Blog
News

Kosovo’s EU Minister wants EU Council to vote on visas

Kosovo’s Minister of the EU Integration, Dhurata Hoxha, says she is working intensively in order for the visa liberalisation issue be included in the agenda of the EU Council meeting set to be held at the beginning of December. Hoxha currently is in Brussels, when she met senior officials of …

Read More
News

EU calls on Kosovo to revoke tariffs on Serbia’s goods

EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, called on Kosovo government to immediately revoke the decision on imposing a 100 percent tax on products from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina in a move the government said is aimed at defending the country’s vital interests. Original post Here

Read More
News

UNMIK concerned after Kosovo announced duty on Serbia’s goods

UNMIK chief, Zahir Tanin, expressed his concern with the decision of the Government of Kosovo to impose a 100 per cent duty on Serbian and Bosnian goods. Original post Here

Read More
News

Final Meeting of the Joint Rule of Law Coordination Board

EULEX Head of Mission Alexandra Papadopoulou hosted the final meeting of the Joint Rule of Law Coordination Board (JRCB) at the EULEX premises today. She also presented the Compact Progress Report, covering the JRCB activities from July 2017 to June 2018 and tracking the progress made by Kosovo rule of …

Read More
News

Haradinaj requires Serbia label its products as ‘Republic of Kosovo’

Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj, in a Facebook post confirmed that his Government took a decision that as of today to impose 100 percent customs tariffs on all goods entering from Serbia. Original post Here

Read More
News

Kosovo Declares Economic War On Serbia After Imposing 100% Import Tariffs

The Government of Kosovo has decided to impose 100 percent tariffs to all Serbian goods in retaliation for their hostility towards the country, Gazeta Express reports. Original post Here

Read More
News

Kosovo court upholds acquittal of Imams accused of preaching extremism

Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld the acquittal of four Kosovo imams, and a politician, who were facing charges of preaching extremism, religious intolerance, and racial hatred. The Appellate Court has rejected the appeal of the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo as ungrounded, thus affirming challenged judgment of …

Read More
News

Kosovo a step closer to Euro 2020 after thrashing Azerbaijan

Kosovo secured a Euro 2020 playoff only two years after becoming full-fledged member of UEFA following a 4-0 win over Azerbaijan on Tuesday in Pristina. Original post Here

Read More
News

Kosovo's Thaci after failure in Interpol: Serbia’s boast means more space for terrorism

President Hashim Thaci reacting to Kosovo’s failed Interpol bid on Tuesday and Serbia’s campaign against Kosovo’s admission into this international police organisation, said that Belgrade’s boast means more space for terrorism, criminality, smuggling activities and illegal migration. Original post Here

Read More
News

Serbia’s aggressive campaign to be blamed for Kosovo’s failure in Interpol, says FM Pacolli

Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Behgjet Pacolli, talking after Kosovo’s bid to join Interpol failed on Tuesday during a vote at the body’s annual general assembly, said that Serbia’s campaign against Kosovo’s bid was aggressive, and this cannot be qualified as failure of Kosovo’s diplomacy. Original post Here

Read More
News
Tirana’s Construction Boom and the Flow of Dirty Money

TIRANA, December 26, 2025 – Albania’s decade-long construction boom, long portrayed as a sign of growth and urban renewal, is increasingly being scrutinized as a vehicle for laundering illicit capital. A new study by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, combined with years of investigative reporting and analysis by Tirana Times, points …

News
Secret tenders, violence and kidnappings, BIRN: The staggering profits of AKSH contractors 

Tirana Times, 25 December, 2025 – On September 15, 2023, Ergys Agasi, 36, founded a company with a capital of 1 thousand lek (10 euros) with activity in the field of information technology. Under the name EA Solutions, the company had a rapid activity. In the balance sheet filed with …

News
Saudi Arabia Leads AI Readiness in MENA, Emerges as Global Governance Power

As artificial intelligence reshapes economic competitiveness and state capacity, indexes like the Government AI Readiness Index serve not merely as technical rankings, but as indicators of national strategic priorities. In this sense, Saudi Arabia has moved decisively from regional ambition toward global relevance, even as the global hierarchy of AI …

News
New Chief of Albania’s Anti-Graft Prosecution Vows ‘Tough Approach’

Despite political tensions sparked by high-profile corruption cases, Klodjan Braho tells BIRN that his main priority will be to guarantee Albanians that “no one is above the law”. Original post Here

News
Former Foreign and Defence Minister Olta Xhaçka Questioned by SPAK

By Tirana Times Tirana, December 23, 2025 – Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence Olta Xhaçka appeared on Tuesday at the premises of the Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Structure (SPAK), where she remained for approximately two hours before leaving without making any statement to the media. Xhaçka declined to …

News
Opposition Takes to the Streets Over State Capture and Blocked Justice

Tirana Times, December 22, 2025 – Tirana witnessed a major opposition-led protest on Saturday, as Albania’s main opposition force, the Democratic Party, together with allied groups, demanded the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government. The demonstration was framed not as a routine political rally, but as a …

News
Albanian Opposition Rallies for Premier’s Resignation Over Indicted Deputy PM

Supporters of the opposition Democratic Party demonstrated in Tirana against Edi Rama’s government after anti-corruption prosecutors indicted his deputy prime minister and raided officials at the National Information Agency. Original post Here

News
Security Beyond Soldiers: NATO’s Role in Strengthening Western Balkans Stability

Security in the Western Balkans is no longer defined only by borders and armies, but by the strength of institutions, public trust and the ability to withstand modern pressure. In an interview with the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS), Arjan Starova, former Albanian foreign minister and President of the …

News
Monday Briefing from the Balkans: December 22, 2025

Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here

News
A Structured Criminal Group Inside a National Security Institution: The AKSHI Case

Tirana, Tirana Times, 20 December 2025 – The investigation launched by Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution has revealed the existence of a structured criminal group operating within the leadership of the National Agency for Information Society, AKSHI. At the center of the case stand the agency’s director and deputy director, accused …

News

Tirana’s Construction Boom and the Flow of Dirty Money

TIRANA, December 26, 2025 – Albania’s decade-long construction boom, long portrayed as a sign of growth and urban renewal, is increasingly being scrutinized as a vehicle for laundering illicit capital. A new study by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, combined with years of investigative reporting and analysis by Tirana Times, points …

News

Secret tenders, violence and kidnappings, BIRN: The staggering profits of AKSH contractors 

Tirana Times, 25 December, 2025 – On September 15, 2023, Ergys Agasi, 36, founded a company with a capital of 1 thousand lek (10 euros) with activity in the field of information technology. Under the name EA Solutions, the company had a rapid activity. In the balance sheet filed with …

News

Saudi Arabia Leads AI Readiness in MENA, Emerges as Global Governance Power

As artificial intelligence reshapes economic competitiveness and state capacity, indexes like the Government AI Readiness Index serve not merely as technical rankings, but as indicators of national strategic priorities. In this sense, Saudi Arabia has moved decisively from regional ambition toward global relevance, even as the global hierarchy of AI …

News

New Chief of Albania’s Anti-Graft Prosecution Vows ‘Tough Approach’

Despite political tensions sparked by high-profile corruption cases, Klodjan Braho tells BIRN that his main priority will be to guarantee Albanians that “no one is above the law”. Original post Here

News

Former Foreign and Defence Minister Olta Xhaçka Questioned by SPAK

By Tirana Times Tirana, December 23, 2025 – Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence Olta Xhaçka appeared on Tuesday at the premises of the Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Structure (SPAK), where she remained for approximately two hours before leaving without making any statement to the media. Xhaçka declined to …

News

Opposition Takes to the Streets Over State Capture and Blocked Justice

Tirana Times, December 22, 2025 – Tirana witnessed a major opposition-led protest on Saturday, as Albania’s main opposition force, the Democratic Party, together with allied groups, demanded the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government. The demonstration was framed not as a routine political rally, but as a …

News

Albanian Opposition Rallies for Premier’s Resignation Over Indicted Deputy PM

Supporters of the opposition Democratic Party demonstrated in Tirana against Edi Rama’s government after anti-corruption prosecutors indicted his deputy prime minister and raided officials at the National Information Agency. Original post Here

News

Security Beyond Soldiers: NATO’s Role in Strengthening Western Balkans Stability

Security in the Western Balkans is no longer defined only by borders and armies, but by the strength of institutions, public trust and the ability to withstand modern pressure. In an interview with the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS), Arjan Starova, former Albanian foreign minister and President of the …

News

Monday Briefing from the Balkans: December 22, 2025

Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here

News

A Structured Criminal Group Inside a National Security Institution: The AKSHI Case

Tirana, Tirana Times, 20 December 2025 – The investigation launched by Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution has revealed the existence of a structured criminal group operating within the leadership of the National Agency for Information Society, AKSHI. At the center of the case stand the agency’s director and deputy director, accused …