Tag: Balkans

Mass blackouts hit Balkans as region swelters

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AFP) – Major blackouts hit large swaths of the western Balkans on Friday as surging demand for electricity linked to a spike in temperatures across the region overwhelmed power networks. Temperatures in Montenegro’s capital Podgorica touched 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday afternoon, as the country’s main power provider said electricity was out across most of the Adriatic nation. Montenegro’s Minister of Energy and Mining Sasa Mujovic told local media that […]

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5.4 Magnitude quake hits Bosnia-Montenegro border region

PODGORICA, Montenegro, March 14, 2024 (AFP) – A 5.4 magnitude quake struck the border region between Montenegro and Bosnia early on Thursday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake’s epicentre was around 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the town of Niksic in western Montenegro, and 25 kilometres from the Bosnian town of Bileca. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The tremor had a depth of about 7.6 kilometres and was felt […]

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The long decline: mass migration batters Balkans

by Darko DURIDANSKI with Lajla VESELICA in Brestovac Agence France-Presse VALANDOVO, Republic of North Macedonia (AFP) – Abandoned shops and mostly empty streets offer few signs of life in North Macedonia’s Valandovo, where young people are fleeing in large numbers hoping to find a better life abroad. Like much of this impoverished corner of southeastern Europe, this tiny Balkan nation is sitting on a demographic time bomb fuelled by an ageing population, sinking birth rate […]

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Ohrid Lake region avoids UNESCO ‘in danger’ list

SKOPJE, Republic of North Macedonia (AFP) — The Lake Ohrid region, shared by North Macedonia and Albania, avoided being listed as an endangered world heritage site by UN’s culture agency UNESCO on Sunday, despite concerns about urbanisation and pollution. UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee gave the two Balkan nations two more years to implement recommendations to improve the region’s conservation and welcomed efforts undertaken so far. Albania and North Macedonia should by February 2023 submit a report […]

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Short on doctors, Balkans brace for worst of coronavirus

by Darko DURIDANSKI with Sally MAIRS in Belgrade SKOPJE, Republic of North Macedonia (AFP) — With hospitals lacking equipment and low on doctors who have been steadily moving abroad, Balkan countries fear the worst as they watch the new coronavirus ravage their far richer European neighbors. “If much bigger and wealthier countries couldn’t contain the sharp increase of infections, what can be expected from ours?” Zoran Hristovski, a Skopje resident in his late 40s, said. […]

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Heating woes fuel Balkan smog crisis

SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZGOVINA (AFP) – Rusmir SMAJILHODZIC and Emmy VARLEY in Belgrade As winter grips the Balkans, the poor are caught in a cruel bind, being forced to light fires at home for heating while fuelling a pollution crisis smothering the region.   In recent weeks, Balkan capitals from Belgrade Sarajevo to Skopje and Pristina have been ranked among the world’s top 10 most polluted major cities, according to the monitoring application AirVisual. While […]

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Israeli president visits Greek site of future Holocaust museum

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AFP) — Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday announced the northern port city of Thessaloniki is to host a Holocaust museum, during a visit to the site with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. Greek shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos and the German government will each make a 10 million euro ($12 million) donation to cover the bulk of the cost of the museum on the site of a former railway station from where trains […]

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Balkan floods raise health concerns and threaten power supplies

People in Serbia and Bosnia are struggling to deal with the record floods which have inundated vast areas and cut power supplies. There is increasing concern about health problems because of contaminated water. Flooding and landslides are the major problems being tackled by rescue teams and volunteers as the Balkans struggle with the consequences of in more than a century. Serbia’s capital Belgrade is preparing for a river water surge that has threatened to inundate the […]

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