The European Union on Thursday removed Japan and five other countries from its list of safe travel destinations, meaning visitors or people returning from those countries are likely to face tighter controls such as Covid-19 tests or quarantine, Reuters reported. Following a review, the governments of the EU's 27 member states agreed to drop Japan, along with Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Brunei and Serbia, the European Council said on Thursday. Uruguay has been added to the list.

Kosovo on Tuesday postponed the beginning of the school year for students up through high school by two weeks following a surge of coronavirus infections due to the delta variant, and new precautions were taken in other Western Balkan countries like Albania and Serbia, news wires reported. Perparim Kryeziu, the spokesman for the Kosovo government, told the Associated Press that “we have put up some new restrictive measures,” which include postponing classes until Sept. 13, imposing a 10 p.m.-5 a.m. nightly curfew, having restaurants and bars only operate outside and mandatory mask-wearing both indoors and outside.

In thanks, posted on Twitter on Wednesday, Czech PM Andrej Babis called an "incredible gift" the decision of Serbia to give the Czech Republic 100,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine free of charge, news wires reported. Babis welcomed the news after meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the end of a three-day visit to Prague.

Serbia on Sunday honoured 2019 Nobel Literature Prize winner Peter Handke, who is known for his apologist views over Serbia's nationalist policies and Serb war crimes during the 1990s wars in the Balkans, AP reported. The Austrian novelist and screenwriter received a state decoration from Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic, a former ultranationalist who now says he wants his country to join the EU.

Several thousand people in Serbia rallied on Saturday demanding that the government protect the environment in a Balkan nation that has seen record levels of air pollution and scores of other ecological problems following decades of neglect, AP reported.

Thousands of vaccine-seekers from countries neighbouring Serbia flocked to Belgrade on Saturday after Serbian authorities promised foreigners free coronavirus jabs if they showed up over the weekend. As a result, long lines of Bosnians, Montenegrins and North Macedonians - often entire families - formed in front of the main vaccination center in the Serbian capital as police kept watch.

Serbia will close down all nonessential shops, bars and restaurants during the weekend in attempt to fight coronavirus infections surge, AP reported. The crisis body said on Friday said the measures will take effect on Friday evening and last until Monday. Authorities will decide on Monday how to proceed. The decision is expected to be formally endorsed by the government later Friday.

Serbia will begin production of the Russian-designed coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V on 20 May, according to a deal signed by the two countries in Moscow on Thursday, dpa reported.

Struggling with surging COVID-19 infections, several Balkan countries said on Wednesday that they would step up restrictions in hopes of easing the pressure on their overburdened health systems, AP reported.

Serbia is struggling to contain a wave of new Covid-19 cases triggered by more infectious strains and health experts have urged the government to impose another lockdown despite the country's massive vaccine rollout, news wires reported.