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 …
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 …
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
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 …
Korça Revives Historic Ties with France Through Culture and Vision
By Tirana Times As the cobblestone streets of Korça echo with French music, scent of Alpine cuisine, and the laughter of children discovering animated French classics, the southeastern Albanian city reaffirms a timeless connection with France—one rooted in history, education, and enduring cultural admiration. From June 14 to 24, Korça …
Albania’s Demographic Time Bomb: A Silent National Emergency
By Lutfi Dervishi For decades, the most pressing keywords in Albania’s political lexicon were democracy, corruption, and justice. Today, however, the most dangerous threat to the country’s future may lie elsewhere—hidden in plain sight and dangerously underdiscussed: demography. According to the most recent official census, Albania’s population stands at approximately …
EU Document Urges Albania to Address Political Pressure on Judiciary
A leaked internal document from the Council of the European Union voices disquiet over ‘undue pressure’ on justice system and warns that Albania will not be able to close any accession chapters until it makes clear progress. Original post Here
Communist-Era Inmates Fight to Preserve Remains of Albania’s Dark Past
A move to turn the site of the former Spac labour camp in northern Albania into a film set has revived calls for better protection of what’s left of Albania’s dark communist past. Original post Here
Balkan States Evacuate Citizens from Israel Amid Escalating Conflict
As Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire, sparking fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East, several Balkan countries have transported their citizens home by plane. Original post Here
Albanian Cigarette Smuggling Case Exposes Customs Service Complicity
For years, a tobacco factory in eastern Albania churned out cigarettes that were then smuggled to other countries, all with the help of a network of corrupt customs officials, prosecutors allege. Original post Here
By Daniel Serwer Tirana Times, March 06, 2026 – While all eyes are on the Iran war, subtle but important changes are taking place with respect to the Balkans. I think the two most important are these: The Trump Administration is abandoning state-building and instead wants local people to make the basic …
By Zef Preci Tirana Times, March 06, 2026 – Two centuries ago, Karl Marx offered a blunt description of how capitalism is sometimes born and consolidated: through what he called “primitive accumulation,” a historical process—often violent—by which people are separated from their land and productive assets, while wealth is concentrated …
From European Union accession hopes to ongoing corruption investigations, our selection of Premium stories this week takes a look at the political wheeling and dealing going on behind the scenes in the region. Original post Here
by Genc Pollo Let’s start with the dog. “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly,” says the Old Testament (Proverbs 26:11), offering a blunt metaphor for stupidity and the stubborn repetition of mistakes. That proverbial dog may be the right analogy for Prime Minister Edi …
By Augustin Palokaj Tirana Times, March 03 2026 – EU enlargement does not lack ideas; it lacks political will. That is why the recent joint opinion piece by Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić, published in the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, is troubling not so …
Do you live in the Balkans or France, and have you been awarded child support payments after divorce? Was the process easy – and did you receive the money as the court ordered? Original post Here
by Dr. Arben Ramkaj Tirana Times, February 28 2026 – At the very moment when diplomacy appeared to be moving toward a fragile agreement, the United States and Israel launched a unilateral strike against Iran, shifting the region from tense negotiations to open confrontation. The targets included strategic infrastructure and …
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here
Some Balkan countries are planning to evacuate stranded citizens from the conflict zone around Iran, others have already managed to fly people out – although some have only issued security warnings. Original post Here
For decades, sewage from the Albanian capital has been discharged untreated into the waters of the Lana River in Tirana. Original post Here