Latest News from Albania
The COVID black market
By Yannis Goranitis
The first patient to be hospitalised this year in a Greek hospital ICU due to COVID-19 complications is a 65-year-old Russian man who reportedly entered Greece by presenting a forged PCR test.
That case intensified the concerns of Greek authorities because last year as well they had caught foreign tourists with falsified certificates.
Slovenian FM Sides with Skopje against Bulgaria, Requesting EU "action" for Western Balkans Enlargement
The EU needs to move "as soon as possible" from a wait-and-see approach to a problem-solving strategy in dealing with enlargement and the Western Balkans, said Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar in an interview about the priorities for his country's upcoming EU Council presidency.
Serbia Aligns With EU Sanctions on Belarus
The Council of Europe on Monday said several EU candidate countries in the Balkans had aligned themselves with the Council Decision to strengthen restrictive measures on Belarus by introducing a ban on the overflight of EU airspace and access to EU airports of Belarusian carriers of all kinds.
Djerlek: We will reach that number today
"Today, we will exceed 50 percent of those vaccinated against COVID-19 by several thousand, and by the end of June, we can have 50 percent of those revaccinated, which is a huge success," he told RTS.
He added that besides Belgrade and Novi Sad, most people were vaccinated in Priboj - 60 percent, then in Nis, and the least in Tutin - 14 percent and Novi Pazar - 23 percent.
Bulgaria and North Macedonia Have New Chance to Work Togerther towards Ignoring out All Misunderstandings
I hope that the atmosphere of trust and mutual respect of national interests continues in the direction of finding a solution, because the European perspective for the Republic of North Macedonia and that for the Western Balkans are in the interest of Bulgaria, the region and the entire EU.
Collecting Chrome, Albanian Women Face Exploitation
Vjollca Gjelleshi closed a difficult chapter six years ago when she decided to swap her hammer for a small business selling second-hand shoes.
Gjelleshi had spent 14 years working in the mines of her hometown, Bulqiza, in northeastern Albania, half of that time separating chrome from stone and loading it into buckets.
Turkish foreign minister to meet EU foreign policy chief
The Turkish foreign minister and EU foreign policy chief are scheduled to have a bilateral meeting in Antalya, southern Turkey on June 18.
During the bilateral meeting, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Josep Borrell will review "all aspects of the relations" ahead of EU summit that will be held on June 24-25, said a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
French family tours Turkey on caravan
A French photographer is touring Turkey on a caravan with his family, while photographing and documenting the journey.
Fifty-eight-year-old Eric Guedeney, an artist, said he entered Turkey from one of the only two provinces bordering Europe, Edirne, two and a half months ago. Now, they're in Antalya and have been admiring the country.
Bulgarian PM Yanev Met with His N.Macedonian Counterpart Zaev
The Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev is visiting Bulgaria. He held talks with his Bulgarian caretaker PM Stefan Yanev on June 17.
Bulgaria Takes over Rotating Presidency of SEDM Process
As of July 1, 2021, Bulgaria will become the rotating chair of the SEDM process (South East Europe Defence Ministerial). In preparation for the adoption of the mandate, representatives of the current President of the Republic of Albania are visiting Sofia until 18 June.
Bulgaria: Zoran Zaev’s Visit to Sofia Paves Way to Compromise
The delegation of the Republic of North Macedonia led by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev arrives in Bulgaria.
With Parliament Decision, Albania Deals Fresh Blow to Media Freedom
Journalists in Albania will no longer have access to parliament, shutting off one of the last public bodies where they could freely meet contacts and ask questions.
North Macedonia Seeks Austrian Footballer’s Punishment for ‘Ethnic Insult’
North Macedonia's Football Federation on Monday asked UEFA to harshly punish Arnautovic, an Austrian player of Serbian descent, for directing an ethnic insult at a player of ethnic Albanian origin from North Macedonia's team.
The federation said it "strongly condemns the nationalist rant of the Austrian representative".
Serbia Commemorates 1999 Battle Against Kosovo Guerrillas
Senior state and military officials including Defence Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and Serbian Army chief Milan Mojsilovic attended the commemorative event at Belgrade's Kombank Hall on Sunday evening to mark the 22nd anniversary of the two-month-long Battle of Kosare.
US, Albania, Welcome Agreement on ‘Trustworthy’ 5G
Albania is the latest country to join the queue in the region for reliable 4G and 5G networks after Prime Minister Edi Rama signed a memorandum with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels on Sunday.
Without explicitly mentioning the Chinese giant, the agreement likely excludes China's Huawei from the competition.