Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Blast Happy

It seems that someone is getting a little blast happy in Kosovo in the past week.  Last night at around 2130 hours, an explosion rocked the area next to Hotel Baci in Pristina.  One civilian vehicle was destroyed and three others were damaged.  The vehicle that was targeted was supposedly the vehicle of the hotel's owner according to KPS spokesperson, Veton Elshani.  Windows of the hotel were also blown out.  The explosion could be heard all the way downtown at the Hotel Grand and UN Mission HQ...however it was more difficult to hear from the Kukri/Phoenix where I was celebrating my birthday *hehe*  For those of you who regularly read this blog, you might remember that a few weeks ago, there was an explosion in the same area near the hotel and KPS is now investigating to see if the two blasts are related.
The International Herald Tribune carries an article about Ramush Haradinaj and how he is viewed by different groups in Kosovo, gives some of the history of his case and the support that certain high-ranking UN officials have given in the past.

An Israeli news site published an article the views the Kosovo issue from Serbia, but not the normal refusal of independence but looks at those in Serbia that might actually support Kosovo's independence and the reasons why they may feel that way.

Energia, a Greek energy and environment site, released an article about how Kosovo's economic future looks bleak, citing the high levels of poverty and the thriving black market as two problems facing the economy.