Minister: Tourism, our best ambassador for 2023
The Minister of Tourism, Mirela Kumbaro, developed this Saturday the balance sheet for 2023, while she stated that tourism adjusted the country’s image. Kumbaro said that throughout 2023, Albania has been visited by tourists from all continents, while he added that the average number of nights of stay also increased. …
Op/Ed: Is Albania slipping into a one-party system?
The head of Albania’s opposition, Sali Berisha(1), Albania’s former President and a former two-term Prime Minister, was arrested on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. Mr. Berisha’s arrest follows a two-year period of dramatic developments for the Democratic Party, which has been in opposition since 2013. Led by Lulzim Basha, DP lost …
Four inmates to be put in ’41 Bis’ regime after trying to escape prison
General Directorate of Prisons has made a request to place Dan Hutra and the other three, Martin Kapllani, Geraldo Veizaj and Feti Kovaçi in the special 41 Biss regime after they tried to escape from Fier prison. According to the information, Hutra and the other three had started the plan …
Kidnapping prevented in Saranda, four arrested
A criminal event has been prevented in Saranda, as announced this Friday. Four people had planned the kidnapping of a 49-year-old man at gunpoint, for weak motives. On Thursday, on “Skënderbeu” street, in district no. 1, the services of the Sarandë Police Station have stopped the “BMW” type vehicle, in …
Police officers check former PM Berisha’s house
Police officers went this Friday to the apartment of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha. Based on the procedure, the police will verify the implementation of the security measure by Berisha. Special Court toughened the measure against the former prime minister by accepting the request of SPAK, which is investigating him …
Cyprus, Albanian caught with over 40 kg of drugs
Cypriot police arrested a young Albanian man and seized about 42 kg of marijuana, as announced Friday. This operation took place in a village of Larnaca in Cyprus, where the vehicle driven by a 21-year-old Albanian resident of Larnaca was stopped for inspection. Inside his vehicle, the police found and …
Young driver arrested after crashing truck on Librazhd-Elbasan road
The 20-year-old man who hit the truck on Thursday with his car on “Librazhd-Elbasan” road segment has been remanded into custody, as announced Friday. As a result, the young man himself and the passenger traveling with him were injured. In the meantime, the procedural materials were passed to the Prosecution …
Serbian flag found by police in North of Kosovo
Kosovo Police declared that they seized weapons, which were placed near a flag of Serbia, during a patrol in the village of Banjské in Zveçan, in the northern part of the country. In the latest 24-hour report, the Police said that, during the patrol on January 4, they “found and …
Man kills own brother in Tirana shooting
Shots were fired Thursday morning in the area of Fresk in Tirana. Based on the initial data, two people were killed. The brother shot the brother and then killed himself. However, other details about this event are still unknown, while an official response from the police is expected. /abcnews.al […] Read …
Names of Tirana shooting’s victims revealed
A serious domestic crime happened on Thursday morning in the area of Fresco in Tirana. Vehap Cami, 63 years old, shot his brother, Lulëzim Cami, 69 years old, with a firearm. Then the 63-year-old committed suicide. The serious incident happened in the apartment of the 69-year-old man on “John Belushi” …
Elez Biberaj Thirty-five years after Albania’s emergence from one of Europe’s most repressive communist regimes, the country’s democratic trajectory remains emblematic of post-authoritarian transformation, reflecting the promise of political renewal while exposing the challenges of durable consolidation. In this context, the May 2025 parliamentary elections stand out as a test …
By Tirana Times Staff TIRANA, Albania , November 22, (Tirana Times). Albania’s main opposition party sharply criticized European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos for describing the country’s May 11 parliamentary elections as “free and fair,” arguing that her assessment contradicts the findings of international election monitors. In a statement delivered …
New leaders, old challenges, the threat of ‘TikTokracy’ and – not least – a look at the Dayton Peace Accords thirty years later, are all themes that preoccupy our selection of Premium stories this week. Original post Here
Edi Rama slated the court decision suspending Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku while she faces a graft probe – and threatened to take the matter to the Constitutional Court. Original post Here
The special anti-corruption court suspended Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, who is under investigation for violating tender procedures, and barred her from travelling abroad, a source told BIRN. Original post Here
By Tirana Times Staff Tirana 20, November 2025.The suspension of Albania’s Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku by the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime marks one of the most consequential judicial interventions against a senior government official since the creation of SPAK. The court accepted the Special Prosecution’s request …
By Dr. Arben Ramkaj The recent visit of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington may emerge as one of the defining diplomatic moments of this decade. Nothing about this trip was improvised. For weeks, senior Saudi officials travelled to the U.S. capital to prepare the ground, defense …
BIRN’s monitors registered a series of digital attacks on media content, online harassment of journalists and threats against LGBTQ+ groups across the Balkans and Southeast Europe in September and October. Original post Here
As Albania begins its last cluster of topics in its EU accession talks in Brussels – only one year after starting negotiations – Prime Minister Edi Rama expresses pride in his country’s achievement. Original post Here
Whether it’s political crises, corruption or political monopolies, our Balkan Insight Premium stories this week highlight the stalemates that so often hold the region back. Original post Here