Albanian Language Media:

• Prattipati: Trump administration seeks strong allies, we cannot rely on a country without institutions – the deadlock must be resolved by the leaders (Express)
• Svecla congratulates KPI: Crime has no place in the ranks of the Police (RTK)
• Kosovar Behar Preniqi arrested in Serbia, was returning from Germany (Klan)
• Popovic pleads guilty at indictment against him for calling KLA a terrorist group (RTK)
• Aliu: Bridges in Mitrovica built at request of municipalities (media)
• CDHRF calls people to join protest against Specialist Chambers (media)
• President of North Macedonia reacts to anti-Albanian chants: We are ashamed (Klan)
• CEC: Nine days left to apply online for the certification for local elections (media)
• Kurti to diaspora: We are lucky to have you (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic travels to China: He will have to balance in building an international image (Danas)
• Lawyer: We will speak of Igor Popovic’s case once conditions are met (Kosovo Online, media)
• Meloni to meet Vucic in Belgrade this evening (Kosovo Online, media)
• Prosecutor on Vucic’s accusations: TOK acts in line with Constitution, laws (N1)
• Kurti hosted the diaspora: “Our successes make Belgrade aggressive, don't travel through Serbia, don't give them a reason for new brutalities” (KoSSev)
• KRIK confirms presidential pardon for woman who rammed car through protest (N1)
• Serbia’s public debt at 38.55 billion euro by end of June (N1)

International:

• Reuters Institute digital news report (Reuters Institute) 

Albanian Language Media

Prattipati: Trump administration seeks strong allies, we cannot rely on a country without institutions – the deadlock must be resolved by the leaders (Express)

The U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Kosovo, Anu Prattipati, said Kosovo is missing out on opportunities due to the current political deadlock. In an interview with Gazeta Express, she said that the Trump Administration “seeks strong allies” with whom shared priorities can be advanced, and that the opportunity to strengthen economic ties between the two countries “may pass by unused if this deadlock continues.”

Prattipati stated that a country without key institutions and with “an uncertain path toward forming them” is not a partner the U.S. can always fully rely on.

She emphasized that “Kosovo’s leaders were elected to solve the challenges facing their country,” and that the political deadlock must be resolved by them. “The United States can offer support, but it cannot make choices on behalf of Kosovo’s leaders or its people.”

In order for the partnership with the U.S. “to flourish,” she said, “Kosovo must provide the conditions,” and outlined what can be expected from the Trump Administration.

Svecla congratulates KPI: Crime has no place in the ranks of the Police (RTK)

Caretaker Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, has responded to the latest operation by the Kosovo Police Inspectorate (KPI), during which four individuals were arrested, including a senior official of the Kosovo Police.  “I congratulate the Kosovo Police Inspectorate for yesterday’s operation, during which four citizens were arrested, including a senior official of the Kosovo Police. Crime has no place in our society, and especially not among the ranks of the Police,” he stated in a Facebook post.

He emphasized his support for, and insistence on, stronger actions to cleanse the Police of individuals who tarnish the institution’s reputation, which, according to him, enjoys the highest level of public trust. “The Kosovo Police must be a force for fighting crime and never, under any circumstances, a shelter, residence, or shield for criminal activity,” Svecla wrote.

Kosovar Behar Preniqi arrested in Serbia, was returning from Germany (Klan)

Behar Preniqi was arrested by Serbian authorities while returning from Germany, at the Bajakovo border crossing, located between Croatia and Serbia. His arrest was made on the grounds that he was allegedly a member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

The news was confirmed to the news website by family members. However, a relative denied that Behar was ever a member of the KLA. "Yes, it's true. He was detained without reason," she stated. “We have no information, nor do we have any contact to ask. Behar’s wife is in Germany. He has traveled there several times using visa liberalization. Behar does not have German documents,” she emphasized.

“He was returning from Germany by car with a friend of his who lives in England. They released his friend, but not Behar. Based on his year of birth, the claims are false. He was a child during the war. Behar has never broken the law, never caused any trouble. He has never even been at a police station,” she told Klankosova.tv.

Igor Popovic pleads guilty at indictment against him for calling KLA a terrorist group (RTK)

Kosovo’s Special Prosecution has filed an indictment against Igor Popovic, the deputy director of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia. He was arrested last month by the Kosovo Police after delivering a speech against the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in Hoçe e Madhe, Rahovec.

According to the indictment, on July 18, 2025, around 12:00 PM in Rahovec, the defendant I.P. gave a public speech containing inflammatory and hateful content toward ethnic groups, publicly inciting intolerance and interethnic division.

In his public statement, the defendant used language that incited hatred, emphasizing that “Serbs have suffered here in the Rahovec region... and will not allow anyone to call them occupiers...”, and calling for “Hoçe e Madhe and Rahovec to remain Serbian.”

The prosecution considers that through these actions, I.P. incited distrust and intolerance toward ethnic diversity in Kosovo, thereby undermining coexistence between communities.

I.P. has pleaded guilty to the criminal offense charged against him, and the Special Prosecution has submitted the plea agreement to the court.

Aliu: Bridges in Mitrovica built at request of municipalities (media)

Caretaker Minister of Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, responded to criticism that the construction of bridges in Mitrovica is being done as part of an election campaign. “We built the bridges in Mitrovica at the request of the municipalities, they are being implemented. That’s it,” Aliu said briefly.

He made the statement after the inauguration of a new road in the municipality of Shtime, a project worth around 900,000 euros, which includes the construction and rehabilitation of approximately 5.5 kilometers of road.

CDHRF calls people to join protest against Specialist Chambers (media)

The Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) has expressed support for the protest scheduled for August 7, 2025, organized by the Kosovo Liberation Army War Veterans' Association. The protest opposes the Specialist Chambers in The Hague, which is trying former KLA leaders and has recently accepted over 1,000 files from Serbian security institutions as evidence.

CDHRF criticized the Court as a political tool, claiming it was initiated by Serbia and Russia, and later legitimized by the U.S. under Obama and Biden. They argue the Court violates human rights, particularly the presumption of innocence, and that Kosovo’s institutions have enabled these abuses by limiting defense funding and failing to challenge the Court’s legitimacy.

The Council urges people to protest not just the trials, “but also the political nature of the arrests, the lack of transparency, biased evidence, and mistreatment of detainees.” It adds that more impactful protests would occur in international capitals rather than just in Kosovo.

CDHRF sees the Special Court as unjust, politically driven, and harmful to Kosovo's sovereignty and justice.

President of North Macedonia reacts to anti-Albanian chants: We are ashamed (Klan)

The President of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, has reacted to the anti-Albanian chants heard during the basketball match between North Macedonia and Romania, played in Kumanovo, which have sparked strong reactions.

President Siljanovska-Davkova stated that the Macedonian people feel ashamed after these chants. “Due to our sporting illiteracy, happening for who knows how many times now, the reactions to the terrible incident at the basketball game in Kumanovo are rightfully not stopping. Some irresponsible fans fired bullets of hatred toward our fellow Albanian citizens, but in reality, they hit us all, even themselves, and once again, we are ashamed,” she wrote on Facebook.

Siljanovska-Davkova emphasized that North Macedonia will no longer allow sports arenas to become “gladiator fan arenas.” According to her, “the first lesson in how to cheer is learned at home, then at school.” She said the state must stand up against fan hatred and teach people how to cheer properly.

CEC: Nine days left to apply online for the certification for local elections (media)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has announced that the application period for political entities to apply for certification and to submit their candidate lists for the local elections for mayors, and municipal assemblies, scheduled for October 12, 2025, is still ongoing. This period began on June 26 and will end on August 13, 2025.

This period began on June 26 and will end on August 13, 2025.

To facilitate the application process, the CEC has made operational the online platform: https://apliko.kqz-ks.org, which allows political entities to submit their applications electronically.

Kurti to diaspora: We are lucky to have you (media)

The caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti has shared a heartfelt welcome message to the diaspora through a Facebook post, noting their irreplaceable role in the life and development of Kosovo. “We welcome you every year, more and more frequently, even more than once a year, also here at the Prime Minister’s Office,” he wrote, expressing gratitude for the visits of compatriots from abroad.

Kurti stressed that Kosovo always needs its diaspora, not just as guests returning to ease their longing, but as development partners and co-creators of Kosovo’s future.

“We no longer speak of a ‘brain drain’, but of a heart that never forgets. Anyone may be temporarily outside the homeland, but everyone belongs eternally to the nation. Welcome to your home, we are lucky to have you, and may we always have you,” Kurti wrote further.

Serbian Language Media 

Vucic travels to China: He will have to balance in building an international image (Danas) 

Aleksandar Vucic, the President of Serbia, announced a trip to China and a meeting with President Xi Jinping for September. However, there is a possibility of a meeting with the presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and the US, Donald Trump, reported Danas daily. 

- From September 1 to 6, I will be in China for five days. Putin will probably be there too, so maybe I'll meet him too. I hear that maybe Trump will come too. I'm not sure. Holy God knows how it goes. But they announced to me that there will be a special dinner on September 5 - said Vucic on Sunday before the commemoration of the military action Storm.

Vucic specified that on September 3, the President of China is organizing a dinner, but that he was told that some of the great world leaders will be hosting a dinner on September 5, and that he must stay until then.

Dragoslav Raseta, researcher of the New Third Way, explains to Danas that the President of Serbia will participate in the event marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Japanese occupation of China.

- It is probably the most important date for the People's Republic of China that is related to the legacy of the Second World War. I expect that Putin will also be present to try to revive the currently unsuccessful gas project "Power of Siberia 2" in the new round of negotiations - said Raseta.

According to him, by meeting with Xi and/or Putin, whether it is official bilateral meetings or meetings on the sidelines of this event, the president will try to show his international image and the personal connections he enjoys with other world leaders.

- Here it will be necessary for the president to balance between the needs of domestic public opinion and his electorate, where a closer meeting with these two leaders would be positively evaluated and the current geopolitical situation and tensions between the West, primarily the EU, and China and Russia, which are at an extremely high level after the failed negotiations in Istanbul, i.e. the failed EU-China summit - he pointed out.

And he added that Vucic with Xi will seek the acceleration of the free trade agreement, so that he can use its results in a potential election campaign, additional Chinese direct foreign investments, and support when it comes to Kosovo and Republika Srpska.

- It is just as important for Xi, as during his last visit to Europe, to show that there are European countries that are firmly connected to China and its interests - Raseta stated. 

And when it comes to the arrival of the US president, Raseta does not believe that Trump will be present.

He said that if there was a meeting between Trump and Xi, it would take place in South Korea at the APEC meeting, a month after this event.

- I believe that by mentioning Trump, the President of Serbia is once again trying to underline his omnilateral approach to international relations, four chairs - Raseta concluded.

Lawyer: We will speak of Igor Popovic’s case once conditions are met (Kosovo Online, media)

Defense lawyer of Igor Popovic, Assistant Director of the Office of Kosovo and Metohija currently detained, Milos Delevic said following the bargain plea his client entered that he will speak of all details of the case after conditions are met, given that proceedings are underway, Kosovo Online portal reported.

"We wish to inform the public that we will speak of all elements of Igor Popovic’s case only when necessary conditions are met, given that proceedings are ongoing. That is why this is not the moment to comment on different media headlines on this topic. The fact is that Igor Popovic made a statement he is now being charged with, and that he in his personal capacity, upon the advice of a lawyer, acted in a way that should not be interpreted as his renunciation of any personal, political or historical beliefs", Delevic said.

As he added, freedom of speech is a basic human right and foundation of every democratic society and that right must be guaranteed to every person, including Igor Popovic.

"It is exclusively about the procedural mechanism within the process led against Igor Popovic. We appeal to the public and media to carry out their work conscientiously and professionally, devoid of sensationalist motives that can threaten the rights of our client", Delevic concluded.

Meloni to meet Vucic in Belgrade this evening (Kosovo Online, media)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will visit Belgrade this evening and meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the Italian Government said in a statement, Kosovo Online portal reported.

The meeting with Vucic is scheduled to start at 18.30. As Italian media outlet Il Giornale announced, the topics of discussion will include Serbia’s accession process to the EU, and NATO. Meloni visited Belgrade last time in 2023, and since then held several phone talks with Vucic. 

Prosecutor on Vucic’s accusations: TOK acts in line with Constitution, laws (N1)

Chief Prosecutor for Organized Crime Mladen Nenadic told Belgrade-based Danas daily that the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (TOK) operates and will continue to operate in accordance with Serbian Constitution and laws.

His statement follows Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s announcement of criminal complaints against those who, as he said, “orchestrated the arrests” in the investigation into the canopy collapse in Novi Sad, where former ministers and other public officials were detained. On November 1, 2024, a concrete canopy at the recently renovated Novi Sad main train station collapsed, killing 15 people and severely injuring two more, one of which succumbed to injures later.

Responding to the arrests, Vucic publicly suggested that the Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime was acting on foreign orders and described the action as politically motivated rather than legally grounded, directing particular criticism at Nenadic.

When asked to comment on these allegations, Nenadic briefly told Danas “I don’t comment on politicians’ statements. The Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime has acted and will act in line with Serbia’s Constitution and laws”.

Kurti hosted the diaspora: “Our successes make Belgrade aggressive, don't travel through Serbia, don't give them a reason for new brutalities” (KoSSev)

"We have a neighbor to the north, a 'bad neighbor', as the people say. Even though we want to have normal relations with it, it continues to behave aggressively and tries to hinder our development and destabilize our country. However, the security and intelligence institutions of the Republic of Kosovo are constantly opposing it, repeatedly, successfully," Albin Kurti said last night.

Traditionally, Kurti's, now technical cabinet, gathered people from Kosovo who live and work in the diaspora, and who are currently in Kosovo on vacation.

He gathers them every year, starting in 2021, to thank them for their contribution and the help they give in the development of Kosovo, as Kurti said.

He welcomed them and said that they are not "brains that leave" but "hearts that never forget". And at the same time, they are the true representatives of ''citizens from Kosovo in the world''.

''And the nation, thinking of the Albanians, participates in every area, and they should also be in politics to eradicate  'every complex'''.

"The participation of our people in political parties in the West, in municipal institutions wherever they live, should be in the same percentage as we are in business, sports and art. There are no specific areas in which Albanians do not participate. Albanians must participate in every area, every acquaintance, every job. We must eradicate every inferiority complex and indifference," Kurti said.

He advised them to avoid traveling through Serbia

After that, this acting prime minister, as KoSSev wrote, addressed the gathering from the diaspora, and talked of Serbia as a "bad neighbor", with whom he wants normal relations, but which behaves "aggressively".

"Dear compatriots, finally, as you know, we have a neighbor to the north, a 'bad neighbor', as the people say. Despite this, we want to have normal relations with it, but it continues to behave aggressively and tries to hinder our development and destabilize our country. However, the security and intelligence institutions of the Republic of Kosovo are constantly opposing him, again and again, successfully."

Kosovo is developing like never before, Kurti told the guests.

"Economic growth, democratic progress, social redistribution, gender and social equality, expansion of state sovereignty, establishment of territorial and institutional integrity, comprehensive stability, peace and security, law and order are evident in our Republic, in your Republic like never before," he claimed. 

He told them that this was exactly what makes Belgrade "very aggressive".

"And it is precisely our successes, dear compatriots that make official Belgrade very aggressive, because they make it very angry in advance."

Accordingly, he appealed to them to avoid traveling through Serbia:

"Due to the risk of arbitrary detentions and arrests by the Serbian authorities. In this way, we best ensure that your travels are successful and without any inconvenience or harassment. At the same time, we do not give Serbia the satisfaction of desperately seeking new brutalities."

KRIK confirms presidential pardon for woman who rammed car through protest (N1)

The KRIK investigative news portal said on Monday that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s pardon for a young woman who rammed her car through a student protest in January was official.

Court sources told KRIK that the pardon issued for Milica Stojanovic who was initially charged with attempted murder but was later indicted for a lesser crime reached the court. She drove her car through protest monitors, seriously injuring a young woman.

Stojanovic first faced a possible 10 years or more in prison, but the lesser charge meant she would serve up to 5 years. President Aleksandar Vucic said in July that he would issue a pardon, claiming that Stojanovic did nothing to deserve the charges and adding that he had to correct the injustice by prosecutors and courts.

KRIK recalled that Stojanovic was released pending trial. It added that the case was transferred to a lower court when the charges were reduced and that the case was taken away from the initial prosecutor by Chief Prosecutor Nenad Stefanovic who was reported to be close to the authorities.

The Serbian President also pardoned several ruling party officials who were indicted for assaulting student protesters.

Serbia’s public debt at 38.55 billion euro by end of June (N1)

The Serbian Finance Ministry said on Tuesday that the country’s public debt stood at 38.55 billion euro at the end of June this year.

A press release specified that the public debt was at 43.7 percent of the GDP.  At the end of May, public debt amounted to 38.77 billion euro, which was 44 percent of the GDP. Serbia’s public debt stood at 38.9 billion euro or 47.2 percent of the GDP at the end of 2024.

International

Reuters Institute digital news report (Reuters Institute) 

This year’s report comes at a time of deep political and economic uncertainty, changing geo-political alliances, not to mention climate breakdown and continuing destructive conflicts around the world. Against that background, evidence-based and analytical journalism should be thriving, with newspapers flying off shelves, broadcast media and web traffic booming. But as our report shows the reality is very different. In most countries we find traditional news media struggling to connect with much of the public, with declining engagement, low trust, and stagnating digital subscriptions.

An accelerating shift towards consumption via social media and video platforms is further diminishing the influence of ‘institutional journalism’ and supercharging a fragmented alternative media environment containing an array of podcasters, YouTubers, and TikTokers. Populist politicians around the world are increasingly able to bypass traditional journalism in favour of friendly partisan media, ‘personalities’, and ‘influencers’ who often get special access but rarely ask difficult questions, with many implicated in spreading false narratives or worse.

Read the full RI 2025 report at: https://tinyurl.com/ymhkx575