Albania

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama praised the decision of the sports arbitration court on Friday to award the abandoned football match in Belgrade to Albania.

"Suppeeer, this is what means to have European justice, three point for the red-and-black football team," Rama wrote in reference to Albania's national colours.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, in homage to his artistic roots, has opened an art gallery on the first floor of the government building in Tirana - though not all artists seem appreciative.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel continued her visit to Serbia on Thursday with a meeting with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic.

Merkel arrived here late on Wednesday and conferred with Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.

16 years have passed since the murder of three U.S. citizens of Albanian origin, Illy, Agron and Mehmet Bytyqi.

No one has so far been held responsible for their deaths. The case remains unsolved and is an important topic and the major obstacle in relations between the U.S. and Serbia in the 21st century.

After a large-scale manhunt, police on Sunday arrested Sokol Mjacaj, the suspect in the murder of Czech couple who were shot dead in their car while driving in a mountainous area in Albania's rugged north.

Michael Svatos, 27, and his partner Anna Kosinova, 36, were killed on a mountain road on Friday and their car was pushed into a ravine.

There are good prospects for Albania, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to join the European Union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said.

The head of the IMF in Albania, Nadeem Ilhahi, on Tuesday said that the banking sector in Albania faces few risks as a result of the worsening Greek debt crisis.

It is one of Europe?s oldest people, yet has a Muslim majority. The whole nation is ethnically homogenous, yet split among three religions. The language is as old as ancient Greek, yet includes many American words. And on top of it, the prime minister is a famous painter. 

This unique country is none other than Albania.

Albanian police have continued combing the village of Lazarat, conducting house-to-house searches to find members of the armed group that on Wednesday killed 31-year-old special forces officer Ibrahim Basha in an ambush.

Since the operation started on Wednesday, police have detained dozens of suspects, mostly young man, for questioning by prosecutors.

Albania's left-wing governing coalition scored a massive victory in last Sunday's local elections, winning about 62 per cent of the vote, while international observers raised concerns about allegations of vote-buying and intimidation.