Author: birnEU

Life in Kosovo debates quarrying

Life in Kosovo will broadcast a debate on the operation of quarries in Kosovo.

Questions to be discussed will include: Why does Kosovo have so many quarries? What problems have arisen as a result of quarrying operations? What damage has been caused to the environment by them? Is Kosovo’s cultural heritage endangered by the operation of legal and illegal quarries? What measures should be taken?

 

To discuss these and related issues, Muhamet Hajrullahu will be joined by the following panellists in the studio:

 

Dardan Gashi, Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning;

Ahmet Tmava, head of the Independent Board for Mines and Minerals;

Liburn Aliu, deputy head of the Parliamentary Commission for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Spatial Planning; and

Arsim Vllasaliu, from the Association for Rural Tourism in Novoberdo.

 

As part of the show, BIRN will broadcast a report by Alban Selimi, who will speak about the operation of legal and illegal quarries in Kosovo, and the measures that need to be taken against them.

 

Closing the show, BIRN will broadcast a documentary about how fully the law on smoking is being implemented in Kosovo’s municipalities.

 

Life in Kosovo discusses the security situation in the north

Tonight, Life in Kosovo has invited the representatives of Kosovo’s Government, civil society, the Crisis Group and the Serbian community in the north to discuss the security situation in northern Kosovo.

What is the next strategy of Kosovo’s Government to implement the reciprocity measures in border points 1 and 31? Are there any authorities that may condemn hooligans who burned the border crossings?

 

What is meant by the request to “not get back\” from taking control of customs posts in the north? Should the police activities in the north be followed by an increased campaign of diplomatic pressure on international institutions in Kosovo and Brussels?

 

At the end of the show, BIRN broadcasts the Youth in Kosovo section, on the topic of early childhood development in Kosovo, which has been the subject of a recently published report of UNICEF.

Summer School lecturers: phone hacking case could lead to change

The continued importance of investigative reporting has been brought to the fore thanks to the recent work of Guardian journalist Nick Davies, who exposed the News of the World’s phone hacking practices, prompting public inquiries into the newspaper and its owner, Rupert Murdoch’s New Corporation, as well as the work of the police.

Davies, who will lecture at the upcoming BIRN Summer School of Investigative Reporting, has been praised for his work and for standing up against Murdoch’s extremely powerful media machine.

According to fellow BIRN Summer School lecturer Sheila Coronel, Director and Professor of Professional Practice at Colombia University’s Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, “today we are seeing the unraveling of one of the most powerful global media empires.

The phone hacking scandal has had repercussions not just in the UK, but in the US as well, where Murdoch’s Fox News network lords it over the cable channels. US investigators are now looking into possible violations of US law. The FBI has been asked to investigate whether News Corp subsidiaries hacked phones in the US as well. We may well be seeing the end of the Murdoch era.”

Also speaking about the importance and ramifications of this story, another BIRN Summer School lecturer, Paul Bradshaw, insists: “This is a bigger story than MPs’ expenses, because this is about the system itself, not just its abuse. It is bigger than Wikileaks, because that was about truth and this is about change…”

Bradshaw, best known as the publisher of the Online Journalism Blog and a professor of online journalism in the UK, insists that the cards could fall in any number of ways. “Regulation of the press is obviously the area of most concern: the Press Complaints Commission and the press itself have been heading this way for some time now, so they cannot complain if things change.

Government is making reassuring noises in framing their inquiry into regulation around protecting plurality and independence, but there’s also a suggestion that they are seeking to control the BBC further. Whatever press regulation regime we get is likely to be tougher, however, and may well seek to regulate online journalism more consistently too.”

He continues: “Ownership is the other major area being looked at, with talk of a numerical test being used to proactively ensure individual companies do not dominate the media, rather than intervening only when companies merge or are bought – although this plays in sharp contradiction to policy around local TV, for example, which explicitly talks about relaxing media ownership rules.

“Whatever happens, this is the biggest opportunity to reshape the political landscape that the media operate in – both for those who seek to ensure freedom and diversity of speech and for those who would seek to control the press. Both will be fighting hard for their cause,” concluded Bradshaw.

Opatija awaits budding investigative journalists

The 2011 BIRN Summer School of Investigative Reporting is fast approaching. Journalists from the Balkans have just four more days, until July 25th to apply and gain a full scholarship, while paying applicants can apply until August 9th for this unique course, to be held in the beautiful Croatian resort of Opatija from August 21st to 27th.

This year’s summer school has already attracted the interest of 60 Balkan-based journalism students and our selection committee – comprising Professor Sheila Coronel of Columbia University, Dragana Nikolic Solomon, Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia’s Media Department, and Gordana Igric, BIRN regional director – will select 20 candidates to receive full scholarships.

Trainers at this summer’s school will include some of the world’s leading investigative journalists from the U.S. and Europe, including the Guardian’s Nick Davies, who single-handedly led the phone hacking investigation against the News of The World, Paul Bradshaw, a leading UK-based blogger and journalist, Sheila Coronel, head of Toni Stabile Center of Investigative Journalism at Columbia University and many others. You can access information on all trainers and panellists, as well as the school’s full agenda, via our web page.

BIRN is still calling on mid-career journalists who are seeking to improve their investigative techniques at the Summer School. Applications for those requiring scholarships can be submitted until midnight of July 25th here.

Lack of progress in Serbia

The Serbian people would probably enjoy better health and education systems if funds from the national budget were allocated more rationally, according to research carried out under the title “Analysis of the Appropriateness of Public Policy in Serbia”.

The research, carried out by ProConcept and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, records a positive trend in the improvement of education and health services since 2000. However, this improvement is not sufficient for people to express satisfaction with the services.

The project’s authors concluded that complete modernisation and public sector reform could only be carried successfully if people were involved in planning and developing the system and if clear public policy objectives were determined.

When it comes to the health system, the research identifies progress in the field of preventive medicine and supply work with patients, says BIRN contributor Sasa Randjelovic.

According to him, patients and health care staff see the key problems as administration, long waiting times for specialist examinations and diagnoses, as well as insufficient time available for review.

Explaining that Serbia currently allocates 5.7 per cent of GDP to health care, Randjelovic adds that the state should change the funding of health care and the structure of employees in health institutions.

“The analysis shows that employees in the health system offer modest support for the reforms carried out and that more than half of respondents believe the state has the greatest benefit from health care reforms,” notes Randjelovic.

According to the research, the education system proved relatively ineffective at training to solve practical problems, networking and the application of knowledge to analyse and develop students’ motivation.

The results show that students’ parents and teachers agree that the biggest shortcoming of the education system is that youngsters are not taught how to apply their acquired knowledge in work processes.

The results’ presentation and following debate were also attended by Gordana Comic, vice president of the Serbian Parliament, as well as representatives of parliamentary committees and experts.

The aim of the research was to determine how funds from the state budget would lead to improved health and education services and whether people recognize the success of public policies in these sectors.

The survey was carried out for the second year running on a sample of 1,198 individuals in 15 towns and cities across Serbia. The survey is part of BIRN’s “Eye on Public Finances” project.

“Eye on Public Finances” is realised by ProConcept and BIRN Serbia, with the support of the British Embassy in Serbia. Ipsos, a strategic market research agency, participated in the creation of the sample by defining the questionnaire and statistical analysis.

Life in Kosovo discusses the privatisation of public enterprises

Tonight in Life in Kosovo, Shyqri Haxha and Andrea Capussela will meet to discuss the reasons why the agreement between telecommunications companies Dardafone and PTK was signed, creating a deal that is more profitable for Dardafone than PTK.

Is the director of PTK only implementing the board’s requests, or is he responsible for everything that he has signed? Was Shyqri Haxha ever pressured to sign such an agreement? What does the Financial Times’ Balkans correspondent say about the privatisation problems in other countries in the region? Why have neither Slovenia nor Serbia managed to sell their state-owned telecommunication companies? Since three bidders are not applying, should PTK be privatised or not? What are the challenges for energy sector privatisation in Kosovo and the Balkans in general?
 

In order to discuss these and other issues related to the privatisation of public enterprises, Jeta Xharra has invited the following guests to the studio:
 

Shyqri Haxha, executive director of PTK;
Andrea Capussela, former head of the International Civilian Office (ICO) financial unit;
Arben Gjukaj, managing director of Kosovo Electric Company (KEK); and
Neil MacDonald, Financial Times correspondent for the Balkans.
 

At the end of the show, in the context of the ‘Youth in Kosovo’ section, BIRN will broadcast a report produced by youths of between 14 and 20 years of age, on the topic “The school year has finished, what do we do now?” The report shows the activities that youth can do during the summer, such as reading books, learning foreign languages, attending theater courses or go fishing.

 

Life in Kosovo discusses the success of the school year

Life in Kosovo broadcasts a debate on the end of this school year, as the inaugural broadcast of a new section called “Youth in Kosovo”.

How are students in our country being evaluated? Is anyone evaluating teachers and professors, or the Ministry of Education? How long will people who have not studied at all still be allowed to graduate in Kosovo? Should we be satisfied with the final results of the national graduation exam and achievement exam?
 

To discuss these and other issues related to the success, and otherwise, of students in this school year, journalist

 

Muhamet Hajrullahu has invited the following guests to the studio:
Nehat Mustafa, deputy minister of Education;
Osman Beka, director of “Sami Frashëri” high school;
Isa Elezaj, from Vetëvendosje; and
Jusuf Thaçi, an expert of educational issues.
 

In the context of the debate, BIRN will broadcast a new section, Youth in Kosovo, produced by youths of between 14 and 20 years of age, who will talk about education in Kosovo.
 

At the end of the show, BIRN will broadcast a report by journalist Edona Musa about the firing of directors in Vitia municipality’s schools.

Alumni of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence highly successful

Two alumni of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence have been short-listed for the 2011 Dusko Jovanovic International Award for Investigative Journalism for their investigations produced within the Balkan Fellowship programme.

Adrian Mogos from Romania, who took part in the 2009 Balkan Fellowship programme, has been nominated for his investigation, published that year, Forged Identity: Highway to the EU.

Jeton Musliu from Kosovo, who took part in the 2010 Balkan Fellowship programme, was nominated for his investigation, published that year, Kosovars Turn Blind Eye to Fake Foreign Marriages.

More information is available at fellowship.birn.eu.com.

Source: http://www.erstestiftung.org/blog/europe/alumni-balkan-fellowship-for-journalistic-excellence-highly-su

Two alumni of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence have been selected for the Milena Jesenská Fellowships for Journalists. The fellowships offer European journalists time off from their professional duties in order to pursue in-depth research on a topic of their choice, which addresses issues of European relevance.

Ivan Angelovski, TV B93, Belgrade, will work on his research project Sexual Abuse in Western and Eastern Church and its Impact on Religion in the EU and the Rest of Europe in Vienna from October to December 2011.

Marius Cosmeanu, CULT Maganzine, Bucharest, will be in Vienna working on The Alchemy of the Last Meal. The Culture of Capital Punishment in Eastern and Western Europe from January to March 2012.

More information is available at www.iwm.at.

Source: http://www.erstestiftung.org/blog/europe/alumni-balkan-fellowship-for-journalistic-excellence-highly-successful/

Life in Kosovo interviews Hashim Rexhepi, Basri Muja and reveals municipal problems

Tonight, Life in Kosovo broadcasts interviews with Hashim Rexhepi, former governor of Kosovo Central Bank (KCB), and Basri Muja, acting director at the Kosovo Accreditation Agency.

Jeta Xharra speaks with Hashim Rexhepi, former governor of Kosovo Central Bank, who reveals for the first time the demands that senior politicians in Kosovo allegedly made of him before his arrest.

How does Hashim Rexhepi support his arguments that the charges leveled against him are politically motivated? Who asked him to transfer the money of the privatization process into named banks? What happens to a central bank governor if he declines to perform the illegal demands of a finance minister?

 

Journalist Edona Musa speaks with Basri Muja, acting director at the Kosovo Accreditation Agency.

 

Who is demanding bribes there for accrediting an educational institution? What are the charges being made against the board of Kosovo Accreditation Agency?

 

Journalist Alban Selimi’s report culminates the show – an investigation of the travails of building a municipal property in Kamenica and the dysfunction of the directorate of Health in the municipality of Junik.

 

Finally, he reports on the vandalism and looting of the barracks of the Kosovo Protection Corps in Llukar, outside Prishtina.

Life in Kosovo discusses the implementation of law on labour

On Thursday, Life in Kosovo broadcasts a debate on the labour law and its implementation.

Before the debate, BIRN broadcasts the interview with the Kosovar pilot James Berisha and exclusive views of its emergency landing in Sudan.

 

Jeta Xharra has interviewed Andrea Capussela, former head of the International Civilian Office financial unit. Capussela is one of the witnesses who contacted EULEX regarding the agreement signed between PTK Dardafone, which according to him has damaged PTK and the public money. Regarding this issue, during the last week, EULEX filed charges against the board and management of PTK.

 

The main questions to be covered in the debate include: Do employers in Kosovo obey the labour law? Is there a sufficient budget for the implementation of this law? How efficient can be the 52 labour inspectors who operate all over Kosovo? What are the main complaints addressed to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare? How should the state institutions react in cases when the labour inspectors violate this law?

 

In order to discuss these and other issues related to the Labour law, journalist Muhamet Hajrullahu has invited the following:

 

Nenad Rashiq, minister of Labour and Social Welfare;
Haxhi Arifi, head of the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Kosovo;
Rita Hajzeraj-Beqaj, deputy in Kosovo Assembly;
Agron Demi, from GAP Institute.

In the context of the debate, BIRN broadcasts the interviews with the workers of BITEX factory in Kosovo Polje, who were sacked after refusing to sign an illegal contract.

 

In their case, the labour law was not only violated by the factory owners, but also by the labour inspectors.