Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Balkan Report 25.07.2013 A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the countries of the western Balkans. HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ALEKSEI NAVALNY? TAKE OUR LATEST QUIZ AND FIND OUT! For more stories on the Balkans, please visit and bookmark our Balkans page .

 

Macedonia Comes Under Fire Over Gay Rights Rights groups have been taking Macedonian authorities to task for their apparent dilatory response to violence that marred the country's first-ever Gay Pride Week last month. More   Montenegro Gay Parade Attacked Police have clashed with antigay protesters trying to disrupt the first gay-pride parade to be held in Montenegro. More   Montenegrin Aluminum Plant's Woes Cast Geopolitical Shadow When Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska invested in a Montenegrin aluminum plant in 2005, nearly everyone was smiling. Now the company is entering bankruptcy and some see a Kremlin effort to bolster its influence in the Balkans. More   In Bosnia, Three Teen Chess Champions Under One Roof Three sisters in the Bosnian town of Cazin are all getting ready to compete in this year’s European championships for young chess players with hopes of adding to their collections of medals. It was their father who got them started on their path to chess stardom, but the girls say they’ve long since surpassed him in skill. RFE/RL’s Balkan Service visited the family to observe life in a home centered on chess. More   Kosovo Adopts Amnesty For Serbs Parliament in Kosovo has adopted an amnesty for Serbs who had rebelled against the government. More   Karadzic Genocide Charge Reinstated The UN war crimes court for the former Yugoslavia has reinstated the genocide charge against Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic after an appeal by the prosecution. More   Bosnians Bury More Srebrenica Victims Tens of thousands of people have gathered in the Bosnian village of Srebrenica to rebury 409 newly identified victims of the 1995 massacre. More   Reburials Mark Srebrenica Anniversary Thousands of people were gathering near the Bosnian town of Srebrenica to mark the 18th anniversary of the massacre of Bosnian Muslims there in 1995. (Reuters video) More   Bosnians Mourn Newly Identified Srebrenica Victims Thousands gathered in Visoko, near Sarajevo, on July 9 to bid a final farewell to 409 newly identified victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. The remains of the victims were being transported to Potocari for reburial at the memorial center there on July 11, the anniversary of the massacre. Some 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica. More   March In Memory Of Srebrenica Massacre Victims Thousands set off on a three-day march on July 8 in memory of Bosnian Muslims who were killed in the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre. More   Make Way For MOOCs: How Free, Online Courses Could Revolutionize Education What do you call free, internet-based classes taught by professors from top U.S. schools? They're known as "massive open online courses," or "MOOCs." But some are simply calling them an educational revolution. More   U.S. Sees Balkan Progress, Urges More U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Philip Reeker says there is progress among the Balkan countries in moving toward greater European integration, but he cites the need for leaders there to invigorate their efforts. More   The Long Road To Brussels After Croatia Croatia, which joined the European Union on July 1, is likely to be the last addition for some time. Other Balkan states are likely to follow suit, but it's likely to take at least another decade. As for the EU's neighbors to the east, their journey to membership is rockier still. More   St. Vitus Day in Kosovo Serbs gathered in a field outside the Kosovo capital of Pristina to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo Polje. (RFE/RL's Balkan Service) More