Blog
News

Kosova PM Kurti says weekend crucial for electing country’s president

Kosova Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the coming weekend will be crucial for electing the country’s president. He said he has already started communicating with opposition party leaders on the issue. Kurti made the remarks on Friday at the International Conference on Women’s Empowerment. Kosova must elect a president by …

Read More
News

Albania’s Friend of the Book campaign returns with author Vath Koreshi

The Friend of the Book campaign has returned this October, organised by the National Centre for Books and Reading. The first event took place at Ismail Qemali School and focused on Albanian author Vath Koreshi, marking the 90th anniversary of his birth. The campaign also coincides with Book October, a …

Read More
News

Albania, Greece and North Macedonia join efforts to seek UNESCO status for Lake Prespa

Albania, Greece and North Macedonia are joining efforts to include Great Prespa Lake on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The initiative seeks to protect and promote the area’s natural and cultural heritage, according to Greek newspaper Kathimerini. Greece launched the initiative in 2014. The European Union now supports the process …

Read More
News

Kurti: We have begun talks to reach an agreement on the president

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Friday that talks have begun on reaching an agreement for the election of the country’s president. “We have started discussions and, of course, this weekend is crucial for reaching an agreement so that we can have a president next week,” Kurti said. Political …

Read More
News

PM Rama tells US Democrats: Don’t use Albania in your fight against Trump

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama launched a sharp attack on US Democrats over the ongoing “Flamingo Revolution” protests against a planned luxury resort backed by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump. What began as protests against the project has evolved into broader anti-government demonstrations and is now entering …

Read More
News

Rama: From 2 to 12 million tourists, now we urgently need to improve quality

Prime Minister Edi Rama said that Albania has recorded a significant increase in tourist numbers in recent years, but that the main challenge now is improving the quality of tourism. Speaking at the first edition of the “Future Hospitality Forum 2026,” Rama said the number of tourists has risen from …

Read More
News

Kurti shares photo with Trump: US is Kosovo’s main ally and indispensable partner

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has shared a photo of himself with US President Donald Trump and his wife, Rita Augestad Knudsen. In his post, Kurti said the meeting took place on the sidelines of the High-Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly. “I had the honour of meeting …

Read More
News

Defence Minister Nufi meets US Ambassador Eric Wendt: Albania and the US stand side by side

Defence Minister Ermal Nufi has met with the new US Ambassador to Albania, Eric Wendt. In a social media post, Nufi shared moments from his meeting with the US ambassador, highlighting the importance of the partnership between Albania and the United States in the fields of defence and security. “Ambassador …

Read More
News

Saudi Arabia Eases Visa Procedures for Kosovo Citizens

Tirana Times, October 2, 2026 – Saudi Arabia has introduced simplified visa procedures for Kosovo citizens, allowing them to apply for an electronic tourist visa or obtain a visa on arrival from October 1, 2026. The measure marks a significant easing of travel requirements for citizens visiting the Kingdom for tourism, family visits …

Read More
News

Security Expert Questions Albania’s Readiness to Learn from Spy Chief’s Arrest

Security expert Arjan Dyrmishi tells BIRN the “whole system of governance” has been brought into question by the arrest of the head of Albania’s State Intelligence Service. Original post Here

Read More
News
Albanian Criminal Procedure Bill Slammed as Bid to ‘Neuter’ Anti-Graft Body

While addressing widely-held concerns about pretrial detention measures, a bill to rewrite a big chunk of Albania’s Code of Criminal Procedure has been met with consternation among judges, prosecutors and civil society groups worried it will ‘neuter’ a key anti-corruption body none too popular with PM Edi Rama. Original post …

News
Rama: 32 SME loans worth €5 million approved under “Double Your Business” scheme

Prime Minister Edi Rama said interest from businesses in the “Double Your Business” scheme has increased, with 32 loans worth around €5 million approved by October 5. Speaking at an event dedicated to the scheme, Rama said the program aims to support small and medium-sized businesses that have survived the …

News
“Double Your Business”, Rama: 32 loans worth €5 million approved

Prime Minister Edi Rama presented the “Double Your Business” programme on Wednesday. He said the programme aims to support small and medium-sized businesses through financing at interest rates of up to 2%. According to Rama, around 400 businesses are currently in the application process. He also said that 32 loans …

News
Free flu vaccination campaign begins, 280,000 doses available at health centres

Health centres across the country have begun administering seasonal flu vaccinations. The vaccine is provided free of charge to all groups at risk of developing severe forms of the illness, as well as to those who are in constant contact with the public and are therefore at greater risk of …

News
Judges and prosecutors call for special security and threat assessment unit

One year after Judge Astrit Kalaja was killed in a courtroom, the Union of Judges, the National Association of Judges and the Association of Prosecutors of the Republic of Albania are calling for the establishment of a dedicated police unit to ensure security at courts and prosecutors’ offices, as well …

News
Who Loses Power When the Map Changes?

Fifteen municipalities are expected to disappear under Albania’s proposed new territorial map. While the government presents the reform as a matter of efficiency and consolidation, communities that may lose municipal status fear that services will move farther away, local representation will weaken, and already shrinking peripheral areas will become even …

News
Albanian parliamentary delegation visits Berlin to strengthen cooperation

Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Citizens’ Initiatives, Cooperation and Institutional Oversight held a two-day working visit to Berlin. They focused on handling petitions and citizens’ initiatives, strengthening parliamentary oversight and deepening institutional cooperation. At the German Bundestag, the delegation attended a meeting of the Committee on Petitions and exchanged …

News
Albanian parliamentary delegation joins NATO seminar in Moldova

The Albanian parliamentary delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, led by Igli Hasani and including Bledar Çuçi, Damian Gjiknuri and Fatmir Mediu, attended the 109th Rose-Roth Seminar in Chisinau, Moldova, on October 6-7. The seminar, organized with Moldova’s Parliament, focused on NATO-Moldova cooperation, regional and Black Sea security, and the …

News
US Embassy: Over 200 Albanian law enforcement professionals certified in 2026

More than 200 Albanian law enforcement professionals earned certifications in 2026 after completing crime investigation training. The US Embassy in Tirana congratulated State Police crime specialists who completed the Level 1 Crime Investigation Course at the Security Academy. The US Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) …

News
Albania establishes State-Owned Companies Operator with ALL 100 million capital

The Council of Ministers approved the founding act and statute of the state-owned company “Operator of State-Owned Companies” sh.a. during its meeting on Wednesday. The decision, proposed by the Minister of Economy and Innovation, also sets the company’s initial capital. The new company will start with ALL 100 million in …

News

Albanian Criminal Procedure Bill Slammed as Bid to ‘Neuter’ Anti-Graft Body

While addressing widely-held concerns about pretrial detention measures, a bill to rewrite a big chunk of Albania’s Code of Criminal Procedure has been met with consternation among judges, prosecutors and civil society groups worried it will ‘neuter’ a key anti-corruption body none too popular with PM Edi Rama. Original post …

News

Rama: 32 SME loans worth €5 million approved under “Double Your Business” scheme

Prime Minister Edi Rama said interest from businesses in the “Double Your Business” scheme has increased, with 32 loans worth around €5 million approved by October 5. Speaking at an event dedicated to the scheme, Rama said the program aims to support small and medium-sized businesses that have survived the …

News

“Double Your Business”, Rama: 32 loans worth €5 million approved

Prime Minister Edi Rama presented the “Double Your Business” programme on Wednesday. He said the programme aims to support small and medium-sized businesses through financing at interest rates of up to 2%. According to Rama, around 400 businesses are currently in the application process. He also said that 32 loans …

News

Free flu vaccination campaign begins, 280,000 doses available at health centres

Health centres across the country have begun administering seasonal flu vaccinations. The vaccine is provided free of charge to all groups at risk of developing severe forms of the illness, as well as to those who are in constant contact with the public and are therefore at greater risk of …

News

Judges and prosecutors call for special security and threat assessment unit

One year after Judge Astrit Kalaja was killed in a courtroom, the Union of Judges, the National Association of Judges and the Association of Prosecutors of the Republic of Albania are calling for the establishment of a dedicated police unit to ensure security at courts and prosecutors’ offices, as well …

News

Who Loses Power When the Map Changes?

Fifteen municipalities are expected to disappear under Albania’s proposed new territorial map. While the government presents the reform as a matter of efficiency and consolidation, communities that may lose municipal status fear that services will move farther away, local representation will weaken, and already shrinking peripheral areas will become even …

News

Albanian parliamentary delegation visits Berlin to strengthen cooperation

Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Citizens’ Initiatives, Cooperation and Institutional Oversight held a two-day working visit to Berlin. They focused on handling petitions and citizens’ initiatives, strengthening parliamentary oversight and deepening institutional cooperation. At the German Bundestag, the delegation attended a meeting of the Committee on Petitions and exchanged …

News

Albanian parliamentary delegation joins NATO seminar in Moldova

The Albanian parliamentary delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, led by Igli Hasani and including Bledar Çuçi, Damian Gjiknuri and Fatmir Mediu, attended the 109th Rose-Roth Seminar in Chisinau, Moldova, on October 6-7. The seminar, organized with Moldova’s Parliament, focused on NATO-Moldova cooperation, regional and Black Sea security, and the …

News

US Embassy: Over 200 Albanian law enforcement professionals certified in 2026

More than 200 Albanian law enforcement professionals earned certifications in 2026 after completing crime investigation training. The US Embassy in Tirana congratulated State Police crime specialists who completed the Level 1 Crime Investigation Course at the Security Academy. The US Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) …

News

Albania establishes State-Owned Companies Operator with ALL 100 million capital

The Council of Ministers approved the founding act and statute of the state-owned company “Operator of State-Owned Companies” sh.a. during its meeting on Wednesday. The decision, proposed by the Minister of Economy and Innovation, also sets the company’s initial capital. The new company will start with ALL 100 million in …