Latest news with #Kosovo-based
Hans India
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Alia Bhatt and Deepti Sadhwani dazzle at Cannes 2025 closing ceremony
The closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival 2025 was nothing short of a grand affair, drawing a constellation of global stars to the French Riviera. Among those who turned heads were Bollywood's Alia Bhatt and rising star Deepti Sadhwani, both bringing distinct elegance and glamour to the red carpet. While Alia Bhatt charmed with her refined grace, it was Deepti Sadhwani who stole the spotlight with a dramatic, Cleopatra-inspired gold ensemble that redefined red carpet royalty. Sadhwani's gown, designed by Kosovo-based couture duo Kujta & Meri, shimmered with the opulence of a golden era. The fitted bodice, accented with regal diadems, flowed into a molten gold skirt that flared like a sculpted masterpiece—fit for an empress of old. She carried the look with a powerful presence, walking the red carpet not merely as an actress but as a woman embodying command, mystique and grandeur. 'For me, this look at the Cannes 2025 closing ceremony is not just fashion, it's a modern feeling of royal,' Sadhwani stated. 'It's a Cleopatra-inspired outfit exuding royalty and giving me the goddess vibe.' The ensemble did more than just captivate; it carried meaning. As an Indian actress presenting her work at one of the world's most prestigious film festivals, Sadhwani's decision to wear a look that bridged cultures spoke volumes. 'I chose this because it speaks to the kind of woman I aspire to be on the global stage: unapologetically powerful, rooted in grace, and unafraid to take up space,' she shared. Her appearance quickly ignited social media, where fans hailed her as 'the Indian in Egyptian queen avatar' and praised her for bringing 'gold-drenched glamour with a legacy of power' to the red carpet. 'Cannes got her new goddess,' one user wrote. Sadhwani later posted a photo from the evening with the caption, 'Channelling Cleopatra, dripping in drama,' encapsulating the impact of her look, which merged fashion with historical resonance. But for the actress, the moment was about more than glamour. 'I wanted to close this chapter in something that doesn't whisper elegance, it declares legacy,' she said. And with that, she delivered a statement—bold, beautiful, and unforgettable. Cannes 2025 had many dazzling moments, but Deepti Sadhwani's appearance will be remembered as one that elevated the red carpet to the realm of legend—where history, heritage and ambition converged in a dress of gold.
Japan Today
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Albania votes as PM Rama seeks fourth term, promising EU integration
Presidential candidate of the Democratic Party Sali Berisha votes during parliamentary election in Tirana, Albania, May 11, 2025. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic By Fatos Bytyci and Edward McAllister Albanians voted in parliamentary elections on Sunday with prime minister Edi Rama seeking an unprecedented fourth term after a campaign dominated by promises to join the European Union and accusations of widespread corruption. Polling stations closed at 7 p.m. Results will be published by Tuesday, said the head of the Election Commission Ilirjan Celibashi. Rama, in power as head of the Socialist Party (PS) since 2013, is favorite to win against his old rival, former prime minister Sali Berisha of the Democratic Party (PD), bolstered in part by an influential network built over 12 years in power, a recent period of healthy economic growth and a largely popular image abroad. But opposition to Rama has intensified in the past year over a perceived crackdown on the opposition, including Berisha, while Rama weathered a series of scandals of his own. These include the arrest of his ally, the mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj, this year on allegations of corruption and money laundering. Veliaj and Berisha deny wrongdoing. Rama has spent the last week reiterating his promise to join the EU by the end of the decade, although some experts doubt that timeline will be possible given the reforms required to join the bloc, including eradicating graft. One exit poll, for the Tirana-based news portal Albanian Post and the Kosovo-based Klan Kosova TV, showed Rama's party getting 51.8% of the vote or 79 seats in the 140-seat house and Berisha 38% or 54 seats. Berisha said the poll was pro-Rama. Three TV stations told Reuters they had decided not to release exit polls, citing procedural or legal issues. Opinion polls have shown Rama winning up to 50% of the vote and Berisha up to 35%. Rama may need help from smaller parties to maintain his parliamentary majority. "Today the Albanian people will ... give us all the strength we need to make Albania the next European member state," Rama said after voting. Berisha also backs Albania's EU aspirations and has promised to fight corruption and increase wages. "It's going to be a new summer day for Albanians," he told Reuters. About 200,000 Albanians living abroad voted on Sunday, the first time the diaspora has been included in the process. Many young voters especially are tired of the likes of Berisha and Rama who have run the country in various roles since the fall of communism in 1990. They point to Albania's stark income inequality that sees some people drive expensive Range Rovers around Tirana while others live in cramped Soviet-era housing. "I will vote for new politicians because those like Rama and Berisha have been here for three decades and they only replace themselves,' said Arber Qazimi, 21, earlier. Some other voters abstained or looked to join the hundreds of thousands of Albanians who have emigrated over the past decade, many of them to nearby EU countries. By some measures, Rama has done well. Annual economic growth above 4% for 2022-2024, driven by trade with the EU and a tourism boom, has outstripped other Balkan countries, the World Bank says. But corruption remains a huge problem, experts say, driven by criminal gangs who make billions of euros from drugs and weapons trafficking abroad and bring it back to Albania to be laundered. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kosovo ex-president Thaci visits father's tomb after Hague court bars him from attending funeral
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Hashim Thaci, a former president of Kosovo who is facing war crime charges, was temporarily released from custody at a court based in the Netherlands on Friday to visit the tomb of his father who died last weekend. Thaci, 56, wasn't allowed to attend Tuesday's funeral, which leaders and local politicians from Kosovo and neighboring Albania were present for. Kosovo Justice Minister Albulena Haxhiu complained to the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague that Thaci was barred from going. 'I was the last to come, dad,' Thaci wrote on the wreath he put at his father's tomb on Friday in the village of Buroje, 70 kilometers (44 miles) west of the capital, Pristina. He was accompanied by police officers from the Kosovo-based European Union Rule of Law mission, known as EULEX. Thaci was then taken to his house, where only close relatives could meet with him. It wasn't immediately clear when he would be returned to the custody of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers court in The Hague. His father, Haxhi Thaci, died on March 16 at age 87. Three days before his father's death, Hashim Thaci was allowed to visit his father for about three hours at a public hospital in Pristina accompanied by close family members. Thaci and other senior leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, or KLA, which waged Kosovo's 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia, have been in custody in The Hague since November 2020. They face charges including murder, torture and persecution during and after the war. The court and a linked prosecutor's office were created after a 2011 report by the Council of Europe, a human rights body, that included allegations that KLA fighters trafficked human organs taken from prisoners and killed Serbs and fellow ethnic Albanians. The organ harvesting allegations haven't been included in indictments issued by the court. Around 11,400 people who died in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo were ethnic Albanians. A 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian troops ended the fighting, but tensions between Kosovo and Serbia remain tense. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, a move Belgrade and its key allies Russia and China refuse to recognize. A European Union-facilitated dialogue on normalization of their ties, which started in 2011, has given scarce results.
The Hill
21-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Kosovo ex-president Thaci visits father's tomb after Hague court bars him from attending funeral
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Hashim Thaci, a former president of Kosovo who is facing war crime charges, was temporarily released from custody at a court based in the Netherlands on Friday to visit the tomb of his father who died last weekend. Thaci, 56, wasn't allowed to attend Tuesday's funeral, which leaders and local politicians from Kosovo and neighboring Albania were present for. Kosovo Justice Minister Albulena Haxhiu complained to the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague that Thaci was barred from going. 'I was the last to come, dad,' Thaci wrote on the wreath he put at his father's tomb on Friday in the village of Buroje, 70 kilometers (44 miles) west of the capital, Pristina. He was accompanied by police officers from the Kosovo-based European Union Rule of Law mission, known as EULEX. Thaci was then taken to his house, where only close relatives could meet with him. It wasn't immediately clear when he would be returned to the custody of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers court in The Hague. His father, Haxhi Thaci, died on March 16 at age 87. Three days before his father's death, Hashim Thaci was allowed to visit his father for about three hours at a public hospital in Pristina accompanied by close family members. Thaci and other senior leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, or KLA, which waged Kosovo's 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia, have been in custody in The Hague since November 2020. They face charges including murder, torture and persecution during and after the war. The court and a linked prosecutor's office were created after a 2011 report by the Council of Europe, a human rights body, that included allegations that KLA fighters trafficked human organs taken from prisoners and killed Serbs and fellow ethnic Albanians. The organ harvesting allegations haven't been included in indictments issued by the court. Around 11,400 people who died in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo were ethnic Albanians. A 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian troops ended the fighting, but tensions between Kosovo and Serbia remain tense. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, a move Belgrade and its key allies Russia and China refuse to recognize. A European Union-facilitated dialogue on normalization of their ties, which started in 2011, has given scarce results.
The Independent
21-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Kosovo ex-president Thaci visits father's tomb after Hague court bars him from attending funeral
Hashim Thaci, a former president of Kosovo who is facing war crime charges, was temporarily released from custody at a court based in the Netherlands on Friday to visit the tomb of his father who died last weekend. Thaci, 56, wasn't allowed to attend Tuesday's funeral, which leaders and local politicians from Kosovo and neighboring Albania were present for. Kosovo Justice Minister Albulena Haxhiu complained to the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague that Thaci was barred from going. 'I was the last to come, dad,' Thaci wrote on the wreath he put at his father's tomb on Friday in the village of Buroje, 70 kilometers (44 miles) west of the capital, Pristina. He was accompanied by police officers from the Kosovo-based European Union Rule of Law mission, known as EULEX. Thaci was then taken to his house, where only close relatives could meet with him. It wasn't immediately clear when he would be returned to the custody of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers court in The Hague. His father, Haxhi Thaci, died on March 16 at age 87. Three days before his father's death, Hashim Thaci was allowed to visit his father for about three hours at a public hospital in Pristina accompanied by close family members. Thaci and other senior leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, or KLA, which waged Kosovo's 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia, have been in custody in The Hague since November 2020. They face charges including murder, torture and persecution during and after the war. The court and a linked prosecutor's office were created after a 2011 report by the Council of Europe, a human rights body, that included allegations that KLA fighters trafficked human organs taken from prisoners and killed Serbs and fellow ethnic Albanians. The organ harvesting allegations haven't been included in indictments issued by the court. Around 11,400 people who died in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo were ethnic Albanians. A 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian troops ended the fighting, but tensions between Kosovo and Serbia remain tense. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, a move Belgrade and its key allies Russia and China refuse to recognize. A European Union-facilitated dialogue on normalization of their ties, which started in 2011, has given scarce results.
