Albania in 2025: Socialists Win Big, Graft Probes Continue
Prime Minister Edi Rama secured a historic fourth term in office and consolidated his rule against a background of ongoing corruption investigations into several politicians from the governing Socialist Party. Original post Here
Kremlin Echoes in Balkan Clickbait: How Fake Baba Vanga Prophecies Spread Across Albanian Media
TIRANA, Tirana Times, December 16, 2025. Each December, apocalyptic headlines resurface across Albanian media warning of global collapse, Europe’s disappearance or the rise of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a world ruler, all attributed to the supposed prophecies of Baba Vanga, a blind Bulgarian mystic who died nearly three decades ago. …
Serbia Loses Kushner Investment, Vučić Points to Albania
Albania’s Sazan Island project backed by Trump’s son-in-law draws scrutiny over transparency and political motives BELGRADE, Serbia, Tirana Times – Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said Serbia has suffered a major economic setback after a company owned by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, withdrew from a planned Trump-branded …
Bringing Albania into History: Bernd J. Fischer and World War II
By Ilir Ikonomi One of the most important modern works ever written about Albania’s experience in the Second World War—Bernd Jürgen Fischer’s Albania at War, 1939–1945. This is not just a history book. It is an act of historical rescue. Fischer lifts Albania from the shadows of European historiography and places …
AKSHI Director Arrested in Major Corruption Probe
Case Involving Critical State Infrastructure Adds to Albania’s Growing High Level Corruption Crisis Tirana Times – December 16, 2025 Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Structure, SPAK, in cooperation with the National Bureau of Investigation, BKH, has carried out a large-scale operation targeting an alleged criminal network operating at the highest levels of the …
Albanian Prosecution Urges Parliament to Allow Deputy PM’s Arrest
Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime asks parliament to lift the immunity from arrest of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku. Original post Here
Eight Accused in Albania of Rigging Information Agency Tenders
Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime raids a suspected crime group based at the National Information Agency, accused of running scheme to manipulate tenders. Original post Here
Deputy PM Balluku Arrest Bid Shakes Albania’s Rule of Law
Will Parliament Lift the Deputy Prime Minister’s Immunity? Tirana Times, December 16th , 2025.Albania has entered one of the most serious institutional confrontations since the launch of its justice reform, as the Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK) formally requested parliamentary authorization to arrest Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and …
Endrit Shabani Elected as Albania’s Ombudsman in Contested Process
New Ombudsman elected solely with the votes of the ruling majority – a break in tradition – after opposition MPS refused to participate in the vote. Original post Here
Albania‘s Constitutional Court Temporarily Reinstates Deputy PM Balluku
Court temporarily restores Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku to her duties, after the government disputed a court order that had suspended her. Original post Here
With elections approaching in Bosnia and Serbia, rhetoric is heating up, while in Turkey and Albania, campaigners are feeling the pressure, as our round-up of Balkan Insight Premium stories shows. Original post Here
U.S. Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Richard Grenell has criticized the Hague court following its decision to sentence four former Kosova Liberation Army leaders to a combined 81 years in prison. Grenell described the decision as politically motivated. In an interview with Albanian television channel Top Channel, Grenell said Kosova …
The National Folk Song and Dance Ensemble is ready to begin its new artistic season with a calendar of activities that will open with a tour of several Italian cities. Artistic Director Sokol Marsi said the ensemble has just returned from Kosovo, where it took part in a nationwide festival …
A conference on cultural and scientific cooperation between Albania and France took place at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The event focused on Albania’s artistic heritage and the study of its medieval and post-medieval icons. The exhibition “Icons of Albania, Treasures of the National Museum of Medieval Art of Korça,” …
The exhibition “Marubi: Education Studio,” curated by Tereza Çuni and Jozefina Vokrri, presents a decade of creativity, experimentation and arts education at the National Museum of Photography. The exhibition at the Marubi Museum features a selection of work developed over 10 years at the museum’s Education Studio. The display brings …
The United States Embassy in Kosova urged citizens to avoid Skanderbeg Square in Prishtina and surrounding areas on Friday, September 18. Several organizations had announced protests there at noon. The embassy warned United States citizens about large crowds, road closures and severe traffic disruptions. It advised them to avoid the …
Justice Minister Toni Gogu said the review of Albania’s Criminal Procedure Code follows Council of Europe recommendations on pre-trial detention. He said the work aims to strengthen safeguards for personal liberty. It also seeks to make alternatives to detention more effective. Gogu spoke at a Justice Ministry roundtable on security …
Commercial flights in Albania increased by 22% in August 2026 from the same month last year, according to Eurostat data. The increase ranked among the highest in Europe. Albania also recorded a much higher increase than the European Union average of 2.3%. In the region, Montenegro followed Albania with a …
Prime Minister Edi Rama called for institutional dialogue over the law on magistrates’ salaries. He urged judicial representatives to join a joint working meeting and seek a long-term solution. Rama said the meeting should include the heads of the two justice system councils and leaders of judicial institutions. He said …
Thousands of people gathered in central Prishtina on Friday to protest the prison sentences handed to four former Kosova Liberation Army leaders by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. The court found Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi guilty of four war crimes on September 16. …