Before He’s Even Started, Albania’s New Police Chief Has Phone Seized in Probe
Days before he is due to officially start the role, Albania’s police chief-elect, Ilir Proda, has had his mobile phone seized by anti-corruption prosecutors over a suspected leak of information to a notorious organised crime group. Original post Here
Albanian MPs Reported to Special Prosecution over Parliament Violence
Police have accused 25 opposition lawmakers of destruction of property following violent scenes at parliament. Original post Here
E-Government in the Balkans Still a Work in Progress: BIRN Report
A new BIRN report says a lack of funds and political will means that e-government services and open data provision in the Balkans remain very limited. Original post Here
Analysis: Imprisonment of opposition MP for making public accusations sets stage for new political reality in Albania
TIRANA, Oct. 1, 2024 – The recent conviction and imprisonment of Ervin Salianji, a prominent opposition MP in Albania, has ignited intense debates about the independence of the country’s judiciary and its implications for democracy as well as radicalized opposition action in parliament and on the streets. Salianji, a member …
Albania and North Macedonia’s EU ‘Decoupling’ Causes Dismay in Skopje
Reports that the EU plans to push ahead with Albania’s EU accession talks, independently of North Macedonia, puts renewed scrutiny on Tirana’s true reform readiness, while risking deepening a sense of alienation in Skopje. Original post Here
Omnipotence for the hour
This is the story of a young man who one day was granted unlimited power for one single hour. How or why this happened is not important. What’s important is that it did happen. Now, this young man happens to live in Albania, or Tirana to be exact. Lucky coincidence, …
Albania Police Officers Feel Starved of Choice Over Food Coupons
After the government changed the way it compensates police officers for overtime, swapping cash for coupons, some complain that they are effectively forced to spend them in a single supermarket chain. Original post Here
Is appointed the prosecutor who will execute the decision for Salianji
The lot is cast in the Prosecutor’s Office of Tirana, where the prosecutor Elona Alvora has been assigned to execute the decision of the General Court of Appeal for the 1-year prison sentence of the democratic deputy Ervin Salianji. The order is expected to be delivered to the police, while …
Salianji in prison, is revealed the document for the Democratic Party deputy
The request that the prosecutor’s office of the Prosecutor’s Office of Tirana, Elona Alvora, has sent to the Assembly and the police for the execution of the decision for the democratic deputy, Ervin Salianji, is clarified, after the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the First Instance for the …
“I am a political prisoner”, Salianji before arrest: I will continue the denunciations
Democratic MP, Ervin Salianji, the last conference with journalists at the headquarters of the Democratic Party, awaiting his arrest, after the appeal upheld the sentence of 1 year in prison, for the “Babale” case. Salianji declared that he is a political convict and that he will go to prison as …
ELBASAN, Albania, July 5,— For days, thick plumes of toxic smoke have risen from the burning landfill on the outskirts of Elbasan, one of Albania’s largest industrial cities. The stench of melting plastic, rotting waste, and scorched earth now hangs over entire neighborhoods. But this is not an isolated accident. …
As Serbia grapples with one of its most volatile moments in recent political history, the warning signs of regime decay are hard to ignore. The recent student-led protests, marred by repression, nationalist hijacking, and social unrest, are more than a youth revolt—they are a reckoning. Sonja Biserko, the longtime chair …
Opposition parties and media unions condemn new strategy adopted by parliament, claiming the government wants to use it to exert more control over the media. Original post Here
As BIRN celebrates two decades of work, there never seems to be a dull moment in the region, as our selection of Premium stories this week shows. Original post Here
By Tirana Times Staff FIER/TIRANA, July 2, 2025 — In a stunning development that has shaken Albania’s oil sector, police arrested the current CEO of Bankers Petroleum, Chinese national Hongping Xiao, and the company’s former director, Leonidha Çobo, during a surprise raid on the company’s headquarters in Fier on Tuesday. …
CEO Arrested, €4 Billion in Oil Sales Revealed, and Zero Profit Tax Paid to the Albanian State FIER/TIRANA, Albania (Tirana Times) — Albania’s largest oil producer, Bankers Petroleum, is at the center of a sweeping scandal that prosecutors say involves one of the most egregious cases of tax fraud and …
While Turning UK Migration Debate into Personal Stagecraft TIRANA TIMES — July 2, 2025 — A fiery public exchange between Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and British right-wing populist Nigel Farage has brought the issue of Albanian migration into the political spotlight once again — but this time with a …
The participants of the Growth Plan Summit, 1 July 2025, Skopje; Photo: European Commission By Tirana Times SKOPJE, July 2, 2025 — The European Union’s renewed enthusiasm for enlargement took center stage at this week’s Growth Plan Summit in Skopje, where EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos joined the leaders …
A social media row between British right-winger Nigel Farage and Albania’s premier Edi Rama over the level of crime committed by Albanians in the UK misses the main point. Original post Here
By Klodian Tomorri The history of the global economy is filled with well-documented episodes of collective madness. Often, these episodes have culminated in crises that brought even the greatest empires to their knees—such as the Mississippi Bubble or the South Sea Bubble. In other cases, they have devastated the lives …