Latest News from Albania
Generations of Albanians Lived off Cannabis Production. Can They Stop?
Some 3,739 were convicted, including Valentina, but her brush with the law hasn't stopped her. Valentina's persistence is testimony to the deep roots of cannabis cultivation in rural regions of Albania, where poverty is rife and cannabis is seen as a financial lifeline. Police collusion also remains common.
Albania Reopens Airport After Authorities Detain Protesters
Albanian Minister of Transportation and Energy, Belinda Balluku, on Friday said the situation at Albania's main airport was returning to "normality" after a work stoppage by air traffic controllers over pay brought operations grinding to a halt.
"Starting from 9am today, operations at Rinas airport in Albanian airspace are going back to normality," Balluku wrote on Facebook.
From Belgrade to London, Roma Girl Band Sings for Female Empowerment
"Nobody forced me to do so. It was my own choice, but I made a mistake. That's why we aim to encourage other young girls not to let their parents arrange a marriage they don't want. At the same time, we advocate that they get a new perspective on life."
Poverty and discrimination
Photo: GRUBB/Daniel Ibraimovic
Albania Parties Trade Blame as Protest Closes Main Airport
Albania deployed army and police forces at the country's only international airport on Wednesday after protesting air trafficker controllers halted inbound and outbound flights.
The air traffic controllers were not allowed to enter the airport. The prosecution has opened an investigation into allegations of "abuse of duty". Police issued restraining orders for three of them.
Human Rights Worsened in Central, Southeast Europe, in Pandemic – Amnesty
The COVID-19 pandemic saw an increase in state control over the judiciary and media and further endangered minorities that already suffer from discrimination in Central and Southeast Europe, rights watchdog Amnesty International said in its annual report published on Monday.
Kosovo MP Urges Albania to Offer his Country COVID Vaccines
An opposition Kosovo MP has called on the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, to open vaccination centres for Kosovo citizens at a time when Kosovo has one the lowest COVID vaccination rates in Europe.
Facebook Clamps Down on Iranian Dissident ‘Troll Farm’ In Albania
Facebook removed more than 300 Facebook and Instagram accounts belonging to members of an Iranian dissident group based in Albania that had been targeting Iran and content related to Iran.
Albanian COVID-19 Patients Struggle for Promised Cash for Medicines
Albania's health minister has said that all COVID-19 patients who are treated at home will be reimbursed for medicines they buy during their treatment - but getting the money back has sometimes proved impossible.
Sami Kohen observes 80th year in Turkish journalism
Sami Kohen, a 93-year-old active journalist known as a flagship of international news coverage in Turkey, has told the milestone of his 80-year-long professional life in the latest interview with daily Hürriyet.
Born in 1928 in Istanbul as a son of Albert Kohen, Kohen's first piece was published in a newspaper when he was only 13.
Montenegro’s Empty Resorts Await Summer Season With Anxiety
Locals in Montenegro's coastal resort towns fear another bad tourist season lies ahead, as most of the resorts on the Adriatic are still almost empty. The country is recording a high number of COVID-19 cases, restrictive health measures remain in force and curfew is enforced from 10 pm to 5 am. Intercity traffic is also prohibited.
Albanian Police Seize ‘Arsenal’ After Raiding Illegal Weapons Depots
Albanian Police seized 18 illegal weapons bases on Thursday in the capital, Tirana, which they believe are connected to organised crime groups and arrested five people. Another two were declared wanted.
The police operation, codenamed "Complex", also helped uncover three past unsolved crimes related to guns and explosives.
Kosovo Police Detain Wartime Massacre Suspect
Kosovo's Special Prosecution said in a statement on Wednesday that a suspect identified only by the initials M.A. has been detained "for the criminal offence 'war crimes against the civilian population'".
The prosecution said that the person who was arrested, an ethnic Albanian who holds Serbian citizenship, will soon appear before a pre-trial judge.
US Concerned About Continuing Rights Violations in South-East Europe
The US State Department's 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, which was published on Tuesday, warned that countries in the Balkans and south-east Europe have continuing problems with media freedom, censorship and violence against journalists, while officials are not being sanctioned for rights violations.
Bloomberg – Thousands came to Serbia to get a free vaccine
The president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Marko Cadez talked to Bloomberg about vaccination weekend and some 8,500 doses of vaccines donated to business people from the region.
Diplomat Lazar Comanescu, new Secretary General of Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization
The Romanian diplomat Lazar Comanescu received the position of Secretary General of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), the Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu said, adding that this nomination represents "a success for the Romanian diplomacy".