INTERNACIONAL
State Department stays quiet as Albania reinstates deputy PM accused of corruption
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The State Department is so far refusing to comment on a growing corruption crisis engulfing the Balkan nation of Albania — a vital U.S. ally in the region.
Following an Albanian court’s decision to remove Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku from her position on allegations she interfered in two construction bids, socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama took the issue to the country’s Constitutional Court, which on Friday reinstated her until a «final decision» could be made, according to media reports.
The Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Structure (SPAK) issued a criminal indictment against Balluku on Oct. 31, alleging that she had been improperly influenced in her decision to favor one company in a tender for the construction of a 3.7-mile tunnel in southern Albania, Reuters reported. SPAK delivered an additional charge for violating rules in a Tirana road construction project on Nov. 21, the date when Balluku was removed from office.
The day prior to her November court appearance, Balluku told the country’s parliament that the accusations against her constituted «mudslinging, insinuations, half-truths and lies.»
FORMER TRUMP ADVISORS WAGE BALKAN CAMPAIGN AS MAGA MOVES INTO EUROPE
Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama (R) and Deputy Prime Minister of Albania and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku (R) attend a press conference in the Shpirag region in Berat province, Albania on Aug. 23, 2023. (Albanian Prime Ministry / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
As the second member of Rama’s cabinet to face corruption accusations since 2023, her charges have drawn the ire of Rama opponents.
Agim Nesho, former Albanian ambassador to the U.S. and the United Nations, told Fox News Digital that Balluku’s case demonstrates «the Rama government shows no sign of assuming moral responsibility or allowing justice the space to act independently. Instead, it appears intent on shielding Ms. Balluku, portraying the judiciary’s actions as an attack on the executive.»
Tirana’s ex-ambassador to Washington argued that «influencing the Constitutional Court may be an attempt to set a protective precedent — one that could prove useful if investigators ever seek to involve Mr. Rama himself in their investigations.»
«It’s becoming increasingly clear that the emperor has no clothes, Nesho said, adding that Rama’s rule has amounted to «state capture» as the «lack of checks and balances has enabled a recurring system of corruption across multiple of his terms.»
FORMER ALBANIAN PRESIDENT ARRESTED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES, OPPOSITION CLAIMS CHARGES ARE POLITICALLY MOTIVATED
TIRANA, ALBANIA FEBRUARY 11: A group of protesters gathers in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in Tirana, Albania, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama following the arrest of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj over corruption allegations on Feb, 11, 2025. (Photo by Olsi Shehu/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Nesho also claimed that Balluku had pointed to broader involvement of the Rama government in decision-making. Former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj, who went on the run after coming under SPAK investigation, has likewise alleged that Rama «directed all key decisions on tenders, finances, and public assets,» according to Nesho’s claims.
Ahmetaj’s accusations included allegations that Rama is involved with mafia bosses. Rama responded to these insinuations by saying Ahmetaj «should not be taken seriously. Albanian politics is not tainted by the mafia,» Balkanweb reported.
The U.S. has funded efforts for judicial reforms in Albania to aid its efforts toward accession into the European Union by cutting down on corruption. However, those reforms have led to legal backlogs that have drawn frustration and violence from the public.
Nesho said that «it is hard to see how a government that behaves like a banana republic gains accession to the E.U.» He said that «Albania is a living contradiction in terms of law and order.» While Nesho says Rama’s opposition has been «decimated by ‘lawfare’ and the compromising of legal institutions,» Rama remains in office despite «documented multi-billion-dollar corruption scandals, documented electoral thefts across multiple voting cycles, and, most concerning, documented links to international drug cartels like the Sinaloa Cartel.»
MEET RAMADURO: EUROPE’S PROGRESSIVE, SOROS-TRAINED AUTOCRAT AND ENEMY OF TRUMPISM
People gather during a demonstration held in Tirana, the capital of Albania, in support of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who was under house arrest from Dec. 2023 to Nov. 2024 on corruption charges and is currently under judicial supervision by the Albanian Special Appeal Court for Corruption and Organized Crime (GJPAKKO). (Olsi Shehu/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Allegations that Rama is linked to the Sinaloa Cartel emerged after the prime minister met with Sinaloa-connected Luftar Hysa, who is sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury. Rama told an Albanian news outlet that he met with Hysa just once.
With Balluku’s removal, Nesho says that «public anger is directed not only at [her] but also at the irresponsible conduct of a regime that rules without accountability, abuses public property and finances, and faces no consequences despite society’s reaction.» Nesho said many in the country have given the prime minister the nickname «Ramaduro,» saying it’s «a direct comparison to the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.»
Rama’s press office told Fox News Digital that it declined to comment on Nesho’s allegations against him.
In May 2021, the State Department sanctioned former Prime Minister Sali Berisha over corruption allegations, which forbade him from traveling to the U.S. Fox News Digital asked the State Department whether it had plans to issue similar sanctions against Balluku.
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, «We have no comment on ongoing legal matters.»
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The U.S. Embassy in Tirana issued the same response to Fox News Digital when asked whether it would suspend Balluku’s visa as a result of her removal from office.
the balkans,corruption,europe,the european union,state department
INTERNACIONAL
Tech company at odds with Pentagon warns its AI possibly gained consciousness, Elon Musk gives 2-word response
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SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave a two-word retort after Anthropic leader Dario Amodei claimed in an interview that he isn’t sure if his company’s AI models have gained consciousness.
«Anthropic CEO says Claude may or may not have gained consciousness, as the model has begun showing symptoms of anxiety,» read a post on X by cryptocurrency-based prediction market Polymarket, to which Musk replied, «He’s projecting.»
The comment from Musk, who is also the founder of xAI, comes as Anthropic is at odds with the Pentagon over its use in a separate matter.
In an interview with The New York Times, Amodei, when asked about AI and consciousness, said, «We’ve taken a generally precautionary approach here,» and, «We don’t know if the models are conscious.»
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, left, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Samyukta Lakshmi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«We are not even sure that we know what it would mean for a model to be conscious or whether a model can be conscious. But we’re open to the idea that it could be,» he continued.
«We’re putting a lot of work into this field called interpretability, which is looking inside the brains of the models to try to understand what they’re thinking. And you find things that are evocative, where there are activations that light up in the models that we see as being associated with the concept of anxiety or something like that. When characters experience anxiety in the text, and then when the model itself is in a situation that a human might associate with anxiety, that same anxiety neuron shows up,» Amodei also told the Times.
The interview comes as the Trump administration is moving federal agencies away from Anthropic after the tech company pushed back against the War Department’s usage of its tools.
The Pentagon has called for Anthropic to allow the Department of War to utilize the company’s artificial intelligence product for «all lawful purposes,» but Amodei has suggested the government could potentially use their product for «mass domestic surveillance» or «fully autonomous weapons,» and that the company would not be willing to allow such use cases.
PENTAGON’S AI BATTLE WILL HELP DECIDE WHO CONTROLS OUR MOST POWERFUL MILITARY TECH
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stands outside the Pentagon during a ceremony welcoming Japan’s defense minister in Washington, on Jan. 15, 2026. (Kevin Wolf/AP)
President Donald Trump said last Friday, «The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution. Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY.»
«Therefore, I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again! There will be a Six Month phase out period for Agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropic’s products, at various levels,» Trump added on Truth Social.
President Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One before departing Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 1, 2026. Trump said last week he is «directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology.» (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth later wrote on X, «In conjunction with the President’s directive for the Federal Government to cease all use of Anthropic’s technology, I am directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security. Effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic. Anthropic will continue to provide the Department of War its services for a period of no more than six months to allow for a seamless transition to a better and more patriotic service.»
Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
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INTERNACIONAL
La magia del azúcar y la música salvadoreña: lo que se vive en la Feria de la Panela de Apastepeque
Este fin de semana el distrito de Apastepeque, en San Vicente Norte, se convertirá en el epicentro de la cultura y la tradición salvadoreña con la celebración de la 24.ª edición de la Feria de la Panela. Esta festividad, que se realizará los días 7 y 8 de marzo en la molienda Divina Providencia, reunirá a turistas nacionales e internacionales para celebrar uno de los productos más emblemáticos derivados de la caña de azúcar: la panela.
La feria inicia el sábado 8 de marzo con una variada agenda que incluye música en vivo, cabalgatas, gastronomía típica, desfiles de carrozas, bandas musicales y actividades de turismo vivencial. La molienda Divina Providencia, ubicada a 500 metros al oriente del Parque Central José María Canales, será el principal escenario donde los visitantes podrán disfrutar de artistas invitados como Los Dos de la Banda, Alex Joshua, Alejandro Fernández y Selena Rodríguez, quienes amenizarán las jornadas con presentaciones musicales y espectáculos variados.
Uno de los momentos más esperados será la elección y coronación de la reina de la Feria de la Panela, un evento que destaca el papel de las jóvenes de la localidad y la importancia de preservar las tradiciones comunitarias. Además, la programación cultural del domingo contará con la participación de la orquesta Color Esperanza, el ballet folclórico y el grupo Impacto Norteño, así como agrupaciones coreográficas que enriquecerán la experiencia de los asistentes.
La feria no solo es una celebración musical y cultural, sino también una oportunidad para que los visitantes conozcan a fondo el proceso artesanal de elaboración de la panela y sus derivados. Durante el evento, los asistentes podrán observar el proceso completo, desde la cosecha de la caña de azúcar hasta la obtención de los dulces tradicionales como la melcocha, el batido y el azúcar de pilón. Quienes visiten la molienda tendrán la oportunidad de adquirir estos productos y apoyar a los productores locales, contribuyendo así al desarrollo económico de la región.
La elaboración de la panela en Apastepeque inicia en los cañales, donde la caña madura se corta manualmente con herramientas como el machete. Los productores seleccionan las cañas más robustas y frescas, que luego son transportadas a la molienda. En este punto, la caña se introduce en una máquina de rodillos que la prensa con fuerza para extraer el jugo dulce, conocido como guarapo.
El jugo recién extraído se filtra para eliminar impurezas y se vierte en grandes calderas de metal donde se calienta con fuego de leña. A medida que el líquido hierve, los maestros paneleros lo remueven de manera constante con palas de madera para evitar que se queme y para lograr una cocción uniforme. Un espeso vapor se eleva de los calderos y el ambiente se impregna del aroma característico del azúcar cocida.
Durante la cocción, el jugo de caña pasa por varias etapas en las que se va concentrando y adquiere una textura más densa. En el momento preciso, el maestro panelero traslada la mezcla a moldes de madera, donde se enfría y solidifica para formar los bloques de panela. El resultado es un dulce compacto y de color dorado, de sabor intenso y aroma penetrante.
Además de la panela, en la feria se elaboran y venden otros productos derivados como la melcocha, un caramelo suave que se estira y enrolla a mano; el batido, una variante que implica batir el jugo caliente hasta obtener una textura granulada; y el azúcar de pilón, que requiere un proceso de cristalización adicional.
La Feria de la Panela en Apastepeque es una vitrina para la cultura local, el trabajo de los productores y la riqueza gastronómica de San Vicente Norte. Este evento no solo permite degustar productos auténticos, sino que promueve la identidad y el orgullo de una comunidad que mantiene vivo el legado de la caña de azúcar y la elaboración artesanal de la panela, una tradición que trasciende generaciones y une a familias enteras en torno al dulce sabor de su tierra.
corresponsal:Desde San Salvador, El Salvador
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An Iranian official warned that any European countries that enter the conflict against Iran will become «legitimate targets» for Tehran’s retaliation.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi made the remark to France24 as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday apologized to neighboring countries that have been attacked by the regime.
«We have already informed the Europeans and everybody else that they should be careful not to be involved in this war of aggression against Iran,» Takht-Ravanchi told the network. «If they help, I’m not trying to name any country, but if any country joins in the aggression against Iran, joins America and Israel in the aggression against Iran, definitely they will be also the legitimate targets for Iranian retaliation.»
«This war has imposed on us, and we will continue to defend ourselves to the best of our abilities,» he added. «We have an obligation to defend our people and that is what exactly we are doing.»
Then-Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi speaks to the media outside Security Council chambers at the U.N. headquarters in New York, on June 24, 2019. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
Takht-Ravanchi also claimed Iran was «negotiating in good faith» in talks with the U.S. about its nuclear program, before America launched Operation Epic Fury and Israel began Operation Roaring Lion on Feb. 28.
«We are sincere. We are sincere in our endeavor to arrive at a peaceful conclusion of this issue,» he told France24.
AFTER THE STRIKES, HOW WOULD THE US SECURE IRAN’S ENRICHED URANIUM?
A group of men inspect the ruins of a police station struck during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Vahid Salemi/AP)
Pezeshkian said Saturday that any future attacks coming out of Iran would only be in response to attacks against the country.
«I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf,» he said, according to The Associated Press. «From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries. I think we should solve this through diplomacy.»
Damage is seen in Bnei Brak, Israel, on March 3, 2026, following an Iranian missile barrage. (Nir Elias/Reuters)
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Pezeshkian made the apology during a prerecorded televised speech on Saturday after Iran launched repeated strikes on Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman.
Despite the vow, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that the country’s air defense systems intercepted 16 ballistic missiles, 15 of which were destroyed while one fell into the sea.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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