Kosovo prisoners go on hunger strike

Approximately 560 prisoners in Kosovo are continuing on their second day of a hunger strike in protest over the Kosovo government's failure to pass a "promised" amnesty law that was due to go into force following independence as well as difficult conditions (thought that was what prison was supposed to be!).

A powerful explosion ripped apart a vehicle belonging to a Serbian KPS officer in northern Kosovo in the early hours of the morning.  An investigation is on-going and no injuries were reported.  On Saturday, a bullet-ridden vehicle and body of a Serbian KPS officer was found in northern Kosovo.  This was the second deadly shooting case in a matter of days in the north.

A Montenegrin was reportedly arrested and insulted by Pristina KPS after being removed from Gebo Club for wearing a hat with his national symbols.  The Albanian KPS officers allegedly questioned the chairman of a Kosovo association for Montenegrins if he supported Ramush or Thaci.  A case is due to be filed against KPS and the club for discrimination and intolerance.

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles/Commentary

• Meddling midwives threaten birth of new nation
• Building trust in Kosovo
• "The Hunt" by Carla del Ponte
• Serb police officer looks towards future
• After Kosovo independence, Balkans has bright future

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News

• Albanians call for more security in North
• Spain lobbies against Kosovo independence
• UN Secretary-General to endorse EULEX mission

A Little Competition

Many years of not having a decent English language newspaper there are now two papers being published!  The first I mentioned last week and the other one came out on the 14th called Pristina (Prishtine?) Insight.  It appears that Pristina Insight is backed by BIRN which I have always liked for their investigative pieces and balanced reporting.  As we say, a little competition is never a bad thing and it's great to have some quality reporting in English, not just a rehash of translated text from local papers!

It was pointed out to me that while I mentioned Tokyo Restaurant in the blog I didn't have the information in the Restaurant listing so I've updated with some of my favorite menu items and will work on expanding the information next week for both Tokyo and a new restaurant I've recently discovered (I've been driving by for some time but never actually went in!)  There also is an excellent wine bar and Bistro (Pacific Rim Bistro & Wine Bar, 47 Ismail Qemali Street) in Dragodan just down the street from me (I'm thinking just as dangerous as Pinocchio but at least a little more of a walk!)  The menu is diverse with a mixture of Asian, Mexican, and American favorites.  The wine menu is huge and they have many good selections.  They also seem to have a large selection of different beers from local to imports.  I can quickly see Pacific Rim jumping to the top of my favorites!

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News

• Kosovo President vows to work with extended UN mission
• Italian diplomat to take over as new UNMIK SRSG
• Security Council set to discuss Kosovo
• Serbs engage in deadly shoot-out
• Kosovo to open nine (9) embassies

Special Price for you, my friend!

With the gradual deployment of EU personnel to Kosovo and the local population aware of the generous living allowance rates, the rental prices in Kosovo has started to increase bring about the old saying "special price for you, my friend" when people are searching for flats.  In the last months, one international found that some landlords have jacked the prices in Dragodan from 500Euros/month to nearly 900E/month which is literally insane.  And many landlords in Kosovo would rather chew on their shoe that negotiate for a lower rent for those expecting long-term assignments opting to keep their flats empty and forgoing a lower rental payment in hopes that that one sucker born every minute will come along and rent the place for the exorbitant amount they are asking.  Luckily not every landlord is out to make a quick dime and with so many people leaving the mission it really is a renter's market so when looking for a flat, remember that there are plenty of places available and if the landlord isn't willing to negotiate it's probably best to move on and look for a better deal (one of the greatest criticisms of Americans is that we often don't negotiate the rents and we tend to spoil the landlords into thinking that everyone is a sucker and will pay more than necessary!  The other big criticism is that we tip too much...but I still leave at least 10% when I get really good service.)

With a relative lack of excitement, the Kosovo constitution came into effect yesterday, two days short of four months after the unilateral declaration of independence.  In what was supposed to mark a handover from the UN to the EU there are still doubts as to when the UN will leave as the EU has failed to establish their mission north of the Ibar river due to strong opposition by the Kosovo Serbians in the area.

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News

• NATO states agree to train Kosovo forces
• Turkey blocks KFOR-EU cooperation
• UN Chief gives EU bigger role
• Kosovo Montenegrians demand more recognition
• Kosovo applies for FIFA membership

Border Backs Up after Closure

The Blace border on the Macedonian side has backed up with truck traffic after the seizure of hazardous dimethyldisulfide.  The border is reported to have a sweet, pungent scent and authorities are trying to figure out what to do with the trucks.  Kosovo wants to send it back but Macedonia will not let the truck pass through until the materials are stored correctly. Several police officers came down sick after exposure to the toxic chemical but according to the KPS spokesperson it was due to food poisoning (somewhat difficult to believe!)  When driving down to Greece, there must have been at least 100-150 trucks on the Macedonian side of the border and none-too-happy to be stuck there.
 
MTCowgirl's Kosovo News - Related to Toxic Shipment

• Hazardous trucks stir concerns in Kosovo
• Border crossing closed down due to hazardous substances
• Dangerous chemical substance found at Blace Border
• Macedonian police ill after exposure to toxic cargo

1st English Language Newspaper in Independent Kosovo

The new Kosov@ Press went to print this past weekend with its first issue boasting to be the 1st English language newspaper in independent Kosovo.  The 16-page tabloid-print paper features everything from serious politics to culture in both black/white and color.  The weekly paper will cost 1� and appears it will be available on Mondays. You can pick up a free copy at the reception desk of the Grand Hotel downtown :)
In what could only be described as pure criminal stupidity, a junkie attempted a robbery at the Kosovo PM Thaci's home on Saturday morning and was shot.  The known 19 year-old was turned in by his father after being injured and reportedly didn't realize that he was breaking into the Prime Minister's home.  Initial reports of the break-in were that there had been an assassination attempt on Thaci, who wasn't even home at the time, and even that the PM's house had been mortared...that shows you just how accurate Kosovo rumors can be!

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News

• Kosovo parliament approves Kosovo National Anthem
• Montenegro sees Kosovo recognition as "sensitive" issue
• Process of land return to rightful owners begins in Kosovo
• UNMIK's budget due for an extension
• Two injured in Kosovo bus attack
• Kosovo Albanians arrested in Slovenia for human traficking
• Problem solved for toxic cargo

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles/Commentary

• Kosovo film sparks controversy in Czech Republic
• Haradinaj asks UN to leave
• A new frozen conflict? - Commentary from the Guardian
• 10,000 hens suffocate during power outage

Common Courtesy? Not in Kosovo!

This morning as I drove to work I was reminded of how driving in Kosovo is something special.  Courtesy while driving is not something to be expected in Kosovo in fact it's a downright miracle (divine intervention, heavenly music, and angels playing harps!) if it does occur.  As I came out of a circle this morning and attempted to merge into traffic as my lane ended I found myself being forced into oncoming traffic by the anti-merging drivers in the other lane.  But employing one of the rules of the Kosovo Driver's Handbook I managed to merge.  When I looked in my rearview mirror I was happy to see that I forcefully merged myself into traffic as the truck that was attempting to run me off the road was half a football field behind me due to being overloaded and unable to travel at normal speed...yet for some reason he really wanted me to be stuck behind him and didn't want to allow me to merge in front of him :P
Additionally, there is no such thing as a courtesy wave when you allow someone to turn in front of you or yield when you have the right of way...the drivers here act like they own the road and of course you are going to stop for them so why should they thank you?  Oh, and if they are going down the street the wrong way, you should still pull over for them because hey, they own the road (God forbid that KPS do anything about traffic going the wrong way down the one-way street...they're too busy chatting and drinking coffee! Don't believe me???  Go spend two minutes on a street in Dragodan in the morning and see how many vehicles go the wrong way, including police vehicles.  Respect of law?  Ha, who is going to respect the traffic laws if even the police refuse to obey them???)

Also naturally if someone wants to talk to a friend on the side of the road, they have no qualms about stopping in the middle of traffic completely blocking access for all other drivers and chatting for several minutes.  A friend had a good story from a week or so ago when he was driving home from work and traffic started backing up and everyone was changing lanes.  When he got to the blockage, he pulled over in front of the female (of course!) driver who was stopped on a crosswalk and was chatting with a male friend.  When he showed his police ID and told her to move, he didn't get an embarrassed apologies but instead was basically told that telling them that they couldn't stop in the middle of the street was a violation of their human rights (Um, yeah, I'll have to try that line the next time I get pulled over.  "Oh no officer, you can't give me a ticket for speeding.  That's against my human rights!")

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles/Commentary

• Is the UN and Kosovo Serbs headed for a collision?
• A nation dividedover Europe

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News

• Four arrested for transporting hazardous waste to Kosovo
• KPS arrests Albanian suspected of war crimes

Looking for an Apartment in Kosovo?

After fielding questions about housing prices in Pristina for years, this cowgirl is happy to announce that one of the property agencies has finally started advertising listings online!  If you are looking for an apartment, house, or office in Kosovo, you can now visit Prishtina Property online and view photos and see prices. 
The weather has heated up and it seems that summer has officially arrived.  And of course, there's no better way than to kick off the summer than beach volleyball and a BBQ.  Check your Lotus Notes for more information!

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News

• EU mission may be delayed due to disagreements with UN
• Kosovo seeks Arab recognition
• US unhappy with Kosovo's recognition progress
• UN to remain in Kosovo after 15 June

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles/Commentary

• Kosovo Turks fear albanianization
• Kosovo schools to tackle violence
• Eurovision 2008, looking beyond singing pirates
• True story of Kosovo
• How birthrate is turning modern warfare on its head
• Bewitched by the Balkans