Latest Premium Articles from Albania
Albania’s Last Stone Villages Await New Lease of Life
Two projects financed by the World Bank aim to preserve the vernacular architecture of the villages of Albania’s Rivera - though locals doubt that such projects can rebuild a long-lost sense of community.
Albanian Authors Wait in Vain for Lost Royalties
Artists haven’t received royalties for years - because the system tasked with enforcing copyright law and collecting them appears to have collapsed.
‘Gifts’ to Albanian Judges Alarm Fraud Investigators
Anti-Corruption agency has launched a probe into the family assets of a top judge – one of many officials who has accrued surprising wealth from relatives’ generous presents.
Literary Prize Holdup Feeds Albanian Writers’ Suspicions
Albania’s national literary prizes have been delayed by months – adding to writers’ angst about the little attention they receive from the state.
Albanians who Saved Jews From Nazis Honoured in Film
New film challenges hoary clichés about Muslims by recalling the heroic Albanians who kept 2,000 Jews safe in the Holocaust.
Greek Crisis Pushes Albanian Returnees into Drug Trade
As economic turmoil in Greece leaves many poor Albanians in the country jobless, some of those returning home are being drawn into the cannabis trade centred on a notorious village.
Albania Mayor Vows to Revive Riviera Pearl’s Glory
Despite a wildcat construction boom that is choking the town with its own phenomenal growth, Mayor Stefan Cipa says the battle to preserve Saranda is not lost.
Treasure Hunters Rob Albania in Broad Daylight
Ancient tomb is only the latest site to be ravaged by looters on the hunt for gold and artifacts - who are devastating Albania’s archeological sites under the noses of the authorities.
Albania Activists Lament Demolition of Hoxha Pyramid
Plans to demolish one of Tirana’s best-known landmarks, a former museum dedicated to Enver Hoxha, have drawn the ire of architects, activists and even some former Hoxha-era political prisoners.
New Secrets of Ancient Times Emerge in Butrint
Archeologists are unearthing an important new building in the UNESCO-protected ancient city in Albania, which could shed fresh light on the life of the Roman colony.
Albania Politicians Splash Out on US Lobbying
Albanian politicians spend huge sums annually on US lobbying, trying to impress voters with their access to policymakers - but what do they achieve and where does the money come from?
Albania’s Power Crisis Pinned on Company Errors
Irresponsible exports of electricity by the Power Corporation in 2011 played a key role in fomenting the worst energy crisis in Albania’s modern history.
Funding Reform Leaves Albanian Arts in Limbo
As the third law on arts funding in 20 years struggles to be implemented, dilemmas about the public financing of festivals and arts events seem no nearer a solution.
Socialist Sees Red Over Albania’s Centennial
While the government unveils a list of events to mark the day, one MP says they are not delivering what they promised and have deliberately sidelined the town where independent Albania was born.
Albania’s Nationalists Corner Market in Graffiti
Graffiti in most countries is part of the artistic weaponry of the rebellious, leftwing counter-culture – but not in Albania, where so far it’s mainly being used to send nationalist messages.
