Latest Ethnic conflicts News
Serbia demands new elections in tense north Kosovo as well as return of Serb police and judiciary
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia on Friday demanded that an election be held and ethnic Serbs return to police and judiciary in a Serb-populated northern region of Kosovo where tensions have fueled fears of instability and new armed clashes. Populist President Aleksandar Vucic also...
EU envoy urges Kosovo and Serbia to resume efforts to normalize ties through talks
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The European Union envoy for the Western Balkans on Friday urged Kosovo and Serbia to step up their efforts at normalization talks, saying these are decisive toward the two countries' membership in the bloc. Miroslav Lajcak was in Kosovo’s capital,...
Kosovo shuts down 5 Serbian governing structures in the north and US reacts with alarm
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo authorities on Friday closed five parallel institutions working with the ethnic Serb minority, a move that was immediately criticized by the United States and could further raise tensions with neighboring Serbia. Elbert Krasniqi, Kosovo's minister of...
Kosovo's president sets parliament elections for Feb. 9 in a key test for the prime minister
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s president on Friday set Feb. 9 as the date for the tiny Balkan country's new parliamentary elections, a vote that is expected to be a key test for Prime Minister Albin Kurti whose governing party won in a landslide in the 2021. In a decree...
Kosovo's premier calls for full reopening of key bridge in flashpoint city. But the West is wary
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s prime minister called on Wednesday for the full reopening of a bridge in the flashpoint city of Mitrovica, saying it would be another step toward free movement and not a threat to anyone. But Western powers are wary it could increase tensions. The...
Riots test the new British prime minister in his first month in the job
LONDON (AP) — Just a month into the job, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sounds more like the prosecutor he used to be than the leader of a powerful nation as he tries to quell riots that have swept the country in the past week. The unfolding crisis presents his first major...
Albanians vote for new mayor of ethnic Greek town in a case that has sparked tensions with Athens
QEPARO, Albania (AP) — Albanians in the southwestern town of Himara voted for a new mayor Sunday after their previous choice, a member of the country's ethnic Greek minority, was stripped of his title, convicted and imprisoned on vote-buying charges. He and neighboring Greece have claimed his...
Serbian police ban cultural festival with Kosovo as pressure mounts on liberal voices
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian police on Thursday banned a festival that promotes cultural exchange with Kosovo in a sign of growing nationalism and government pressure on liberal voices in the Balkan country. A police statement cited security concerns as the reason to ban the...
