Kosovo

Kosovo police prevented Kosovo Serbs from accessing their workplaces in front of the Mitrovica municipality building, which was forcefully closed on Friday, according to Tanjug. Kosovo Serbs gathered outside the building, seeking entry to their offices, but were blocked by police, who had arrived with jeeps.

BRUSSELS - Commenting on the latest developments in Kosovo-Metohija, European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano said on Monday the EU was conveying its position and its uneasiness "with this sequence of uncoordinated unilateral steps" to the Pristina authorities and that "failure by the parties to deescalate tensions will have consequences."

"Hey mate!" a cyclist called to us in an Australian accent as he pedaled by on the rocky dirt road that serves as the main street of the village of Theth deep in Albania's Dinaric Alps. Along with my friend and travel companion, Dave, I had not seen another bikepacker in four days.

William Burns, the CIA Director, is currently on a two-day visit to Kosovo, making his way through southeastern Europe. On Thursday, Burns was reported to have been in Bulgaria as part of a tour that included stops in Sarajevo, Belgrade, Sofia, Skopje, and Pristina, according to Radio Free Europe.

US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier expressed concerns today about the potential risks associated with reopening the bridge over the Iber River in Mitrovica. Hovenier warned that this action could pose a "real danger" to the safety of NATO troops stationed in Kosovo, including American soldiers, as reported by "KosovaPress."

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - Serbs in the north of Kosovska Mitrovica staged a protest on Thursday over the arrest of two Serb men by the so-called Kosovo Police earlier in the day.

BRUSSELS - Commenting on Pristina's most recent actions against Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, EU spokesman Peter Stano said on Thursday measures that were in force against Pristina could be scaled up if all EU actors agreed that such a move was necessary, and noted that, instead of steps towards deescalation, Pristina was undertaking more and more unilateral actions leading to escalation.

VRBAS - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday evening Pristina wanted to seize an opportunity to provoke clashes in Kosovo-Metohija before the US elections in order to drag Serbia into a conflict with NATO.

BELGRADE - Serbian Armed Forces (SAF) Chief of General Staff Gen Milan Mojsilovic met with Kfor Commander Maj Gen Ozkan Ulutas in Belgrade on Wednesday.

This was a regular high-level meeting during which they reviewed the security situation in Kosovo-Metohija and the cooperation between the SAF and Kfor on the joint task of creating a safe and secure environment in the province.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - Several thousand Kosovo-Metohija Serbs held a peaceful protest in the north of Kosovska Mitrovica on Wednesday over Pristina's announcement the town's main bridge on the Ibar River would be opened to traffic.