Stories about Albanian
Albania's democracy hangs by a thread as opposition quits parliament, launches mass protests
The EU and other Western powers criticized the lawmakers' decision. NATO-member Albania aims to begin full EU-membership negotiations in 2019.
The Alliance for the Protection of Theatre fights to preserve Albania's cultural heritage
"Do not erase the collective memory of the generations. Any new theatre is welcome but we do not have to destroy the old one."
Albanian Activists Hold Two-Day Protest Against the Building of Hydropower Plants in Valbona National Park
There are three hydropower plants under construction, and eight more are being considered by the Ministry of Energy in the pristine natural heritage areas across Albania.
Albanian Prime Minister Insults Journalists After Parliament Votes to Protect Lawmaker From Arrest
The Albanian Journalists' Union condemned "that such behavior and insulting communication is directly related to the dire situation faced by journalism in Albania."
Critics Say Albanian Parliament Is Trying to Amnesty Crooked Politicians, Under Pretext of Judicial Reform
Following protests, Albania's president has rejected legislation that could have spared the hides of many corrupt politicians. But it could still become law, regardless.
Albanians From Macedonia Cross Ethnic Lines to Vote Against Ruling Parties
Ethnicity plays a big role in Macedonian politics, and Albanians are the country's second-largest ethnic community.
Albanian Activists Rally Against a ‘Concrete’ End for Tirana's Last Public Park
"...the voice and perspective raised by numerous civic movements has met with outright arrogance by the Tirana Municipality authorities..."
Albanian Police Use Force Against Protesters Defending the Capital's Last Public Park
One police officer was heard threatening them with the words: "There will be blood!"
Google's Optical Character Recognition Software Now Works with All South Asian Languages
Google's OCR software supports more than 248 world languages, including all the major South Asian languages, bringing together hope for the large-scale digitization of old texts.
Protests as Macedonia's Government Gives a Polluting Factory in Tetovo Another Break
Residents in several Macedonian cities protest the government's indecisiveness in doing anything about the dangerous levels of air pollution in and around Tetovo.
Analysts Warn about Fragility of Peace in Macedonia
Analysts warn of the high risk of ethnic clashes in Macedonia that began earlier in 2014 when protesters questioned the sentencing of six Albanian Macedonian men for a "terrorist killing".
Macedonian Authorities Claim Social Networks ‘Have Always Been Blocked’ in University Dorms
Residents of a state-run student dormitory in Skopje began an online campaign to expose the horrific living conditions. Then, access to Facebook and other websites was cut off.
Macedonia 2014 Elections Quick Reference Guide
April 2014 is election season in Macedonia, casting votes for a new president and a new parliament. This short article lists the basic information and online resources.
‘Sleeping Lion’ China Awakened, Says President Xi Jinping
Evoking Napoleon during his visit to France, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country is an awakened lion that is “peaceful, pleasant and civilized”
“Manipulative” Coverage of Macedonia's Media Law
“Practice indicates that responsible and ethical journalism is never the result of state legislation and regulations, but of the voluntary compliance with the code created by the media community itself.” This statement from the Guide on Ethics in Journalism [mk] opens Žarko Trajanoski's analysis [en] of the “manipulations” by Macedonia's...
Shedding Light on Macedonia's “Black Monday”
In order to shed light on the events of Dec. 24, 2012, when journalists and opposition MPs were thrown out of the Macedonian Parliament [en, es, mk], Foundation Open Society Institute Macedonia (@fosim) published a study entitled “Black Monday” [.pdf: en, mk, sq], with testimonies of witnesses and participants and...
Tax Holiday for Albanian Youth?
THREE YEAR TAX LIFT FOR EMPLOYED YOUTH In a significant boost to youth employment, the government will decide during the coming weeks about the lifting of taxes (social security, health and personal income tax) and expenses of new trainings of those employed in the private sector. We keep our promises! The...
Journalists, Opposition Thrown Out of Macedonian Parliament Amid Street Protests
On Monday, Dec. 24, the Macedonian capital Skopje was shaken by a violent protest - and a counter-protest - related to the Parliament's approval of the 2013 state budget. Filip Stojanovski reports.
Macedonia: Nude Art Twitter Calendar for Charity
Twelve Macedonian women – regular Twitter users – took part in a humanitarian project organized by @IlinaBookbox, two photographers and one designer via the hashtag #ТвитерКалендар (Macedonian for ‘Twitter Calendar’). The resulting nude art calendar was donated to anti-cancer association Borka [wallpapers available via mk, mk, sq]. The original photos...
“Kosovo 2.0 Talks Sex” Launch Party Cancelled Due to Attack
Kosovo 2.0 was planning to launch its new print issue at the "Kosovo 2.0 Talks Sex" event, on Dec. 14. However, shortly before the launch party started, a group of approximately 20 men entered the Pristina venue, destroyed the stage and beat up one of the employees. The event was cancelled. Elena Ignatova reports.
Despite Threats, Macedonian Activists Fight for Fair Energy Law
Members of the grassroots civil initiative AMAN, who are demanding fair energy legislation and an end to state-controlled price hikes in Macedonia, are facing various forms of pressure, including increasing threats. On Saturday, the police averted a violent incident during a rally.
