Latest News from Albania
EU and US Threaten to Expose Criminals Standing in Polls
EU ambassador Romana Vlahutin says Albania's political parties need to withdraw suspected criminals from standing in the June local elections by 13 May.
Azeri gas to reach Europe by 2020: Minister
Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Natiq Aliyev has said Azeri gas will reach Europe by 2020.
Speaking at a panel discussion at the Energy Security Conference in Berlin on May 7, Aliyev said a quarter of the construction on the Southern Gas Corridor had been completed.
Albania Parties Cross Swords Over Flying Chair
Parties in Albania condemned a man who threw a chair amid a crowd attending a Democratic Party rally in Kolonja, in southeast Albania on Wednesday, injuring a 63-year-old.
The chairman of the Democratic Party and current Mayor of Tirana, Lulzim Basha, was also at the rally where the local candidate for mayor was being presented.
Bulgaria Has Fifth Largest Share of Obese Children in Europe - WHO
According to the latest figures of WHO, which were presented in Prague on Wednesday, Bulgaria has the fifth largest share of obese or overweight children under the age of five in Europe.
The results of an obesity forecast exercise, which were revealed at the European Obesity Conference, showed that the share of obese or overweight children in Bulgaria was 19.8 %.
Multinational exercise LOGEX 15
Multinational exercise LOGEX 15
BELGRADE -- The multinational post command and logistics exercise LOGEX 15 has started in Belgrade, gathering representatives of ten countries.
Gay Britons Can Tie the Knot in Montenegro
Starting from June, same-sex marriages can take place in the British consulate in Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, local media reported on Tuesday.
Montenegro is on a list of 24 countries where the British Government allows same sex couples to marry in British Consulates.
Albania Limits Opening up of Communist-era Files
After 25 years of debate on the subject, Albania's parliament last week approved a law that partially lifts the veil of secrecy on Communist-era secret service files, creating a commission to handle requests for information.
Albanian Media Threaten to Boycott Campaign Tapes
Although the campaign for the June 21st local elections in Albania has not officially started, the main parties have already announced their candidates for the race and they have been busy with campaign events.
However, these events are not being covered directly by the media. Instead, they are either taped by the local parties' PR offices or live TV feeds are offered to TV stations.
OTE vies for control of Albtelecom
By Vangelis Mandravelis
OTE telecom is said to be in talks regarding the acquisition of Albanian telecommunications firm Albtelecom, having had a presence in the neighboring country since 2000 through the AMC cell phone company.
Albanians Work Longer for Less Pay, Survey Says
The survey of medium and large companies in the country that was carried out by the National Institute of Statistics discovered that Albanians usually work longer hours while getting paid much less than workers in neighbouring countries with similar levels of economic development.
EP Plenary: From plastic bags to migrant issues
MEPs called for more measures to prevent the loss of migrant lives in the Mediterranean, including more funding for search and rescue missions, during the plenary session on April 27-30.
Explosion Rocks Office of Macedonia's Largest Albanian Party
A blast occurred late on Sunday near the office of Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), the largest Albanian political party in Macedonia.
The attack took place in Mala Recica, a village populated by over 8000 people located in Western Macedonia, near its border with Albania.
EU allocates EUR 78 million for research, innovation
KOPAONIK- The total of EUR 78.6 million will be allocated for research and innovation in the scope of the EU's Horizon 2020, and owner at EU Projects PCM's Vladimir Pandurov invited companies in Serbia dealing with digital marketing to engage in a race to obtain EU funds.
A new war in the Balkans?
On the one hand, violence is re-erupting in Bosnia. On the other hand, Albania and Serbia seem to be at odds. And Serbia still doesn?t accept Kosovo?s independence.
What is happening in the Balkans? Are we on the brink of a new war in Bosnia and Kosovo?
I asked these questions to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama who I recently had the chance to have a tête?à?tête with.
Students to learn of history through eyes of others as well
BELGRADE - Two new volumes of common textbooks, which will help pupils get familiar with events through the eyes of historians from the region, will soon be available to teachers in this part of the Balkans.
The common textbooks will cover the period from 1945 to 2008, and the last two volumes cover 1990-2008.