Here is a selection of background articles and reports published in the last few weeks - for a quiet week-end at home or for relaxed beach holidays: "Southern Serbia: In Kosovo's Shadow", "The State of Media Freedom in Kosovo", "Human Security Agenda for the Balkans", "The Process of Decentralization in Macedonia: Prospects for Ethnic Conflict Mitigation, Enhanced Representation, Institutional Efficiency and Accountability", "The Hague Tribunal and Balkan Reconciliation".

As I usually communicate in English about blogs and blogging, I had not really noticed the big discussions in Germany/Austria on "der Blog" or "das Blog" (cf. Taggesschau report). According to the new Duden, both forms can be used: neuter (das) or masculine (der). For the word "email" ("E-Mail" in German) or "sms", the use of the article can vary geographically: feminine (die) in Germany and neuter (das) in Austria/Switzerland (cf. Duden FAQ).