Man known as 'the Ghandi of the Balkans' dies

President Ibrahim Rugova died of lung cancer today, leaving a leadership vacuum in Kosovo’s fraction-ridden political scene before crucial talks on whether the province should gain the independence that was his lifelong dream. He was 61.

International leaders appealed for calm and unity in the disputed UN-run province, while the Serb government expressed fears that Rugova’s successor might not share his commitment to nonviolence.