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” …
Woman’s dead body found near Vlora beach
A dead body was found on Thursday morning in the area of the new beach in Vlora. According to the police, it is about a woman who is suspected to have accidentally drowned in the sea. Police arrived at the scene while the identity of the victim is still unknown. …
Notorious Behar Bajri left in prison by Special Court
Special Court of Appeals for Corruption and Organized Crime has left this Thursday in effect the ‘prison arrest’ measure for Behar Bajri, who is accused of a series of serious criminal offences. The 43-year-old was extradited from France to Albania in November after his arrest in a bar in Paris …
Elbasan, man arrested after stealing EUR 17,000 off brother
Police of Elbasan arrested this Thursday a 38-year-old wanted for theft. Law enforcement revealed that he had stolen 17 thousand euros from his brother’s apartment in April 2023. His wife is also under investigation, who is accused of being an accomplice in this theft. On its part, the Police also …
Tirana Times, January 15, 2026 – Albania’s banking sector enters 2026 with growing caution, as banks operating in the country anticipate an increase in non performing loans despite strong demand for credit. According to the latest CESEE Banking Lending Survey conducted by the European Investment Bank for the second half …
After the US paused visa processing for 75 countries, including Albania, the opposition in Tirana has accused the government of getting the country put on Trump’s “blacklist”. Original post Here
Saudi Arabia welcomes Washington’s decision and reaffirms joint stance against extremism Tirana Times, January, 14, 2026 – The United States has officially designated branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon as terrorist organizations, marking a major shift in Washington’s approach toward political Islamist movements. The announcement immediately drew …
Albania included among weak or failing states despite being a NATO member Tirana, Tirana Times, 14 January 2026 – Washington’s decision to suspend U.S. visa processing for Albania, effective January 21 and for an indefinite period, marks one of the strongest diplomatic signals sent to Tirana in years. Albania has …
In the Western Balkans, “security” is rarely an abstract concept. It is encountered as a lived condition, shaped by memory, geography and a persistent awareness that stability can erode when trust is thin. Security, in this context, is not discussed only in strategic documents or institutional language, but reasoned through …
Albania’s government is poised to waive business tax debts more than a decade old, as part of what it says is a reset in relations between the tax authorities and businesses. Critics say it is unfair on those who have played by the rules. 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
On a locked down November afternoon in 2020, as Europe grappled with Covid 19 restrictions, two Albanian men based in Belgium exchanged a handful of encrypted messages. Deciphered years later from the Sky ECC platform, their words captured a watershed moment in Europe’s cocaine trade. A shipment measured not in …
BIRN reporters trace the rise of Albanian crime gangs to the top of the European cocaine trafficking ladder, from remote parts of Paraguay to European Union ports. Original post Here
Political polarisation and government pressure on the judiciary – sparked by investigations of top politicians – could hinder Albania’s rapid progress towards European Union membership. Original post Here