Latest News from Albania
NATO Multinational Battle Group conducts Exercise in Bulgaria
The multinational NATO battle group in Bulgaria is conducting a large-scale exercise at the Novo Selo training ground.
The group was created last year to bolster the alliance's eastern flank following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Albania Moves to Establish Local Arbitration Court to Replace ICSID
Albania's Justice Minister, Ulsi Manja, presented a draft law on Thursday for the establishment of a local court to settle commercial disputes, after the PM announced that Albania might leave the international arbitration body.
EU’s Frontex deploys border guards in joint operation with North Macedonia
The European Union's border agency, Frontex, started deploying guards at North Macedonia's southern border with Greece on Thursday in a joint operation with Skopje to control and prevent illegal migration and cross-border crime.
Deserted Albanian Village Tries to Keep Ancient Carnival Alive
Centuries later, local inhabitants are trying hard to protect those traditions following a different type of epidemic: mass emigration and population collapse.
The carnival summons home those that emigrated years ago for three days of festivities. Photo:Nensi Bogdani.
Albania to extradite fugitive crypto boss today
Faruk Fatih Özer, arrested by Albanian police for defrauding investors on his cryptocurrency platform, Thodex, was extradited to Türkiye on April 20, the Albanian Supreme Court has ordered.
Türkiye issued an international arrest warrant in April 2021 for the fugitive businessman after he fled with a reported $20 million in investors' assets.
Socialist Party Candidate’s Son Accused of Vote Buying in Albania Election
Albanian police on Tuesday blocked a private minivan at Kruma carrying packages labelled "Rezerva Materiale Shtetërore", (State Material Reserves), following complaints by opposition activists in a mayoral election that the ruling Socialists were engaged in vote buying in this remote area in northern Albania.
The trial of Thaçi and other former KLA leaders continues in The Hague today
The trial of former KLA leaders Hashim Thai, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi began on April 3.
Confidence Tricks: Tirana’s Place in an International ‘Investment’ Scam
On November 14, 2018, a woman called Merce Puig Ribot walked into a police station in the small town of Puigcerda in Catalonia, Spain, to complain that she had been defrauded of more than half a million euros by a company masquerading as a stock market investment intermediary.
How Fear of Albanians Went Mainstream in 1990s Italy
Negative and positive stereotypes about Albanians are the legacy of colonial ideology. However, the recent phenomenon of marginalization spread in the early 1990s, when Albanians emigrated abroad. Albanians felt unwelcome in Western European countries and some of them tried to conceal themselves in order not to be harassed.
Albania to Honour Heroes Who Saved Jews from Holocaust
During the event, Rama said: "It is another very important moment in Tirana's history, urban development, and architecture, and I believe we will finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief from a long-standing burden of obligation in relation to our children and visitors to our country, related to perhaps the most glorious page of Albanian history, the rescue of Jews during World War II."
North Macedonia Archaeologists Halt Controversial Highway Legislation
After a protest by archaeologists in Skopje on Monday, MPs shelved a controversial legal change that would have bypassed any state decision-making over any archaeological finds along the routes of new highways that are due to be built.
Kosovo, Serbia Hold Rival Commemorations of Vital 1999 Battle
Hundreds of Kosovo Albanians and troops gathered on Sunday in the village of Koshare/Kosare to commemorate the anniversary of a key battle 24 years ago near the Kosovo-Albania border between the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA fighters and Yugoslav Army troops.
Cincinnati down Union to stay top
Cincinnati extended their unbeaten start to the Major League Soccer season with a 1-0 victory over Philadelphia Union on April 8 to remain on top of the Eastern Conference standings.
Albanian PM Threatens to Quit International Arbitration Body
Prime Minister Edi Rama told a press conference on Friday that a decision by International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, ICSID to award Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti around 110 million euros in compensation was "scandalous" and said Albania might quit the body in response.
Albanian visitors to Greece break receipts record in 2022
Albanian tourist revenues in Greece rose spectacularly by 157% last year compared to 2021 and by 33% compared to 2019, Greek Deputy Minister for Tourism Sofia Zacharaki said after attending "The Future of Environmental Sustainable Tourism in Albania" (FESTA) forum in Tirana on April 3-5.