The article discusses the environmental issue of waste washing up on the shores of Albania and affecting neighboring countries like Croatia. Due to inadequate waste management policies in Albania, garbage from rivers and streams has been found on the beaches, including the tourist destination of Dubrovnik. Environmental activists, such as Xhemal Mato of Ekolevizje and Ermelinda Mahmutaj of Eden, express their concerns about the situation. The European Commission's progress report highlights Albania's shortcomings in waste management, which is a significant issue as the country is an EU candidate. The lack of proper waste disposal services and the informal nature of waste collection are contributing to the pollution of the Adriatic coast, which could also negatively impact the tourism industry.

Albanian Former Health Minister Ilir Beqaj is under investigation for allegedly embezzling EU funds with the help of fake invoices from Gzona, a high-end restaurant in Tirana. The restaurant, known for its gourmet dishes and VIP clientele, including Prime Minister Edi Rama and Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, is at the center of the scandal. The European Union's former ambassador to Albania, Luigi Soreca, and the bloc's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, have also dined there. The case highlights issues of corruption and misuse of EU assistance in Albania.

The article discusses a report by the House of Representatives’ Oversight Committee detailing how foreign officials, including Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama and his advisors, spent significant amounts of money at the Trump International Hotel in Washington DC to potentially influence then-President Donald Trump. The report, titled 'White House for sale, How Princes, Prime Ministers, and Premiers Paid Off President Trump,' reveals that Rama and his associates spent around $6,000 between 2017 and 2020. It also mentions the involvement of former FBI agent Charles McGonigal and the political rivalry in Albania, with both the ruling Socialist Party and the opposition Democratic Party engaging in lobbying efforts in the US. The article raises concerns about the sources of the funds used for these expenditures.

The article discusses the conclusion of the TV reality show Big Brother VIP Albania 2, highlighting the surprise wedding of the show's winner, Luiz Ejlli. After a 133-day run, the host Arbana Osmani announced a surprise for Ejlli as he left the Big Brother house. Dressed formally, Ejlli was escorted by police to the Tirana Municipality House, where he married Kiara Tito, a TV host and his co-participant on the show. The event marked a grand finale for the reality series.

The Social Democratic Party in Albania, headed by Tom Doshi, achieved a surprising result in the May 14 local elections by securing 86,000 votes and electing 116 councillors nationwide. Despite this success, the party's campaign received minimal media coverage. During the election campaign, the party leader and candidates were allotted only 19 minutes and 52 seconds of airtime on the country's major audio-visual operators, which constituted a mere 0.1 percent of the total election campaign coverage in news hours.

The article discusses proposed legislation in Albania that poses a threat to media freedom, with Prime Minister Edi Rama threatening to punish online media outlets he deems as 'trash-bin'. The legislation has been reviewed by the OSCE's Office for Media Freedom and the European Commission, but it is unclear if their recommendations have been incorporated. The government is accused of producing disinformation campaigns, and the proposed bills do not aim to curb this issue. The article suggests that if Albania wants to progress with EU accession negotiations, it should avoid passing laws that restrict media freedom. Similarly, the EU should not ignore such legislation that undermines media freedom in the Western Balkans.

The article discusses the World Bank's strategy to improve public services in the world's poorest countries by hiring former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to advise on governance reforms. Blair, who has a consultancy called Government Advisory Practice (GAP), is involved in setting up 'delivery units' in countries like Albania, with the aim of achieving specific targets in service delivery. The approach, known as 'deliverology', was developed by Sir Michael Barber during Blair's tenure as Prime Minister. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim is a proponent of this method and plans to implement it globally. The article also touches on the potential conflicts of interest due to Blair's various roles and the controversy surrounding his consultancy work, including protests and criticism from watchdog groups and journalists.

Lulzim Basha, the leader of the Albanian Democratic Party, was questioned by Tirana prosecutors regarding discrepancies in the party's declared expenditures for US lobbying activities. The investigation, which began in November 2017 after a BIRN report, focuses on undeclared payments totaling $650,000 to US-based companies for lobbying. The Democratic Party had officially declared only $25,000 in payments to Muzin Capitol Partners. The prosecutors' inquiry revealed that the party had not disclosed payments made to Muzin Capitol Partners or Biniatta Trade LP. Basha maintains that no laws were broken. The case highlights the broader issue of Albanian political parties spending large sums on US lobbying efforts, with a previous instance involving Prime Minister Edi Rama and an illegal donation to the Obama Victory Fund.

Stefan Schumacher and Joachim Matzinger, two Austrian academics at Vienna University, are studying ancient Albanian texts to compile a lexicon of verbs and challenge the long-held belief that the Albanian language originates from the Ancient Illyrians. Their work has sparked debate among Albanian linguists, as the Illyrian origin theory is deeply rooted in Albanian nationalism and education. Linguist Pandeli Pani, who teaches at Jena University in Germany, discusses the political pressures that have historically influenced Albanian scientific thought. Mimoza Kore, a linguistics professor at the University of Tirana, defends the Illyrian-Albanian link, citing archaeological evidence. The article also explores the broader linguistic phenomena in the Balkans, including the 'bastardization' of languages and the role of language in national identity formation. The study of Albanian is noted as a neglected field in European academia, offering a chance for groundbreaking research.

The article discusses the historical significance of Villa 30 in Tirana's Blloku neighborhood, which is known for being the place where Albania's former communist Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu committed suicide. The villa, now a government property, displays statues of Lenin and Stalin and a Zis 69 jeep, symbolizing Albania's communist past. The article also mentions a meeting that took place between former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama at the villa. Following the meeting, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) advertised a tech advisory position in Tirana to assist the Albanian government with service delivery improvements through technology and innovation.