Foreign
EU visa-free travel for Kosovo takes effect Monday
The new regime, which entered into force at midnight (2300 GMT Sunday), enables Kosovars into the passport-free Schengen zone without a visa for periods of up to 90 days in any 180 days.
The reform is perceived in Pristina as another step towards full recognition and a boost for the ambition of the country that proclaimed independence in 2008 to join the European Union.
“This is a great relief … feels good,” businessman Rushit Sopi told AFP before boarding a Pristina-Vienna flight.
He was among 20 winners of a quiz organised by the government within a public awareness campaign over the scheme.
The 48-year-old owner of a company manufacturing doors and windows flying almost regularly to the EU for business.
“Each visa cost me 300 euros ($331). When I last changed my passport, I calculated that the EU visas alone in it cost me 2,500 euros.”
European embassies in Pristina, notably those exposed to strong pressure to issue visas, such as the German consulate, had prepared for no visa D-Day.
German ambassador Jorn Rohde himself issued the last visas to Kosovars a few days ago stressing that the visa era was “finally closing”.
He also invited locals to visit his country for this summer’s Euro football championship.
– ‘Second-class citizens’ –
Kosovars had awaited January 1 with great enthusiasm perceiving it as a “historic day” as their country moves closer to the EU, local surveys showed.
But they also blamed both Brussels and Pristina for such a long delay in lifting the visa regime.
Kosovo, a population of 1.8 million, was the last of the six countries in the Western Balkans to receive the waiver.
“Until now, Europe has treated us as second-class citizens,” said engineer Agim Gosalci, 61.
With average wages at slightly above 400 euros and youth unemployment over 20 per cent, Kosovo ranks among Europe’s poorest countries.
– Emigration fears –
For the past two months, the government in Pristina has been conducting a campaign urging people not to misuse the freedom of travel by looking for jobs in the EU.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti led the campaign himself travelling throughout the country to explain the new regime’s benefits.
“This day is important. A great injustice is being removed and a great right is being gained,” he told the quiz winners at Pristina airport before they flew to Vienna.
The prime minister urged Kosovars “to respect the criteria, and wherever we travel, let’s not forget that our home is Kosovo.”
His deputy in charge of European integration, Besnik Bislimi, warned against the possible abuse of the regime which could lead to EU restrictive measures that would “harm the entire country”.
Many also fear that it could also result in even greater labour force shortages.
Around 18 per cent of private sector employees will quit their jobs and try to emigrate this year, according to the Pristina-based Riinvest Institute.
Sopi’s business could also feel the impact but on Monday he was focused more on Vienna where he was taking his wife who had never travelled to an EU country.
“The decision (to lift visas) is more than welcome,” said his wife Valdete.
“We have family in Germany and Switzerland and it was time to visit them.”
AFP
A United States federal court has set August 21, 2026, as the deadline for the release of records linked to longstanding allegations concerning Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and U.S. financial accounts associated with him in the 1990s.
The records are being sought in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by Aaron Greenspan, which has reportedly been before the federal courts for more than three years.
The documents are understood to be held by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The development followed a reported request by the DOJ for an additional 10 days to comply with an earlier court order requiring the release of the records.
According to Von Batten, a Washington, D.C.-based Republican lobbying firm, Tinubu also joined the DOJ’s request for the extension.
The firm said it obtained a copy of a recent court filing submitted on Tinubu’s behalf and claimed that the Nigerian president formally joined the request just two business days before it became public.
However, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell rejected the request for additional time and directed that the records be released by August 21.
Von Batten said Tinubu’s reported decision to participate in the extension request raised questions about his reasons for seeking more time before the records are made public.
The firm alleged that the delay could potentially be used to lobby U.S. officials over concerns that releasing the documents might affect U.S.-Nigeria relations.
It further speculated that Tinubu could argue that disclosure of the records might affect his cooperation with Washington on counterterrorism and security matters.
The records relate to allegations dating back to the early 1990s, including the 1993 forfeiture of approximately $460,000 connected to accounts associated with Tinubu in a U.S. proceeding involving suspected proceeds of narcotics trafficking.
Tinubu has consistently denied wrongdoing and has rejected allegations linking him personally to drug trafficking.
Von Batten also warned against any attempt by U.S. officials to interfere with the FOIA or judicial process to prevent the records from being released.
The lobbying firm referenced U.S. President Donald Trump’s stated opposition to shielding individuals accused of serious criminal conduct, arguing that the legal process should be allowed to proceed without political interference.
With Judge Howell’s ruling in place, the records are expected to be released on or before August 21, unless further legal action changes the deadline.
The contents of the documents remain unknown, and their release could provide further information about the 1990s forfeiture proceedings and U.S. law-enforcement investigations involving accounts linked to Tinubu.
South Africa’s anti-immigration group, March and March, has announced September 30 as a fresh deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, as it staged a protest outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Durban on Monday.
The group marched through central Durban under the theme, “It’s time to fetch your people,” calling on African leaders attending the 46th SADC Summit to take back their citizens living in South Africa without legal documentation.
March and March had earlier led nationwide protests on June 30, demanding tougher government action against undocumented immigration and warning that its campaign would continue until its demands were addressed.
Announcing its latest action, the group said the September 30 deadline would mark the beginning of what it described as the “mother of all protests”, while urging South Africans to assist the police in identifying undocumented foreigners.
The protest took place as the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government got underway in Durban, with leaders from the regional bloc’s 16 member states in attendance.
The demonstration has renewed debate over South Africa’s treatment of foreign nationals, particularly citizens of other African countries.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently condemned discrimination and violence against foreigners, saying South Africa could not advocate regional integration at the SADC summit while practising exclusion within the country.
The June 30 protests were accompanied by security operations and reports of attacks and looting in some areas, according to police reports cited in the original report.
March and March has continued to demand tougher action against undocumented immigration, while tensions over the treatment of foreign nationals have prompted some African countries to evacuate their citizens from South Africa.
The latest protest has brought the immigration dispute directly to the doorstep of the SADC summit, placing the issue before regional leaders whose citizens are among those affected.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of a US deal with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, while calling on Tehran to surrender.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, amid ongoing talks between Oman and Iran over future maritime navigation arrangements through the strategic waterway.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump said, referring to the discussions between Oman and Iran as Washington pursues its own negotiations.
Iranian and Omani officials have been holding talks for weeks, with Iran’s Foreign Ministry saying Monday that both sides were working towards a joint declaration on the strait.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is under US control, despite Iran maintaining an effective blockade that has severely restricted maritime traffic.
On Friday, Trump said he could even declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory, prompting Iran to insist that the strategic waterway “will remain Iranian.”
Trump also called on Iran to “put up the white flag of surrender,” according to Yingst.
The Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran to the north and Oman to the south, was previously regarded as an open international waterway and carries a significant share of global energy shipments.
AFP
There has been no known deployment of US ground forces in Iran during the Middle East war, with the exception of a rescue mission in April for a downed American pilot.
Hatami did not provide any details on where or when the killing or capturing of US soldiers was expected to take place.
“Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army,” Hatami said, using an informal unit equivalent to 10,000 Iranian rials.
The war between Tehran and Washington began on February 28 after the United States, joined by Israel, attacked Iran. It was followed by an April ceasefire after nearly 40 days of fighting, and a June framework for peace talks that later collapsed.
Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting mainly centred in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.
AFP
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