All the news

Albania: return to virginity

14/03/2012 -  Marjola Rukaj

A phenomenon that has exploded in the last 20 years. In Albania an increasing number of women undergoes surgery in order to regain virginity. For marriage. A report

Kosovo: obvious thoughts on the footnote

13/03/2012 -  Andrea Lorenzo Capussela

The agreement between Kosovo and Belgrade, reached through EU mediation, enables Kosovo to be represented at regional summits and sign commercial agreements with third countries. At one condition, though: the country's name must be marked by an asterisk linking it to a footnote. The meaning of which is explained to us by Andrea Lorenzo Capussela's

Dagestan, two years of Magomedov

06/03/2012 -  Irina Gordienko* Mosca

Two years ago, in February of 2010, Magomedsalam Magomedov became the President of Dagestan. His appointment was accompanied by the hope that this successful entrepreneur, young and educated, could bring actual change to the Caucasian Republic. A hope that was widely thwarted, leading to previously unseen street demonstrations and spelling out of the strong desire for social dialog that characterizes today’s Dagestan

Russian elections and the wonders of Chechen arithmetic

01/03/2012 -  Majnat Kurbanova

In December's parliamentary elections, Putin's "United Russia" party obtained 99.48% of votes in Chechnya. Sceptics attributed this result – a record for the whole Russia – to a massive use of administrative resources. However, the wonders of Chechen arithmetic do not stop here: President Kadyrov anticipated that Putin would get 150% of Chechen votes at March's presidential elections

Romania: creative uprising and return to the political scene

29/02/2012 -  Cristina Bezzi

Weeks of street demonstrations in Romania, where citizens have rarely protested against the “power”. We have discussed it with Vintila Mihailescu, an anthropologist amongst the most lucid intellectuals in Romania

North Kosovo: Serbs say "No" to Pristina

23/02/2012 -  Tatjana Lazarević Mitrovica

The referendum organised by four Serbian municipalities in North Kosovo riaffirmed their refusal to accept Pristina's authority. As expected, the vote was rejected by the Kosovo government and international authorities. But the referendum marks a turning point in the relationship between North Kosovo and Belgrade, which opposed it fearing repercussions on its EU integration process

The end of the Serbian mafia?

22/02/2012 -  Cecilia Ferrara

The arrest in Spain of four Serbian citizens alleged leaders of one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the Balkans, the infamous Zemun clan, has inflicted a heavy blow on organized crime in the region. But is it truly over?

Georgia, world leader in pirating

21/02/2012 -  Tengiz Ablotia Tbilisi

Recent estimates give 93% of the software used in Georgia as pirated. Nearly everyone uses illegal software without seeing it as breaking the law. Shops in Tbilisi sell computers with Windows and other programmes already installed without the licence. Music shops happily sell copies of CDs and DVDs. In the short term the situation doesn't look like changing

Albania: orphans for life

16/02/2012 -  Marjola Rukaj

There are thousands of orphans in Albania. At the age of 14 they are expelled from orphanages by law, and often have no alternative to crowded dorms where, in poverty and without prospects, they remain for most of their life. A report

Bosnia, the return of a war criminal in Mostar

15/02/2012 -  M.H. Mostar

Sentenced by the Hague Tribunal to 18 years in prison for crimes committed in Mostar during the war, Vinko Martinović returned to the city after benefiting from a significant sentence reduction. The weight of the past on the banks of the Neretva

Memories of a Bosnian Roma

10/02/2012 -  Andrea Oskari Rossini

20 years ago a group of Serb paramilitaries destroyed a Roma village in Eastern Bosnia, killing all the residents. A child survived and, today, he is asking for his people justice before the Belgrade's War Crimes Prosecutor

Azerbaijani blogs talk about Armenians: introducing Hate 2.0

03/02/2012 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

International Alert, an NGO based in London working on conflict resolution, did a study on how people on opposite sides of the conflicts in the South Caucasus perceived each other. Our correspondent focused on how Armenians were depicted in online discourse in Baku. An insiders' look into the dark side of the Azerbaijani blogosphere

The economic crisis shuts down Greek newspapers

31/01/2012 -  Gilda Lyghounis

The historic daily Eleftherotypia has not been published for over a month. It is not the only one: at least 15 newspapers in Greece have shut down or cut staff, among which is the authoritative To Vima

Selective abortion in Albania

27/01/2012 -  Marjola Rukaj

If it's a male, all is well. If it's a female, there's a dilemma. In Albania selective abortion is a widespread practice. According to the Council of Europe, in Albania for every 100 females 112 males are born: a rather disproportionate figure compared with the ratio of natural demographic growth. A report from the clinics in Tirana

Chechnya, school of corruption

25/01/2012 -  Majnat Kurbanova

In his most recent televised address to the people, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said corruption in Chechnya was minimal. In reality, it is enough to spend a few days in the region to realise that corruption, like a spider web, envelops almost every sphere of life in Chechnya starting in primary school

EU fiasco: the case of Kosovo’s Central Bank

24/01/2012 -  Andrea Lorenzo Capussela

On January 11 EULEX dimissed all the corruption charges against Hashim Rexhepi, former governor of the Central Bank of Kosovo. Rexhepi's case, however, unearthed serious concernes about the EU Mission's administration of justice. An editorial by Andrea Lorenzo Capussela, former Director of ICO's Economics Unit

Transnistria, wind of change with the new president?

23/01/2012 -  Natalia Ghilaşcu Chişinău

After 20 years of Igor Smirnov's authoritarian rule in this de facto independent territory within the internationally recognised borders of Moldova, Yevgeny Shevchuk became the new head of Transnistria. Over 200,000 citizens showed up at elections to vote against Smirnov, who had a falling out with Russia over allegations of financial frauds

The missed record of Bosnia Herzegovina

19/01/2012 -  Massimo Moratti

Side notes to the agreement that allowed for the formation of a new government in Bosnia. The role of the High Representative, the position of the social-democratic party and the true dividing lines crossing Bosnian society

Croatia in recession looks to the Middle East

18/01/2012 -  Drago Hedl Osijek

Zoran Milanović's new executive is facing one of Croatia's most economically difficult periods, in its fourth consecutive year of recession. While taxes and contributions increase, Zagreb is thinking of attracting investors from the Middle East

Corruption and oil in Azerbaijan

13/01/2012 -  XXX* Baku

In tune with the ambitious anti-corruption campaign launched by Azeri president Ilham Aliyev last spring, more and more initiatives for transparency in the oil sector have appeared. Despite a lack of big scandals, some journalists have reported concrete corruption cases in which bribes did not come in the form of cash, but in bids and contracts