Guy De Launey

The Ćaciland clean-up is in The Guardian. It was quite something to see hundreds of people there yesterday, picking up cigarette butts, polishing the playground and dismantling the remains of the goon camp. Here's my piece. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

Ćalciland this morning. That's the former goon squad camp in front of the National Assembly in Belgrade. Masked men in black arrived at 7.30pm last night - then legged it when Vučić conceded. The Student List supporters cleared out the camp. For the first time in 18 months, it's safe to walk here.

Extraordinary scenes in the centre of Belgrade. I haven't checked the audio on this. Hopefully I'm audible.

Of all the possible scenarios in Serbia's elections, I don't think Vucic conceding before the results were announced was on the cards. Nevertheless, here we are. Vucic has conceded; the Student List are set for victory. "I wish them success", Vucic says. Cheers on the streets.

A large group of masked men, dressed in black, walked rapidly past me, opposite the National Assembly in Belgrade. I didn't stop to take a photo, for obvious reasons. But it would seem there's a gathering of sorts occurring at the so-called Ćalciland camp. Polls close in 30 minutes.

I find myself filing from Serbia for a plethora of news organisations with three-letter abbreviations. Here's what I did for the BBC: www.bbc.com/news/article...

Greetings from Belgrade, where the most eagerly anticipated parliamentary elections for 14 years will be held on Sunday. lnkd.in/p/dyjrkP-D

After a lifetime of reading The Guardian, I made my debut writing for it this weekend. So have a shufty at my piece about Bosnia's young voters, ahead of the elections which are happening right about now. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

Why would Serbia's government want to associate its country with a war criminal? The Hague tribunal always made it clear that individuals were tried and convicted - not states or peoples. But glorifying criminals is not unique to Serbia. My latest for Monocle. monocle.com/affairs/ratk...

The BBC's leaders are facilitating cuts instead of fighting against them. Will anybody take a principled stands against the (badly) managed decline of a vital institution? When a Fifa official shows you how to do it, you know your moral compass is out of whack. www.linkedin.com/posts/guydel...

I wanted to go to the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. But per this article, prices are way too high. And the late finishing time makes getting back home to anywhere other than the local area arduous-to-impossible. A shame - live athletics is fab. www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/a...

Why are foreign correspondents important? I explain for Monocle. The example I use is the so-called "sniper tourism" story in Bosnia. A tale with elements of Squid Game that has been going around the world since last November. The major problem: there is no evidence. monocle.com/culture/medi...

This is possibly the greatest-ever answer in a newspaper questionnaire. In this case, The Guardian's "honest playlist". Oddly enough, I heard 6Music playing back to back Tricky the other day and immediately feared the worst.

What happened when I asked Albania's PM Edi Rama if we should be worried about him? That's after the corruption investigations involving his closest political allies. Find out here. www.bbc.com/news/article...

If I could like this ten times, I would. Puts it all in a nutshell.

That's "Kushner's island" over there. Properly known as Sazan. I'm on the Albania coast near Vlorë, talking to people about the pros and cons of tourist developments - and the impact on wildlife. Watch this space.

The deployment of "grow up" as a rebuke is to be discouraged. But what do you say to a group of people who need their sports car to go "vroom, vroom!", never mind that it shifts like the proverbial? www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Here's my piece about the imminent departure of Christian Schmidt as High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The brevity of the piece means a lot has been left out. It's certainly been a more eventful term than that of his predecessor, Valentin Inzko. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Slovenia's heading for a right-wing coalition. "Starting points" include "the family is the fundamental cell of society", reducing immigration through "greater joy of life and increasing the birth rate". Plus the relativisation of Nazi atrocities. www.rtvslo.si/slovenija/ja...

Radicalised banjo player calls for English Channel to be mined, so "economic migrants" - his fellow human beings - can be blown to smithereens. As the son of a French mother and husband of a Singaporean woman, you'd think he'd be able to recognise the irony. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Kosovo's PM Albin Kurti looking a little bit lonely in the National Assembly. Fewer than 10 hours remain to select a president. Otherwise, elections. Again. For the 3rd time since last February.

People unhappy with parking charges in Ljubljana are starting a petition to trigger a referendum. The organisers believe they should have the right to free parking spaces. Why? If anyone wants to start a petition demanding even higher parking charges, let me know. www.rtvslo.si/lokalne-novi...

Good example of what architect/urbanist Jan Kattein and I discussed at the Urban Future Better Cities Event in Ljubljana. Itself a city that could do a bit more of this with its existing, decrepit shopping centres rather than opening another new, massive mall. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

I did a full programme for The Urbanist on Monocle Radio last week. All about the Urban Future Better Cities Event in Ljubljana, and the interesting people - and ideas - gathered there. As a committed city dweller, cyclist, walker and non-car owner, this sort of urbanism is very close to my heart.

A post-election take on what's just happened in Slovenia. People kept saying healthcare was the issue, but everything from dog-whistling accordions to naked xenophobia played a role in the campaign. And quite possibly, the outcome. monocle.com/affairs/slov...