Blog
News

Opening of Llogora tunnel on friday

Prime Minister Edi Rama has shared views from the Acrisa tunnel, which will be opened this Friday. In a Facebook post, the head of government says it’s a historic feat that will forever change the journey to the south. “Good morning and with the Llogara tunnel, one of the historical …

Read More
News

The hearing session for former minister Ilir Beqaj is postponed

24 hours were not enough for the legal defenders of Ilir Beqaj to familiarize themselves with the file of the special prosecution for his arrest. In the session that started at 09:00, they asked for time to familiarize themselves with the file in question, which led to the postponement of …

Read More
News

Beleri: “I know that the mandate as mayor is expired”

While the CEC is discussing Fredi Beleri’s mandate, he said that it is clear that his mandate as mayor of Himara has ended, but he does not want the elections to be held in August. He emphasized that as he came to the meeting of the CEC, he could now …

Read More
News

Western Balkans Six Need to Work Together for Sake of EU Enlargement

After Ukraine and Moldova started membership negotiations, would-be members of the EU in the Balkans need to take an ‘all for one and one for all’ approach to accession – or risk remaining stuck in the waiting room. Original post Here

Read More
News

Analysis: Bells toll for Albania’s demographics as census results confirm corrosive effects of massive emigration

TIRANA, July 4, 2024 – The much anticipated and much delayed results of the 2023 Census are out in Albania, confirming a massive population decline in 12 years and a worsening of all demographic indicators.  Albania’s population shrank by almost 14 percent, losing about 429,000 residents. The country is also …

Read More
News

Bank of Albania shifts policy, cutting key rate by 0.25% to 3%

TIRANA, July 4, 2024 – The Bank of Albania has shifted direction for the first time since March 2022, easing its monetary policy by reducing the key interest rate by 0.25 percentage points. The Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania decided to lower the base interest rate to 3.0 …

Read More
News

Albania Former Health Minister Detained Over Misused EU Funds

Former Health Minister Ilir Beqaj was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of abusing EU funds, Albania’s Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime, SPAK, announced. Original post Here

Read More
News

Ilir Beqaj, high Socialist official mired in corruption investigations, arrested for abuse of EU funds 

TIRANA, July 4, 2024 – Ilir Beqaj, Albania’s former minister of health who has a history of holding important position in the ruling Socialist Party, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of involvement in a corruption scheme to profit from funds from the Agency for the Coordination of Foreign Aid and …

Read More
News

Share Your Experience: Corruption in Albania’s Health Sector

Have you been asked to transfer your treatment from a public to a private hospital? Do you suspect that healthcare staff are illicitly profiting from your treatment? Have you been asked for a bribe by a medical professional? Tell us your story. Original post Here

Read More
News

Tourist season/ State Police: 378 arrested, 25 of them in the wanted list

The State Police has made the balance of the month, helping for a tourist season as safe as possible. It is known that 378 citizens were arrested and 25 of them were wanted internationally. So far, the Traffic Police has arrested 143 drivers, of which 104 for driving while intoxicated …

Read More
News
Tirana Marks International Arabic Language Day with a Festive Ceremony

Tirana, Tirana Times, 19 December 2025 – International Arabic Language Day was commemorated in Tirana through a festive ceremony organized by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Republic of Albania, bringing together a broad representation of Albanian state institutions, the diplomatic corps, universities, the academic community, cultural …

News
Albanian MPs Clash in Parliament Amid Tensions Over Corruption Cases

Opposition MPs hurled bottles and clashed with guards as the new ruling party-backed Ombudsman took his oath amid heightened tensions sparked by high-level graft cases. Original post Here

News
Visiting Thaci in Hague Jail, Albania PM Slates ’Shameful’ War Court

Albania’s Edi Rama lashed out at the Hague-based Specialist Chambers war crimes court following a visit to Kosovo’s ex-President Hashim Thaci in detention, calling it a ‘theatre of shame’. Original post Here

News
Stability Has a Schedule: What NATO’s Hague Pledge Means for the Western Balkans

In late August 2022, Montenegro’s government digital infrastructure was hit by what officials called an “unprecedented” cyberattack. The disruption was serious enough that parts of the public sector had to fall back on manual workarounds while authorities tried to isolate affected systems. In a region where state capacity is often …

News
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

News
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. …

News
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 …

News
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 …

News
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 …

News
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

News

Tirana Marks International Arabic Language Day with a Festive Ceremony

Tirana, Tirana Times, 19 December 2025 – International Arabic Language Day was commemorated in Tirana through a festive ceremony organized by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Republic of Albania, bringing together a broad representation of Albanian state institutions, the diplomatic corps, universities, the academic community, cultural …

News

Albanian MPs Clash in Parliament Amid Tensions Over Corruption Cases

Opposition MPs hurled bottles and clashed with guards as the new ruling party-backed Ombudsman took his oath amid heightened tensions sparked by high-level graft cases. Original post Here

News

Visiting Thaci in Hague Jail, Albania PM Slates ’Shameful’ War Court

Albania’s Edi Rama lashed out at the Hague-based Specialist Chambers war crimes court following a visit to Kosovo’s ex-President Hashim Thaci in detention, calling it a ‘theatre of shame’. Original post Here

News

Stability Has a Schedule: What NATO’s Hague Pledge Means for the Western Balkans

In late August 2022, Montenegro’s government digital infrastructure was hit by what officials called an “unprecedented” cyberattack. The disruption was serious enough that parts of the public sector had to fall back on manual workarounds while authorities tried to isolate affected systems. In a region where state capacity is often …

News

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

News

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. …

News

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 …

News

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 …

News

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 …

News

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