Tirana

Albania's Tourism and Environment Minister Mirela Kumbaro announced on Monday that the River Vjosa, its banks and the land around it are now a national park with a size of 12,727 hectares.

"We have today the final decision to declare the River Vjosa, the last wild river in Europe, a national park," Kumbaro said.

Domestic violence survivor Elvedina Hajdari on Wednesday joined the Women's Day march in Kosovo organized by civil society and women's rights NGOs in the capital, Pristina, sharing her own experience of judicial institutions' neglect.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received German ambassadors to the region and officials of the Berlin government, including special Western Balkans envoy Manuel Sarrazin, in Belgrade on Friday.

A young woman from the northern province of Çorum, who has been traveling the world for four months without paying any bills, food, drink, or accommodation, is now in Albania, her 11th country.

Sıla Güngören, 24, set off to realize her dream after graduating from Marmara University's Law Faculty and completing her law internship.

According to her, the European Union has prepared a support package for the entire Western Balkans to help it deal with the energy crisis.

Von der Leyen will start the tour in Skopje on October 26, continue on October 27 in Pristina and Tirana, then on October 28 stay in Belgrade and Sarajevo and finally on October 29 in Podgorica, as part of the Balkan tour, it has been announced on the website of European Commission.

On December 6, the EU-Western Balkans Summit will be held in Tirana, according to a post by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel on Twitter, stressing that "the Western Balkans are a key priority for the European Union".

Experts have expressed dismay after Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Wednesday raised the possibility of again allowing online gambling, saying the move would be harmful and regressive.

Aacknowledging his government's failure to crack down on the industry, Rama said gambling activity had continued despite the ban his party imposed a few years back.

Gledis Nano was dismissed on Wednesday for having failed to "fulfill objectives", the Interior Ministry said. Nano has not reacted so far to the government decision.

He took office in October 2021, after the previous Chief of Police, Ardi Veliu, resigned for "personal reasons".

Both understand that bad moves at the local level are more tolerable to the West than those at the regional level, as long as you play nice with the neighbours; both rule their countries with an iron fist - Vucic overtly, Rama's hidden behind a velvet glove.