Latest Tirana News
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...
An ethnic Greek politician and EU lawmaker is released on probation in Albania
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A former ethnic Greek mayor of an Albanian town, whose imprisonment on vote-buying charges has strained Albanian-Greek ties, has been released on probation, his office and a lawyer said Monday. Fredis Beleris was freed after a court in Fier, 100 kilometers...
Ethnic Greek politician returns to prison in Albania after attending European Parliament opening
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A member of Albania’s ethnic Greek minority returned to prison Saturday after a five-day reprieve to attend the opening session of the European Parliament where he was elected to represent Greece's ruling party. Fredis Beleris, who holds dual Greek-Albanian...
Albanian authorities strip ethnic Greek mayor of his post for alleged vote buying
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian election authorities on Friday stripped an ethnic Greek minority mayor of his post after he was imprisoned on charges of vote-buying in municipal elections last year. A new election will be held Aug. 4. Fredis Beleris, 51, was elected...
Thousands pay their respects to renowned Albanian writer Ismail Kadare at his state funeral
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Thousands of people paid their last respects to Ismail Kadare in a state funeral held in Tirana Wednesday, with a minute's silence held nationwide in memory of the renowned Albanian novelist and poet who died earlier this week. Kadare's coffin, surrounded by...
Albania's world-renowned novelist Ismail Kadare dies at 88
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian novelist and poet Ismail Kadare, whose irreverent works from inside communist Albania earned him international renown and repression from the country's dictatorship, has died in Tirana, his publishing editor said Monday. He was 88. Kadare won a...
