Balkans

Freezing weather across Europe causes flight cancellations, rail network disuption

All domestic rail services in the Netherlands were suspended early on Tuesday after an IT outage compounded disruption across the country's rail network.

PEOPLE WALK in the snow-covered Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower, as winter weather with snow and cold temperatures hits a large part of the country, in Paris, France, January 5, 2026.
A man shows euro banknotes after withdrawing them from an ATM at a bank branch of UBB bank in Sofia, Bulgaria, January 1, 2026, as Bulgaria joins the Eurozone.

Bulgaria celebrates entry into euro zone, lev currency banished into history

ACTING PRIME Minister of Kosovo and Levizja Vetevendosje (Movement for Self-Determination) party leader Albin Kurti speaks to his supporters during the last election campaign rally in Pristina, Kosovo December 27, 2025.

Kosovo to hold election in bid to end year-long political impasse

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and US House Speaker Mike Johnson sign joint letter to the Nobel Committee urging the nomination of US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, December 9, 2025.

Ohana, Johnson launch bid to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize


Rony Ish-Ran returns with the popular liturgical series Bakashot

Ish-Ran says the current series is partly designed to enlighten us about the various strains of piyutim (liturgical poems) that were once commonly recited across the Jewish world.

 BAKASHOT THE Moroccan tradition – Yagel Harosh

Why are the Balkans overlooked by Israelis as a travel destination?

TRAVEL ADVISOR: There is simply no reason that Belgrade cannot be elevated to the ranks of Prague and Budapest.

 PEOPLE VISIT the Kalemegdan fortress in Belgrade.

Serbia wants to normalize ties with Kosovo but will not sign any agreement

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti agreed to implement normalization steps at a meeting with EU officials.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic speaks to the media, in Ohrid, North Macedonia, March 18, 2023.

Serbia, Kosovo reach agreement to implement EU-backed deal normalizing ties

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic held separate meetings with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell before a three-way session in North Macedonia.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and EU Special Representative of Europe Miroslav Lajcak attend EU-sponsored talks in Brussels, Belgium, February 27, 2023.

How Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic stopped World War III - opinion

Shying away from the international spotlight, Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia’s president since 2014, has engaged in a complex effort to maintain stability in the Balkans.

 SHYING AWAY from the international spotlight, Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia’s president since 2014, has engaged in a complex effort to maintain stability in the Balkans, says the writer.

Why ethnic tensions are flaring again in northern Kosovo - explainer

New tensions have erupted since December 10, when roadblocks erected by Serbs in Kosovo turned into violent encounters with the police.

 Members of the Italian Armed Forces, part of the NATO peacekeepers mission in Kosovo, stand guard, near a roadblock in Rudare, near the northern part of the ethnically-divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, December 27, 2022.

Serbia-Kosovo, Azerbaijan-Armenia: Threats to peace in Caucasus, Balkans - analysis

Russia's war in Ukraine has been a major war and gets a vast majority of coverage. However, the current tensions in Kosovo and in an area of the Caucasus called Nagorno-Karabakh also matter.

 Demonstrators hold flags during a rally in support of ethnic Serbs who are protesting against Pristina government actions in northern Kosovo, in Belgrade, Serbia, December 12, 2022.

Shots fired near NATO forces in northern Kosovo as tensions remain high - report

Ethnic Serbs have barricaded roads in northern Kosovo in protest against recent arrests for over two weeks.

 Kosovo Serbs block the road near the village of Rudine, North Mitrovica, Kosovo December 13, 2022

Serbia asks to send forces into Kosovo, warns ‘fight is yet to come’

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti warns that "we will respond to aggression with all the power we have” as tensions rise with Serbia.

 Kosovo Serbs block the road near the village of Rudine, North Mitrovica, Kosovo December 10, 2022

Increasing tensions in Kosovo threaten stability in the Balkans - analysis

Kosovo's decision to apply for EU membership soon and Russia’s interests in provoking tensions in the Balkans are coming together this winter.

 Members of the KFOR peacekeeping force patrol the area near the border crossing between Kosovo and Serbia in Jarinje, Kosovo, October 2, 2021.