Burned tens of hectares of forest, two arrested in Himare
Two people have been arrested as suspected perpetrators of arson in Kudhes village in Himare. They lit a fire on a rented forest area, with the aim of regenerating the pasture, and as a result dozens of hectares were burned in the territory of Kudhës village. Meanwhile, a forest inspector …
Rama: We will not allow the wild behavior of a minority to damage Albania’s reborn tourism
Prime Minister Edi Rama has announced a new package of legal punishments for all those persons or subjects who throw garbage on the street. He says that the “wild behavior” of a minority cannot be tolerated, which through such actions damage the image of “Albania reborn by tourism”. The head …
Three arrested for indian’s death in Elbasan factory
Three people have been arrested by the police, following the death of the 45-year-old Indian man at the Elbasan aluminium recycling factory on Friday morning (August 18). It is reported that the victim was accidentally hit with a work tool by one of his compatriots, a 46-year-old man with the …
One dead and three injured in a car accident in Elbasan
A 70-year-old man died and three others were injured, including two minors, in an accident in Elbasan. The police proceeded to release a 39-year-old man who, while driving the vehicle, lost control and as a result the vehicle collided with the side barrier of the road. The authorities have started …
Analysis: Continued detention of elected mayor strains Albanian-Greek relations
TIRANA, Aug. 16, 2023 — The arrest and three-month-long pretrial detention of Fredi Beleri, the elected mayor of Himara, a coastal town in southwestern Albania, has ignited a diplomatic row between Albania and Greece and has prompted scrutiny on political influence on Albania’s justice system. Beleri is a key figure …
Multiple arrests made in high-profile corruption case linked to hospital sterilization concession
TIRANA, Aug. 17, 2023 – In a significant move that follows years of public accusations on ruling party officials, Albania’s Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) has made several arrests connected to a contentious hospital sterilization concession granted eight years ago. Among those arrested were former Deputy Minister …
Op/Ed: The Beleri case as bellwether for democracy in Albania
By GENC POLLO The standard definition of a political prisoner is “someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner’s detention”. If it still holds Albania might have gotten one. Fredi Beleri, who ran on an opposition ticket in the local …
Father and son arrested for cannabis cultivation
Father and son were arrested this Wednesday morning for cannabis cultivation in Lazarat village. The 51-year-old and the 28-year-old were caught by drones used in the operation, tending to the 50 cannabis plants they had planted in the yard of their apartment. The drug was seized as material evidence while …
SPAK-Guardia di Finanza Operation, six arrested on drug trafficking
New details have been revealed from the international anti-drug operation developed by the Albanian police in cooperation with the Italian Guardia Di Financa and the American DEA. Journalist Xhensila Kodra reports that the 4 rafts left on Tuesday afternoon from Patoku, while the sailboat left from Montenegro. More than 20 …
Teen died as two Jet Skis collide in Himara
A 16-year-old man who was driving one of the two Jet Skis that collide on Tuesday afternoon on the beach of Llamani in Himare has died. The 16-year-old was transported to Tirana but could not survive. Initially, it was reported that they jumped from the cliff into the sea, but …
TIRANA, Tirana Times, December 16, 2025. Each December, apocalyptic headlines resurface across Albanian media warning of global collapse, Europe’s disappearance or the rise of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a world ruler, all attributed to the supposed prophecies of Baba Vanga, a blind Bulgarian mystic who died nearly three decades ago. …
Albania’s Sazan Island project backed by Trump’s son-in-law draws scrutiny over transparency and political motives BELGRADE, Serbia, Tirana Times – Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said Serbia has suffered a major economic setback after a company owned by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, withdrew from a planned Trump-branded …
By Ilir Ikonomi One of the most important modern works ever written about Albania’s experience in the Second World War—Bernd Jürgen Fischer’s Albania at War, 1939–1945. This is not just a history book. It is an act of historical rescue. Fischer lifts Albania from the shadows of European historiography and places …
Case Involving Critical State Infrastructure Adds to Albania’s Growing High Level Corruption Crisis Tirana Times – December 16, 2025 Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Structure, SPAK, in cooperation with the National Bureau of Investigation, BKH, has carried out a large-scale operation targeting an alleged criminal network operating at the highest levels of the …
Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime asks parliament to lift the immunity from arrest of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku. Original post Here
Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime raids a suspected crime group based at the National Information Agency, accused of running scheme to manipulate tenders. Original post Here
Will Parliament Lift the Deputy Prime Minister’s Immunity? Tirana Times, December 16th , 2025.Albania has entered one of the most serious institutional confrontations since the launch of its justice reform, as the Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK) formally requested parliamentary authorization to arrest Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and …
New Ombudsman elected solely with the votes of the ruling majority – a break in tradition – after opposition MPS refused to participate in the vote. Original post Here
Court temporarily restores Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku to her duties, after the government disputed a court order that had suspended her. Original post Here
By Nikola Kedhi On paper, Albania enters 2026 as a “success story”: the government speaks of GDP growth around 4%, low inflation, public debt at roughly 53% of GDP, and presents the 2026 Budget as a continuation of stability.In reality, Albania is an economy structurally dependent on construction where extraordinarily large …