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Flamur Noka goes to Spak

MP Flamur Noka appeared on Tuesday morning at the premises of SPAK. ABC News reporter Ermal Vija reports that for 30 minutes the deputy has been giving clarifications on some reports he made before the May 14 elections, reports made in relation to election crimes. One of the reports is …

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Balkan Countries Host ‘Immediate Response’ NATO Exercise

Several Balkan countries, joined by US forces in Europe, are taking part in this year’s ‘Immediate Response 23’ military exercise, which is designed in part to showcase NATO’s ability to resist Russian aggression. Original post Here

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US Ambassador message during ‘Defender Europe 2023’ launch

Ambassador of the United States of America, Yuri Kim has underlined Monday that the holding of the “Defender Europe 2023” is an extraordinary moment and that the cooperation with Albania and other allies have made NATO more united than ever. In her remarks during the launch of the drill in …

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Begaj sees “Defender Europe 2023” as very important due to Ukraine war

President of the Republic, Bajram Begaj underlined this Monday that the American military exercise “Defender 2023” has a great and tangible importance in the current geopolitical situation after the Russian aggression in Ukraine, but also about the situation in the Western Balkans. During his speech during this activity, where Prime …

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New details on Kavaja execution revealed

Habib Rexha, the preson responsible for the murder that happened on Sunday after in Kavaja, had arrived from Italy two weeks ago. According to the local media, Rexha studied the movements of Arjan Gosa, who was shot to death with a firearm. Investigators suspect that after the incident he started …

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Court against Corruption and Organized Crime has left in prison Fredi Beleri

GJKKO(Court against Corruption and Organized Crime) has left in prison the elected mayor of Himara, Fredi Beleri and his co-worker Pandeli Kokaveshi. He was arrested 2 days before the May 14 elections, as he is accused of buying and selling votes. The arrest of Fredi Beleri also brought reactions from …

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Two jewelery thieves arrested in Tirana

Two people have been arrested in Tirana as part of the police operation coded “Two times”, the police announced Monday. A 25-year-old and a 22-year-old man were arrested after, in collaboration with each other, on 15.05.2023 and 18.05.2023, they stole various gold jewelry and the amount of 1,000,000 new lek, …

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Accused of vote-buying, Fredi Beleri set to appear before court today

Fredi Beleri, the winning candidate of Himara Municipality in the May 14 elections, will appear today before the Special Court Against Organized Crime and Corruption. The session is expected to be held at 13:00. Although behind bars, Beleri managed to win the battle for the Municipality of Himara. Beleri and …

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Albania hosting ‘Defender Europe 2023’

Albania welcomes for the second time the “Defender Europe 2023” military exercise.During his speech, Prime Minister Edi Rama said that today Albania is higher than ever in terms of international respect. The head of the government said that the development of the exercise with the presence of American military troops …

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Vehicle burned down on Arbri road

A car burned down this Sunday on Arbri Road. As can be seen from the images, the car is completely burnt. The event happened near the By-Pass of Murriz. According to the data, the Audi type vehicle caught fire in a mountainous area. Sources from the scene said that there …

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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

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 …

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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 …

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 …

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 …