North Kosovo

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - A trial before the Basic Court in north Kosovska Mitrovica of seven members of the so-called Drenica Group of the former paramilitary ethnic Albanians’ Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), who are accused of war crimes, has continued, and three fugitive members of the group showed up before the judge on Friday.

BELGRADE - The Office for Kosovo-Metohija (KiM) condemned in the harshest terms on Friday threats issued against Tanjug News Agency correspondent from Kosovska Mitrovica Zeljko Tvrdisic on Facebook, and urged the international community to take them seriously.

The Office called on the authorities to find and punish the one behind the threats.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - A blast rocked Kosovska Mitrovica early Friday after an explosive device was thrown in the northern part of the town, causing significant material damage, but no injuries.

The blast took place at around 2 a.m. and the perpetrator is unknown, Tanjug's correspondent reports.

BELGRADE - The Serbian government office for Kosovo stated on Friday that Serbs from Kosovo had joined the rescue operations in flooded areas in Serbia.

Fifty Serbs arrived from southern Kosovo and joined the rescue teams in Ub and Obrenovac, the worst hit areas, the statement says.

Amendments to municipal statutes adopted

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA -- ouncilors of the Northern Mitrovica City Assembly unanimously adopted on Thursday the amendments to the municipal statute at a closed session.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - Kosovo Minister of Administration and Local Self-Government Slobodan Petrovic told Tanjug on Friday that the Ministry will most likely approve the amendments to the statutes of the Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - Councillors of the northern Mitrovica City Assembly unanimously adopted on Thursday the amendments to the municipal statute at a closed session.

Councillor Nedzad Ugljanin told Tanjug that all 16 councillors who attended the session voted in favour of the amendments and the calling of new extraordinary elections was thus avoided.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Goran Rakic Wednesday expressed a strong protest at the Pristina administration refusing to certify the charters of four majority-Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo-Metohija (KiM) for four months now.

Serbs to participate in polls, "barring special conditions"

LEPOSAVIĆ -- Serbs in northern Kosovo will take part in early elections in the province "unless Priština sets last-minute special conditions that are impossible to meet."

This is what Leposavić Mayor Dragan Jablanović told Tanjug on Wednesday.

LEPOSAVIC - Serbs in northern Kosovo-Metohija will go to the June 8 early parliamentary elections in the province unless Pristina sets last-minute "special conditions" that are impossible to meet, Leposavic Mayor Dragan Jablanovic said on Wednesday.