Top Story
Albanians Apathetic About Election, Poll Shows
A new poll published by TV Ora News and conducted by the Italian company IPR Marketing shows that most Albanians have little interest in the campaign for the June 23 elections.
Politics and Society
Amnesty Lists Rights Failings in Balkans in 2012
The Amnesty International Report for 2012 listed war crimes prosecutions and discrimination against sexual and ethnic minorities as among the most pressing rights issues in the Balkans.
Albania’s Catholic Bishops Warn Against Election Fraud
Albania’s bishops have called on believers not to sell their votes in the June 23 parliamentary elections, while urging politicians to clean up their confrontational rhetoric.
Iranian Opposition Activists Moved to Albania
Fourteen Iranian exiles from the opposition group have been relocated to Albania from Baghdad to ensure their safety, the United Nations mission to Iraq said on Thursday.
Croatia Leads Balkans on Gay Rights Legislation
Croatia leads the Balkans in providing the best legal environment for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people, while Macedonia offers the least protection, new research says.
Albania Campaign Eve Misdeeds Go Unpunished
Reports of pressure on Albanian public servants to attend political rallies on the eve of the electoral campaign are not being monitored by the election commission because of a legal loophole, an expert says.
Business
Dutch Airline to Fly Tourists to Albania
ArkeFly, the Dutch leisure airline, has introduced a new service to Albania with a direct flight between Amsterdam and Tirana International Airport, TIA.
Albania Seeks Azeri Blessing for Gas Pipeline
Prime Minister Sali Berisha on Sunday asked Azerbaijan's President, Ilham Aliyev, to support construction of the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline, TAP.
Serbia Tops Balkans For Illicit Financial Flows
The organisation Global Financial Integrity has ranked Serbia worst of all Balkan countries when it comes to illegal financial flows.
Cost of Mismanagement Rises in Albania
The annual report of the High State Audit office says poor management of state-owned companies cost Albania twice as much in 2012 as it did the previous year.
Albania Accuses Kosovo of Dairy Trade War
Albanian minsters say Kosovo is making use of consumer worries about levels of aflatoxin in milk to damage the commercial interest of Albanian dairies.
Culture and Lifestyle
Troubled Albanian Museum Sunk by Hoxha Row
Donors spent hundreds of thousands of euro building a new museum in Gjirokastra - but the results were questionable and it ultimately closed over an ideological dispute.
Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro Fail to Qualify for Eurosong
All Balkan contestants in the semi finals on Tuesday failed to qualify for Eurosong. Macedonia and Albania are still hoping they will qualify on Thursday show in Malmo.
Balkan Contestants Gear Up For Eurovision
Performers from Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia will take to the stage for the first semi-final of Eurovision 2013 on Tuesday, closely watched by the glitzy song contest’s Balkan fans.
BIRN Fellows for 2013 Selected
The jury in the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence has selected 10 participants for this year’s programme.
Berlin Wall Fragment Joins Albanian Memorial
A fragment of the Berlin wall, a mushroom-shaped bunker and some of the concrete pillars of a notorious formed labour camp are all parts of an installation inaugurated in Tirana on Tuesday to commemorate the victims of the Communist regime.
Premium
Troubled Albanian Museum Sunk by Hoxha Row
Donors spent hundreds of thousands of euro building a new museum in Gjirokastra - but the results were questionable and it ultimately closed over an ideological dispute.
Press Review
Albania Press Review - May 23, 2013
Berisha declares his love for farming, nationalist party accuses Socialists of pressure against its activists, US urges resolution of CEC row.
Country Profile
Figure in Focus
Tough Prosecutor Shakes Albania’s Establishment
Ina Rama’s impressive showing on a pro-government TV show has wowed critics and has inspired talk of her a model stateswoman.
Key Political Parties
Key Political Parties in Albania
After the January 21 riots and a prolonged power struggle that has hampered its EU aspirations and strained the country’s fragile institutions, Albania’s political parties head to the May 8 local elections, considered as key to the country’s democratic credentials.
