Latest news with #Kosovar
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kosovo's president sets Oct. 12 for municipal elections while a legislative impasse continues
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo 's president on Monday set Oct. 12 as the date for municipal elections, while the country remains in a legislative impasse without a functioning parliament and a new Cabinet since its Feb. 9 parliamentary vote. President Vjosa Osmani urged political parties, organizations and public institutions to ensure an all-inclusive, free and fair process. The last municipal elections in October 2021, for mayors of 38 municipalities and about 1,000 town hall lawmakers, were mainly won by center-right opposition parties. The Srpska List party of Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority, which is close to the Serbian government in Belgrade, won the 10 seats in northern Kosovar municipalities. Municipal authorities run the local economy, education, health, infrastructure, natural resources, tourism, culture and sports but not defense or public order institutions. Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti's left-wing Self-Determination Movement won the Feb. 9 parliamentary election with 48 of 120 seats, falling short of the required majority of 61 to elect a new speaker or form a Cabinet on its own. The parliament has not succeeded in electing the new speaker, as deputies in opposition parties object to Kurti's candidate. Lawmakers have tried and failed 29 times since the first session of parliament in April 15. The Constitution imposes no deadline to elect one. Without a speaker, Kurti cannot be formally nominated as prime minister and form a Cabinet. If the situation continues, the president can turn to any of the other parties. If no party can form a Cabinet, the country will face another parliamentary election. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Most Western nations recognize its sovereignty, but Serbia and its allies Russia and China don't. ___ Semini reported from Tirana, Albania.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Kosovo's president sets Oct. 12 for municipal elections while a legislative impasse continues
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo 's president on Monday set Oct. 12 as the date for municipal elections, while the country remains in a legislative impasse without a functioning parliament and a new Cabinet since its Feb. 9 parliamentary vote. President Vjosa Osmani urged political parties, organizations and public institutions to ensure an all-inclusive, free and fair process. The last municipal elections in October 2021, for mayors of 38 municipalities and about 1,000 town hall lawmakers, were mainly won by center-right opposition parties. The Srpska List party of Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority, which is close to the Serbian government in Belgrade, won the 10 seats in northern Kosovar municipalities. Municipal authorities run the local economy, education, health, infrastructure, natural resources, tourism, culture and sports but not defense or public order institutions. Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti's left-wing Self-Determination Movement won the Feb. 9 parliamentary election with 48 of 120 seats, falling short of the required majority of 61 to elect a new speaker or form a Cabinet on its own. The parliament has not succeeded in electing the new speaker, as deputies in opposition parties object to Kurti's candidate. Lawmakers have tried and failed 29 times since the first session of parliament in April 15. The Constitution imposes no deadline to elect one. Without a speaker, Kurti cannot be formally nominated as prime minister and form a Cabinet. If the situation continues, the president can turn to any of the other parties. If no party can form a Cabinet, the country will face another parliamentary election. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Most Western nations recognize its sovereignty, but Serbia and its allies Russia and China don't. ___ Semini reported from Tirana, Albania.
Gulf Insider
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
"We Have Imported Knife Violence" – Wave Of Attacks Shakes Germany Once Again
Another wave of knife attacks has hit Germany, showing that not much has changed despite the many lost lives and Germans maimed in knife attacks. In fact, the statistics show that these crimes are even getting worse, with 79 knife attacks per day now recorded. A German criminal lawyer warns that Germany has 'imported knife violence,' in response to growing blade crimes. In the last few days, headlines include Kosovar man arrested after knife attack in Germany injures three, including 12-year-old girl' 'Man stabbed half to death on basketball court,' 'Manhunt continues after Syrian asylum seeker stabs 5 outside student bar in Bielefeld,' and 'Rioter injures police officer with knife.' However, thousands of such headlines have run in the German press in recent years, with Remix News reporting on many of them. The overwhelming number of perpetrators are foreigners or those with a foreign background, yet despite promises to crack down and enact deportations of migrant criminals, the bloodshed not only continues but appears to be getting worse. His daughter was murdered by an illegal Palestinian migrant, stabbed 38 times, along with her boyfriend.17-year-old Ann-Marie is gone, but her father won't let her memory die. He delivered a message to Olaf Scholz's face:"There are parents standing at the grave or coffin of… — Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) October 16, 2024 'We have imported knife violence. In other cultures, the knife is a kind of status symbol. This is changing the social climate here in the country,' stated criminal attorney Udo Vetter. He further notes that 'knives have become an everyday companion for many people. And the barrier to using them is low.' Notably, he warns that due to the rise of knives and knife crimes, it is creating a problem that is expected to only grow exponentially, with more and more people arming themselves with knives out of fear. 'Because if some people deliberately pack a knife as a murder weapon, more and more people will also resort to knives, supposedly to defend themselves,' stated Vetter. 'Young people in particular have knives in their pockets just like their cell phones.' However, this problem has been warned about nearly every week, including from the German police themselves. Manuel Ostermann, deputy head of the Federal Police Union, stated that 'the knife as a means of committing a crime always immediately poses a concrete threat to life and limb. Politicians must now take all possible measures to curb this phenomenon.' Ostermann is the same police union head who said that Germany's crime problem is actually an immigration problem during a viral speech last year. 🇩🇪‼️ "Germany is no longer a safe country… The migration crisis is first and foremost a crime crisis."German police union (DPoIG) chairman Manuel Ostermann makes a major statement following the Solingen terror attack by a Syrian Islamist. — Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) August 28, 2024 The head of the German Police Union, Rainer Wendt, also spoke out about the knife crime problem, saying: 'The threshold for violence is getting lower and lower. And the fuse is getting shorter. Knives are being drawn even for trivial reasons and seemingly harmless disputes.' As Remix News previously reported, violent crime reached a record high in Germany last year, with foreigners responsible for nearly half of crimes. There were 29,014 cases in total involving a crime where a knife was used, of which, 15,741 were knife attacks. Serious and dangerous bodily harm with a knife increased by 10.8 percent in 2024 compared to 2023. 🇩🇪 For every well-integrated Middle Eastern migrant, you have so many of these guys causing terror across crime has skyrocketed in Germany, with nearly 30,000 knife-related crimes taking place last shot near German supermarket Kaufland. — Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) April 17, 2025 The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is going on the offensive under the new Christian Democrat-led government, with security and immigration still top concerns. Alice Weidel, AfD party co-leader, mocked the new government's 'five-point plan' to fix the immigration crisis, saying that the border is not secured despite promises. Click here to read more…
France 24
06-05-2025
- Health
- France 24
Ozempic slimming craze sweeps Kosovo despite side effects
"I want to lose 15-16 kilos (33-35 pounds) in two months," Kadriu, 29, told AFP, "and then I'll continue with fitness". Ozempic, approved in the United States to treat diabetes in 2017, has found an international market for people trying to lose weight. Despite its cost, the drug has soared in popularity in Kosovo, a country of 1.7 million. While Kosovo authorities have not sanctioned the drug's use for weight loss, they have noted their limited means to confront use of a drug widely available in the country. Merita Emini-Sadiku, who heads the Kosovo university hospital's endocrinology clinic, said the cost of the drug had soared. "The monthly dose used to be 75-80 euros ($85-91), while now it is 130-140 euros ($147-159), probably due to high demand," she said. But she warned that "Ozempic has side effects that people are not aware of". Ozempic use can potentially cause issues including thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, gastroparesis and bowel obstruction, according to the latest studies. 'Constant demand' Meant to treat Type 2 diabetes -- of which the WHO says Kosovo has lower than average levels -- the drug regulates blood sugar levels but also helps suppress hunger, leading to a lower calorie intake. As a result, its potentially cancerous complications have done little to stem the drug's popularity or availability. "I checked a lot of pharmacies in Kosovo and I noticed that Ozempic is very easy to get," said Kadriu, adding that pharmacists even suggested she gradually increase her dosage. A worker at a pharmacy in the capital Pristina's downtown, who asked to remain anonymous, said she had trouble recalling when someone last came into her pharmacy to buy Ozempic with a diabetes prescription. "But we have a constant demand for Ozempic without a prescription. You can guess why," she said. Given its availability, Emini-Sadiku said authorities should exercise greater control over Ozempic's distribution. But Bujar Vitija, a journalist specialising in health, said that would be tricky to achieve given Kosovo's poor health record-keeping. "Unfortunately there is no data," Vitija said. With 1,500 to 1,600 private pharmacies in Kosovo, the country's 20 pharmaceutical inspectors have their work cut out for them, he added. Ozempic 'every day' While Kosovo has lower levels of obesity than the European average, more than 57 percent of the population is overweight and 20 percent is clinically obese, according to a 2019 World Health Organization report. And women, who are more likely to face societal pressure to be thin, were 66 percent more likely to be obese than men, the WHO report found. But not every Kosovar who has used Ozempic had the best experience with the drug. "I took Ozempic on the advice of a doctor for two years but it had no effect," said 48-year-old merchant Lulzim Rrahmani, adding that three of his relatives even experienced "a negative effect of the drug". "It was just a waste of money and time." Given the risk of side effects, Emini-Sadiku said Ozempic was "by no means to be taken without a doctor's prescription". Yet Kadriu said she would not be deterred, adding that she saw colleagues taking the drug "every day at work".
Associated Press
04-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
AmCham Kosovo Urges Kosovo to Lift Tariffs on US Goods
Kosovo to consider removing customs tariffs on American products Pristina, Kosovo--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2025) - The American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo issues the following statement: In light of the recent decision of the U.S. Administration to introduce a new tariff structure on imported goods, the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo believes that this is the right moment for Kosovo to consider imposing a unilateral trade preferential arrangement with the United States, by zeroing the customs tariffs on goods imported from the U.S. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: While Kosovo has benefited for several years from duty-free access for over 3,500 products under the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), goods exported from the United States to Kosovo continue to be subject to customs duties. Removing these tariffs would mark an important and forward-looking step toward deepening trade relations with the United States-Kosovo's closest strategic and economic partner. This measure would serve as a clear demonstration of Kosovo's readiness to deepen bilateral economic ties and its commitment to shared values of free and fair trade. It would also help position Kosovo favorably in future efforts to pursue a formal Free Trade Agreement with the United States. The American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo encourages the Government of Kosovo to act decisively in this regard and reaffirms its readiness to support institutional efforts aimed at enhancing economic cooperation, attracting U.S. investment, and creating greater market access for both Kosovar and American businesses.
