Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj arrested on corruption charges
TIRANA, Feb. 10, 2025 – The mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, was arrested Monday afternoon by order of the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK). Judicial police officers entered Veliaj’s office at around 2 p.m. and escorted him to a detention facility. An arrest warrant has also …
Vetvendosje wins Kosovo elections, loses comfortable majority
Feb 10, 2025 The Vetvendosje Party led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti has claimed victory in the round of general elections held in Kosovo on February 9. With around 90 percent of the ballots counted, VV has reached about 41 percent whereas the opposition parties achieved lower figures of 22 …
Analysis: Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj’s arrest on corruption charges likely to have major political implications for ruling party
TIRANA, Feb. 10, 2025 – The arrest on Monday of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj on corruption charges has sent shockwaves through Albania’s political landscape, with major potential implications for the ruling Socialist Party just three months ahead of parliamentary elections. Veliaj, long regarded as a close ally of Prime Minister …
Albania Opposition Leader Hires Trump Campaign Manager
Democratic Party says it is ‘honoured’ that Chris LaCivita, co-manager of Donald Trump’s successful campaign for the US presidency, will lead the party’s campaign for the May parliamentary elections. Original post Here
The Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Albania organizes the event “International Arabian Leopard Day”
Saudi Embassy Leads Efforts to Protect the Endangered Arabian Leopard The Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Albania, in collaboration with the Municipality of Tirana and the Zoological Garden, took a leading role in raising awareness about the conservation of the Arabian leopard—one of the world’s rarest species. …
Bird-Hunting Tourism Threatens to Wipe Out Balkan Quails
Routine use of illegal ‘lures’ by visiting European hunters who love to shoot migrating birds in the Balkans is pushing some species to the brink – while weak policing allows the crime to continue unchecked, conservationists warn. Original post Here
Monday Briefing from the Balkans: February 10, 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
Balkan Cold Cases #3: Young Men Killed in Crackdown as Albanian Communism Fell
When police attacked the first demonstrations against Albania’s repressive communist regime in April 1991, four students were killed. The officials who were initially convicted were amnestied, and there has never been a proper investigation into what happened. Original post Here
‘Lifeless’: Pollution Threatens the Drin and its Tributaries in Three Balkan States
Without concerted action, pollution threatens to leave the Drin River and its main tributaries “lifeless”, environmentalists in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia warn. Original post Here
Albania’s Marginalised Small Parties Spy Opportunity in 2025 Elections
In a system that favours the two big players, their smaller rivals have traditionally stood no chance – but might things be different in the looming May 2025 elections? 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 …