Latest News from Albania
Orthodox patriarchs visit Tirana
TIRANA - Leaders of Orthodox churches - including a delegation of the Serbian Orthodox Church headed by Patriarch Irinej - consecrated the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral in Tirana on Sunday.
The consecration service - a major event for all Orthodox churches - was led by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Albania's Balkanweb reports.
Bulgaria Best Balkan Country to Invest in, Foreign Policy Magazine
Bulgaria ranks 28th in the Foreign Policy Magazine's "Baseline Profitability Index", measuring countries' attractiveness for foreign investors.
Among the countries of the Balkan peninsula, Bulgaria is the highest ranked. Right behind, in 29th place, is ranked Macedonia. Romania is 43rd, Albania 53rd, Serbia 55th, Slovenia 74th, Turkey 79th, Croatia 90th, and Greece 101st.
Albania Eyes Gasification Via TAP Pipeline
Albania’s inter-institutional commission for cooperation with the TAP pipeline on Monday said Albpetrol had launched a bid in the first booking phase for the pipeline on May 14.
The TAP AG, the consortium that controls implementation of Trans-Adriatic Pipeline project, is expected to review the application.
Albanians Promised Jobs for Votes, Study Finds
“About 43 per cent of respondents declared they were aware of cases in which votes were promised in return for favours,” IDRA said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Voting ‘to keep their current job’; to 'get a job after the elections’; and ‘in return for money or gifts’, are mentioned as frequent phenomena encountered by more than a third of the respondents,” it added.
Reunion of JHA ministers of SEECP countries in Bucharest
Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) ministers of the countries participating in the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) reunite on Wednesday and Thursday in Bucharest at the Parliament Palace to tackle the regional cooperation on illegal migration and human trafficking, police collaboration, fight against corruption, and enhancement of judicial cooperation.
Albania’s Beaches Dirtiest in Europe, Report Says
The report, entitled European Bathing Water Quality in 2013, said 8.2 per cent of the bathing waters in Albania were classified non-compliant with minimum standards.
"Albania’s rate of non-compliance is comparable to when other countries reported their bathing water quality for the first time," the EEA noted.
Eurosceptic Victories Cause Concern in Albania
Officials in Albania are mulling the results of the European Parliamentary elections, which saw anti-EU, anti-establishment, parties triumph in Britain and France and poll strongly in some other countries.
As a result, parties opposed to the European project have roughly doubled their seats in the assembly.
Albania PM Blamed For Drug Trafficking Scourge
“Albanians have gathered here against a dangerous enemy, which seeks to destroy our freedoms and deny us our European dream,” the chairman of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, told supporters.
“This enemy is narcotics trafficking, which in the last six months, sponsored by the drug barons, has reached dangerous levels,” he added.
Copenhagen Choir to stage humanitarian concert Thursday
BELGRADE - As part of its Balkan tour, the Copenhagen Music Choir, directed by Ole Reuss Schmidt, will stage a humanitarian concert at the Slavija Theatre in Belgrade on Thursday evening.
The choir will continue its international tour by May 30 in Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia, Batric Zarkovic, Slavija Theatre founder and director, has said.
Albania Siezes Ship With Contraband Cigarettes
The cargo ship Era-1, which was sailing from Greece for the port of Bar in Montenegro, had sought temporary shelter on May 14 from bad weather in Albania’s southern port of Vlora.
After the weather improved on Friday, the ship, which has a Tanzanian flag and a Ukrainian crew, left port without seeking permission from the port authorities, raising suspicions about its cargo.
Narcotics officers make their biggest-ever cannabis haul
A photograph of the inside of the truck, released by Greek Police headquarters.
The Greek police on Monday issued an announcement hailing the narcotics squads biggest cannabis bust ever after a 700 kilograms of the drug was found inside a concealed compartment in a truck that had entered Greece from Albania and is believed to have been headed to Germany.
World Bank Approves $100m Loan for Albania
The World Bank has approved a loan designed to support Albania’s efforts to reduce the impact of the global financial crisis on the local financial sector.
2 tons of cannabis seized in Albania
2 tons of cannabis seized in Albania
VLORE -- The Albanian police on Thursday confiscated two tons of cannabis and arrested two suspects.
The drugs were seized in the port town of Vlore, and were meant to be sold in Italy.
According to the police, the shipment was hidden inside a vehicle that was to be transported to Italy in a dinghy.
Albanian Roma Seek Protection Against Eviction
A group of Roma organizations on Wednesday presented Albania's parliament with a proposed amendment to the law on the legalization and urbanization of illegal construction, which would protect Roma camps from forced evictions.
Soma Mine Death Toll Rises in Turkey, National Mourning Declared
The number of victims who died after an explosion and fire in a mine in Turkey's Manica province has reached 274, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said.