‘Liberland’: Breakaway Balkans micronation dreams of crypto future
Libertarian supporters of self-declared independent island in the heart of Europe pin their hopes on a crypto-based future, but unstable technology paints an uneasy future for the micronation. ADAM SMITH, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports…
Montenegro’s ex-economy minister Milatovic declares victory in presidential run-off
Podgorica, Montenegro Reuters Montenegro’s former economy minister Jakov Milatovic declared victory in a presidential election run-off on Sunday, over long-standing incumbent Milo Djukanovic, ending more than three decades of his rule in the small Balkan republic. Western-educated Milatovic, 37, the deputy head of the Europe Now movement, campaigned on pledges to curb graft, improve living […]
Montenegrin government falls over ties with Serbian Church
Podgorica, MontenegroAP The Montenegrin Government fell in a no-confidence vote early Saturday that followed a rift over relations with the powerful Serbian Orthodox Church. Lawmakers voted 50 to one to oust the government of Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic just weeks after he signed an agreement regulating the position of the Serbian church in Montenegro. The […]
Balkans losing hope of progress on EU membership
Belgrade, Serbia/Brussels, Belgium Reuters In Kosovo, which has been waiting for visa-free travel to the European Union since 2010, a restaurant owner has erected a large replica of France’s famed Eiffel Tower for its diners. “We have built it as a form of consolation for the people who cannot go to Paris,” said Blerim Bislimi, […]
EU to funnel COVID vaccines to Balkans after China, Russia shipments
Vienna, Austria/Brussels. Belgium Reuters The European Union will ship over half a million COVID-19 shots to the Western Balkans by August using for the first time in the region a vaccine-sharing mechanism meant to help its poorer neighbours and to challenge Chinese and Russian influence. The EU move comes after China and Russia distributed millions […]
Dozens of trafficking victims rescued in Interpol crackdown in the Balkans
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation At least 89 victims of human trafficking were rescued and dozens of suspected traffickers arrested in a crackdown on organised crime groups in the Balkans, Interpol said this week. Operation Theseus saw 3,000 officers from eight nations including Albania, Moldova and Turkey dispatched to crime hotspots including border checkpoints, train and […]