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 …
Salianji: Ready to go to jail
The Democratic MP, Ervin Salianji held 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 stated that since Thursday, September 26, when Apeli received the decision, he communicated …
New EU Line-Up, But No Quick Fix for Balkan Enlargement Woes
Supporters of EU enlargement to the Balkans may take heart from Ursula von der Leyen’s proposed new line-up at the European Commission, but it will take more than a change at the top to reinvigorate the stalled accession process. Original post Here
‘Babale’ file/ Ervin Salianji declare guilty with one year in prison. MP: I’m ready to go to jail!
Court of General Appeal has given the decision to the deputy of the Democratic Party, Ervin Salianji, regarding the “Babale” file. It is known that the measure with one year of imprisonment was left in force. Immediately after the decision, the deputy spoke himself, who said that he will appeal. …
US Senate Probes Serbian, Albanian Officials’ Ties to Jared Kushner-Linked Projects
US Senate Committee says it is seeking the names of the Serbian and Albanian government officials who approached a company linked to Donald Trump’s son-in-law over property development projects. Original post Here
Vengu welcomes Britain’s special envoy for the Western Balkans
Minister of Defense Mr. Pirro Vengu received in a special meeting the special envoy of the United Kingdom in the Western Balkans, Lord Stuart Peach, who came to Albania, as part of the Joint Exercise “Austere Wolf – 24”. Minister Vengu and Lord Stuart Peach highly appreciated the interaction between …
Anti-poverty NGO ActionAid has filed a complaint to the Court of Auditors in Italy over the 133 million euro cost of two migrant detention centres in Albania as part of a controversial asylum offshoring deal between Rome and Tirana. Original post Here
By Tirana Times Staff Tirana, 3 December 2025 — The Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Albania today organized in Tirana the central event marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a broad awareness-raising activity that brought together around 250 children with disabilities from several cities across …
In the second of BIRN’s series about women’s wartime activism, Midheta Kaloper explains how she survived sexual violence during the Bosnian war and now helps other survivors to fight for their rights – and bring the perpetrators to justice. Original post Here
By Zef Preçi What kind of political system are we living in today? Even though we have a weak state, authoritarian tendencies in governance have become more pronounced, and in a synthesized way this is reflected in the increasing number of MPs of the ruling party from one mandate to …
As the year draws towards its end, our Balkan Insight Premium stories show that there is no shortage of political surprises, unexpected twists and new standoffs across the region. Original post Here
Albanian-American writer Fron Nahzi’s new book explains how the Albanian diaspora used its newfound freedom in the United States to campaign for a range of nationalist causes. Original post Here
The earthquake that hit Albania in November 2019 left many families homeless. But a rural housing estate built to accommodate some of them remains almost empty due to problems with infrastructure and insecure terrain. Original post Here
O tempora, o mores. After Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku faced criminal charges, and after the court suspended her from office and banned her from leaving the country, what one would normally expect is either her immediate resignation or her immediate dismissal by Prime …
The clash between Edi Rama and Shabana Mahmood over the fate of 700 Albanian families in the UK exposes a deeper truth about modern diplomacy: visibility is not the same as influence. When the Home Secretary singled out Albanian families while announcing sweeping asylum reforms, she was not improvising. She …
Elez Biberaj Thirty-five years after Albania’s emergence from one of Europe’s most repressive communist regimes, the country’s democratic trajectory remains emblematic of post-authoritarian transformation, reflecting the promise of political renewal while exposing the challenges of durable consolidation. In this context, the May 2025 parliamentary elections stand out as a test …