Deep Fake Content: A New Reality Awaiting State Regulation

Justice might not come for women and girls from the Balkans, who have been slut-shamed and stalked through Telegram groups, mainly with so-called ‘deep fake’ photos of them being shared at unprecedented speed. Early this year, a Telegram group called “AlbKings” that shared explicit photos and videos of women and girls without their consent was…

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Kosovo Government Announces Public Sector Pay Hike Ahead of 2025 Election

Kosovo’s government has announced a public sector salary increase, set to take effect just ahead of the parliamentary February 2025 elections. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced in a press conference on Tuesday that from January to July 2025, public sector employees will receive a 55 euros increase in their monthly salaries with an additional…

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Kosovo’s Choir Awarded in Spain

Kosovo’s Siparantum Choir has achieved major success at the 2024 “Sing for Gold – The World Choral Cup” in Barcelona, earning a Gold Medal and a Special Award for Best Contemporary Program and Stage Performance. Competing against choirs from around the world in the prestigious ‘Adult Choir’ category, Kosovo’s Siparantum Choir has made a triumphant…

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Western Balkans’ Struggle with Open Data and Digitalization, BIRN Finds

A new BRIN’s report reveals that when it comes to open data and digitalization, Western Balkan countries lack infrastructure and resources. The report ‘Open Data and Digitalization in the Western Balkans: The State of Play,’  presented in a conference on Friday in Prishtina, concluded that advancement of open data and digitalization in the Western Balkan…

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Kosovo Youth Inherit ‘Burden of War’ from ‘Second-Hand Memories’, Report Says

New report by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights concludes that memories of a war they dont actually remember have a significant impact on the attitudes of the young, reinforcing biased narratives and ethnic division. A survey published on Tuesday by the NGO Youth Initiative for Human Rights, YIHR, in Prishtine/Pristina concluded that although the…

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Kosovo Sees Red in Pupils’ Self-Harm Amid Limited School Psychologists

Self-harm cases in elementary and secondary schools in Kosovo are increasing as school psychologists can only be hired if a school has over 1,000 students, based on an administrative instruction by the Kosovo Ministry of Education. On October 11, a school director in a village in Kamenica reported to the police that eight pupils tried…

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Kosovo to Grant Visa-Free Movement for Bosnia Citizens From January 2025

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced on Monday that starting January 1, 2025, Kosovo will unilaterally permit free movement for all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina holding identification cards. Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, announced on Monday that as of  January 1, Kosovo will unilaterally allow free movement for holders of identification cards from Bosnia…

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Kosovo Government Increases Pensions Ahead of Elections

A few months ahead of the parliamentary elections, Kosovo PM Albin Kurti announced a 20 percent increase in pensions for various categories of retired people, a move the opposition has called an attempt to “buy votes.” Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced on Monday that the government will increase pensions by 20 percent, a move…

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A Walk through Resistance: A Visitor’s Take from Kosovo’s Reporting House

An old socialist-era premise in Prishtina is offering visitors a unique perspective of Kosovo’s turbulent past with art pieces, photographs, videos, and artefacts displayed as part of BIRN’s Reporting House. Before entering the Reporting House exhibition hall, an eye-catching jeep awaits visitors. It is the vehicle that renowned war reporter Vaughan Smith used on mountainous…

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