Newspapers in Albania
According to THERELIGIONFAQS.COM, Albania is a country located in Europe. The spread of daily newspapers in Albania is small (35 newspaper excl. Per 1,000 inv., 2000). Until 1991, the mass media was controlled by the Communist Party; thereafter the media structure changed and new newspapers and magazines were started, among other things. by political organizations. The Socialist Party’s magazine Zëri in Popullit (‘The Voice of the People’, founded in 1942) has received competition from mainly the Democratic Party’s Rilindja Demokratike (‘The Rebirth of Democracy’, founded in 1991) and the independent Koha Jonë (‘Our time’, founded in 1991).
Radio (two national channels and four regional) and television (one national channel) are state-funded and governed since 1991 by a parliamentary media commission. Radio broadcasting (Radio Tirana) began in 1938 and TV broadcasting in 1971. An independent radio station, Contact Radio, was started in 1997 at the same time as an independent TV station, Alba Television, was closed. Italian TV can be received in Albania. The state news agency ATA was founded in 1929. There are 243 radio and 123 TV receivers per 1,000 residents (2000).
Culture
During the Ottoman (Turkish) period (1468-1912), Albanian culture was suppressed for a long time. A national renaissance occurred in the latter half of the 19th century and the foundation was laid for modern national literature. Since Albania became independent in 1912, a number of books with patriotic content were published.
During the communist era (1945–1991), writers and artists had to reflect the work of creating a socialist society. After Ramiz Alias took power in 1985, the rules began to soften. The censorship was not abolished, but writers were given the opportunity to reveal abuses committed under the representative of Enver Hoxha’s regime (see Modern History).
The most well-known Albanian author is Ismail Kadare (1936–), whose books have been translated into Swedish. Kadare lived in exile in Paris in the early 1990s but later split his time between France and Albania. A well-known novel by the often Nobel-awarded cadre is The General of the Dead Army (1963). In The Chronicle of Stone (1971) he depicts life in his hometown Gjirokastër during the Second World War.
The cities of Gjirokastër and Berat in southern Albania have both been classified by the UN agency Unesco as a World Heritage Site for their well-preserved city centers from the Ottoman period.
Albania has rich folk music traditions. In the north, the long epic is sung to accompany the single stringed instrument lahuta or the long neck end çifteli. Art music also rests largely on folk musical grounds.
2015
December
Criminals are excluded from public office
Parliament adopts a constitutional amendment to exclude serious criminals from Parliament and other public bodies. Persons convicted of, among other things, murder, rape or genocide should not be able to hold any public office. Those convicted of corruption are excluded from state and municipal mandates for 20 years, while a sentence of no more than two years in prison leads to a ten-year ban on holding public service.
Support for the search for the victims of communism
The government promises to help in the search for the remains of the around 6,000 people who were executed or died in prison camps during the communist period of 1946-1991. The work is done on the initiative of the International Commission for Missing People (ICMP). The government is organizing a donor conference to raise money for the work.
August
State expenditure cuts
The government cuts state spending by 4 percent to meet the estimated budget deficit despite significantly lower revenues than planned. It is above all tax revenue that does not reach what is budgeted.
July
Protests against new university team
Parliament adopts a law on state funding of private universities. The law triggers protests from students and a number of publicly employed professors who argue that the law threatens the independence of higher education and increases the risk of state governance of the academic world.
May
Report on deeply rooted corruption
A parliamentary commission writes in a report that corruption is deeply rooted at all levels of the judicial system, from police to judges. According to the report, judges can buy attractive items for up to EUR 300,000. It is the first official confirmation of widely disseminated information that judges can buy services in larger cities, where it is easier to take bribes than in rural areas.
Visit by the Prime Minister of Serbia
Serbia’s Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić visits Albania, as the first Serbian high politician (see also November 2014).
April
Documents from the communist era are opened
Parliament adopts a law that allows transparency in the personalities established by the Communist-era security police; A committee shall examine the documents and, upon request, disclose them to the parties concerned. Around one fifth of Alban is believed to have cooperated with the security service Sigurimi and provided information about acquaintances, colleagues or relatives who behaved “suspiciously”. Persons seeking public services or candidates for a political assignment should be able to obtain a certificate from the Review Committee that they have not cooperated with the secret police.
February
Prison for theft in the central bank
Ten former employees of the central bank are sentenced to imprisonment for between one month and two years for breach of service obligations in connection with a theft of just over EUR 5 million from the bank. They receive mild penalties in exchange for having pleaded guilty. Whoever has been appointed for the theft is still facing trial.
Explosion attacks in Tirana
Two explosive charges explode in Tirana, however without harming people. One is located at a pharmacy owned by the home minister’s father, the other at a police chief’s residence. Prime Minister Rama describes the killing as terrorist attacks intended to stop the government’s efforts against organized crime. Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri is leading the work on drug trafficking, electricity theft and other crime.
