Latest News from Albania

Janša condemns extremism after protest in front of Slovenian embassy

Ljubljana – Prime Minister Janez Janša has condemned extremism after members of a radical Islamist group in Bosnia and Herzegovina protested in front of the Slovenian embassy in Sarajevo Sunday over an alleged non-paper linked to Slovenia that speaks about the breakup of Bosnia-Herzegovina along ethnic lines.

Tirana Mosque Stabbing Shocks Albania’s Muslims

Albanian police in the capital Tirana, August 25, 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/Malton Dibra

"At around 14:30, on Kavaja Street, a citizen entered the premises of a religious cult (mosque) and in still unclear circumstances injured five citizens with a sharp tool," the police said in a press release.

Albania’s Pre-Election Quarantine Order Slated as Voting Trick

The Kakavija crossing point on the border between Albania and Greece on 20 February 2021. Photo: LSA

Kosovo Ex-Guerrilla Pleads Not Guilty to War Crimes

Pjeter Shala, who was a Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA fighter during the 1998-99 conflict with Serbian forces, pleaded not guilty to war crimes at a pre-trial initial appearance at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on Monday.

"I understood [the charges] and I find the accusations ridiculous," Shala told the judge.

Albania’s Coming Election Will Decide Democracy’s Fate

Rama promised to fight corruption and organised crime, reform the healthcare and education systems, create 300,000 new jobs and accelerate EU integration.

Paradoxically, instead of moving the country forward, his premiership has become a major setback for the country.

Pahor rejects “naive and dangerous” ideas of redrawing W Balkan borders

Ljubljana – President Borut Pahor rejected “naive and dangerous” ideas of redrawing borders in the Western Balkans as he addressed reporters on Friday in response to a non-paper floating the idea, arguing the EU’s accelerated enlargement to the region would best to silence such ideas.

Albania Prosecutors Investigate Socialists’ Big-Brother-Style Database

Illustration: David Maddison/Flickr

Bushati said prosecutors asked him where the information came from, and said he had refused to reveal his source, calling the meeting "a short meeting without much substance" while suggesting that the prosecutors should instead investigate how the personal data of the citizens ended up in the hands of a political party.

Kosovo Ex-Guerrilla Sent to Face Charges at Hague War Court

Pjeter Shala, a former Kosovo Liberation Army fighter, was transferred to a detention centre in The Hague on Thursday evening after the Kosovo Specialist Chambers confirmed a four-count indictment charging him with war crimes.

Shala, 57, who was arrested in Belgium last month, is to make an initial appearance before a pre-trial judge on Monday.

"Non-paper" shook the region: New borders in the Balkans

The document, which has raised many eyebrows in the region in recent days reads about the idea for the dismemberment of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the accession of the Republic of Srpska to Serbia and the unification of Kosovo with Albania, and speculates that Slovenian President Janez Jansa sent the "non-paper" to Brussels.

Youth and digitalisation in focus of Adriatic-Ionian conference

Ljubljana – President Borut Pahor said the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative is an important leverage of regional cooperation and European integration of Western Balkan countries as he addressed the 17th conference of parliamentary speakers from the group of 10 countries as part of Slovenia’s presidency of the initiative.

Facebook Reveals Cost of Albanian Parties’ and Candidates’ Election Ads

Facebook logo. Photo: Unsplush/kon-karampelas

According to the report, the biggest parties predictably spent more money in sponsored posts for political content than the others.

Anti-Semitism Used as Tool in Balkan Disputes: Report

Although there is a "low presence of anti-Semitism" and only a few thousand Jews remaining in Western Balkan countries, the issue is being appropriated for use in ongoing regional political disputes, says a new report published by the International Republican Institute NGO on Thursday.