Balkaninsight.com

Officials in Brussels have reminded the government in Chisinau of the need to respect democratic principles after courts in the country annulled the capital's mayoral election.

Ukraine's General Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into 54 suspected members of a pro-Russian foreign legion – including several Serbs – who took part in attacks on Ukraine's forces in the east of the country from 2014 on, Radio Free Europe has reported.

Macedonia and Albania have welcomed European ministers’ agreement on a conditional start date of next summer for their long-awaited EU accession talks.

Water from unknown sources has flooded the basement of Albania's National Library, soaking thousands of books - although the director insists that the damage can be repaired.

Cavernous caves and the engravings of stranded sailors – BIRN goes off the beaten track to uncover the secrets of Albania’s rocky southern coast.

Kosovo is preparing to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission - but while some believe it could build dialogue between Kosovo’s Albanians and Serbs, critics claim it’s a political tool for President Hashim Thaci.

The Image of War museum will open in Zagreb in July, aiming to show the horrors of armed conflict through the eyes of professional photographers as well as telling ordinary people’s stories.

A judge in Kosovo says his new role in coordinating cases involving journalists shows the judiciary is serious about protecting media freedom.

A witness told the Hague retrial of former Serbian security service chiefs Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic how he survived a shooting by paramilitaries led by Serbian warlord Arkan in Bosnia in 1995.

The Russian ambassador to Sarajevo indefinitely postponed a visit to Srebrenica after he was not allowed to visit the memorial centre for victims of the 1995 massacres because Moscow refuses to define them as genocide.

Bosnia is getting a new laboratory to test old ammunition as part of efforts to destroy tons of outdated munitions, mines and explosive devices by the end of 2020.

The Croatian Journalists’ Association said that an assault on a journalist in the city of Zadar was a consequence of the authorities’ failure to condemn a minister’s alleged threat to another reporter.

President Gjorge Ivanov said he will not sign the landmark 'name' deal with Greece, claiming it is not in the national interest - but as his powers are limited, he cannot delay its progress indefinitely.

Greek police used tear gas to disperse protesters in the port city of Thessaloniki on Monday, after they tried to break into the venue where the ruling party was holding a panel about the name deal with Macedonia.

After football’s world governing body FIFA fined two Swiss players of Kosovo origin for making an Albanian ‘eagle’ hand gesture when they scored against Serbia, some Kosovo Albanians, including senior officials, offered to pay.

Part of the new wave on Serbia’s burgeoning drag scene, Dekadenca draws inspiration from everything around her – from pre-war Germany to the women in the local bank.

The Turkish President’s election victory will act as a powerful fillip to an expanding bloc of states run essentially by strongmen.

As the pre-election campaign heats up in Bosnia, the politicians are busy issuing extravagant promises about pay – which most experts dismiss as very unrealistic.

Sofia’s stint at the helm of the EU Council saw no major breakthroughs but no hiccups and gaffes, either – and it did bring the Western Balkans back onto the agenda.

The World Cup encounter between Serbia and Switzerland in Russia became hi-jacked by Balkan rivalries, resulting in fines on both sides.