1700 CET: The explosion that was reported downtown was caused by some sort of gas or propane. There still is not much information to go on but that's what I know so far.
1600 CET: There is word that there has been another explosion in downtown Pristina at the Pristina University. Reports are that one person was killed. Currently there is little information available but I will update as I find out what happened :(
Earlier in the day...
Hitting on the economic situation in Kosovo, Bloomberg takes a look at the bid for independence ties into the hopes for a better economy. The common thought is that once independence is achieved, foreign investors will pour into Kosovo, there will be many jobs, rainbows, sugared candies, and puppy dogs for all! In all reality, things are likely to change very slowly and it will take a long time for the Kosovo economy to get out of the slumps it is in now.
I noticed the complaint by the author about blackouts darkening the city every day but since the beginning of Ramadan nearly two weeks ago, I can't recall a single power outage in Pristina and even before that, it was only when KEK took Kosovo-B offline for maintenance that the power was rationed in Pristina. Please, folks, don't ever EVER complain about the power situation in Pristina! If you were out in one of the villages, then okay you can complain about spending several hours a day without power but it absolutely drives me mad to hear a person whine about a 20-60 minute power outage in the capital. I always think back to how it used to be in Kosovo in the beginning of the mission. Forget about whining about a short power outage, back then you wouldn't know which day the power would be on! Constant water shortages, burning piles of garbage on the streets, packs of wild & aggressive dogs roaming the streets...that was the tough life!
MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles...
- The Daily Star features an interesting article that could be summed up as "look before you leap". The article explores the perceived "perils" of recognizing Kosovo's independence.
- Kosovo Board erupts into war of words, lawmakers trade insults and accusations
- Reuters Factbox breaks down the composition of KFOR
- Hope for Kosovo's fate fading fast
- Alice in Blunderland, an editorial piece on the prosecution and trial of Albin Kurti
- NATO gives Serbia cluster bomb target information for 1999 bombing campaign
- 2001 Kosovo bus bomber to stand trial
- Deputy PDSRSG Steven Schook under investigation for "unprofessional conduct"
- Serbia to offer 95% autonomy in face-to-face talks with Kosovo
- The EU, Kosovo's Wild Card?
