Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.

Quiet year for asylum and citizenship in Albania
Albania registered a steep decline in asylum requests in 2024, with just 104 applications, down from 261 the year before. Most asylum seekers originated from Afghanistan (27.9%), Syria (17.3%), and Pakistan (10.6%). More than half of all...

Albania’s ‘Lads of London’ Create Bigger Problems for Their Home Country
A dry season, newswise, from the Balkans, has been filled a bit over the last week by a series of posts on X exchanged between British far-right leader Nigel Farage and Albanian MP Edi Rama over the level of criminality among Albanians living in...

Lessons Albania Can Teach the World
Dr Khaled El-Enany, former minister of Tourism and Antiquities in Egypt and candidate of Egypt, the League of Arab States and the African Union for the post of Director -General of UNESCO, visited the Albanian capital as part of his campaign for...

Customs corruption ring at border crossing with Albania dismantled
NEWS [InTime News] Thirteen customs officials – including the supervisor – stationed at the Mavromati border crossing to Albania have appeared before an investigating magistrate following their arrest by the police’s internal affairs division. The...

Bankers Petroleum Albania Ltd Evaded Taxes by Declaring Losses for 20 Years; Fier Prosecution Issues 14 Precautionary Measures
Fier Prosecution has issued 14 precautionary measures against Bankers Petroleum Albania Ltd, accused for “Creation of fraudulent schemes regarding value added tax,” “Concealment of income,” “Laundering the proceeds of criminal offense or criminal...

Albania evacuates citizens from Iran amid strained ties
TIRANA, July 1 – Albania has evacuated a family of five from Iran, despite having no diplomatic relations with Tehran, Foreign Minister Igli Hasani confirmed in a televised interview. Hasani told Top Channel the operation was completed five days...

The not-so-affordable housing in the Balkans
For the past seven years, Dejana Stosic, a 26-year-old, has been renting in Serbia’s capital after relocating from a small town in the south of the country. Stostic recently found a job with a higher salary as a coordinator at a private company in...

Tourism lifts Albania’s fuel and beer sales
A surge in tourist arrivals is boosting consumption of excise goods in Albania, including fuel, beer, cigarettes, and coffee, according to customs data for the first half of 2025. Fuel use hit a record 357,000 tonnes, up 14% year-on-year, driven...

Albania’s manufacturing sector faces fresh job cuts
Albania’s garment and footwear industry faces new factory closures and layoffs after summer, driven by falling orders, euro depreciation, and rising costs, industry leaders warned. Edvin Prençe, head of ProEksport Albania, said the sector employs...

Albanian Parliament Speaker Elisa Spiropali Lays Wreath at Monument to Unknown Soldier in Sofia
Albanian Parliament Speaker Elisa Spiropali Thursday laid a wreath at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier in central Sofia. The ceremony is part of her two-day visit at the invitation of National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova. The two...

Here’s how the government wants to tackle illegal migration with France
Small boats have been at the heart of discussions between Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron this week (Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire) Plenty of big issues have been on the table during Emmanuel Macron’s state visit this week, but one looms over all: the...

Armenia, Azerbaijan hold ‘constructive’ peace talks in UAE
ABU DHABI The crucial meeting between Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the United Arab Emirates took place in a “constructive atmosphere,” diplomatic sources from Baku informed on July 10. Held in...

Albania sees strong deposit and lending growth
Deposits in both the lek and euro have surged in Albania, according to Bank of Albania data as of the end of May. Lek-denominated savings reached 645 billion leks, rising by 5 billion from April, largely driven by businesses but significantly...

Albania’s anti-corruption office probes DP’s $6M US lobbying deal
Albania’s anti-corruption office has opened a criminal investigation into the Democratic Party’s (DP) $6 million lobbying contract with a Washington-based consulting firm. Signed on April 4, 2025, the contract was brokered through the “Make...
Armenia, Azerbaijan to meet for peace talks in UAE
AFP | Baku Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet today in the United Arab Emirates for peace talks, two days after the US expressed hope for a swift deal. Baku and Yerevan fought two wars over the...

Bankers Petroleum Albania Ltd Evaded Taxes by Declaring Losses for 20 Years; Fier Prosecution Issues 14 Precautionary Measures, Executes 9, Declares 5 Wanted
Fier Prosecution issued 14 precautionary measures against Bankers Petroleum Albania Ltd, accused for “Creation of fraudulent schemes regarding value added tax,” “Concealment of income,” “Laundering the proceeds of criminal offense or criminal...

Moldova and Albania Share Best Practices in the EU Accession Process
Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov discussed the stages of EU accession negotiations and best practices for European integration with Albania’s Ambassador to the European Union, Ferit Hoxha, during a recent meeting...

Opposition leader calls Albania 'Europe’s first narco-state' at OSCE
TIRANA, July 3 — Albanian opposition leader Sali Berisha told the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and members of the European People’s Party (EPP) that Albania has become “Europe’s first and only narco-state,” accusing the government of systemic...

Italy and Albania target cocaine-linked property ring in joint operation
Italian and Albanian prosecutors have frozen more than €4 million in assets as part of a joint investigation into a drug trafficking and money laundering network allegedly led by two Albanian brothers. The group is accused of smuggling cocaine...

Albania expands free public beach access nationwide
For the first time, Albania has guaranteed free public access to all of its beaches during the 2025 summer season, under a national regulation mandating that 30% of every stretch of coastline remain open and free of charge. The policy, passed by...