Tirana

North Macedonia's foreign minister called on the EU Tuesday (15 December) to end the "blackmail" of his country through the imposition by Bulgaria of fresh obstacles to its membership of the bloc.

Albania protester threw a stone against police in this photo of 10 December 2020 in Tirana. Photo: LSA

Prime Minister Edi Rama dismissed suggestions that the fatal shooting of the unarmed citizen was a result of a police culture of violence and called the event "an isolated one" - while announcing that Interior Minister Sander Lleshaj had offered his resignation.

"I have always preferred the life of an artist, painter and professor of fine arts, so much so that I never had ambitions to be prime minister," Rama told French "Forbes", as the Exit portal reports.
He said that he hesitated for a long time to enter politics when he was offered a ministerial position, but that he wanted to do something for his country.

Monday's resumption of a considerable number of international flights to Athens and Thessaloniki produced a marginally satisfactory occupancy rate for Aegean Airlines, Kathimerini understands.

His flight from Zurich to Tirana yesterday was canceled.
Lajcak wrote on his Twitter account that after yesterday's complications with the trip, the international community took action and is now on the road, thanks to the Swiss army.
"I am looking forward to the official start of my visit to Kosovo later today," Lajcak wrote.

Under the motto "For the stolen childhood", late this afternoon in Tirana, Durres and Vlora were held protest demonstrations with the participation of thousands of citizens, mostly women, accompanied by their daughters.

Twenty years on, the situation in the region looks bleaker. A glance at the state of play in the countries from the Balkans confirms this. Kosovo faces further political turbulence after its Constitutional Court ruled that a new government can be formed without holding early elections first.

Critics say the demolition of the National Theatre is an old project of Prime Minister Edi Rama, since the time when he was Culture Minister in 1998 and proposed to build a tower in its place and incorporate the theatre inside.

The renewed bid to demolish the theatre divided artists and activists, and raised concerns among anti-corruption and heritage watchdogs.

Demolition workers bulldozing the National Theatre in Tirana, Albania, on May 17, 2020. Photo: Nensi Bogdani/BIRN

The demolition was bitterly opposed by activists, opposition politicians and artists who wanted the buildings originally constructed during World War II during the Italian occupation to be renovated.

Elvira Dushku, the secretary-general of the Kosovo Basketball Federation, said on Tuesday that the basketball governing bodies in Pristina and Tirana are discussing ideas for a potential league merger.

"For many years, we have discussed the creation of a common league at our meetings, but intensive discussions have started since last year," Dushku said.