The defense of former President Hashim Thaçi has requested from the Special Court in The Hague his conditional release.

The request states that former President Thaçi does not pose a flight risk and that he has offered a financial guarantee of 50 thousand euros to ensure his release.

The request, among other things, also states the conditions that the former president is willing to accept.

There, in addition to the guarantee of 50 thousand euros, it is stated that Thaçi will not leave the territory of Kosovo, and that he will surrender his passport and any other travel documents.

It is also stated that Thaçi will refrain from making any public statements, directly or indirectly in the media and, or on social networks, and he will not discuss the content of his case with anyone, except for certain members of his defense team.

Conditions published in the application:

Mr. Thaçi is willing to abide by conditions similar to those imposed on his co-accused, which have been described as “a proven and appropriate framework for provisional release,”⁵⁵ or any other conditions that the Single Trial Judge (SJT) deems appropriate, namely:

a) Mr. Thaçi shall not leave the territory of Kosovo unless authorized to do so by a competent panel of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC);

b) Mr. Thaçi shall surrender to the Registrar his passport and any other travel documents, including visas and any identification documents that may be used for travel. This obligation shall also extend to any new passport or travel document that may be issued to him by the Kosovo authorities or other authorities after the issuance of this decision. If Mr. Thaçi’s presence is required at the headquarters of the DSB, the Registry shall make his passport available to him solely for that purpose. Upon his return to Kosovo, the passport shall be surrendered to the Registrar;

c) Mr. Thaçi will provide the address where he will reside in Kosovo throughout the duration of the judicial proceedings and will request permission from the Kosovo Police Service before any change of residence;

d) Mr. Thaçi will deposit with the Registrar, as a precondition for his release, a financial guarantee in the form of a monetary transfer in the amount of 50,000 euros to the Registry's account;

e) Mr. Thaçi shall refrain from any contact or communication, direct or indirect (through any other person), of any kind and by any means, with his co-accused (Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, Fadil Fazliu and Hajredin Kuçi);

f) Mr. Thaçi shall refrain from any contact or communication, direct or indirect (through any other person), of any kind and by any means, with any person whom he knows to be a witness in this or any other matter before the DSK;

g) Mr. Thaçi shall refrain from any contact or communication, direct or indirect (through any other person), with any person alleged in the Amended Confirmed Indictment to have participated in or assisted in the obstructive conduct at issue in this case;

h) Mr. Thaçi will not discuss the contents of his case with anyone except designated members of his defense team, including close family members, and will inform any person who asks questions regarding his case that he is subject to such prohibition by the DSK;

i) Mr. Thaçi shall refrain from making any public statements, directly or indirectly (for example, through family members), in the media and/or on social networks regarding the DSK, the Specialized Prosecutor's Office (SPO) and/or any proceedings before the DSK;

j) Mr. Thaçi will report for a weekly verification to the Kosovo Police, in accordance with the procedures established by the Registry;

(k) Mr. Thaçi shall surrender to the custody of the DSK, if so ordered, and shall attend any court hearing as requested by the DSK. Any failure to appear before the DSK, as ordered, shall result in the forfeiture of the financial guarantee provided for in subparagraph (d), and the immediate issuance of a warrant of arrest;

l) Mr. Thaçi shall notify the Registrar of the address where he will reside while in the territory of the Host State to attend court hearings and shall comply with any restrictions on movement within the territory of the Host State that may be imposed on him during the period of his stay there;

m) Mr. Thaçi shall respect the confidential classification of the decision on his release and shall not publish, disclose or discuss in any way its contents, directly or indirectly, with any person, including any accused in the Detention Facility and members of his family, with the exception of his lawyer and designated members of the defense team, until the decision is made public by order of the GVG; and

n) Mr. Thaçi shall comply with any decision, order or other instruction of the Single Trial Judge and the Registrar.

Bedri Hamza's meeting lasted an hour and 15 minutes, and he alone went to Albin Kurti and Hekuran Murat's table.

The next meeting lasted longer, the one with Lumir Abdixhiku and Vjosa Osmani, who went to the meeting at 6:00 PM and stayed for more than two hours on Friday.

When the meeting ended, the parties expressed optimism, but without providing any details about any possible offer.

"Our goal is to avoid new elections. There is a readiness and will," said Albin Kurti, the acting prime minister.

"We engaged in discussions about the main principles. Values and programmatic ideas that we are interested in," said Lumir Abdixhiku, chairman of the LDK.

Despite the expressed optimism and the possibility of further meetings, political experts consider it difficult to reach an agreement between the parties.

"I believe it will be difficult, because the expectation was on PDK, but now all eyes have turned to LDK," said Ben Andoni, a political expert.

Right now with the LDK, it is considered that something is more likely.

"A cooperation between LDK and VV seems more realistic to me, but only if the parties manage to separate the issue of forming a government from that of electing the president," said Basri Muja, an expert on political issues.

However, until an agreement is reached, before the eventual sharing of power, it is estimated that there is another obstacle to overcome.

"Abdixhik is in the most difficult position, because even if he agrees, he has to unify the members who have problems," said Ben Andoni, an expert on political issues.

"I see the main obstacle as the internal situation of the LDK, and its willingness to make a unified decision," said Basri Muja, an expert on political issues.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the third day of the deadline for the constitution of the Assembly was consumed, a process which should end on August 8 at the latest. /Tv Dukagjini/

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The Director of the Octopus Institute, Arben Fetoshi, has assessed that the reactions of the Serbian authorities and media to the visit of the President of Albania, Bajram Begaj, to the Presheva Valley, are part of a communication strategy aimed at relativizing the so-called "Serbian World" project.

Fetoshi, in an analysis published on Facebook, emphasizes that the presentation of President Begaj's visit as an expansionist threat of an "Albanian World" is not based on facts, but is the product of a strategic communication that uses relativization and "false symmetry."

​Vizita e Bajram Begajt në Bujanoc, Vuçiq: I mori të gjitha lejet për vizitën, personat me armë ishin tanët

According to him, narratives that Albania aims for territorial expansion or promotes "Greater Albania" are used to shift attention from the discrimination of Albanians in the Presheva Valley, including the practice of address passivation, which has been described by international human rights organizations as "ethnic cleansing by administrative means."

Fetoshi emphasizes that President Begaj's messages during the visit were focused on supporting the rights of Albanians in the Presevo Valley, while in Serbian political discourse they were interpreted as a threat to Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

According to him, this rhetoric aims to create the impression that Albanians also have a project similar to the "Serbian World", with the aim of relativizing Belgrade's hegemonic project and diverting attention from the ongoing international criticism of the violation of the rights of Albanians in Serbia.

A serious incident was recorded on the evening of this Saturday, July 11, in Shkodra, where a person was found dead inside a vehicle on the Prekal-Kir road.

According to the police, at around 7:00 PM, citizen Aleksandër Koçeku was found dead in a vehicle with a gunshot wound.

Police have launched intensive searches in the area to locate and capture the suspected perpetrator or perpetrators.

"Around 19:00, on the Prekal-Kir road, a suspect was found in a vehicle, killed with a firearm, citizen AK. Immediately after receiving the notification, the Police services went to the scene and intensive checks in the area continue to locate and capture the perpetrator(s), "the police statement said.

Aleksandër Koçeku was a well-known name to the authorities, as he was under investigation for the murder of 20-year-old Pavlin Preka, an event that occurred on February 27, 2025 in the village of Guci e Re. After the execution of the young man near his apartment, the Shkodra Police arrested Vasel Koçeku and Klaudio Lisaj, while Aleksandër Koçeku was placed under investigation for this event.

Pavlin Preka was killed with 6 bullets in the yard of his apartment. According to the main line of investigation, the conflict that led to the serious incident is related to a personal issue and the family's opposition to a relationship that the victim had with the daughter of one of the suspects. Investigators are also analyzing other elements that may have influenced the escalation of the conflict.

The police have set up a special investigative group to record and manage evidence, with the aim of fully clarifying the circumstances of the incident, documenting it legally, and identifying and holding the perpetrator or perpetrators accountable./RTSH

Cuba reported another island-wide power outage on Friday, the second in less than a week. The new fault caused the collapse of the national electrical grid.

State-owned power company Union Electrica de Cuba said the outage began in the afternoon, but authorities did not immediately provide an explanation for the cause of the system outage. It was the fourth complete power outage in the country since the beginning of the year.

Power outages in Cuba have become frequent due to the country's aging electrical infrastructure, much of which dates back to the Cold War. The crisis has been exacerbated by fuel shortages, as the country relies heavily on oil imports, writes aljazeera .

According to reports, the situation has been aggravated by new US measures against Havana. The US administration has increased pressure on the Cuban government, while fuel shortages have affected transportation, public services and the health system.

The energy crisis has had serious consequences for citizens, who face not only a lack of electricity, but also a lack of medicines and basic medical equipment. Human rights experts have warned that the shortages are particularly affecting the most vulnerable segments of society.

The Cuban government partly blames US sanctions for the crisis, while Washington accuses Havana authorities of mismanaging the energy system. Cuba has also begun efforts to gradually switch to solar power and other renewable sources. /Telegraph/