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/ 28 May 2008

Balkans grapple with exploding youth crime

Following a decade of wars and ensuing social and economic decline, Balkan countries find themselves ill-equipped to handle growing juvenile crime and delinquency. In 2007, youngsters were responsible for 10% of all known offences committed in Bosnia and Serbia, and 5% in Croatia, official statistics show.

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/ 11 April 2008

Briton faces trial over Serb massacre of 200 Croats

A British citizen was charged on Thursday with war crimes in the Balkans 16 years ago and faces trial in Belgrade for allegedly taking part in the murder of at least 200 Croatian prisoners by Serbian firing squads. Milorad Pejic, a Croatian Serb from the Croatian border town of Vukovar, lived in Corby in Northamptonshire for 10 years until last month.

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/ 20 February 2008

Nato closes roads between Serbia and Kosovo

Nato peacekeepers closed off roads between Serbia and northern Kosovo and armed United Nations police officers guarded smouldering border checkpoints on Wednesday as thousands of Serbs protested against Kosovo’s independence. For three days, Kosovo’s Serbs have shown their anger over Sunday’s declaration of independence.

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/ 1 February 2008

Russia accuses Europe vote watchdog of ‘sabotage’

Russia accused Europe’s main election watchdog of trying to sabotage plans for monitoring its presidential election next month, the latest round of an increasingly bitter dispute with the West over democracy. Russia said the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s monitoring body, ODIHR, was trying to politicise monitoring of the March 2 election.

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/ 26 November 2007

Putin accuses US of meddling in Russia vote

President Vladimir Putin accused Washington on Monday of plotting to undermine December parliamentary elections seen widely as a demonstration of his enduring power in Russia. Putin, drawing on resurgent nationalist sentiment ahead of Sunday’s poll, also said Russia must maintain its defences to discourage others from ”poking their snotty noses” in its affairs.

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/ 10 November 2007

Election observer attacks Russian poll rules

A senior member of Europe’s main human rights body launched an outspoken attack on the Russian Federation’s elections on Friday, three weeks before they take place, saying he had serious doubts that they would be free, fair, open, democratic or transparent. The Kremlin has indicated that world observers are not welcome at next month’s poll.