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Albania Bank Rejects Calls to Act Against Currency’s Rapid Rise

Sharp rise in the value of the lek is hitting Albanian exporters hard – but Bank Governor Gent Sejko insists the rise is down to normal economic activity – not money laundering, as critics claim. Original post Here

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Kurti refused meeting with Albanian P.M, Rama: We will talk tomorrow in Pristina

Although the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, refused the meeting with the head of the Albanian government, Edi Rama will not cancel his visit to Pristina, as part of the Balkan tour. “I am here because for this decision, as far as the visit tomorrow in Pristina and the …

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Medicine students to work in Albania for 5 years before receiving degree

Prime Minister Edi Rama told journalists after the government meeting that students who want to continue medicine must accept the condition that they work for 5 years in the service of the people before they receive the degree. According to him, this applies to students who will apply this year …

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Clinton gets rockstar welcome in Albania, weighs in on Kosovo

TIRANA, July 5, 2023 – The 42nd U.S. President Bill Clinton has received a rockstar welcome in Tirana, cheered on by a crowd at a ceremony in his honor in front of the Albanian Prime Minister’s Office on Monday.  The former U.S. president is cherished in Albania and Kosovo for …

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Four Dibra men punished for cutting down forest trees

Four people in Diber have been criminally prosecuted for illegal cutting of forests and construction without permission this Wednesday. Two of them, 36 and 32 years old from Bulqiza, were prosecuted after they were caught transporting wood for fire with their vehicles, which had been cut in violation of the …

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Kurti refuses meeting with Rama, has one condition: Meeting of the two governments in Pristina

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has refused to meet with Edi Rama as part of the two-day tour he will hold in the Balkans. In a press conference, asked by journalists if he will meet with Rama, Kurti said that he has asked to hold the joint meeting …

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Several cannabis plots destroyed in Kruja anti-drug operation

An anti-cannabis operation is taking place this Wednesday in Kruja with the aim of discovering and destroying narcotics. Intensive checks have been carried out in the entire Kruja area, mainly in the Kruja Highlands, Nikel, Bilaj, Derven, Mazhe, Thumane, etc. In the framework of these checks carried out by the …

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Infrastructure minister introduces satellite service products

Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, at the same time the Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku has declared Wednesday that with the monitoring of the territory with the satellite service, Albania will efficiently address emergency issues such as floods, the involvement of land surfaces by fires or other problems. During the …

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Albania keeps up pressure on MEK, PM hints they could be kicked out of the country if hostile activities continue

TIRANA, June 30, 2023 – Albanian police have kept up their controls of anyone who enters or exits Ashraf 3 camp in Manza, which houses nearly 2,500 members of MEK, an Iranian dissident group that was given asylum in Albania several years ago at the request of the United States …

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Sacked Albanian Judge ‘Didn’t Get Fair Hearing’: Strasbourg Court

The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Admir Thanza wasn’t given adequate opportunity to defend himself when he was fired as an Albanian judge for failing a corruption ‘integrity test’ – but that his dismissal was not a rights violation. Original post Here

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Week in Review: Boom and Bust

From politics to the media business, high expectations often go hand-in-hand with disappointments big and small, as our selection of Balkan Insight Premium stories this week shows. Original post Here

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Battling Graft Charges, Tirana Mayor Stages Online Charm Offensive

When Tirana mayor and Socialist Party rising star Erion Veliaj was arrested on corruption charges, he lashed out against the judiciary. Now he’s running a social media PR campaign to charm the public. Can it work? Original post Here

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BIRN Reality Check: Albanian Prosecutors Still Can’t Identify ‘Hazardous Waste’ Cargo

In October 2024, a shipment of containers with suspected hazardous waste was returned to Albania. But prosecutors haven’t yet managed to analyse their contents because they say they’re unable to find the necessary laboratory services. Original post Here

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Expensive Lesson: Italy Weighs Costs of Offshore Migrant Centres in Albania

Already repurposed due to legal challenges, Italy’s asylum centres in Albania cost more than originally planned and much more than similar facilities in Italy itself, offering a potential lesson for other European governments tempted to take the same route. Original post Here

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NATO Summit in The Hague Reaffirms Alliance Unity

Tirana announced as host city for 2027 NATO Summit The Hague, June 25, 2025 — NATO leaders convened today in The Hague for a pivotal summit that reaffirmed the Alliance’s unity amid intensifying global security threats and adopted a transformative new commitment to defense investment, resilience, and innovation. In a …

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Activists Condemn Secret Migrant Deportations from Albania

Activists have condemned as “illegal” the deportation back to Egypt of five people from an Italian-run migrant holding camp in Albania. Original post Here

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Albania Aligns Firmly with U.S. in Iran Standoff, Reflecting Decades-Long Strategic Alliance

June 23, 2025 – Tirana Albania has expressed unequivocal support for the United States following its militar.y strikes on three key nuclear sites in Iran, marking a rare moment of bipartisan consensus among the ruling Socialist majority and the opposition Democratic Party. Prime Minister Edi Rama and former Prime Minister …

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Iran Hacks Tirana Municipality in Retaliation Over MEK

By Tirana Times TIRANA, Albania  20 June, 2025— A sophisticated Iranian cyber group has claimed responsibility for a major attack on the official website of Tirana Municipality, disabling online services and disrupting the city’s public registration system for kindergartens and nurseries, authorities confirmed Friday. The hacking group “Homeland Justice,” believed …

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Week in Review: SLAPPs, Surveillance and Smuggling Networks

Our selection of Premium stories this week takes a look at the region’s slow-burning political crises, smuggling networks, digital surveillance and a whole lot more. Original post Here

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The Israel – Iran conflict in our perspective

by Genc Pollo President of the Pan-Europe Albania   Former Minister and MP 18 June 2025 In the Albanian public debate on the armed conflict between Israel and Iran, a prevailing notion has been the contrast between Israel, a democracy where state power is under constitutional constraints and accountable to …

News

Week in Review: Boom and Bust

From politics to the media business, high expectations often go hand-in-hand with disappointments big and small, as our selection of Balkan Insight Premium stories this week shows. Original post Here

News

Battling Graft Charges, Tirana Mayor Stages Online Charm Offensive

When Tirana mayor and Socialist Party rising star Erion Veliaj was arrested on corruption charges, he lashed out against the judiciary. Now he’s running a social media PR campaign to charm the public. Can it work? Original post Here

News

BIRN Reality Check: Albanian Prosecutors Still Can’t Identify ‘Hazardous Waste’ Cargo

In October 2024, a shipment of containers with suspected hazardous waste was returned to Albania. But prosecutors haven’t yet managed to analyse their contents because they say they’re unable to find the necessary laboratory services. Original post Here

News

Expensive Lesson: Italy Weighs Costs of Offshore Migrant Centres in Albania

Already repurposed due to legal challenges, Italy’s asylum centres in Albania cost more than originally planned and much more than similar facilities in Italy itself, offering a potential lesson for other European governments tempted to take the same route. Original post Here

News

NATO Summit in The Hague Reaffirms Alliance Unity

Tirana announced as host city for 2027 NATO Summit The Hague, June 25, 2025 — NATO leaders convened today in The Hague for a pivotal summit that reaffirmed the Alliance’s unity amid intensifying global security threats and adopted a transformative new commitment to defense investment, resilience, and innovation. In a …

News

Activists Condemn Secret Migrant Deportations from Albania

Activists have condemned as “illegal” the deportation back to Egypt of five people from an Italian-run migrant holding camp in Albania. Original post Here

News

Albania Aligns Firmly with U.S. in Iran Standoff, Reflecting Decades-Long Strategic Alliance

June 23, 2025 – Tirana Albania has expressed unequivocal support for the United States following its militar.y strikes on three key nuclear sites in Iran, marking a rare moment of bipartisan consensus among the ruling Socialist majority and the opposition Democratic Party. Prime Minister Edi Rama and former Prime Minister …

News

Iran Hacks Tirana Municipality in Retaliation Over MEK

By Tirana Times TIRANA, Albania  20 June, 2025— A sophisticated Iranian cyber group has claimed responsibility for a major attack on the official website of Tirana Municipality, disabling online services and disrupting the city’s public registration system for kindergartens and nurseries, authorities confirmed Friday. The hacking group “Homeland Justice,” believed …

News

Week in Review: SLAPPs, Surveillance and Smuggling Networks

Our selection of Premium stories this week takes a look at the region’s slow-burning political crises, smuggling networks, digital surveillance and a whole lot more. Original post Here

News

The Israel – Iran conflict in our perspective

by Genc Pollo President of the Pan-Europe Albania   Former Minister and MP 18 June 2025 In the Albanian public debate on the armed conflict between Israel and Iran, a prevailing notion has been the contrast between Israel, a democracy where state power is under constitutional constraints and accountable to …