Most news websites report that Nehat Thaci, the Kosovo Police director for the Mitrovica region, was arrested on Wednesday evening at the Koncul border crossing point between Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo Police have confirmed the arrest. Koha carries a press release issued by the Serbian Ministry of Interior Affairs on the matter. "Members of the Ministry of Interior Affairs have arrested N. Th. (1976) from Ferizaj based on an arrest warrant issued by the High Court of Nis on terrorism charges. N. Th.

Kosovo’s Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, said in an interview that the European Union has made it clear that the telecom agreement needs to be implemented the way the parties agreed to earlier in Brussels. However, she admitted that there are still some issues that have to be “finalized”, particularly that pertaining to dialing code for Kosovo. Tahiri said the recent reports that the site where a mosque stood in the northern part of Mitrovica is being used to construct a tennis court as part of the project for revitalization of the Ibër/Ibar bridge in Mitrovica were false.

Kosovo’s Islamic Community insists that the mosque near the Ibër/Ibar river in the northern part of Mitrovica, destroyed during the conflict, will be reconstructed in its original place. Islamic Community’s Secretary General, Resul Rexhepi, said the reason why the mosque was not reconstructed by now has to do with security concerns.

The technical dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade is expected to continue today with focus on cadasters and recognition of diplomas. It is reported that the main issues discussed yesterday among the technical teams were implementation of the agreement on freedom of movement and the issue of the use of license plates for Kosovo vehicles. Neither parties gave details about the meeting. In the last day of discussions, the delegations, mediated by the EU, will discuss the border between the northern and southern parts of Mitrovica.

A powerful blast occurred on Thursday at around 23:00 hours at the old school “Brank Radicevic” in John Kennedy Street, Mitrovica north. Some people were injured and there are material damages as well.

Kosova Press sources informed that three families of Serb nationality, two from Mitrovica south and one from Croatia lived at this school. A person in his sixties was treated at the hospital in Mitrovica north due to the injuries caused by this fire.

Firemen managed to localize the fire at around midnight. Causes of the fire are unknown.

Unknown persons have set on fire the terrace of cafe ‘Dolce Vita’ early this morning in northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica. No one was injured in the incident, however material damage is considerable.

Commenting on the anxieties of the citizens of northern Mitrovica regarding the future opening of the bridge, Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Đurić informed TV Most that “King Peter Street in Mitrovica will be fully closed for traffic and transformed into a modern pedestrian zone, like Knez Mihailova in Belgrade […] and will literally be fully closed from any direction from South Mitrovica and be even more visible than it was in earlier periods. From the bridge, it will only be possible to turn to the Bosniak Mahala and to Suvi Do.

A hand grenade has exploded near the main bridge on the Ibar River on its northern, Serb side, in the town of Kosovska Mitrovica in northern Kosovo. The blast on Monday night upset local residents, Beta agency is reporting on Tuesday, adding that an investigation is ongoing.

A powerful explosion was heard last night close to the main bridge over the River Ibër/Ibar in Mitrovica. Fortunately, there were no casualties. The explosive device was thrown at 23:58 at “Oslobodjenje” Road, close to the bridge.

Work to reopen a bridge that that physically and symbolically divides ethnic Serbs and Albanians in a Kosovo city has reportedly begun.

The dpa news agency said construction equipment was in action on August 14 at the Mitrovica Bridge, which spans the Ibar River in the northern city of Mitrovica.

The bridge has been closed to cars for more than five years.

http://www.rferl.org/content/kosovo-mitrovica-bridge-work-begins/27920745.html