Because of the disruption in the Balkans, the grid for most of Europe has run since January at an average of 49.996 hertz. Most clocks tell time using internal mechanisms or, like cellphones, get the time from a radio signal, and those have been fine. But clocks that measure time by that alternating current have been fooled by the drop in frequency. Serbia, which still controls Kosovo’s transmission system, has refused to make up the difference, despite an agreement to do so. “By biding time, they are getting richer,” said Fadil Ismajli, a former head of Kosovo’s power company, which he said is running out of money.

Source: New York Times March 08, 2018 19:30 UTC