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US State Department to Thaci, Haraidnaj and Veseli: Hands off the Specialist Chambers

​Following a statement of the US Embassy in Pristina, calling on Kosovo leaders not to repeat efforts to repeal the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecution Office, on Friday has reacted also the US Department of State. The US asks Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, PM Ramush Haradinaj and Speaker …

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Thaci, Veseli and Haradinaj plotting to abrogate special court law

Kosovo top leaders – President Hashim Thaci, Speaker of Assembly Kadri Veseli, and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, are continuing efforts to repeal the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecution Office, established to try alleged crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Kosovo leaders who were also senior commanders …

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President Thaci pardoned ex-KLA members convicted of killings an entire family

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has signed a decree to pardon three former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) convicted of killing after the war in Kosovo in 2001 an entire family in the high-profile ‘Kiqina’ case. Original post Here

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US Embassy fierce reaction to Kosovo leaders decision to repeal war crimes court law

US Embassy to Pristina has reacted to initiative of Kosovo main leaders – President Hashim Thaci, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, and Speaker Kadri Veseli, warning them not to repeat efforts to abrogate the Law on Specailist Chambers and Specialist Prosecution Office, which will deal with alleged crimes committed by Kosovo …

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Albanian President on Orthodox Archbishop’s citizenship, UN Vote

Albanian President, Ilir Meta, said the decision to give Albanian citizenship to Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durres and All Albania was fair. In an interview with the Tirana based TV Klan, President Meta called on citizens to divide the issue of origin on Yannoulatos from the issue of faith. “He …

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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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U.S. designates Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations

Saudi Arabia welcomes Washington’s decision and reaffirms joint stance against extremism Tirana Times, January, 14, 2026 – The United States has officially designated branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon as terrorist organizations, marking a major shift in Washington’s approach toward political Islamist movements. The announcement immediately drew …

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Washington suspends visas for Albania

Albania included among weak or failing states despite being a NATO member Tirana, Tirana Times, 14 January 2026 – Washington’s decision to suspend U.S. visa processing for Albania, effective January 21 and for an indefinite period, marks one of the strongest diplomatic signals sent to Tirana in years. Albania has …

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NATO Values as Security Infrastructure: Evidence From Student Conversations

In the Western Balkans, “security” is rarely an abstract concept. It is encountered as a lived condition, shaped by memory, geography and a persistent awareness that stability can erode when trust is thin. Security, in this context, is not discussed only in strategic documents or institutional language, but reasoned through …

News
‘Fiscal Peace’: Albanian Amnesty for Tax-Dodging Businesses Branded Unfair and Opaque

Albania’s government is poised to waive business tax debts more than a decade old, as part of what it says is a reset in relations between the tax authorities and businesses. Critics say it is unfair on those who have played by the rules. Original post Here

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Monday Briefing from the Balkans: January 12, 2026

Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here

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How Albanian Organized Crime Conquered Europe’s Cocaine Market

On a locked down November afternoon in 2020, as Europe grappled with Covid 19 restrictions, two Albanian men based in Belgium exchanged a handful of encrypted messages. Deciphered years later from the Sky ECC platform, their words captured a watershed moment in Europe’s cocaine trade. A shipment measured not in …

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Port-to-Port: How Albanians Conquered the European Cocaine Market

BIRN reporters trace the rise of Albanian crime gangs to the top of the European cocaine trafficking ladder, from remote parts of Paraguay to European Union ports. Original post Here

News
Albania in 2026: Battles With Anti-Graft Prosecutors Risk Slowing EU Progress

Political polarisation and government pressure on the judiciary – sparked by investigations of top politicians – could hinder Albania’s rapid progress towards European Union membership. Original post Here

News
Heavy Rains Cause Evacuations and Discontent in Albania

Dramatic situation reported in several towns, while some locals complain of being abandoned. Original post Here

News
Albania Under Water: A Return to a Hobbesian State of Nature

TIRANA TIMES, December 6, 2025 – Albania is once again under water. Torrential rains over the past days have triggered massive flooding across almost the entire country, exposing not only the fragility of urban infrastructure but, more fundamentally, the long-term failure of governance. From the northern plains to the southern …

News

U.S. designates Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations

Saudi Arabia welcomes Washington’s decision and reaffirms joint stance against extremism Tirana Times, January, 14, 2026 – The United States has officially designated branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon as terrorist organizations, marking a major shift in Washington’s approach toward political Islamist movements. The announcement immediately drew …

News

Washington suspends visas for Albania

Albania included among weak or failing states despite being a NATO member Tirana, Tirana Times, 14 January 2026 – Washington’s decision to suspend U.S. visa processing for Albania, effective January 21 and for an indefinite period, marks one of the strongest diplomatic signals sent to Tirana in years. Albania has …

News

NATO Values as Security Infrastructure: Evidence From Student Conversations

In the Western Balkans, “security” is rarely an abstract concept. It is encountered as a lived condition, shaped by memory, geography and a persistent awareness that stability can erode when trust is thin. Security, in this context, is not discussed only in strategic documents or institutional language, but reasoned through …

News

‘Fiscal Peace’: Albanian Amnesty for Tax-Dodging Businesses Branded Unfair and Opaque

Albania’s government is poised to waive business tax debts more than a decade old, as part of what it says is a reset in relations between the tax authorities and businesses. Critics say it is unfair on those who have played by the rules. Original post Here

News

Monday Briefing from the Balkans: January 12, 2026

Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here

News

How Albanian Organized Crime Conquered Europe’s Cocaine Market

On a locked down November afternoon in 2020, as Europe grappled with Covid 19 restrictions, two Albanian men based in Belgium exchanged a handful of encrypted messages. Deciphered years later from the Sky ECC platform, their words captured a watershed moment in Europe’s cocaine trade. A shipment measured not in …

News

Port-to-Port: How Albanians Conquered the European Cocaine Market

BIRN reporters trace the rise of Albanian crime gangs to the top of the European cocaine trafficking ladder, from remote parts of Paraguay to European Union ports. Original post Here

News

Albania in 2026: Battles With Anti-Graft Prosecutors Risk Slowing EU Progress

Political polarisation and government pressure on the judiciary – sparked by investigations of top politicians – could hinder Albania’s rapid progress towards European Union membership. Original post Here

News

Heavy Rains Cause Evacuations and Discontent in Albania

Dramatic situation reported in several towns, while some locals complain of being abandoned. Original post Here

News

Albania Under Water: A Return to a Hobbesian State of Nature

TIRANA TIMES, December 6, 2025 – Albania is once again under water. Torrential rains over the past days have triggered massive flooding across almost the entire country, exposing not only the fragility of urban infrastructure but, more fundamentally, the long-term failure of governance. From the northern plains to the southern …