BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia has banned a Kosovo team from taking part in a karate competition it is hosting, over a political dispute stemming from the former province’s declaration of independence. Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said Kosovo staged a “political provocation” by sending its team to the border with state symbols. “Our karate players were not going to Novi Sad as tourists, but were invited by the European Karate Federation,” it said. The world Olympic body reacted by imposing an interim block on Tunisia’s interest to host the 2022 Youth Olympics. Serbia and Kosovo have been told they must normalize relations in order to advance toward membership in the European Union, but tensions have persisted.

Source: National Post May 09, 2018 16:07 UTC