Jo Forage

The UK promises to help combat Russian threats in the Western Balkans BELFAST - On 8 and 9 October, the Foreign Ministers of the Berlin Process met in Belfast to discuss the important topics, such as reconciliation, security, regional economic integration and migration,...

Cooper announced £4 million in funding to help combat Russian threats aimed at “destabilising the region” and “fanning ethnic tensions,” the Foreign Office stated.
She promised £10 million investment for schemes aimed at tackling people-smuggling in the Western Balkans and other key regions.

Documentary Exposes Bribery and Institutional Failures Behind Deadly North Macedonia Nightclub Tragedy Shocking evidence of corruption, political ties, and institutional failures that contributed to the tragedy in Kocani, North Macedonia is revealed in a new documentary

Shocking evidence of corruption, political ties, and institutional failures that contributed to the tragedy in Kocani, North Macedonia is revealed in a new documentary by the Investigative Reporting Lab – Macedonia (IRL Macedonia) titled “Kocani – Our Moral Compromise”, BGNES reported.

Jane Goodall, ethologist and conservationist, has died. She was 91

Primatologist Jane Goodall, famous for her study of chimpanzees, has died Jane Goodall, known for her ground-breaking studies involving chimpanzees, has died aged 91.

Jane Goodall R.I.P.

news.sky.com/story/jane-g...

YouTube video by Investigative Reporting Lab КОЧАНИ - Нашиот морален компромис

Обвинителството веќе шест месеци располага со докази за злоупотреба на службена положба, примање мито и оддавање доверливи информации за инспекциски контроли.

youtu.be/DwbWj1qqzeo?...

North Macedonia’s Local Elections: Women Make Up Only 10% of Mayoral Candidates - Euronews Albania In the upcoming local elections in North Macedonia, scheduled for October 19, a total of 309 candidates will compete for 81 mayoral posts — 80 municipalities and the city of Skopje. According to data ...

euronews.al/en/north-mac...

On the American blacklist, but not before the Macedonian judiciary On the American blacklist, but not before the Macedonian judiciary

Most of the people from North Macedonia who have been blacklisted by the US, mainly due to suspicions of corruption and influence over the judiciary, continue to be active in politics and business.

Military parade in Belgrade: Serbia flexes its muscles The people of Belgrade are preparing for the largest military parade the capital has ever seen. Analysts say the main goal is to project power, intimidate domestic opponents and send a clear signal to...

DW sources say that given the political atmosphere in the country, the parade's main goal is to demonstrate the state's strength and intimidate citizens with a demonstration of military might.

Exit from the crisis in Serbia - fair elections or the “Nepali scenario” (Boris Varga) - Center for Western Balkans Studies The regime in Belgrade fears only a blockade of the state and mass unrest Certainly President Aleksandar Vučić and his entourage closely followed the youth uprising and riots in Nepal,…

The fight for free and fair elections and the defence of the electoral will of the citizens of Serbia by peaceful methods is the democratic right of every state in the XXI century.

Училишни униформи - нешто бесплатно, нешто со доплата Иако училишните униформи би требало да се бесплатни, во некои општини родителите се приморани да докупат парчиња на товар на семејниот буџет

Oд тоа како ќе биде напишан тендерот, многу ќе зависи и кој ќе победи на него. Најдобра илустрација се тендерите што годинава ги распишаа Аеродром и Центар. Имаат исти технички спецификации за униформата и избраа иста фирма: prizma.mk/uchilishni-u...

North Macedonia election campaign under the shadow of wiretapping and insults North Macedonia election campaign under the shadow of wiretapping and insults

Political analyst Xhelal Neziri says that the reason why the so-called negative campaign prevails is that political rivals do not offer real and credible alternatives for the elections.

"This form of negative propaganda is driven by the motto 'I am bad, but my opponent is a disaster,'" he adds.

Thousands rally in Serbia and accuse police of brutality at anti-government demonstrations Thousands of student-led protesters have rallied in Belgrade against Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic

The increasingly authoritarian Vucic has rejected students' demand for a snap parliamentary election. He has stepped up a crackdown, sacking scores of professors and teachers and deploying police inside some faculty buildings.

North Macedonia advances climate finance under the GFS programme Under the Greening Financial Systems (GFS) programme, a market study surveyed over 300 medium and large enterprises across key industries in North Macedonia to assess sustainability practices, climate...

A market study of over 300 medium and large enterprises in North Macedonia found that only 7 percent consider themselves green economy experts while 30 percent are completely unfamiliar with the concept

Vučić's distortion of facts to help save a tarnished reputation After last month’s brutal police crackdown on protests across Serbia, the regime in Belgrade regime has tried to reshape its image abroad, sending letters to European institutions and embassies.

While it is true that protests across Serbia in mid-August saw instances of violence, President Vučić conveniently omitted that many demonstrators resorted to stronger measures in response to attacks by supporters of the ruling party.

Violence Erupts After Police Move on Serbia Protest Police made multiple arrests at a student-led demonstration in Novi Sad on Friday night, which descended into violence following a police intervention.

Violence Erupts After Police Move on Serbia Protest

Serbian police use teargas to disperse anti-government protesters | CNN Serbia’s police on Friday used teargas and stun grenades at a university campus in Novi Sad to disperse protesters who demanded a snap vote they hope would oust president Aleksandar Vucic and his ruli...

Months of protests across Serbia, including blockades of the state universities, sparked by the deaths of 16 people last November killed when the roof on a renovated railway station collapsed, have rattled Vucic and his SNS party.

EU pushes trade pacts with Mexico and Mercosur The European Union has thrown its weight behind two major Latin American trade agreements, formally launching the ratification process for deals with Mercosur and Mexico despite sustained resistance from agricultural nations and farmers.

The European Union has thrown its weight behind two major Latin American trade agreements, formally launching the ratification process for deals with Mercosur and Mexico despite sustained resistance from agricultural nations and farmers. Bne IntelliNews

The coalition of the willing meet in Paris to try and stop the war in Ukraine President Zelenskiy travelled to Denmark and France on September 3 to meet with leaders from 35 countries that make up the coalition of the willing (COW) and discuss the need for strong measures to pressure Russia to negotiate an end to the war.

President Zelenskiy travelled to Denmark and France on September 3 to meet with leaders from 35 countries that make up the coalition of the willing (COW) and discuss the need for strong measures to pressure Russia to negotiate an end to the war. Bne IntelliNews

All of this. 👇

The Guardian view on protests in Serbia: a battle for democracy that the EU must not ignore | Editorial Editorial: An authoritarian crackdown on mass demonstrations in an EU candidate country requires a stronger response from Brussels

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Neil deGrass Tyson: "How sad it must be believing that scientists, historians, scholars, economists, journalists devoted their entire lives to deceiving you, but a reality-TV star proven in court to be a lying felon is your beacon of truth & honesty"

Photo of half page of this week’s issue of the TLS - the summer ‘bumper issue’, so well worth the cover price - with Justine Firnhaber-Baker’s review of Helen Carr’s ‘Sceptured Isle: A new history of the fourteenth century’.

Not for the first time in recent days, I thank an informed reviewer for reading/watching something so that I don’t need to. I’m sure that @medievalrevolt.bsky.social is right to suggest that such books find ‘an enthusiastic readership’, though I do wonder whether that really means ‘listenership’.

Another excellent episode of this fantastic podcast.
More timely than ever. Sadly.
@iandunt.bsky.social

The use of violent football ultras as political enforcers evokes Serbia’s darkest chapters. In the early 1990s, militias like Željko “Arkan” Ražnatović’s Tigers recruited supporters to commit atrocities in Croatia and Bosnia.
www.euractiv.com/section/poli...

Serbia: Chaos on the streets that could go in any direction – DW – 08/19/2025 The streets of Serbia have been ablaze for days with clashes between protesters and police. Protesters accuse the state of repression while President Vucic has vowed to respond.

From open repression to new waves of protests and strikes or even elections and a possible toppling of Vucic, all outcomes appear to be on the table.

www.dw.com/en/serbia-ch...

Time to stop indulging Serbia’s authoritarian president Europe must raise pressure on Aleksandar Vučić to avoid a deeper democratic retreat

America seems to have left the Balkan pitch for now. But the UK and the EU have not. They should act and use their economic leverage. If they do not and Serbia heads further down the authoritarian path, it will be not just Vučić but also his gaze-averting western backers who are to blame.

Violent clashes escalate at anti-government protests in Serbia Police accused of brutality against demonstrators as unrest continues across cities for fourth night

Dozens of people have been injured in the violent clashes, while hundreds have been detained over the past week, as nine months of largely peaceful anti-corruption and pro-democracy protests have reached boiling point.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Authorities Guilty of Complacency over North Macedonia’s Phosphogypsum Dump Fertiliser production has left millions of tonnes of phosphogypsum waste at dumps like that near Veles in North Macedonia and Kutina in Croatia. A lack of transparency over the fate of the Macedonian ...

Fertiliser production has left millions of tonnes of phosphogypsum waste at dumps like that near Veles in North Macedonia and Kutina in Croatia. A lack of transparency over the fate of the Macedonian dump is worrying many

balkaninsight.com/2025/08/13/a...

UK recovers position in EU’s Horizon Europe science research programme Scientists received €735m in grants in 2024 after UK rejoined programme as associate member post-Brexit

UK recovers position in Horizon research programme - from @lisaocarroll.bsky.social - www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

I’m not keen either. The idea of protecting children I support but, as per usual, I think the UK has made a bit of a mess with the detail behind the law. Those that it’s aimed at will just use VPNs. 🤷‍♀️