Latest Tirana News
Albania's opposition blocks roads in a protest to demand a caretaker Cabinet
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian opposition activists blocked major roads for several hours Tuesday in a nationwide rally demanding that the government be replaced by a technocratic caretaker Cabinet before the 2025 parliamentary election. Lawmakers led hundreds of opposition...
Albania stops a ship suspected of harboring massive amounts of toxic waste from docking
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania prevented Monday a ship suspected of transferring a huge amount of hazardous waste from docking at Tirana’s main port, officials said, after a watchdog group alerted authorities. The Turkish-flagged Moliva XA443A ship was kept about a mile away from...
EU stays on the sidelines over migrant deal between Italy and Albania
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A top European Union official on Wednesday refused to be drawn on an opinion of an agreement between Italy and Albania to process some migrants in centers set up in the tiny Western Balkan country, saying only that it was being closely monitored. European...
A court says former Albanian president Meta must stay in custody during corruption investigation
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — An Albanian court on Wednesday ruled that former President Ilir Meta should stay in custody while the left-wing Freedom Party leader faces allegations of corruption, money laundering and the hiding of personal income and property. Prosecutors have not yet...
European Commission chief assures Western Balkans of the bloc's enlargement progress
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen began a tour of the Western Balkan countries on Wednesday, assuring them that the enlargement of the trade bloc remained one of its priorities. The Western Balkans countrie s — Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo,...
Albania's opposition protests and demands a caretaker Cabinet
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Opposition supporters in Albania protested again Monday, demanding that the government be replaced by a technocratic caretaker Cabinet before next year’s parliamentary election. The conservative opposition has long accused Prime Minister Edi Rama’s...
Albanian opposition MPs try to disrupt Parliament to protest a colleague's imprisonment
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian opposition lawmakers on Thursday protested in Parliament, burning effigies and clashing with bodyguards, after one of their colleagues was convicted of slander and imprisoned. The conservative Democrat lawmakers, who had called for a boycott of...
Albania's opposition violently interrupt parliament session after lawmaker is sentenced to prison
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian opposition lawmakers violently disrupted a Parliament session Monday to protest the imprisonment of a fellow legislator for alleged slander. The conservative Democratic Party of Albania has long accused the ruling Socialist Party of usurping all the...
Premier says Albania will grant sovereignty to Bektashi Muslims in Tirana, similar to the Vatican
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Sunday his country would transform the Tirana-based Bektashi Muslims, an Islamic Sufi order, into a sovereign state to promote moderation, tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Speaking at the United Nations, Rama pointed...
Albania's former prime minister Sali Berisha is formally charged with corruption
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha on Wednesday said he was formally charged with corruption in connection with a property deal, describing the move as politically motivated. In October, prosecutors publicly put him under investigation for allegedly...
