Authorities in Bosnia’s Sarajevo canton are refusing to release the contract they signed with a Chinese consortium for the reconstruction of the capital’s tram lines, making public oversight impossible.
Figures on the French far-right and groups such as Solidarité Kosovo are pushing a revisionist version of what went on in Kosovo to further an anti-immigration agenda, and it’s become part of France’s presidential election.
The minimum age requirement to open a TikTok account has done nothing to stop thousands of children in the Balkans under the age of 13 from accessing the short-form video app. A BIRN survey finds parents and teachers struggling to stay on top of the risks involved.
BIRN has identified a handful of self-proclaimed ‘expert’ security organisations in Serbia that promote the police, military and right-wing tropes while enjoying ties to the country’s ruling party.
The far-right is creating a ‘them against us’ narrative in the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to pick up followers and spread hate. And Balkan states are not immune, according to the findings of a BIRN investigation.
Serbia beat off competition from around Central and Eastern Europe to host the first Chinese tyre factory in Europe, but evidence obtained by NGOs and BIRN point to ‘systematic exploitation’ – potentially human trafficking – of hundreds of Vietnamese men hired to build it. Serbian authorities say they see nothing wrong.
The Chinese manufacturer of a ‘transport’ ventilator bought by Bosnian officials to treat COVID-19 patients had said publicly, repeatedly, that its product was not for critically-ill patients, but the purchase went ahead anyway, BIRN BiH and Singapore-based The Initium can reveal.