Space Travel News
SUPERPOWERS
NATO beefs up Kosovo security ahead of tense vote
NATO beefs up Kosovo security ahead of tense vote
by AFP Staff Writers
Pristina (AFP) Jan 18, 2025

NATO on Saturday said it had strengthened its peacekeeping force in Kosovo amid mounting tensions ahead of parliamentary elections early next month.

The Western military alliance said the 200 additional Italian soldiers would further buttress the NATO-led KFOR force in the coming months.

"Today, Italian troops from KFOR's reserves completed their arrival ... reinforcing KFOR's presence in Kosovo," a press release said.

KFOR consists of approximately 4,500 troops provided by 29 Allied and partner countries.

NATO said the newly-arrived "Italian mechanised infantry brigade 'Sassari', will carry out a range of activities, together with KFOR troops".

The force "will be deployed in response to any relevant developments in the security situation including during the election period."

Kosovo's political parties are on the campaign trail ahead of the February 9 parliamentary election.

On Wednesday, Kosovo authorities raided and closed 10 Belgrade-linked local government offices in ethnic Serb areas -- the latest move to dismantle the so-called parallel system of social services and political offices financed by Serbia's government inside Kosovo.

In the past year, Kosovo authorities have effectively outlawed the Serbian dinar, closed banks that relied on the currency and shuttered post offices where pension payments could be cashed.

Kosovo Serbs can no longer drive cars with Serbia plates and must have local driving licences.

Belgrade and representatives of the ethnic Serbs condemned the move, blaming the Kosovo government for exercising pressure on the Serb minority to prevent them from voting in the February election.

The KFOR international peacekeeper mission was launched to maintain security and freedom of movement in Kosovo after a bloody 1998-1999 war between independence-seeking ethnic Albanians and Serbian armed force.

A decade after the war, Pristina declared independence, which Serbia and the Kosovo Serb minority do not recognise.

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SUPERPOWERS
EU, UK, NATO leaders to hold Feb 3 defence talks
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Jan 13, 2025
EU leaders will gather in Belgium on February 3 for an exceptional defence "retreat" involving Britain's prime minister and NATO's secretary general, two weeks after Donald Trump returns to the White House. The talks will come at a crucial juncture, with key Ukraine backers Britain and the EU warily eyeing Trump's promises to put a swift end to the conflict after taking power on January 20. Trump has also demanded NATO members raise their defence spending. "Europe needs to assume greater respons ... read more

SUPERPOWERS
SUPERPOWERS
NASA eyes SpaceX, Blue Origin to cut Mars rock retrieval costs

January's Night Sky Notes: The Red Planet

Evidence exists for hidden water reservoirs and rare magmas on ancient Mars

University of Houston scientists solving meteorological mysteries on Mars

SUPERPOWERS
Japan startup hopeful ahead of second moon launch

US company Firefly Aerospace to launch for Moon next week

Lunar Trailblazer will make macro-measurements of the lunar surface in 2025

China allocates lunar samples for new research projects

SUPERPOWERS
Citizen scientists help decipher Jupiter's cloud composition

Capture theory unveils how Pluto and Charon formed as a binary system

Texas A and M researchers illuminate the mysteries of icy ocean worlds

Jovian vortex hunter catalog reveals stunning insights into Jupiter's atmosphere

SUPERPOWERS
Dormancy as a survival strategy for life's origins

SETI Forward celebrates the future of cosmic exploration

An autonomous strategy for life detection on icy worlds using Exo-AUV

Living in the deep, dark, slow lane: Insights from the first global appraisal of microbiomes in Earth's subsurface environments

SUPERPOWERS
Investigating materials weathering at hypersonic velocities

China's Smart Dragon 3 rocket launches satellites from sea

SpaceX catches Mega Booster but Starship-7 lost in flight

US grounds SpaceX's Starship rocket pending probe

SUPERPOWERS
Tech innovation propels China's commercial space industry growth

China's human spaceflight program achieves key milestones in 2024

China's space journey continues apace

Shenzhou XIX crew completes successful spacewalk outside Tiangong station

SUPERPOWERS
Asteroid impact sulfur release less lethal in dinosaur extinction

Quadrantid Meteor Shower offers 'perfect New Year treat'

UCF scientists examine unique asteroid-comet hybrid

Lab experiments explore origins of gullies on Asteroid Vesta

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.