Tag: Kosovo

What are the attitudes of Serbian citizens and the opposition regarding the dialogue? Who represents the interests of the Serb community in this dialogue, Prishtina or Belgrade? Is there a possibility to find a solution to the problems of the citizens of both these countries through this dialogue?

To discuss these and other issues related to the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Jeta Xharra has invited the following panelists:

Edita Tahiri, Kosovo’s deputy prime minister and head of the Prishtina dialogue team;
Augustin Palokaj, Brussels correspondent from the daily newspaper Koha Ditore;
Natasha Kandic, from the Regional Commission for establishing and disclosing the facts about war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia, RECOM;
Slobodan Petrovic, Kosovo’s deputy prime minister.

After the debate, BIRN broadcasts a report by journalist Muhamet Hajrullahu, which reveals how the European Commission Liaison Office was disappointed with the municipality of Prizren, since the latter has not respected the agreement for the construction of a sports’ fields.

Whereas, in the health sector, journalist Alban Selimi presents a report, which shows that institutions are not undertaking appropriate measures to avoid the problem of ticks that residents of the Malisheva region face.

At the end of the show, journalist Edona Musa reveals the problem of residents of villages in Lipjan, who do not have a sewage system.

Are banks really a success story in Kosovo? What do bank leaders need from the state to lower rates? Why do Kosovars have to pay higher interest rates compared to others in the region? Is there any agreement between banks in Kosovo to keep this rate?

 

Why did the Kosovo Competition Commission begin an investigation concerning banks\’ interest rates? Is there space for involvement of new banks in the market which would offer lower interest rates?

To discuss these and other issues related to the banks, Jeta Xharra has invited the following guests in the studio:

Florin Lila, from ProCredit Bank ,
Robert Wright, from Raiffeisen Bank,
Vullnet Latifi, from the Bank for Business
Bedri Hamza, Minister of Finance
Lavdim Hamiti, economics journalist at the daily newspaper Zëri,
Ahmet Krasniqi, from Kosovo Competition Commission.

After the debate, journalist Muhamet Hajrullahu reveals how tenders are given by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.

 

Who has tried to give an 800,000 euros tender at the TRA without following all legal procedures? What does the Procurement Review Body, the TRA, and the senior procurement official who was suspended by TRA for this tender say about this issue?

 

At the end of the show, journalist Alban Selimi looks at the measures taken against the doctor Haqif Sadiku, who has not respected the work schedule at the Family Medical Centre, whose case was discussed in the last Life in Kosovo show.

 

The report also investigates the reasons why the health inspectorate has not noticed this irregularity earlier.

Why are students being suspended so regularly? What are the reasons for the large number of students who achieve poor grades? Can we overcome this crisis in the education system? How concerned are parents of students about this phenomenon? Who is responsible for the students’ lack of interest in learning?

To discuss these and other concerns about primary and secondary education, host Muhamet Hajrullahu has invited the following:

Ramush Lekaj, official at the Ministry of Education,
Zef Osmani, Head of the Regional Inspectorate in Gjakova,
Nazim Haliti, from the Forum for Civic Initiatives,
Elizabeta Murati, student of Xhevdet Doda high school in Prishtina,
Shkumbin Arifi, both a parent and an expert in educational issues.

Before the debate, journalist Edona Musa looks at problems in the education system. The reportage looks at the case of 30 suspended students from Ratkovc, a village in Rahovec, and problems in the municipality of Malisheva, where a large number of students have received poor grades.

After the debate, journalist Alban Selimi reveals how Dr Haqif Sadiku has been working for many years in the private clinic “Galaksia” during his work hours for public health institutions.

Why do husbands whose wives die marry again quickly, while society encourages women whose husbands die to wear black and not re-marry? How widespread is the phenomenon of marriages done in order to obtain residence permits? What do Kosovar imams say about this phenomenon? What are the different perceptions of marriages of widows of wars in Kosovo, Bosnia and the UK?

To discuss Kosovo’s society approach to this, Jeta Xharra has invited the following people:

Nita Luci, anthropologist
Sabri Bajgora, the main imam of Kosovo
Fahrije Hoti, from the Association of Widows “Krusha”
Majlinda Aliu, journalist and the winner of the first prize of Balkan Fellowship for Excellence in Journalism 2010, with her article on the re-marriage of widows.

Jeton Musliu, journalist and the winner of the third prize of Balkan Fellowship for Excellence in Journalism 2010, with his article on false marriages carried out in order to obtain a residence permits.

During the show, BIRN will broadcast the documentary about marriages of Albanians with Swiss and German women in order to obtain residence permissions, realised as part of the Balkan Fellowship for Excellence in Journalism for 2010.

The Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence was established in 2007 by the ERSTE Foundation and the Robert Bosch Stiftung in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, in order to promote excellence in journalism and balanced reporting on complex issues about the reforms that are important for the region and the European Union.

The topic of this year is Justice. For more information about the program and application procedures, please visit http://fellowship.birn.eu.com/.

 

 

Who is to blame for the lack of heating? Which are the biggest institutional and commercial debtors of Termokos? Why did the municipality of Prishtina, as a shareholder of this company, not ensure that heat would be provided for everyone at the start of the winter season? Why does Termokos remain without a board of directors?

To discuss these and other issues related to the heating problem in the capital, journalist Muhamet Hajrullahu has invited the following people:

Fëllanze Pula, Acting Deputy Chief Executive of Termokos
Bashkim Isufi, from the Ministry of Economy
Muhamet Gashi, Spokesman for the Municipality of Prishtina
Lavdim Hamidi, business reporter for the daily newspaper Zëri

After the debate, Life in Kosovo broadcasts an investigative report of journalist Petrit Çollaku, which shows
how the municipality of Prishtina paid 30 times too much for a fire engine.

Journalist Alban Selimi talks about the case of a patient who has sued the hospital in Peja.

At the end of the show, the Highlight of the Week comes from students of Sami Frashëri high school, who are playing music on Mother Teresa Square to raise money to pay for the the care of their sick friend.

 

 

Questions to be considered include: Who is responsible for the organisation and running of elections? What kinds of responsibility do those staffing Kosovo’s 2280 polling stations have? Why was appropriate equipment not provided?

What kind of legitimacy will the institutions to be created after these elections have? What lessons can be learned? Will Kosovo have fresh elections next year?

In order to discuss these and other issues relating to the December 12 elections, Jeta Xharra will be joined in the studio by:

Jakup Krasniqi, acting President of Kosovo and PDK secretary;
Valdete Daka, Head of the CEC;
Driton Selmanaj, Democracy in Action;
Ismet Beqiri, LDK secretary;
Burim Ramadani, AAK secretary;
Glauk Konjufca, member of Vetevendosje.

In addition, an interview by Jeta Xharra will be broadcast, in which two leaders from the CEC, Valdete Daka and Xhemajl Pecani, claim that the responsibility for the irregularities and violations does not lie with the CEC alone.

During the show, BIRN will also broadcast a report from journalist Edona Musa, in which she shows how the government has spent money set aside for children with disabilities.

Is there sufficient budget to fulfill the promises made before the start of election campaign? Are these empty promises? How legitimate is the government’s decision to increase salaries of teachers? How feasible is this promise if the budget for 2011 is not approved yet? Why are official cars being used for the election campaigns?

To discuss these and other issues related to promises and decisions before the election campaign, host Muhamet Hajrullahu has invited the following guests:

Nait Hasani, from PDK
Avni Arifi, from AAK
Linda Shala, from FER
Arben Gashi, from LDK

After the debate, Jeta Xharra interviews Ismet Kryeziu, leader of the Coalition of NGOs Democracy in Action about the irregularities of elections in Rahovec and local elections of 2009. Will these mistakes be repeated on December 12?

After that, journalist Edona Musa looks at why the UCCK (University Clinical Centre of Kosovo) isn’t providing a form of heart care widely available in private clinics.

At the end of the show, journalist Alban Selimi looks at how deputies of the Assembly of Kosovo have responded to the call for blood donation.

Before the debate, BIRN broadcasts Edona Musa’s interview with Doctor Gjina Zeqiri, who was asked about the reasons that led to the closure of her private hospital.

After the interview, journalist Muhamet Hajrullahu will be joined in the studio by representatives of political parties in the Central Elections Commission and representatives of non-governmental organizations to discuss about the preparations for early parliamentarian elections to be held on 12 December and the challenges that will need to be overcome.

Is the CEC prepared to organize early elections in a professional end democratic manner? Have the electoral lists been updated or we will still have dead people on the voter’s lists? What are the problems and challenges identified during the previous elections? What do the representatives of non-governmental organizations say about the abuse of citizens’ votes and other irregularities identified in the previous elections?

To discuss these and other issues related to early elections, Muhamet Hajrullahu’s guests in the studio will be:

Betim Gjoshi – representative of PDK in the CEC,
Florian Dushi – representative of LDK in the CEC,
Ilir Fetahu – representative of LDD in the CEC,
Albulena Sadiku – NGO INPO and
Avni Zogiani – NGO ÇOHU.

After the debate, BIRN will broadcast a report prepared by journalist Alban Selimi about the destruction of cultural heritage in Novoberdo.

At the end of the show, BIRN looks at allegations involving the construction of flats in Suhareke prepared by researcher Petrit Kryeziu.

 

Before the debate, BIRN broadcasts Jeta Xharra’s interview with the head of the European Commission, Liaison Office in Kosovo, Renzo Daviddi, who was asked about the main problems that the Progress Report addresses.

After the interview, journalist Muhamet Hajrullahu holds a debate with representatives of political parties to discuss the issues raised by the Progress

 

Report, including corruption, organised crime and freedom of expression in Kosovo.

What are the main criticisms of the latest Progress Report of the European Commission on Kosovo? How do the political parties representatives assess these criticisms? Why do the criticisms and concerns remain the same as the previous year? Why is there no political willingness to fight corruption?

To discuss these and other issues regarding the Progress Report, the guests of Muhamet Hajrullahu in the studio will be:

Besim Beqaj, Minister of European Integration from PDK
Zylfije Hundozi, from Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK
Besnik Bislimi, from Vetvendosje Movement
Qëndrim Gashi, from Fryma e Re – FER

During the debate, BIRN will also broadcast a TV report from journalist Edona Musa, who interviewed representatives from civil society organisations about their assessments of the Progress Report.

After the debate, journalist Alban Selimi looks at doctors who get paid by pharmaceutical companies to prescribe medicine to their patients.