Jailed Albanian Mayor Hires US Law Firm That Worked for Trump
While behind bars and under investigation for graft and money laundering, Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj and his businessman brother have engaged hard-hitting New York law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres to assist his case. Original post Here
Albanian Rights Organisations Take TikTok Ban to Court
BIRN Albania, along with a civil rights group and a journalists’ association, have urged the country’s top court to declare a controversial law banning TikTok in Albania for a year unconstitutional. Original post Here
Italy to Albania, and Back: A Migrant’s Journey Through Italy’s Asylum Experiment
Italy’s right-wing government called it a magic wand for the migrants arriving on its shores, but a deal with Albania to outsource and accelerate asylum processing has run afoul of Italian courts. Critics say it flies in the face of international humanitarian law. Original post Here
Albanian Orthodox Church Gets First Ethnic Albanian Leader in Generations
The new Primate will need to be savvy, navigating between conflicting pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian currents in the small but opinionated Albanian Orthodox Church. Original post Here
Monday Briefing from the Balkans: March 23, 2025
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here
Albania’s Controversial TikTok Ban Still Not Fully Working
A government order to ban TikTok to protect children from violent material came into force more than a week ago, but the mobile phone app for the video-sharing platform is still partially working in Albania. Original post Here
Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo Sign Defense Agreement: A New Military Alliance in the Balkans?
By Tirana Times TIRANA, Albania, March 19th— Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo have signed a joint declaration aimed at strengthening defense and security cooperation, marking a significant geopolitical development in the Western Balkans. The agreement, announced this week in Tirana, signals an increased level of military collaboration but stops short of …
News Analysis: A Geopolitical Shift in the Western Balkans?
The Trilateral Defense Agreement Between Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo The recent signing of a trilateral defense cooperation agreement between Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo marks a significant geopolitical development in the Western Balkans. This move, underscores growing security collaboration in a historically fragile region. While the agreement does not constitute a …
United Arab Emirates ‘s Expanding Influence in Albania – Financial and Political Concerns
By Tirana Times TIRANA, March 20th (Tirana Times ) The Albanian government has nearly doubled the projected cost of its “Smart City” initiative, now expected to cost $118.5 million—up from the initially planned $60 million—raising concerns over transparency, lack of competition, and the protection of personal data. The government announced …
Serbia Angered by Defence Pact Linking Croatia, Albania and Kosovo
A defence agreement between Croatia, Albania and Kosovo, calling for joint responses to common security challenges, has drawn a furious response from Serbia, which called it a threatening move. Original post Here
TIRANA, May 19 – Vlora has welcomed the tourist season with visitors from around the world. Tourists explore the Ionian coastline and visit natural and cultural attractions. They also experience local cuisine and hospitality. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Edi Rama shared images on social media showing tourists taking part in physical …
TIRANA, May 19 – Justice reform entered a phase of concrete results for citizens. Minister of Justice Toni Gogu made the statement during the 10th anniversary of the reform. He said institutions now focus on stronger procedural guarantees, higher efficiency in the justice system, and better access to justice for …
TIRANA, May 19 – Deputy Prime Minister Albana Koçiu participated in the World Urban Forum 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Leaders, international institutions, experts and policymakers discussed urbanisation, sustainable development and the future of cities. Meanwhile, Koçiu said on social media that the forum served as a meeting point for visions …
TIRANA, May 19 – After strong success with four performances that sold out in record time, the ballet “Carmen” travels to Italy. It will be staged at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Meanwhile, performances are scheduled for 23 and 24 May. The production marks an important step in promoting Albanian …
TIRANA, May 19 – The new e-Albania 2.0 platform delivered 22,936 public online services during its first day of operation. The platform has been fully redesigned to ensure faster and more secure access for citizens and businesses. Meanwhile, the portal registered 9,797 online applications for public services. It also generated …
Tirana, MAY 19 – Interior Minister Besfort Lamallari met senior FRONTEX representatives Eva Capogna, Holger Farnung, Teuta Krasniqi and Ksenia Hawryszkow in Tirana on Tuesday. During the meeting, Lamallari said discussions focused on strengthening cooperation between Albania, FRONTEX and the European Union in border security, migration management and the fight …
Ervin Salianji has addressed a letter to the President of the European People’s Party (EPP), Manfred Weber, as well as to diplomatic missions of partner countries, raising concerns about recent developments within the Democratic Party of Albania (PD). In his letter, Salianji expresses concern that internal democracy within the PD …
*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(–scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(–thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-(–header-height)” dir=”auto” data-turn-id=”717d6fb0-c4d4-46c7-a7d2-70c0563b3918″ data-turn-id-container=”717d6fb0-c4d4-46c7-a7d2-70c0563b3918″ data-testid=”conversation-turn-17″ data-scroll-anchor=”false” data-turn=”user”> Former Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusić has stated that Montenegro’s accession to the European Union is a matter of survival for the Montenegrin state, warning that failure of this project would endanger the country’s independence and sovereignty. *]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(–scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(–thread-response-height))] …
The Transparency Board convened this Monday, May 19, 2026, and decided on the new maximum fuel prices for the domestic market. According to the decision, the retail price of diesel must not exceed 205 ALL per liter, which is 3 ALL higher than the Board’s previous decision, while the wholesale …
Obesity is not a global epidemic as has long been claimed by international health experts. This is the conclusion of a global study that challenges the idea that obesity is spreading uniformly across the world. The research, published in the scientific journal Nature, shows that obesity rates have stabilized in …