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Vetevendosje MPs Albin Kurti and Donika Kadaj-Bujupi released from detention

Vetevendosje MPs, Albin Kurti and Donika Kadaj- Bujupi have been released today from the detention pending trial. Original post Here

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Ex-UN official criticizes five EU countries that don’t recognize Kosovo

Former UN high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schwarz-Schilling, criticizes the fact that five out of 27 countries of the EU, have not recognized Kosovo. Original post Here

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Mogherini’s Office: Abrogating Specialist Chambers Law 'appalling'

Gazeta Express has asked on Monday the Office of the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, to comment on the initiative of the Assembly of Kosovo to repeal the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecution Office, which will deal with alleged crimes of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the …

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EU investigators: Airport is not safe; suspicions over financial misuse by Bekim Jashari

Investigators from the European Union Office for Criminal Intelligence (EUOCI) have drafted a special report on Pristina Airport, saying that the breach of security protocols with radar breaks and lack of generators are just one part of the problem, as they also raise suspicions about financial misuse in projects worth …

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Kosovo Assembly fails to repeal Specialist Chambers Law due to lack of quorum

Opposition MPs boycotted Assembly’s Presidency urgent meeting late on Friday leading to collapse of an initiative of the ruling coalition MPs to repeal the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, established to investigate and try alleged crimes committed by former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Original …

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US Ambassador says abrogating Law on Specialist Chambers would be considered by the US as a stab in the back

US Ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawie, in an extraordinary press appearance on Friday evening, said that potential abrogation of the Law on Specialist Chambers, it will be considered by the US as stab in the back. Original post Here

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Head of EU Office: Abrogating Specialist Chambers Law appalling and extremely damaging

Head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Nataliya Apostolova, has reacted to surprise efforts of Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, Speaker of Assembly kadri Veseli, and Prime Minister Ramushj Haradinaj, to abrogate the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecution Office. Original post Here

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British Ambassador: This could be the most dangerous night for Kosovo since the war

British Ambassador to Kosovo, Ruairi O’Connell, said at the Assembly building “that tonight could be the most dangerous night for Kosovo since the war.” He made these statements after Kosovo Assembly’s initiative to abrogate the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecution Office. Original post Here

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US Ambassador Delawie: You are destroying the future of Kosovo

US Ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawie, says the idea of changing the Special Court Law could globally isolate Kosovo. “Terrible idea. Don’t turn back the clock,” Delawie wrote on his Twitter account. Original post Here

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Veseli asks urgent meeting on abrogation of the Kosovo war crimes court

43 Kosovo MPs have asked for an extraordinary Assembly session on abrogation of the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office. Original post Here

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Albania’s Youth Exodus: Emigration as a Security Threat

Tirana Times. July 8, 2025. Albania is shrinking—demographically, economically, and institutionally. A once-youthful country on the edge of Europe is now in the grip of a mass exodus that analysts warn is no longer just a social or economic crisis, but a growing threat to national security. In a nation …

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Vidovdan: A Dangerous Myth Turned Political Weapon

By Syle Ukshini For more than a century, the Serbian state and Church have mythologized the Battle of Kosovo of 1389 as a defining moment of Serbian identity—a narrative culminating each year in the celebration of Vidovdan, Serbia’s national and religious holiday observed on June 28. Originally linked to the …

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One Man’s Rule: Governance by Ultimatum

by Vilson Blloshmi From the way it was announced to its substance, Prime Minister Edi Rama’s latest ultimatum to “clear public spaces within 2 weeks” is neither a law, nor a public policy, nor a government decision. It is a personal order, a voice over the phone that, in any …

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“Wherever I travel, Greece wounds me.”

Ὅπου κι ἂν ταξιδέψω, ἡ Ἑλλάδα μὲ πληγώνει. Jerina Zaloshnja This is what Giorgos Seferis wrote — and thus, before I even truly knew who Seferis was, I began to love Greece. That verse — simple, clear, ablaze with love and pain — was, for me, once a gateway to …

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Digital Rights Review: AI-Driven Violations Go Unchecked in South-East Europe

Across south-east Europe last month, BIRN’s digital rights monitors documented how AI is being used for protest surveillance, election manipulation, enabling digital sexual abuse and committing fraud, sparking calls for urgent action. Original post Here

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Forum of Alumni from Saudi Universities in the Balkans

Saudi Ambassador  Faisal Ghazi  Ismail Hifzi, Highlights Kingdom’s Commitment to Global Educational Ties through Balkan Alumni Gathering Tirana Times Sunday, July 6, 2025,  The Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Republic of Albania Faisal Ghazi  Ismail Hifzi, announced that on Monday, July 7, Tirana will …

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Toxic Smoke and Broken Promises: Albania’s Waste Crisis Exposes Deep Rot in Governance

ELBASAN, Albania, July 5,— For days, thick plumes of toxic smoke have risen from the burning landfill on the outskirts of Elbasan, one of Albania’s largest industrial cities. The stench of melting plastic, rotting waste, and scorched earth now hangs over entire neighborhoods. But this is not an isolated accident. …

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Serbia on Edge as Vučić’s Legitimacy Crumbles

As Serbia grapples with one of its most volatile moments in recent political history, the warning signs of regime decay are hard to ignore. The recent student-led protests, marred by repression, nationalist hijacking, and social unrest, are more than a youth revolt—they are a reckoning. Sonja Biserko, the longtime chair …

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Albanian MPs Adopt National Anti-Disinformation Strategy Amidst Opposition

Opposition parties and media unions condemn new strategy adopted by parliament, claiming the government wants to use it to exert more control over the media. Original post Here

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Week in Review: Anniversaries, Challenges and Conflicts

As BIRN celebrates two decades of work, there never seems to be a dull moment in the region, as our selection of Premium stories this week shows. Original post Here

News

Albania’s Youth Exodus: Emigration as a Security Threat

Tirana Times. July 8, 2025. Albania is shrinking—demographically, economically, and institutionally. A once-youthful country on the edge of Europe is now in the grip of a mass exodus that analysts warn is no longer just a social or economic crisis, but a growing threat to national security. In a nation …

News

Vidovdan: A Dangerous Myth Turned Political Weapon

By Syle Ukshini For more than a century, the Serbian state and Church have mythologized the Battle of Kosovo of 1389 as a defining moment of Serbian identity—a narrative culminating each year in the celebration of Vidovdan, Serbia’s national and religious holiday observed on June 28. Originally linked to the …

News

One Man’s Rule: Governance by Ultimatum

by Vilson Blloshmi From the way it was announced to its substance, Prime Minister Edi Rama’s latest ultimatum to “clear public spaces within 2 weeks” is neither a law, nor a public policy, nor a government decision. It is a personal order, a voice over the phone that, in any …

News

“Wherever I travel, Greece wounds me.”

Ὅπου κι ἂν ταξιδέψω, ἡ Ἑλλάδα μὲ πληγώνει. Jerina Zaloshnja This is what Giorgos Seferis wrote — and thus, before I even truly knew who Seferis was, I began to love Greece. That verse — simple, clear, ablaze with love and pain — was, for me, once a gateway to …

News

Digital Rights Review: AI-Driven Violations Go Unchecked in South-East Europe

Across south-east Europe last month, BIRN’s digital rights monitors documented how AI is being used for protest surveillance, election manipulation, enabling digital sexual abuse and committing fraud, sparking calls for urgent action. Original post Here

News

Forum of Alumni from Saudi Universities in the Balkans

Saudi Ambassador  Faisal Ghazi  Ismail Hifzi, Highlights Kingdom’s Commitment to Global Educational Ties through Balkan Alumni Gathering Tirana Times Sunday, July 6, 2025,  The Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Republic of Albania Faisal Ghazi  Ismail Hifzi, announced that on Monday, July 7, Tirana will …

News

Toxic Smoke and Broken Promises: Albania’s Waste Crisis Exposes Deep Rot in Governance

ELBASAN, Albania, July 5,— For days, thick plumes of toxic smoke have risen from the burning landfill on the outskirts of Elbasan, one of Albania’s largest industrial cities. The stench of melting plastic, rotting waste, and scorched earth now hangs over entire neighborhoods. But this is not an isolated accident. …

News

Serbia on Edge as Vučić’s Legitimacy Crumbles

As Serbia grapples with one of its most volatile moments in recent political history, the warning signs of regime decay are hard to ignore. The recent student-led protests, marred by repression, nationalist hijacking, and social unrest, are more than a youth revolt—they are a reckoning. Sonja Biserko, the longtime chair …

News

Albanian MPs Adopt National Anti-Disinformation Strategy Amidst Opposition

Opposition parties and media unions condemn new strategy adopted by parliament, claiming the government wants to use it to exert more control over the media. Original post Here

News

Week in Review: Anniversaries, Challenges and Conflicts

As BIRN celebrates two decades of work, there never seems to be a dull moment in the region, as our selection of Premium stories this week shows. Original post Here