Deadly crash near Albanian-Greek border puts spotlight on Balkan irregular migration route
TIRANA, April 2, 2024 – Eight people died in the early hours of Tuesday in southern Albania, near the Greek border, as an Albanian driver speed up and fell into a ravine trying to avoid a police checkpoint because he was carrying seven non-European irregular migrants across Albania on their …
Tragic accident, the car with immigrants falls on the side of Vjosa, 8 victims
8 people lost their lives, the Shkodran driver of the ‘Benz’ vehicle and 7 clandestine people, as a result of a serious accident on the Këlcyre-Përmet road axis. Sokol Ismeti, the driver of the Benz, tried to escape from the police and lost control, falling on the side of the …
Today, 15 years since NATO membership
The President of the Republic, Bajram Begaj, delivered today a message for the 15th anniversary of Albania’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. We recall that on April 1, 2009, Albania became a full member of NATO. The full message of the President of the Republic: “April 1, 2009 …
The murder of an 18-year old boy, 4 detained by the police
Four people have been detained in connection with the serious incident that took place in Tirana, where 18-year-old Aurelio Dervishi was the victim. The four arrested persons are suspected of being perpetrators involved in the incident. According to police information, among those arrested is the perpetrator who allegedly stabbed the …
Arrested for drug trafficking, SPAK seizes property of relatives Gezim Cela
SPAK seizes 17 assets on behalf of Gezim Çela’s family members. Apartments worth over 400,000 euros, bank accounts and several cars were seized. Gezim Çela, also known as the drug lord, was arrested during an operation in Kosovo. Property of the type “Commercial Unit”, with an area of 237 m2, …
SPAK sent to trial former Minister Beqaj and 8 others
The Special Prosecution against Corruption (SPAK) closed investigations over sterilization concession. This prosecution sent to trial this Saturday former minister of Health, Ilir Beqaj and eight others accused for abuze. Beqaj is accused for duty abuse done in collaboration. While vice minister Klodian Rrjepaj and the businessman are accused for …
A 19 year old arrested for smuggling emigrants
A 19-year-old resident of Podgorica was arrested by the Shkodra police after trying to cross five illegal immigrants to the border. According to the police, Tajson Boneshta was caught red-handed in the city of Shkodra while he was transporting immigrants from third countries with the “Volkswagen Polo” type vehicle. The …
A 41-year old declared wanted by police, is arrested in Fier
A 41-year-old wanted man has ended up in police custody. It is learned that the citizen Asllan Koraj, a resident of Fier, was sentenced to 3 years in prison, for the criminal offenses “Concealment of income” and “Non-payment of taxes and duties”. Meanwhile, the procedural materials were passed to the …
Four arrested for mobile sports betting
Four people have been arrested by the Tirana police after exercising the illegal activity of mobile sports betting. The arrested are 29, 31, 32 and 35 years old. They were found in a bar in Vaqarr, on their mobile phones, the police services found pages and links that served for …
SPAK seizes properties of two arrested for drug trafficking
The Special Prosecution against Corruption (SPAK) seized properties of two arrested last year in Tirana. Those are Princ Dobroshi and Olsi Syziu, both accused to be drug lords in Europe. According to the statement made public for the media, SPAK said that they are under investigation for drugs trafficking and …
Albania remembers Guljelm Radoja, one of the country’s most distinguished actors, on the anniversary of his birth on July 2, 1945, in Shkodër. After completing his studies in Dramaturgy at the former Higher Institute of Arts, now the University of Arts, in 1972, Radoja began his professional career at the …
The Embassy of the United States in Albania issued a security alert on Wednesday, advising American citizens to exercise caution and avoid protest areas in Tirana. According to the embassy, demonstrations are taking place along the “Dëshmorët e Kombit” Boulevard, between Skanderbeg Square and Mother Teresa Square, where the Prime …
Albania has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening its capacity to manage health emergencies and expanding cooperation with international partners to protect public health. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection announced that representatives signed the Istanbul Declaration during the ministerial conference of the World Health Organization titled “Advancing Health Security …
Prime Minister Edi Rama rejected claims that Albania is facing a crisis of trust and ruled out resignation while protests continued over a planned tourism development project. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, he described the demonstrations as a clear expression of democracy and free speech. He said citizens actively …
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the High Judicial Council (KLGJ) held a roundtable in Tirana on the topic “Communication of Courts with the Media.” During the meeting, KLGJ Chair Ilir Rusi emphasized that institutional communication represents a key element of modern justice administration. He said …
Speaker of Parliament Niko Peleshi has condemned the violence that occurred during Thursday’s protest outside Parliament, saying attacks against Albanian State Police officers, MPs and public institutions are unacceptable. Peleshi stressed that the right to protest must be exercised peacefully, expressing solidarity with police officers injured while on duty and calling for respect for …
*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(–scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(–thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(–header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]” dir=”auto” data-turn-id=”request-WEB:9cfb2850-4d0c-44d8-95a6-4db4afd2a16c-6″ data-turn-id-container=”request-WEB:9cfb2850-4d0c-44d8-95a6-4db4afd2a16c-6″ data-testid=”conversation-turn-14″ data-turn=”assistant”> Albania’s High Prosecutorial Council (HPC) has launched the administrative procedure for selecting candidates for the country’s next Prosecutor General, issuing a public call for applications during its plenary session on Thursday. Under Albanian law, the Prosecutor General is elected by Parliament …
The Albanian Journalists’ Union (UGSH) has condemned attacks against journalists during Thursday’s protest outside Parliament, describing acts of violence against media workers carrying out their reporting duties as criminal acts that cannot be tolerated. In a statement, the Union said that amid clashes between protesters and police, journalists, camera operators …
*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(–scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(–thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(–header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]” dir=”auto” data-turn-id=”request-WEB:9cfb2850-4d0c-44d8-95a6-4db4afd2a16c-10″ data-turn-id-container=”request-WEB:9cfb2850-4d0c-44d8-95a6-4db4afd2a16c-10″ data-testid=”conversation-turn-22″ data-turn=”assistant”> The European Union should allocate more funding to energy infrastructure in Albania and across the Western Balkans, Energy Minister Enea Karakaçi said during the Energy Community Ministerial Council meeting held in Pristina. Karakaçi stressed the need for faster action to expand …
*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(–scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(–thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(–header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]” dir=”auto” data-turn-id=”request-WEB:9cfb2850-4d0c-44d8-95a6-4db4afd2a16c-5″ data-turn-id-container=”request-WEB:9cfb2850-4d0c-44d8-95a6-4db4afd2a16c-5″ data-testid=”conversation-turn-12″ data-turn=”assistant”> Citizens have begun marching toward the Prime Minister’s Office as Thursday marks the 33rd consecutive day of protests. Demonstrators, carrying banners and Albanian flags, continued their march despite the high temperatures. During the march, protesters chanted slogans calling for the resignation …