Kosovo – News Stories About Kosovo - Page 2

Feb 26, 2009 11:46 AM CST

UN Acquits Serb Leader

Five others convicted of roles in Kosovo violence

(Newser) - A UN tribunal acquitted former Serbian president Milan Milutinovic today of war crimes during the late-1990s conflict in Kosovo, the BBC reports. Milutinovic, the titular leader of Serbia in 1997-2002, did not have direct control of the Yugoslav army during the campaign of violence committed against Kosovar Albanians, the tribunal...

Kosovo
Mediator
Wins Nobel

Oct 10, 2008 4:44 AM CDT

Kosovo Mediator Wins Nobel

Former Finnish president has supervised peace talks for decades

(Newser) - This year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland who mediated peace talks in Indonesia and Kosovo. Ahtisaari has also mediated conflicts in Namibia, Northern Ireland, and Iraq, often working on behalf of the United Nations. In its citation the Norwegian committee praised his...

In Kosovo Visit,
Gates Walks
a Fine Line
With Russia

Oct 8, 2008 8:06 AM CDT

In Kosovo Visit, Gates Walks a Fine Line With Russia

But defense sec says US troops will remain

(Newser) - The US will maintain its current troop levels in Kosovo until at least the end of 2009, according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. His trip to Kosovo is the first by an American cabinet member since the republic declared independence in February. The move of support is meant to show...

Invasion Shows
Putin's Clout

Analysis

Aug 12, 2008 5:49 PM CDT

Invasion Shows Putin's Clout

Ex-president retains control

(Newser) - Russia’s military campaign in Georgia is a clear signal that Vladimir Putin is neither gone nor forgotten, reports the Wall Street Journal . Domination of the Caucasus region has long been a central tenet of Putin’s foreign policy, and the PM was especially visible this week, supporting the invasion...

Gift Cows Give Hope
to Kosovo War Widows

Jul 12, 2008 8:28 PM CDT

Gift Cows Give Hope to Kosovo War Widows

Aid group helps heal the wounds of war in Europe's fledgling country

(Newser) - A Dutch organization is helping steer Kosovo's war widows toward a brighter future, Radio Free Netherlands reports. Many were left to fend for themselves after losing loved ones in the war against Serbia; now the Dutch group The Bridge is giving them cows to put food on the table and...

NATO Warns Russia
Over Georgia Buildup

Apr 30, 2008 2:44 PM CDT

NATO Warns Russia Over Georgia Buildup

Moscow sends troops to breakaway regions; peacekeeping role doubted

(Newser) - NATO chided Russia today for sending additional troops into the breakaway Georgian provinces, saying the show of force “undermined Georgia’s territorial integrity,” the BBC reports. The alliance also warned Tbilisi against exacerbating the situation: Georgia has warned against Russian intervention, and, according to Moscow, also increased troop...

UN Official: Guerrillas Killed Serb Prisoners for Organs

Apr 12, 2008 11:45 AM CDT

UN Official: Guerrillas Killed Serb Prisoners for Organs

Former UN war crimes prosecutor alleges organ-harvesting happened during 1999 war

(Newser) - Kosovan guerrillas killed Serb prisoners and harvested their organs for profit during Balkan fighting nearly a decade ago, according to the former UN prosecutor for war crimes in Yugoslavia. Carla del Ponte alleges that guerrillas trucked 300 captured Serbs over the border to a makeshift clinic in Albania, removed their...

Former Kosovo Leader Acquitted
of War Crimes

Apr 4, 2008 4:30 AM CDT

Former Kosovo Leader Acquitted of War Crimes

Ex PM cleared of attacks on ethnic Serbs

(Newser) - The UN's tribunal in the Hague has acquitted a former commander of the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army of all charges of war crimes. Ramush Haradinaj, who also briefly served as the breakaway province's prime minister, was cleared of murder, persecution, rape and torture of Kosovo Serb civilians. The verdict threatens...

Kosovo
Eager for
Freedom's Ring

Mar 27, 2008 10:23 AM CDT

Kosovo Eager for Freedom's Ring

New nation resents being stuck with Serbian dialing code

(Newser) - Kosovo has won recognition as an independent state from three dozen countries, but a call to the world's newest nation is a reminder of its history. Telephone numbers in Kosovo still begin with the old Serbian dialing code, and the breakaway republic now wants its own international prefix. It's not...

Clinton, Obama Both
Inflate Senate Records

Mar 24, 2008 1:21 PM CDT

Clinton, Obama Both Inflate Senate Records

From laws to peace deals, candidates' roles appear to grow in hindsight

(Newser) - Barack Obama didn’t take part in meetings on immigration legislation in 2006, recalls Arlen Specter, one of the handful of senators who did, but Specter just shrugs when the Illinois Democrat says he did. “It’s not an unusual matter for senators to take a little extra credit,...

UN Cop Killed in Kosovo Riots

Mar 18, 2008 6:51 AM CDT

UN Cop Killed in Kosovo Riots

More than 100 injured as Serbs battle UN, NATO with guns and grenades

(Newser) - A Ukrainian UN police officer has been killed and at least 40 UN or NATO personnel were injured as Serbs continued to exchange gunfire with NATO and UN forces, reports AFP. Some 70 Serbs were also wounded as yesterday's fighting in ethnically charged Mitrovica spilled over to today, including a...

UN Forces Withdraw
From Kosovo Town

Mar 17, 2008 9:55 AM CDT

UN Forces Withdraw From Kosovo Town

100 hurt in battle to retake courthouse

(Newser) - UN police trying to retake a courthouse were forced to withdraw from the Kosovo city of Mitrovica after clashes with ethnic Serbs, reports the BBC. NATO troops were left in charge of security after the worst violence since Kosovo declared independence; AFP reported at least 100 police and protesters were...

Serbia's PM Dissolves Government

Mar 8, 2008 11:47 AM CST

Serbia's PM Dissolves Government

Kostunica cites infighting over Kosovo, calls for new elections

(Newser) - Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica dissolved the government today, saying it had become paralyzed over disagreements on how to deal with Kosovo and EU membership. He proposed new elections for May. "We are lacking government unity,” said Kostunica, charging that his pro-Western coalition partners aren't being adamant enough...

US Mission Reopens in Belgrade

Feb 27, 2008 12:56 PM CST

US Mission Reopens in Belgrade

Building cleaned up, but bears scars from last week's violent protests

(Newser) - Workers were still cleaning up damage from last week’s violent demonstrations when the US embassy in Belgrade reopened today, Reuters reports. Protesters set fire to and ransacked the building last Thursday to protest the US’ support of Kosovo in the province's declaration of independence. Now, though the building still...

Russia Steps Up Support for Serbia

Feb 25, 2008 4:46 AM CST

Russia Steps Up Support for Serbia

Leaders meet in Belgrade as tensions over Kosovo continue

(Newser) - Unrest and uncertainty marked the one-week anniversary of Kosovo's independence as ethnic Serbs within Kosovo and around the world continued to protest, and Serbian ally Russia deployed top officials to Belgrade to meet with Serbian leaders, BBC reports. Serb protesters in northern Kosovo brandished posters of Vladimir Putin and a...

Looting Serbian 'Riot Girls' a YouTube Hit

Feb 24, 2008 8:00 AM CST

Looting Serbian 'Riot Girls' a YouTube Hit

'Belgrade bimbos' draw hits, scorn for grabbing chocolates and shoes

(Newser) - After the violence and looting that gripped Belgrade on Thursday night, a video available on YouTube has become a Serbian phenomenon—and provoked near-universal disapproval. The clip features two female looters grabbing everything from chocolates to designer handbags and shoes while the American embassy burned. Entitled "Swapping Kosovo for...

Serbia Blames US as Rallies Continue

Feb 23, 2008 4:25 PM CST

Serbia Blames US as Rallies Continue

Thousands chant 'Kosovo is Serbia' while US clears out embassy

(Newser) - Thousands protested peacefully in the streets of Kosovo today, chanting “Kosovo is Serbia” as officials blamed the US for the violence that has marred earlier demonstrations. “The United States is the main culprit for all those violent acts,” said Serbia's minister for Kosovo. Meanwhile the US cleared...

Serb Protests Rock Kosovo

Feb 23, 2008 7:29 AM CST

Serb Protests Rock Kosovo

Independence stokes tensions between Russia and West

(Newser) - Mobs of Serb nationalists chanting "Kosovo is ours!" threw stones, bottles, and firecrackers at UN police yesterday as a bridge in northern Kosovo separating Serbs from ethnic Albanians became a flashpoint for conflict over the fledgling independent state. The State Dept. meanwhile ordered non-essential diplomats and all dependents...

US Rips Serbian 'Thugs' in Embassy Attack

Feb 22, 2008 6:35 AM CST

US Rips Serbian 'Thugs' in Embassy Attack

Government officials accused of sanctioning deadly violence

(Newser) - The UN and US have strongly condemned attacks on the American and Croatian embassies in Belgrade during riots that erupted yesterday at a state-sponsored demonstration against Kosovo's independence. "Our embassy was attacked by thugs," said a White House spokeswoman. Rioters torched the embassies and had running battles with...

Body Found After Embassy Riot

UPDATED

Feb 21, 2008 5:25 PM CST

Body Found After Embassy Riot

Protesters upset over Kosovo set fire to US mission in Belgrade

(Newser) - Serb protesters angry about Kosovo independence set the US embassy in Belgrade on fire today, and at least one charred body has been found, the Los Angeles Times reports. The victim apparently is a protester because all US personnel have been accounted for. The fire, now under control, came after...