Balkaninsight.com

Speculation is rife that Zvizdic, chairman of Bosnia’s Council of Ministers and loyal SDA party soldier, harbours state-level presidential ambitions.

Bosnian and Serbian officials reacted angrily after audio was leaked of Croatian Social Democratic Party leader Zoran Milanovic saying Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a state and the Serbian government is arrogant and nationalist.

Macedonia's Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki hinted that the government might have agreed to Turkey's request to close schools and organisations with suspected links to alleged coup plot leader Fethullah Gulen.

Activists in Kosovo have called a protest against former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic's candidacy for the position of UN Secretary-General.

Heated debate erupted on social media after audio was leaked of Croatian Social Democratic Party leader Zoran Milanovic saying that Bosnia and Herzegovina was a chaotic state.

An immigrant father of three died in the earthquake in Amatrice, while seven other members of Albania's large expatriate community in Italy were injured when homes collapsed.

Local commercial banks provided a loan to Bosnia's cash-strapped Federation entity with a negative interest rate as officials sought to plug holes in the budget.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic is not attending a ministrial forum in Dubrovnik this week which could have been an opportunity to ease tensions with Croatia.

Fewer than 30 plea bargains have been made in war crimes cases, even though prosecutors say they often yield information about mass graves or about other perpetrators of atrocities.

Kosovo Albanians detained during wartime by the Serbian authorities still fear that they could be re-arrested, as the case of a man held last week at the Croatia-Serbia border highlighted.

Commemorative events are being organised by the Catholic churches of Albania and Kosovo to celebrate Mother Teresa being declared a saint next week by the Pope.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias is visiting Macedonia on a mission to improve ties between the two neighbours, which have long been frozen as a result of the ongoing 'name' dispute.

Wiretapped phone conversations allegedly proving the ruling party’s influence over public sector jobs did not surprise the public, but analysts say Kosovo officials must react by making changes to restore trust.

A hunter has been arrested after a young Afghan migrant who had crossed over into Serbia from Bulgaria was shot dead in woodlands near the border.

Croatia’s prime minister warned that nationalist leader Vojislav Seselj, who says he has been given a Serbian diplomatic passport and plans to visit Zagreb, will be arrested if he enters the country.

  Macedonian police have been accused of ignoring an animal cruelty complaint after gruesome photos of what appeared to be a pregnant dog that had been hanged and stabbed shocked the public.  

Well-known Bulgarian mountaineer and green campaigner Boyan Petrov is recovering in hospital after he was run over by a car while working on an environmental project.

Tom Wlaschiha, who plays Jaqen H’ghar in the television series ‘Game of Thrones’, will visit Bucharest in November for the East European Comic Con event.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, a wartime guerrilla leader, has been embracing reconciliation by commemorating murdered Serbs, but analysts question whether he is sincere or just trying to win international approval.

There is much more to Macedonia than Lake Ohrid. From the bustling casinos of Gevgelija to the calming blue waters of Lake Dojran, the area bordering Greece is a land of surprises.