Latest News from Albania

Albania Awaits Predicted Surge in UK Tourists

Dublin-based low-cost giant Ryanair recently announced it was adding Albania to its roster for the first time as its 37th country destination, with new flights from Edinburgh, London Stansted and Manchester, alongside a host of European cities.

Albania Drafts Law to Legalise Cannabis for Medical, Industrial Use

Albania's Council of Ministers on Friday backed a draft law potentially legalising the use of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes.

Minister of Health Ogerta Manastirliu said that an agency that would control the process was about to be established.

Albania Mayor Resigns Over Sex Tape Scandal

The Mayor of Kukes, Safet Gjici, has resigned following publication of a tape showing him having sex in his office.

Albania's prosecution SPAK told BIRN that it had started a criminal proceeding about the case though it is not clear what the exact charges might be. Most likely he might face charges of "abuse of duty".

UK Rights Activists Condemn Push to Classify Albania as ‘Safe’

Border Force and the military escort migrants ashore at Dover after they crossed the English Channel in Dover, Britain, 27 August 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/STUART BROCK

"Designating a state as a 'safe country' necessitates the confirmation that 'there is … no serious risk of persecution of nationals of that State'. Unfortunately, Albania does not meet this criterion," the letter reads.

The hysteria over Thrace

In Greece, where we are proud of the Rum in Istanbul and the ethnic Greeks of Himare in southern Albania, we freak out when we hear about a Turkish minority in Thrace. So much so that various politicians - usually from the right - are setting dangerous precedents for the country.

Ex-MP of Ruling Party to Lead Albania’s Public Broadcaster

New General Director of Albania Public Broadcasting Service Alfred Peza is seen in this photo of 16 November 2019 while speaking to the media from the Socialist Party headquarters on his capacity as SP Director of Communication. Photo: LSA

A cheeky proposal; "Let Rama send that proposal to Vučić..."

Speaking about the proposal for the Draft Statute of the CSM that Edi Rama sent to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that the Albanian Prime Minister should propose something like this to President Aleksandar Vui for the Albanians in Preevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac, reports Reporters.

Crypto boss denies fraud allegations

Faruk Fatih Özer, who has been accused of defrauding investors on his defunct cryptocurrency platform Thodex, has denied all allegations in his first court appearance in Türkiye on June 12.

UK Parliament Deems Most Albanian Asylum Requests Unfounded

UK Parliament Home Affairs Committee at a hearing. Print Screen from UK Parliament livestream.

The investigation report [Link], said that some of those seeking asylum are indeed in danger of being trafficked but most seem attracted to the UK by higher standards of livings there compared to Albania.

An attempt to avert a disaster?

The founder of the Forum for Ethnic Relations, Duan Janji, said that the Draft Statute of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, which Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama sent to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, was an attempt to prevent a disaster for Kosovo Albanians, so that, as he said, they would not fall out of favor with the USA, reports RTV.

Inquiries of an Albanian diplomat

Kathimerini, being a prestigious newspaper, deserves praise for consistently bringing attention to the issue of Albania's treatment of its ethnic Greek minority, who primarily live in the south of the Balkan country. Here, however, I will switch roles. I will step into the position of an Albanian official in Tirana, responsible for monitoring developments in Greece.

Kosovo Cautious on Albania PM’s Plan for Serb Municipalities Association

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Thursday that he has sent a proposal to France's President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the statute of the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities in Kosovo - a move that was not well-received by the Pristina authorities.