PRISTINA: Kosovo, which celebrates 10 years of independence on Saturday, has a flag that few people care about, four international telephone codes and a judoka hero.
Here are five things to know about the youngest European country.
1. Kosovo’s flag bears the shape of its territory and six yellow stars, for its six main ethnic groups, on a blue background. It is mockingly called a towel by members of Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority, who believe it was adopted largely to please Western patrons. The flag flown all over Kosovo is that of neighboring Albania — a black double-headed eagle on a red background. The American stars and stripes are also prevalent, owing to Washington’s strong support in Kosovo’s struggle for independence from Serbia. In the areas that are home to Kosovo’s ethnic Serb minority, the “towel” is rarely seen and instead, the Serbian flag dominates.
2. Owing to Serbia’s opposition to independence, three other countries’ dialling codes are in use in Kosovo: Serbia’s +381 for landlines plus Monaco’s +377 and Slovenia’s +386 for mobile phones. Kosovo was allocated +383 as its own code after striking a deal with Belgrade. This is already being used on the popular messaging app Viber and is due to be fully operational later this year.
3. Kosovo beat its big brother Albania to an Olympic medal during the country’s first appearance at the Games in Rio in 2016, when national heroine Majlinda Kelmendi took gold in judo. Kosovo uses sport as a diplomatic tool and gained admission to the International Olympic Committee in 2014 to the great displeasure of Serbia. It proudly celebrated skier Albin Tahiri, Kosovo’s lone athlete in last week’s opening parade in Pyeongchang and its first sportsman in a Winter Olympics.
4. Kosovo is home to around 1.8 million people but another 700,000 Kosovo Albanians are estimated to live abroad, mostly in Germany and Switzerland. The diaspora, which has its own ministry, sent some 620 million euros ($760 million) to Kosovo in the first 10 months of 2017, making it a major contributor to the functioning of the country, alongside international aid.
5. Some 95 percent of Kosovo Albanians are Muslims, but one of the Balkan region’s largest Roman Catholic cathedrals sits in the center of Pristina. Dedicated to Saint Mother Teresa, of ethnic Albanian heritage, the church is a symbol of gratitude to the West for supporting independence.
Five things to know about Kosovo as it celebrates 10 years of independence
Five things to know about Kosovo as it celebrates 10 years of independence
Pro-Greenland protesters mock Trump’s MAGA slogan with ‘Make America Go Away’ caps
- European governments are rallying behind Denmark, citing the need to defend Arctic regions and warning that threats against Greenland undermine Western security
COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Red baseball caps spoofing Donald Trump’s iconic MAGA hats have become a symbol of Danish and Greenlandic defiance against the US president’s threat to seize the frozen territory.
The caps reading “Make America Go Away” — parodying Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan — have gained popularity along with several variants on social media and at public protests, including a weekend demonstration held in freezing weather in the Danish capital.
European governments are rallying behind Denmark, citing the need to defend Arctic regions and warning that threats against Greenland undermine Western security.
Protesters, however, are less diplomatic.
“I want to show my support to Greenland and also show that I don’t like the president of the United States,” said 76-year-old Copenhagen resident Lars Hermansen, who wore one of the red caps at a protest Saturday.
The mock hats were created by Copenhagen vintage clothing store owner Jesper Rabe Tonnesen. Early batches flopped last year — until the Trump administration recently escalated its rhetoric over Greenland. Now there are popping up everywhere.
“When a delegation from America went up to Greenland, we started to realize this probably wasn’t a joke — it’s not reality TV, it’s actually reality,” said Tonnesen, 58. “So I said, OK, what can I do?” Can I communicate in a funny way with a good message and unite the Danes to show that Danish people support the people of Greenland?”
Demand suddenly surged from a trickle to selling out in the space of one weekend. Tonnesen said he has now ordered “several thousand.”
The original version designed by Tonnesen featured a play on words: “Nu det NUUK!” — a twist on the Danish phrase “Nu det nok,” meaning “Now it’s enough,” substituting Nuuk, Greenland’s tiny capital.
Protesters at Saturday’s rally waved red-and-white Danish and Greenlandic flags and carried handmade signs mocking US claims over the territory, which is slightly larger than Saudi Arabia.
“No Means No,” read one sign. Another declared, “Make America Smart Again.”
Wearing one of the spoof hats, protester Kristian Boye, 49, said the gathering in front of Copenhagen City Hall struck a lighthearted tone while delivering a serious message.
“I’m here to support the Greenlanders, who are going through a very hard time right now,” he said. “They are being threatened with having their country invaded. I think it’s totally unacceptable.”
