Latest News from Albania
Police net 44 suspects in raids on major racket
Police authorities in Athens and the Dodecanese islands in the southeastern Aegean said on Wednesday they had smashed three criminal rings that worked together to distribute large quantities of cocaine, cannabis and hashish from Albania in Greece, and traffic people from Turkey to Greece and beyond.
Piraeus Bank to sell assets, tackle bad loans in recovery plan
Piraeus Bank, Greece's largest bank by assets, aims to sell its Balkan businesses and certain other holdings and shrink its bad loans portfolio, its new chief executive told reporters on Wednesday, outlining the group's plans up to 2020.
"Our vision is to be the most credible bank in Greece," said CEO Christos Megalou, who took over in April.
Montenegro Set to Become NATO's Newest Member
Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic is to officially hand over the accession document at a ceremony on Monday in Washington, after which the tiny Adriatic country will become the 29th NATO member.
The accession process, which lasted almost seven years, will end on Wednesday when Montenegro's flag is to be hoisted for the first time at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Gabriel proposes additional fund for W. Balkans
BERLIN - German FM Sigmar Gabriel on Thursday urged the establishment of an additional fund for infrastructure projects in the Western Balkans, noting Brussels needed to engage more and invest more in the region.
Kosovo: 34 night clubs shut down for human trafficking
The Kosovo police have shut down 34 night clubs across Kosovo as part of an operation aimed at preventing human trafficking.
A directorate in charge of investigating this type of crime checked 71 establishments during March, April and May, and IDed 389 women employed there.
Green Campaigners Win Right To Sue Albanian Govt
Environmentalists in Albania and locals from four villages in the Tropoja on Friday hailed a court ruling allowing them to sue government ministries that have given private companies concessions to build hydropower plants on the Valbona River in the so-called Albanian Alps.
Save the Children Notes Chasm Between Balkan Countries
A new Save the Children International report on Wednesday, called "Stolen Childhoods", shows huge gaps in the standards of children's lives between the richest and poorest countries in the Balkans.
Albanian Broadcaster Strives for Neutral Stance in Election
Albania's Public Broadcaster, RTSH, has vowed to maintain political balance in its reporting of the election campaign, raising hopes among media experts that the standard of information might change for good.
Turkmen gas could be exported via Turkey
Gas from Turkmenistan could be transferred to other countries through Turkey once the Southern Gas Corridor is commissioned, the head of the Transit Petroleum Pipeline Department at Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Ministry said May 30.
Albania: Extreme Nationalists terrorize the Greek Minority of Northern Epirus!
The, by now well-known, Albanian extreme nationalist Tahir Veliu and his minions targets Albania’s Archbishop Anastasios for the first time and demands from the official authorities to expel him from the Albanian territory as an undesirable person!
Foreign Students of Bulgaria Descent with Access to Bulgarian Universities
The Council of Ministers has approved more than 1100 openings in Bulgarian universities for students of Bulgarian descent who live abroad - in Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo and Kazakhstan, reported BNR.
Albania Probes Mystery Illnesses Among Opposition Supporters
Albanian police said on Monday they are working with the prosecutors to find out what happened at an opposition Democratic Party rally on Saturday in Tirana, after which about 140 people complained of suffering mysterious ailments.
Problems included red, swollen eyes, skin irritations, vomiting and difficulties with breathing.
The Janissaries – An Elite Ottoman Army Unit who became Public Enemy No.1
The walls of Vienna trembled on 27th of September, 1529, as strange music echoed close by. The sound of hundreds of drums stopped the heartbeats of the Austrian defenders. Also, the loud horn-like noise of the zurna pierced their souls, bringing fear of the unknown; of a distant menace coming from afar – The Janissaries.
Prime minister to plug Greece's role at NATO summit
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is expected to plug Greece's geostrategic role as a pillar of stability in a volatile region and an important ally at Thursday's informal NATO summit in Brussels, which will be held under the dark shadow cast by Monday's terror attack in Manchester.
2 held in Greek border region for illegal herb harvesting
Greek police say they have arrested two Albanian men in a border region for allegedly illegally harvesting herbs growing wild on the mountainside.
A police statement Tuesday said the men aged 20 and 22 had gathered 16 kilos of ironwort, a herb used for a traditional tea. They were also charged with illegally entering Greece from Albania, in the Krystallopigi area.