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Twenty-two dead, six missing and considerable material damage. THE assessment of the disaster of October 4 is dramatic in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The previous night, torrential rains fell in the center of the country, causing a sudden rise in water levels and very large landslides.
Very quickly, anger seized the population at the negligence of the authorities, whose incompetence only worsened the toll. But global warming is also to blame: these incredibly violent precipitations are linked to the almost tropical temperatures of the neighboring Adriatic Sea.
It’s in this very particular context that the municipal elections took place on Sunday October 6, 2024. THE results seem to satisfy all major partiesethno-nationalists and citizens.
October 7: one year later, the shock wave in the Balkans
By invading Lebanon, does Israel want to redefine all the borders of the entire Middle East? Does the threat reach Turkey? It is in any case what Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says which remains more discreet on Iran. The opposition is demanding evidence and a debate in Parliament.
Thursday October 10, 2024, the Turkish president was visiting Tirana and the question of the war in Gaza had to be raised with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, known to be one of his close friends. Albania is not, however, aligned with Turkey: since October 7the country unwaveringly supports Israel, on a very Atlanticist line. In 1988, communist Albania was nevertheless one of the first countries in the world to recognize the State of Palestine. History.
This week, the news in Albania was also marked by the violence that broke out Monday evening last on the sidelines of a demonstration organized by the opposition. Several public buildings, including the Prime Minister’s residence, were attacked with Molotov cocktails and the police had difficulty restoring calm. These disturbances occur while the opposition is outraged by the incarceration of one of its deputies. This would be a blatant sign of the authoritarian drift underway in the country.
Third Balkans-Ukraine summit in Dubrovnik
On Wednesday, Croatia hosted the third Balkans-Ukraine summitin the famous seaside town of Dubrovnik. Thirteen delegations from all over southeastern Europe came to meet the Ukrainian president. From the podium, Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded for a united Europe in the face of the Russian threat, insisting on the need to integrate the Western Balkans, which have been waiting for many years in the antechamber. A very formal declaration was again adopted, but without a promise of delivery of arms and ammunition.
The Balkan countries are also following the campaign for the approaching American presidential election. Particularly in Kosovo, where we hope to find our place in the White House’s good books. But nothing is less certain. All the more so as American attention is diverted, focused on Ukraine and the Middle East. Analysis.
On the other hand, the United States moves closer to Romaniaon the front line of the war in Ukraine and considered strategic to protect NATO’s eastern flank. Special units of the American army will be deployed there, state-of-the-art F-35 fighters will be sold in Bucharest and loans will be released to strengthen the Romanian defense industry.
Turkey and Greece outraged by murders
For a week, Turkey has been in shock after a terrible double femicide in Istanbul, which is added to an already very long list. Numerous demonstrations took place to ask the Islamo-conservative government to better protect women. Reporting.
In neighboring Greece, two migrants died in Athens police stations which provoke strong reactions. A Pakistani and a Bangladeshi man were found dead in recent days. Police violence against racialized people is recurrent in Greece, as human rights associations regularly denounce.