All the news

The Kadyrov system: neither Russian nor sharia

21/10/2011 -  Majnat Kurbanova

Life in contemporary Chechnya cannot be subsumed under any one stereotype. The mix of Russian constitution, despotism, and sharia makes it virtually impossible to understand the rules of the game in this republic that is officially part of the Russian Federation. Stories from the “Kadyrov system” told by Majnat Kurbanova

Slovenia, Janša can wait

21/10/2011 -  Stefano Lusa

After the centre-left government led by Borut Pahor resigned, Slovenia’s political destiny appeared to be doomed to a turn to the right. Former Prime Minister Janez Janša was considered likely to win the next early elections, due to take place on 4 December. However, things have recently taken a dramatic turn

Novi Pazar, the bazaar without lipstick

20/10/2011 -  Marjola Rukaj Novi Pazar

It is very similar to the Ottoman-style quarter in Sarajevo, though many consider it more genuine, the čaršija from which Novi Pazar in south-eastern Serbia gets its name. Our feature

Census fails in Macedonia

20/10/2011 -  Risto Karajkov Skopje

In Macedonia, the census planned for October has officially been cancelled. The fiasco came as a result of increasing tensions between the two major partners in the government, the VMRO led by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and the DUI of Ali Ahmeti. Assessing the number of citizens (and the weight of the different ethnic communities) in Macedonia is a sensitive and highly politicized issue

Young lawyers struggle in Georgia

13/10/2011 -  Giorgio Comai Tbilisi

Georgia's Young Lawyers' Association (Gyla) is one of the largest NGOs in Georgia. It provides free legal counselling to all those who need it. It is often critical of the government and demands more transparency. It struggles against the judiciary in a country where the acquittal rate in the capital, Tbilisi, stands at just 0,04 percent. An interview with Ekaterine Popkhadze, Gyla's executive director

Mostar: the čaršija and the bridge

12/10/2011 -  Marjola Rukaj Mostar

A divided town, a bridge, a čaršija on each side. Symbols of meeting and congregation which now have to deal with the legacy of the war. The challenge of Mostar between tourism and tradition

Azerbaijanis' holidays

05/10/2011 -  Arzu Geybullayeva Baku

In Soviet Azerbaijan, most people took their holidays in sanatoriums in Azerbaijan or other parts of the Union. Nowadays, sanatoriums in Azerbaijan are often rundown while those in Russia have become much more expensive. Seaside locations in Georgia and Turkey are preferred destinations among those who can afford it, but for many Azerbaijanis, holidays are an unaffordable luxury

Enlargement of the EU to the Western Balkans: negotiations on agriculture

04/10/2011 -  Matteo Vittuari

After 2013 the European Common Agricultural Policy, known as CAP, will bring about numerous changes that the majority of the Western Balkans will have to adapt to. An incentive for modernising the agricultural sector and drawing attention to rural issues. Much apprehension about the future remains

Northern Kosovo: Everybody's land, nobody's people

03/10/2011 -  Tatjana Lazarević Mitrovica

The security situation in Northern Kosovo is deteriorating, as the confrontation between KFOR troops and local Serbs continues. A violent clash on September 27 left many injured. Our update

Russia-Abkhazia: where to set the border

03/10/2011 -  Francisco Martinez

A border dispute over a small village near the ski resorts where the winter Olympics of Sochi 2014 are set to take place has caused some skirmishes between Moscow and the de facto authorities of Sukhumi

Focus on Turkey

26/09/2011 -  Fazıla Mat

Fatih Pınar is a photographer and an experimenter. He tells stories about daily life, transformation and urbanization in his country, Turkey. His work consists of meticulous photographic reportage with short embedded videos, never forgetting the duty of the news reporter: reporting the truth. An interview

Game of nerves in the North of Kosovo

22/09/2011 -  Tatjana Lazarević Mitrovica

Serbs in the North of Kosovo are on the barricades again, after Eulex and Kosovo customs officers took control of the administrative crossings with central Serbia. Persons and goods now pass infrequently and only via alternative routes. Tension rises and effective international mediation is lacking

Macedonia turns 20

20/09/2011 -  Risto Karajkov Skopje

The Republic of Macedonia has recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. So far, the country has succeeded as a multicultural democracy. However, many challenges are yet to come and the name dispute with Greece is still keeping Skopje distant from the EU

Slow food. On grass and transhumance in Western Macedonia

16/09/2011 -  Francesco Martino Mavrovo

Mavrovo, Western Macedonia. On these mountains, the Balkans’ continental and Mediterranean climates meet, giving birth to incredibly rich and unique pastures. This is why, throughout the centuries, this region has specialised in transhumance sheep breeding and cheese production. A slow food presidium that will make its first international appearance today at the Cheese fair in Bra, Cuneo, Italy.

Skopje, the bastard city

09/09/2011 -  Marjola Rukaj

Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, is a divided city but it retains a 'bastard' soul. Katharina Urbanek and Milan Mijalkovic have dedicated a book to it, looking into the meaning of the deep transformations - spatial and symbolic - that the city is currently undergoing with the controversial "Skopje 2014" plan. Our interview

The Sarajevo Tunnel

08/09/2011 -  Azra Nuhefendić

For some it's a monument to the strength of the human spirit, others think it was a place of torture. A journey into the tunnel of Sarajevo, a 700 metre underground track which, for the inhabitants of the Bosnian capital, meant the difference between life and death

Hidden violence in Kosovo

05/09/2011 -  Francesco Gradari

Police in Kosovo register over 1,000 officially-reported episodes of domestic violence every year and four out of five victims are women. However, official data is just the tip of the iceberg – not many women dare denounce their agressors

To be an entrepreneur Serbia. Mission impossible?

31/08/2011 -  Risto Karajkov

When institutions are inefficient or corrupt and there is a lack of legal certainty, it's difficult to do business. Even harder for small companies. An interview with Žarko Milisavljević, president of the Association of Small and Medium-Size Enterprises and Entrepreneurs in Serbia

Moldova, twenty years of independence

31/08/2011 -  Natalia Ghilaşcu Chişinău

The Republic of Moldova's 20th Birthday. The celebrations, organized by the Government of Chişinău, involved a military parade and a get together of the five Presidents elected in these last twenty years. The current picture is not the most positive: the country remains bogged down in the Transnistria territorial dispute and its European perspectives are still fragile

A new President for Abkhazia

29/08/2011 -  Marilisa Lorusso

Acting President Aleksandr Ankvab won the 26th of August elections in the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia. The reactions in Moscow, the statement of the new President on the future relations with Georgia