kurti, Josep Borrell, Fatos Bytyci, Daria Sito, Jamie Freed, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Facebook, NATO Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbian

☆ One police officer killed, another hurt in Kosovo gunfire, PM Kurti says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PRISTINA, Sept 24 (Reuters) - One Kosovo police officer was killed and another injured in a shooting in a village in the north of Kosovo early on Sunday, in the first such major violence in months, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a statement. "At this moment, gunfire with various caliber firearms against our police is still ongoing," Kurti said in a post on Facebook, describing the incident as terrorist action. Tensions have run high in Kosovo, the former Serbian province, after clashes in May when more than 90 NATO peacekeeping soldiers and some 50 Serb protesters were injured in northern Kosovo. Ethnic Albanians form more than 90% of the population in Kosovo, with Serbs being the majority only in its northern region where a Serb-majority municipalities association is planned. read moreReporting by Fatos Bytyci; writing by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Jamie Freed and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Albin Kurti, Kurti, Josep Borrell, Fatos Bytyci, Daria Sito, Jamie Freed, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Facebook, NATO, Thomson Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbian

☆ Bulgarian nationalists protest against NATO bases, want government out
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Stoyan Nenov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SOFIA, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Bulgarian police on Thursday scuffled with supporters of the ultra-nationalist Vazrazhdane (Revival) party protesting against the policies of the pro-Western government, calling for the government to resign and for the closure of NATO military bases. Many shouted "Resignation", while fully equipped riot police protected the government buildings, including the defence ministry at which some protesters threw eggs. Bulgaria, which has sent arms to Ukraine, lifted its ban on Ukrainian grains last week. [1/5]Protesters scuffle with police as they try to remove construction fences surrounding the Soviet army monument, during an anti-government demonstration organised by the ultranationalist Vazrazhdane (Revival) party, in Sofia, Bulgaria, September 21, 2023. Bulgaria is a zone of peace", referring to the opening of a new military base in the NATO member.

Persons: Neli Tyulekova, Stoyan, Neli Balabanska, Stoyan Nenov, Daria Sito, Jan Harvey Organizations: SOFIA, Bulgarian, NATO, EU, Ukraine, REUTERS, State Agency for National Security, Thomson Locations: Russia, Russian, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Sofia, U.S, Soviet

☆ EU Troops Confront Would-Be Rioters in Exercise Echoing Bosnia Political Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - As a group of would-be protesters grows, shouting and blowing their whistles at the EU force's camp in Sarajevo, a military aircraft flies low and helicopters take off, all as part of a EUFOR exercise echoing the current political crisis in Bosnia. Dodik, a pro-Russian nationalist, has long sought to separate the Serb-dominated part of Bosnia from the rest of it. EUFOR replaced NATO troops in Bosnia in 2004 with a mandate to stabilise the ethnically divided country. Last year, days after Russia invaded Ukraine, the EU decided to almost double the size of its peacekeeping force from 600 troops by sending in reserves to ward off any potential instability. NATO and senior EU officials have warned that instability from the war in Ukraine could spread to the Western Balkans.

Persons: Milorad Dodik, Vladimir Putin, Helmut Habermayer, Habermayer, EUFOR, Daria Sito, Hugh Lawson Organizations: EU, Bosnian, NATO Locations: SARAJEVO, Sarajevo, Bosnia, Bosnian Serbs, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Balkans

☆ Bosnian girl creates 'folklore Barbie' as film wins doll new fans worldwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Daria Sito-Sucic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Esma Gljiva, an 11-year-old Bosnian girl, shows dolls that she dresses in traditional Bosnian costumes, hoping that her folklore Barbie will reach many, as the frenzy surrounding the launch of the "Barbie" movie spreads across the world, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, August 15, 2023. Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreSARAJEVO, Aug 16 (Reuters) - A Bosnian girl is making traditional Balkan costumes with headdresses and decorative aprons for Barbie dolls, hoping to create interest in her folklore Barbie as the new "Barbie" movie wins fans worldwide. Eleven-year-old Esma Gljiva from Sarajevo started her project more than a month ago after seeing poor quality figures in a souvenir shop. Esma has yet to see the Barbie movie, but her friends and family say she embodies the spirit of female independence and entrepreneurship that dominates the film. She says she would name her dolls the "Bosnian Barbie dolls"and she is planning costumes for a Bosnian folklore Ken.

Persons: Barbie, Esma, Ken, Daria Sito, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Reuters, Christian, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Bosnian, Sarajevo, Bosnia, Herzegovina, SARAJEVO, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Turkmenistan, Norway, Britain, Adana

☆ Sarajevo Film Festival opens with tribute to music and movies in times of war
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Daria Sito-Sucic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Sarajevo Film Festival, which was founded towards the end of the Bosnian war by a group of film enthusiasts, has become southeastern Europe's largest such event, showcasing 235 films this year. After the end of the Bosnian war, in 1997, U2 staged a huge concert in Sarajevo, which Bono ended by urging the crowd to "Kiss the Future". "Culture was one of the main things that gave us the power to survive that period," said Mirsad Purivatra, a founder of both the wartime cinema and the Sarajevo Film Festival. He described how people would pack into the basement to attend cultural events and meet friends, rushing home before curfew. Images of filmgoers and the underground rock shows by photographer Milomir Kovacevic Strasni are being displayed for an exhibition taking place to mark the 30th anniversary of the Apollo wartime cinema as part of the film festival.

Persons: Dado, Bono, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Mirsad Purivatra, Milomir Kovacevic, Daria Sito, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Sarajevo Film, Cinema, Hollywood, Academy of Performing Arts, Apollo, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Sarajevo, Bosnia, Herzegovina, SARAJEVO, Bosnian

☆ 'Nature fights back': Slovenia's worst floods kill six
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Fedja Grulovic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view of a damaged building in a flooded area, following heavy rains, in Prevalje, Slovenia August 6, 2023. REUTERS/Fedja Grulovic/File photoPREVALJE, Slovenia, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Slovenia's worst floods on record have killed at least six people, swept away homes and clogged villages with debris, authorities and media said on Monday. "You know, nature fights back against everything (we do). The Slovenian Environment Agency said floods were starting to recede on Monday, but some areas were still cut off. Residents of villages along the river Mura had to be evacuated on Sunday night after part of the levee collapsed.

Persons: Fedja, Drago Hudofisk, Fedja Grulovic, Daria Sito, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: REUTERS, Slovenian Environment Agency, Authorities, European Union, NATO, Thomson Locations: Prevalje, Slovenia, Austria, Kranj, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Hungary, Germany, Sucic, Sarajevo

☆ Floods hit Slovenia, forcing evacuations and disrupting transport
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KAMNIK, Slovenia Aug 4 (Reuters) - Torrential rains described by rescuers as "biblical" hit northern and western Slovenia on Friday, disrupting traffic and causing black outs, with helicopters evacuating people from some areas. Rescuers struggled to reach flooded areas and issued a public call for rubber boats in places where roads were closed and impassable due to landslides. Helicopters evacuated people trapped at their homes in the town of Skofja Loka, where vehicles and trucks were submerged or taken by torrents, local media reported. "We have not seen floods like these not just in 500 years, but in a 1,000 years," Roman Kocilija, chief of the rescuers in the village of Most pri Komendi, was quoted as saying by local media. He appealed to citizens to stay indoors in the town of Kamnik, where authorities declared an emergency situation and closed kindergartens.

Persons: Kocilija, Marjan Sarec, Borut Zivulovic, Daria Sito, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Environment Agency, Helicopters, Defence, Thomson Locations: KAMNIK, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Skofja Loka, Kamnik

☆ Serb victims commemorated in Bosnia town infamous for killings of non-Serbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A building is seen at the former Trnopolje detention camp near Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina November 13, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File PhotoAug 4 (Reuters) - Serbia and Bosnia's Serb Republic on Friday marked the 1995 exodus of Serbs from Croatia in a Bosnian town notorious for Serb war crimes during the Bosnian war, triggering outcry from survivors and human rights activists. "This is an ugly political message," said Gordana Katana, a journalist and activist from the Serb Republic's city of Banja Luka. Many Bosniak survivors feel hurt that victims from another state are commemorated in the town in which Bosniak victims have been ignored. Local Serb authorities have for years rejected pleas to raise a monument to the 102 children killed in Prijedor.

Persons: Dado, Gordana Katana, Satko Mujagic, Milorad Dodik, Aleksandar Vucic, Dodik, Daria Sito, Louise Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Bosnia's, Croatian, Local, Serbian, Thomson Locations: Prijedor, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Serbia, Bosnia's Serb Republic, Croatia, Bosnian, Republic's, Banja Luka, Yugoslav, Slovenia, Belgrade, Croatian, Serb Republic

☆ U.S. sanctions four Bosnian Serb top officials for undermining peace deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Daria Sito-Sucic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SARAJEVO, July 31 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday imposed sanctions against four top Bosnian Serb officials, including the Serb member of the country's presidency, for undermining a U.S.-sponsored peace deal that ended the Balkan country's war in the 1990s. The constitution is part of the Dayton peace accords that ended the 1992-1995 Bosnian war in which 100,000 were killed, dividing the country into two autonomous regions, the Serb Republic and the Bosniak-Croat Federation, linked via a weak central government. Late in June, lawmakers in the Serb Republic voted to suspend rulings by Bosnia's constitutional court, a vote initiated by the region's separatist pro-Russian President Milorad Dodik who is already under U.S. and UK sanctions. "This action threatens the stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the hard-won peace underpinned by the Dayton Peace Agreement," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. They stepped up activities undermining state institutions in recent months, including suspension of decisions by an international peace envoy.

Persons: Bosnia's, Zeljka Cvijanovic, Matthew Miller, Milorad Dodik, Radovan Viskovic, Milos Bukejlovic, Nenad Stevandic, Brian E, Nelson, Cvijanovic, Stevandic, Radovan Kovacevic, Dodik, Daria Sito, Nick Macfie Organizations: Bosnian, U.S . State Department, - Croat Federation, Russian, U.S . Department of, Treasury, Terrorism, Financial, Dodik, Thomson Locations: SARAJEVO, United States, U.S, Serb Republic, Bosnian, Dayton, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Serbia

☆ Ethnic Albanian party in North Macedonia offers deal to clear the way to join EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SARAJEVO, July 30 (Reuters) - The largest party representing North Macedonia's ethnic Albanian minority offered to pull its ministers from the government to meet a demand from the opposition to clear the way for European Union membership talks. Last year, North Macedonia's parliament passed a French-brokered deal aimed at settling a dispute with Bulgaria which had vetoed Macedonian-EU talks. read moreBulgaria lifted the veto on condition that North Macedonia amends its constitution to recognise a Bulgarian minority. The opposition protested against the deal, arguing that it should include a requirement that Bulgaria recognise the Macedonian language. North Macedonia has been a candidate for EU membership for 17 years but approval for talks was first blocked by Greece and then by Bulgaria.

Persons: DPMNE, Dimitar Kovacevski, Fatos Bytyci, Daria Sito, Peter Graff Organizations: European Union, Democratic Union for Integration, EU, Macedonian, Thomson Locations: SARAJEVO, North, Bulgarian, Bulgaria, Macedonia's, Macedonia, Macedonian, Greece

☆ 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

☆ Bosnia envoy revokes Bosnian Serb laws defying the state, peace deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Daria Sito-Sucic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SARAJEVO, July 1 (Reuters) - Bosnia's international peace overseer, Christian Schmidt, on Saturday annulled two laws that Bosnian Serb parliament had adopted defying the constitution and the terms of a peace deal that ended the Balkan country's war in the 1990s. Schmidt, who as international High Representative in Bosnia has powers to impose laws and sack obstructive officials, also amended a law so that those seen as attacking the state institutions can be criminally prosecuted. "Recent decisions by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska directly violate the constitutional order of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Dayton peace agreement," Schmidt told a news conference in Sarajevo. The Serbs say they do not recognise Schmidt, who was appointed in 2021, as the high representative because the U.N. Security Council did not endorse his appointment. The U.S. embassy welcomed Schmidt's decisions, agreeing that he was defending the Dayton peace deal and the constitution upholding the rule of law in Bosnia.

Persons: Christian Schmidt, Schmidt, Milorad Dodik, Dodik, Daria Sito, Louise Heavens Organizations: Bosnian Serb, Representative, National Assembly, Russian, . Security, United States, Thomson Locations: SARAJEVO, Bosnian, Bosnia, Republika Srpska, Herzegovina, Dayton, Sarajevo, Republic, Serb Republic, United States, United Kingdom, U.S

☆ EU aspirant Montenegro must adjust its growth strategy, says World Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SARAJEVO, June 26 (Reuters) - Unless EU aspirant Montenegro adopts a new economic growth strategy that would boost productivity and human capital, its incomes will not converge with average EU levels in the next 40 years, the World Bank warned on Tuesday. The bank said that stagnant productivity growth was caused by market inefficiencies in the service sector which represents over 70% of GDP, and that Montenegro needed to remove regulatory barriers for firms to enter markets and grow. Most companies lack innovation and invest little in green technology which is needed to sustain tourism growth and develop Montenegro's comparative advantage in clean energy. In addition, Montenegro must tackle its income inequality which shrinks the pool of future skilled workers and entrepreneurs and limits its labour productivity growth potential, the bank said. "By implementing these reforms, Montenegro can expect a thriving private sector, significant job opportunities and ultimately improved wages and benefits for all its citizens," said Christopher Sheldon, World Bank Country Manager for Bosnia and Montenegro.

Persons: Christopher Sheldon, Daria Sito, Christina Fincher Organizations: World Bank, European Union, Thomson Locations: SARAJEVO, Montenegro, Bosnia

☆ Montenegro court jails 'cryptocurrency king' Do Kwon for four months -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A South Korean national, Kwon is the former CEO of South Korea-based Terraform Labs, the company behind the stablecoin TerraUSD that collapsed in May 2022, roiling cryptocurrency markets. Police said after arresting them they had found doctored Costa Rican passports, a separate set of Belgian passports, laptop computers and other devices in their luggage. The sentence follows a court hearing last week at which Do Kwon dropped his request for checking authenticity of the Costa Rican passports after Interpol's confirmation they were fake. South Korean and U.S. authorities have sought the extradition of Kwon and Han and the handover of the computers. Following Kwon's arrest, the U.S. District Court in Manhattan made public an eight-count indictment against him for securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud and conspiracy.

Persons: Do Kwon, Kwon, Han Chang, joon, Han, Daria Sito, Gareth Jones, Jason Neely Organizations: Korean, Labs, Police, Costa, U.S, Thomson Locations: SARAJEVO, Montenegro, U.S, South Korea, Dubai, Podgorica, Montenegro's, Rican, Costa Rican, Manhattan

☆ Western Balkans states discuss how to improve migration governance
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Daria Sito-Sucic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAHORINA MOUNTAIN, Bosnia June 8 (Reuters) - Security and migration officials from six Western Balkans countries, all of which aspire to join the European Union, on Thursday pledged to work together with the EU and United Nations agencies to improve sustainable migration governance. "When it comes to the migrant crisis, we from the Western Balkans face not only humanitarian challenges but also security and political challenges," said Bosnia's Security Minister Nenad Nesic, who hosted the meeting at a mountain resort near the capital Sarajevo. "Trends in migration are very dynamic and the Western Balkans is a major transitory route," Ugochi Florence Daniels, the IOM Deputy Director General for Operations, told Reuters. "The action plan is an opportunity to deal with the immediate issues - trafficking and smuggling and sustainable returns," Daniels said. "It is also an opportunity to look at the longer-term opportunities that migration is bringing - remittances to the Western Balkans are $10 billion or 10% of GDP - that is a significant contribution to development," she added.

Persons: Nenad Nesic, Oliver Spasovski, Ugochi Florence Daniels, Daniels, Daria Sito, Angus MacSwan Organizations: European Union, EU, United Nations, Bosnia's, International Organisation for Migration, Operations, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Bosnia, Balkans, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, East, Afghanistan, Asia, Africa, Sarajevo, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia's

[1/2] An Italian member of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) looks on while standing guard in Leposavic, Kosovo, June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Ognen TeofilovskiBULBOACA, Moldova, June 1 (Reuters) - The presidents of Serbia and Kosovo insisted on Thursday they want to defuse a violent crisis in northern Kosovo but showed little sign of backing down from their opposing positions. Violence flared on Monday after Kosovo authorities, backed by special police units, installed ethnic Albanian mayors in offices in northern municipalities. But he said Kosovo authorities should withdraw "alleged mayors" from the north and declared the Kosovo special police units were there illegally. Vucic said he did not even know who was coming to the summit from Kosovo.

Persons: Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic, Vjosa Osmani, Osmani, Vucic, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Albin Kurti, Macron, Scholz, Jens Stoltenberg, Andrew Gray, Fatos Bytyci, Ivana Sekularac, Sabine Siebold, John Irish, Daria Sito, Edmund Blair Organizations: NATO, Kosovo Force, REUTERS, Kosovo, European, Political, Thomson Locations: Italian, Leposavic, Kosovo, BULBOACA, Moldova, Serbia, Belgrade, Moldovan, European Union, United States, Oslo

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