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Kosovo Opposition Splits Boost Thaci's Chances (Balkan Insight)

18 Nov 14

As the opposition coalition starts falling apart in a tussle over which party should get the Prime Minister's post, Hashim Thaci's party is eyeing its chances of forming another government.

Nektar Zogjani
BIRN

Pristina

A coalition formed after the June general elections with the aim of toppling the rule of Hashim Thaci and his Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, is in danger of dissolving without achieving its goal.

Witness A: Thaci Ordered Killings of Collaborators (Balkan Insight)

18 Nov 14
A protected witness told the court on Monday that Hashim Thaci personally told Sylejman Selimi and other defendants in the so-called Drenica Group trial to kill alleged collaborators with the Serbian authorities.

Petrit Collaku, Behar Mustafa
BIRN
Pristina, Mitrovica

A protected witness, codenamed Witness A, told the Basic Court in Mitrovica on Monday that Hashim Thaci, current Prime Minister of Kosovo, directly ordered Sylejman Selimi "to kill these people" - meaning alleged collaborators with the Serbian government.

Albania Aiding EULEX Bribery Probe in Kosovo (Balkan Insight)

17 Nov 14
Albania prosecutors are helping their Kosovo counterparts investigate corruption allegations against EULEX judge Francesco Florit, BIRN can reveal.

Aleksandra Bogdani and Flamur Vezaj
BIRN
Tirana

Documents obtained by BIRN show that Tirana District Court on September 19 approved a prosecutor’s office request to assist the Kosovo judicial authorities in investigating an Italian EULEX judge and two others suspected of corruption.

Diplomats Nudge Kosovo to Form Parliament (Balkan Insight)

14 Nov 14
Pressure is growing on Kosovo's outgoing Prime Minister to give ground politically, now the four-party opposition coalition has relinquished its demand for the post of speaker

BIRN
Pristina

Pressure is mounting on Kosovo's outgoing Prime Minister to compromise with his political rivals after signs of movement in the months-long tussle over which bloc should elect the new speaker of parliament.

Kosovo Politician Accused of Wartime Execution (Balkan Insight)

12 Nov 14
A witness told the trial of the Kosovo Liberation Army’s ‘Drenica Group’ cell, accused of assaulting prisoners during the 1998-99 war, that politician Sami Lushtaku carried out a revenge murder.

Petrit Collaku
BIRN
Mitrovica
Lushtaku (right) and his lawyer.

The protected witness codenamed ‘D’ told the court in Mitrovica on Wednesday that Lushtaku, who is now the mayor of Skenderaj/Srbica in Kosovo, murdered a man in 1998 out of revenge because the victim killed his cousin.

Three Kosovo Serbs Acquitted of War Crimes (Balkan Insight)

07 Nov 14
Brothers Slobodan and Srecko Martinovic and Svetlana Stojanovic were acquitted of mistreating two Kosovo Albanians from the town of Novoberdo during the war in April 1999.

Petrit Collaku
BIRN
Pristina

The district court in Pristina on Thursday cleared former Yugoslav Army cook Srecko Martinovic, his brother Slobodan, a former army driver, and civilian Svetlana Stojanovic of war crimes against Kosovo Albanians Selatin Beqiri and Haqif Demolli.

The case was being retried after the defendants were previously acquitted in 2011.

EU Announces Kosovo Mission Graft Probe (Balkan Insight)

05 Nov 14
Brussels' foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she will send an independent legal expert to look into corruption allegations at the EU's rule-of-law mission in Kosovo, EULEX.

Petrit Collaku
BIRN
Pristina

Mogherini told a news conference in Brussels on Tuesday that an independent expert will probe allegations that a EULEX judge took bribes to shut down cases against people accused of serious crimes.

Kosovo Facing New Energy Crisis Over Winter (Balkan Insight)

04 Nov 14

Kosovo faces another difficult winter for energy following the June blast in a worn-out power plant, the power supply company, KEDS, has warned.

Nektar Zogjani
BIRN

Pristina

Guri Shkodra, a spokesperson for the energy supply company, KEDS, said Kosovo is facing an energy crisis this winter as a result of June's incident in the Kosovo A power plant.

Probe Demanded Into EULEX Corruption Allegations (Balkan Insight)

31 Oct 14
The European Parliament’s Vice President, Ulrike Lunacek, said allegations that an official at the EU's Kosovo law mission EULEX took bribes to shut down cases must be investigated.

Nektar Zogjani
BIRN
Pristina

Lunacek said that allegations by a suspended EULEX prosecutor, Maria Bamieh, that a official judge took bribes to close certain high-profile cases “cast a dark shadow” on the reputation of the EU's rule-of-law mission.