Murder of Gentjan Bejtja, new details revealed
Details from the assassination of Gentjan Bejtja. The perpetrators, who are suspected to have been 4 people, approached with the off-road ‘Land Rover’ type vehicle from the area of Fushë Kruja in the direction of Larushk. At around 4:20 p.m., they entered the alley where Gentian Bejtja’s villa was located …
Jared Kushner’s firm eyes billion-dollar property deals in the Balkans
Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Donald J. Trump, confirmed on Friday that he was closing in on major real estate deals in Albania and Serbia, the latest example of the former president’s family doing business abroad even as Mr. Trump seeks to return to the White House. Mr. Kushner’s plans …
Sentenced to 4 years in prison for forging documents, the 40-year-old Albanian is extradited from Italy
A 40-year-old man was extradited from Italy after he was wanted for forging documents. Elmir Dashi was convicted in 2018 by the Vlora court for committing the criminal offense “Forgery of seals, stamps or forms”, committed collaboration. “Also, the citizen Elmir Dashi, 40 years old, was extradited from Italy to …
Accused of fraud, a 52 year old Italian is expected to be extradited from Italy
An Italian citizen has been arrested in Italy with the intention of extradition to Albania after being declared wanted for fraud. The Italian, together with some Albanian citizens, had created a system of fictitious companies for the circulation of monetary amounts. In 2023, the court assigned him the security measure …
Trump’s son-in-law plans major investment in Sazan, Albanian gov’t confirms
TIRANA, March 16, 2024 – U.S.-based company Affinity Partners, led by Jared Kushner, the influential son-in-law of former President Donald Trump, aims to undertake two major tourism projects in Albania, along with another in Belgrade, with a combined value that could exceed $1 billion, he said on social media after …
NATO’s new airbase in Albania highlights country’s role as staunchest supporter of alliance in the region
TIRANA, March 15, 2024 – When NATO conducted a public opinion survey last year among its then 32 members about whether they would support staying in the alliance in a referendum, Albanians showed the highest support at 100 percent. It is no wonder then that when Albania officially reopened the …
Albanian parliament reaches bipartisan deal on investigative commissions
TIRANA, March 15, 2024 – Albania’s ruling Socialist Party of Prime Minister Edi Rama and the main opposition Democratic Party led by former Prime Minister Sali Berisha have finalized an agreement that opens the way for normalization of parliamentary life in the country after five months of nonstop opposition protests …
Roman tales: RUN, BABY, RUN
By Jerina Zaloshnja Will you come running with “Camminata Tonificante” group, through Rome, this Tuesday? – Sabrina asked me. Sure, – I said, knowing that if I didn’t go with her, my Tuesday would not feel terribly different from most others, where for hours on end I might end up …
SPAK close the investigation for the sterilization concession
The Special Prosecutor’s Office has completed the investigations on the sterilization concession file, submitting the file to the court. SPAK is communicating the charges to the suspected persons. Eight people are under accusation for the sterilization concession, among them former officials of the Ministry of Health, including the former minister …
Tragic accident in Lezha, a 65 year old French citizen died
The police have arrested a 23-year-old driver of the “Mercedes-Benz” type vehicle that collided with the vehicle driven by the French citizen, who died in the hospital. The serious incident happened on Thursday evening on the Lezhe-Laç axis, and then the 23-year-old man from Fushe Kuqja left the scene. He …
Tirana Times, March 10, 2026 – A cyberattack targeting Albania’s Parliament has revived one of the country’s most serious national security concerns, underscoring the return of a threat that Albanian institutions have come to associate with Iran linked retaliation. The breach, confirmed by Parliament on Tuesday, involved unauthorized access to …
The criminal charges facing former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku have dominated headlines in Albania for months – prompting her boss, Edi Rama, to pick a fight with the judiciary. Original post Here
Shielding Balluku Could Cost Albania More Than a Court Case. Tirana Times, March 09, 2026 – Albania’s ruling Socialist majority moved Monday to block the arrest of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, in a decision expected to be ratified by parliament this week and one that is rapidly becoming …
Ahead of a vote in parliament on Thursday, the ruling Socialists reject a prosecution request to support lifting the immunity of dismissed former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, allowing for her arrest. Original post Here
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here
By Daniel Serwer Tirana Times, March 06, 2026 – While all eyes are on the Iran war, subtle but important changes are taking place with respect to the Balkans. I think the two most important are these: The Trump Administration is abandoning state-building and instead wants local people to make the basic …
By Zef Preci Tirana Times, March 06, 2026 – Two centuries ago, Karl Marx offered a blunt description of how capitalism is sometimes born and consolidated: through what he called “primitive accumulation,” a historical process—often violent—by which people are separated from their land and productive assets, while wealth is concentrated …
From European Union accession hopes to ongoing corruption investigations, our selection of Premium stories this week takes a look at the political wheeling and dealing going on behind the scenes in the region. Original post Here
by Genc Pollo Let’s start with the dog. “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly,” says the Old Testament (Proverbs 26:11), offering a blunt metaphor for stupidity and the stubborn repetition of mistakes. That proverbial dog may be the right analogy for Prime Minister Edi …
By Augustin Palokaj Tirana Times, March 03 2026 – EU enlargement does not lack ideas; it lacks political will. That is why the recent joint opinion piece by Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić, published in the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, is troubling not so …