Serbia's authorities declared on Friday a state of emergency in Belgrade, and reimposed some restrictions to slow the spread of Covid-19 after a surge of infections in the capital, news wires reported. People will be required to wear masks in indoor public spaces or on public transport, opening hours of clubs and cafes will be shortened, and gatherings will be limited to 100 people indoors or 500 outdoors. The state of emergency comes into effect immediately.

Turkey's highest administrative body, The Council of State, delayed a decision on whether the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul can be converted into a mosque, news wires reported. After a hearing lasting just 17 minutes, the court said it would make a ruling within 15 days.

In its more than 1,400-year existence, the majestic domed structure of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul has served as the Byzantine Empire’s main cathedral, a mosque under the Ottoman Empire and a museum under modern Turkey, attracting millions of tourists each year.

The president of Kosovo headed back to his country Friday after pulling out of a White House meeting due to his indictment for war crimes stemming from the 1990s armed conflict between ethnic Albanian separatists he helped lead and Serbian forces.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić paid on Friday a one-day official visit to Brussels, where he talked with the highest EU officials about the European perspective of Serbia, Serbia-EU relations, as well as the continuation of the dialogue on normalisation of relations with Pristina. He expressed hopes that the accession negotiations between Serbia and the EU will be completed by 2024, and that it is realistic for Serbia to become an EU member by 2026.

Montenegrin police have detained dozens of people after seven officers were injured in clashes with pro-Serb opposition protesters in several towns last night. Police say two opposition lawmakers are among the detained after protests late Wednesday in the capital Podgorica and other towns. The incidents reflect mounting political tensions in the small Balkan nation ahead of a parliamentary election set for 30 August.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor in the Hague said on Wednesday it had filed an indictment against Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and nine other former guerrillas for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including nearly 100 murders, torture and enforced disappearances, news wires reported.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's Progressive Party (SNS) won a partially boycotted, pandemic-delayed parliamentary election on Sunday by a huge margin, newswires reported, citing early results. According to a projection by the agency CESID based on a sample of polling stations, the SNS will have 63.4% of the votes, on a turnout of around 48%.

Serbia’s ruling populists of President Aleksandar Vucic’s party looked set to tighten their hold on power in the parliamentary election on Sunday, news wires reported. The vote is taking place despite the spread of coronavirus in the Balkan country and a partial boycott by the opposition.

Serbians are going to vote in parliamentary polls on Sunday after a lifeless campaign without rallies because of the coronavirus pandemic. With the ruling party surging in the polls, and most of the opposition parties resolved to boycott the polls, political change is clearly not in the air, BalkanInsight reported.