Choirboy, Gamer, Waiter… Spy? Alleged Serb Provocateur Surfaces in Moscow
BIRN has located one of the alleged ringleaders of a group of Serbs accused of staging stunts in Paris and Berlin to whip up social tensions on behalf of Russia.…
At Bulgaria’s Elections, is the EU Facing Another Digital Calamity?
The lesson of the anti-EU backlash following the annulled polls in Romania last year is that election-related social media manipulation must be identified swiftly, long before polling day in Bulgaria.…
Week in Review: Alignment, Collision and Scandal
From a political spying scandal to MAGA alignment and a brewing collision with the law, selection of BIRN Premium stories this week makes for an exciting read. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
ARTE Europe Weekly: Amid the Iran War, How Can Europe Cap Oil Prices?
The war in the Middle East is turning into a global oil crisis and fuel costs in Europe are escalating - sending governments scrambling to find solutions. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Democracy Digest: ‘Hungary’s Watergate’ as Intelligence Operation Alleged Against Opposition
Elsewhere, Brussels clears way for prosecution of Polish far-right MEP; scandal-tainted Kezmarok mayor accuses Slovak coalition of smear campaign; Czech authorities investigate attack on defence company warehouse as terrorism. KAYNAK:…
‘Degrading’: More Patients than Beds at Montenegrin Psychiatric Hospital
For years, there has been overcrowding at Montenegro’s main psychiatric hospital, where some patients are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor, children are treated alongside adults, and forensic…
Kosovo MPs Get More Time to Elect President, But No Clear Way to Do It
With Kosovo trapped in political limbo, the Constitutional Court has given MPs another month to elect a head of state – but experts doubt that extending the deadline will deliver…
Serbian Pro-Govt ‘NGO’ Enlists Right-Wing MAGA Groups to Observe Elections
Four right-wing, pro-Trump US organisations will ‘observe’ local elections in Serbia on Sunday, working with members of a local organisation behind a campaign of disinformation against independent media, journalists and…
In Albania, Leveraging Celebrity Exposure to Stay out of Jail
Charged with corruption, money laundering and concealment of wealth, ex-politician Monika Kryemadhi is rebranding herself as a showbiz celebrity on the Big Brother reality show, but can it keep her…
Letter from Washington: Balkan Leaders Find Shared Values with Trump’s America
In her latest despatch from the US, Jovana Djurovic looks at the support shown by Balkan leaders for Donald Trump’s war of choice in Iran and the ties that are…