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☆ 20 eerie photos that show what happened to Sarajevo's Olympic venues after the 1984 Winter Games
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Gabbi Shaw | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984. Forty years after the Games, many of the Olympic venues have remained abandoned. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. During the fighting, Olympic venues became battlegrounds, as ski slopes were heavily mined and hotels were turned into prisons. Here's what the 1984 Sarajevo Olympic venues look like in 2024.

Persons: —, it's Organizations: Bosnian, Service, Reuters, P Locations: Sarajevo, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Yugoslavian, Moscow, Yugoslav, Yugoslavia, Olympics, Paris

The movement is in stark contrast to Croatia’s recent past, when it was part of the former Yugoslavia, a Communist-run country that protected abortion rights in its constitution 50 years ago. As a result, many women have traveled to neighboring Slovenia for an abortion over the years. Pushed forward by a women’s organization born out of World War II, the right to abortion was later included in Yugoslavia’s constitution. Elsewhere in the former Yugoslavia, Serbia and Slovenia have included the freedom to choose whether to have children in their constitutions. Bosnia’s women can legally obtain abortion during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, though economic impediments exist in the impoverished, post-war country.

Persons: ”, Ana Sunic, Tanja Ignjatovic, Sanja Sarnavka, “, Muzevni, Mirela Cavajda, Cavajde, Jasenka Grujić, Grujic, ” Grujic, ” Ignjatovic, Sabina Niksic, Predrag Milic Organizations: Catholic, European Union, Autonomous Women’s Center, Associated Press, Gec Locations: ZAGREB, Croatia, Catholic Croatia, European, Slovenia, Yugoslavia, Communist, Zagreb, Croatia's, “, France, Balkans, Belgrade, Serbia, Croatian, Sarajevo, Bosnia, Podgorica, Montenegro

☆ 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

☆ Supreme Court steps into a minefield
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-07 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

“First in war — first in peace — and first in the hearts of his countrymen,” Lee wrote of Washington. Joe Biden is 81, the oldest president ever and one who is struggling with John Adams-level unpopularity. On Friday afternoon the US Supreme Court announced it would hear arguments on the case February 8. Trump responded by accusing Biden of “pathetic fearmongering.”It’s been three years since Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6. The name came from a letter Gordon sent to a friend explaining “how she, as a 350-pound woman, would like to be addressed.”“Just say fat,” Gordon reads from her essay in the film.

Persons: George Washington, Henry “, Harry ” Lee, “, —, ” Lee, ”, John Adams, Adams, Joe Biden, Clay Jones, Donald Trump, George W, Bush, Biden, Trump, ” It’s, Harry Dunn, ” Dunn, Black, Cupp, won’t, Trump Lisa Benson, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Mary, DeSantis, Patrick T, Brown, “ Haley, Julian Zelizer, ” Zelizer, John Avlon, ” David Horsey, Laura Belin, Haley, Iowa David Mark, Rob Davidson, Peter Bergen, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Frida Ghitis, Benjamin Netanyahu “, ‘ We’re, ’, Netanyahu, Israel, ” Claudine Gay, Bill Bramhall, Claudine Gay, Jeremi Suri, Gay, ” Suri, Nick Anderson, OpenAI, Seán O’Connor, Mona Lisa ” —, O’Connor, ” “, ” Don’t, Dean Obeidallah, Dave Chappelle, J, Barber, Will Leitch, Sophia A, Nelson, Hollywood William Wallace, Tess Taylor, Jill Filipovic, Keir Giles, Aubrey Gordon, Sara Stewart, Gordon, Jeanie Finlay, ” Gordon, incredulously, ” Stewart Organizations: CNN, Washington, Supreme Court, Continental Army, Trump, Capitol, Capitol Police, Police, Biden, Republicans, New, GOP, Florida Gov, Twitter, Agency, ISIS, Hamas, New York Times, University of Texas, Ivy League, “, Harvard, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, Tribune, Microsoft Corp, West Locations: Washington, Florida, Valley Forge , Pennsylvania, Maryland, Iowa, New Hampshire, America, Beirut, Israel, Lebanese, Iran, Red, Sarajevo, Bergen, Gaza, Austin, Tokyo, Hollywood

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ This Photograph of Dead Palestinian Children Demands to Be Seen - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Lydia Polgreen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +13 min

The photograph tells us nothing about whether or how these children are related. Hundreds of Israeli hostages, including children, are believed to be held in Gaza by Hamas, their families desperate for their safe release. It is a rare thing for mainstream news organizations to publish graphic images of dead or wounded children. There is nothing quite so devastating as the image of a child whose life has been snuffed out by senseless violence. And so the slaughter in Maine reminded me of another image from Gaza, one you may have seen on social media.

Persons: Mahmud Hams, Israel, I’ve, Emmett Till’s, Kim Phuc Phan Thi, Nick Ut’s, “, Biden, ” Susan Sontag, ”, Sontag, photojournalists, Aaron Young, Mohammed Salem, Khan Younis, Inas Abu Maamar, Saly, Mary, Jesus, Bashar al Organizations: Palestinian Hamas, Agence France, Ministry of Health, Times, The Times, Hamas, Oslo Accords, Reuters Locations: Al Aqsa, Deir al, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Mahmud, Vietnam, Syrian, Turkey, Europe, Oslo, ”, Bosnia, Sarajevo, Maine, Khan, Khartoum, Russian

If accepted, EU officials expect formal accession talks with Kyiv to start next year. A top aide to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Budapest would not support Ukraine's EU integration unless Kyiv changes its laws on minorities, in particular as regards education. "Moldova is firmly on the path for EU membership and we will continue working relentlessly towards this goal," the country's president, Maia Sandu, said in welcoming the move. The Commission said the EU should also begin membership talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina once a long list of extensive conditions are met. In 2020, Britain was the first country to ever leave the EU, a major setback for European integration following World War Two.

Persons: Yves Herman, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Ursula von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Viktor Orban, Maia Sandu, von der Leyen, enlargements, Andrew Gray, Yuliia, Olena, Alexander Tanas, Gabriela Baczynska, Nick Macfie, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, European Commission, EU, Kyiv, Ukraine, Russia, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Brussels, Belgium, Moldova, Bosnia, Georgia, BRUSSELS, KYIV, Hungary, Kyiv, Hungarian, Budapest, EU, Moscow, Tbilisi, Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Netherlands, Britain

☆ 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

☆ Opinion: Will Israel-Hamas war mean a US-Iran escalation?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Opinion Charles Dunne | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

However, the White House has, for the moment, rightly stopped short of concluding that a major escalation is inevitable. While this risks escalation, it might be necessary — and a lack of resolve is also a risk in the face of ongoing attacks. There is a history here that goes beyond the fact that the US is allied with and supporting Israel in its war on Hamas. There has been much speculation about whether, given these well-documented ties, Iran ordered the Hamas operation in southern Israel. Miscalculations — whether by Iran, Israel, Hezbollah or even the US — could rapidly lead to a multifront regional war with casualties easily numbering in the tens of thousands.

Persons: Charles Dunne, John Kirby, Joe Biden, “, Qassem Soleimani, Bashar al, Assad, there’s, —, Biden, ”, It’s, Iran hasn’t, Israel, Geravand, it’s Organizations: US Foreign Service, Arab Center Washington DC, Middle East Institute, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, CNN, Hamas, White, National Security, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Qods Force, Reuters, Washington Post, Force Locations: Iraq, Syria, Israel, Iranian, Washington, Tehran, Iran, United States, Europe, Sarajevo, Russia, Syrian, State, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, Hezbollah, Sudan, Egypt, Qatar, Israel’s

☆ Opinion: War didn’t look like this when the Geneva Conventions were written
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Sheena Mckenzie | Opinion Mukesh Kapila | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Fatima Shbair/APHowever, modern urban warfare sets new records of ruination because more than half of us live in built-up areas. This is not illegal under the UN Charter but the concept of ’just’ war in international law requires protecting non-combatants. In urban war, fighters and civilians intermingleOften, the frontlines of urban conflicts cannot be clearly demarcated when fighters and civilians are intermingled. War has changed since the Geneva ConventionsThese new-style warriors were unknown when the Geneva Conventions emerged over a century ago. That violates international humanitarian law and is contrary to a UN political declaration on explosive weapons in populated areas.

Persons: Mukesh Kapila, “, Mukesh, Khan, Fatima Shbair Organizations: UN, Global Health, Humanitarian Affairs, University of Manchester, CNN, United Nations, Islamic, Hamas, International, International Committee, Cross, Food Program Locations: United, Sarajevo, Kabul, Kigali, Huambo, Goma, Gaza, Khartoum, Port, Jerusalem, Britain, Germany, Stalingrad, Beirut, Khan Younis, Geneva, Russian, Ukraine, Islamic State, Afghanistan, Yemen, Australia, Iraq, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Al, Aqsa, Israel

☆ 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

☆ Opinion: A mountaintop enclave facing genocide. And a plan to stop it
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Opinion Lara Setrakian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Local Armenian authorities have vied for independence from Azerbaijan for decades, leading to an ongoing political and military conflict. Since December, the Lachin Corridor, the main road into the mountaintop enclave, has been blocked by Azeri protesters and government forces, who stopped the normal flow of goods. Multiple monitoring groups say there is widespread food scarcity on the ground, with child and adult malnutrition setting in. Last Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, voicing US concern over what he called “the deteriorating humanitarian situation” facing Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians. The fastest path would be for Azerbaijan to restore movement along the Lachin Corridor, letting in aid from the ICRC.

Persons: Lara Setrakian, Luis Moreno Ocampo’s, Tom Lantos, Lara Setrakian Heidi Gutman Nagorno, Ocampo, ”, Antony Blinken, Ilham Aliyev, Blinken, Aliyev, Cross, Mary Asatryan, “, —, KAren Minasyan, shouldn’t Organizations: Applied Policy Research Institute, Twitter, CNN, Criminal Court, Rights, Soviet Union . Local, International Committee, Reuters, Court, Justice, ICRC, Stepanakert Medical, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Institute for War, Karabakh, Facebook Locations: Yerevan, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Republic of Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Soviet, Russian, Mary Asatryan Azerbaijan, Baku, Aghdam, EU, Soviet Union, Nakhichevan, Syria, Sarajevo, Darfur, Russia, Turkey, Israel

The Holbrooke award, named for the late U.S. diplomat, is presented by the Ohio-based Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation. In 1995, Holbrooke helped broker the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the Bosnian War, a conflict Cisneros has thought of often. Civilians and unborn generations ever after suffer with the shrapnel of that conflict embedded in their psyche like hidden landmines. I just returned from Sarajevo, and I know this is true,” Cisneros said in a statement. Previous recipients of the Holbrooke award include Elie Wiesel, Margaret Atwood and Louise Erdrich.

Persons: Sandra Cisneros, Richard C, Holbrooke, ” Cisneros, Alfredo Cisneros, Cisneros, “, Carla Hayden, Elie Wiesel, Margaret Atwood, Louise Erdrich Organizations: Macondo Foundation, Moral Foundation, Dayton, Dayton Peace Accords Locations: Mango, U.S, Ohio, Dayton, Bosnian, Sarajevo

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 'We are in uncharted territory': World records hottest day ever for the third time in just four days
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Unofficial data from U.S. researchers showed the planet's daily average temperature soared to 17.23 degrees Celsius (63.01 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday, surpassing two previous heat records registered in recent days. "The global temperature record smashed again yesterday," Bill McGuire, professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, said via Twitter. The record was broken again on Tuesday, notching 17.18 degrees Celsius and remained at this record high level on Wednesday. climate researcher Leon Simons said via Twitter, citing the multiple heat records observed this week. A flurry of global heat records follows a series of mind-bending extreme weather events in recent months.

Persons: Yasin Demirci, El Niño, Bill McGuire, Leon Simons Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty, University College London, Twitter, University, Maine's Locations: Sarajevo, Bosnia, Herzegovina, U.S, Ankara, Turkiye

☆ 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

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