Tirana

PM: EU's active participation in infrastructure projects

BRUSSELS -- Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has said that Tuesday's meeting in Brussels of the six prime ministers from the Western Balkans was "important."

The Environmental Inspectorate, ISHM on Friday ordered Kurum's plant near the city of Elbasan in central Albania to stop work after it found in an investigation that the company generates 48,000 tons of metal slag waste every year, including zinc oxide and lead dust.

BELGRADE - The City of Belgrade will host the Capital Summit 2015 on April 23 bringing together leaders of 12 cities of central and southeast Europe, senior officials of the European Commission and the European Parliament, representatives of international organizations and diplomatic corps and businessmen, reads a statement issued by the City Administration on Wednesday.

BRUSSELS - Statements of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Kosovo Foreign Minister Hasim Taci on unification are unacceptable provocations and are not in line with the policy of cooperation in the region, Spokesperson of the European Commission Maja Kocijancic stated.

Launching his campaign to become the next mayor of the capital, Bojaxhi challenged Albania's two big political parties, the Socialist and Democrats, arguing that they had little to offer the city.

"We have no security in Tirana, are without air and are without clean, unclogged streets," the former minister said.

The zoo in the Albanian capital was shuttered after the video was published online last week by Animal Rescue Albania, a Tirana-based campaign group.

In an open letter to the city's mayor Lulzim Basha, Animal Rescue Albania called on the authorities to close the zoo down and end the cruelty towards the animals kept there.

BELGRADE - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic on Friday discussed with Italy's Ambassador to Serbia Giuseppe Manzo and Raffaele Tiscar, who heads a working group on implementing a Serbia-Italy energy agreement, improvements to the regional transport and energy infrastructures.

FM advises region against taking "steps back"

BELGRADE -- Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has said that officials of the Balkan states should avoid statements that lead "a step back from the crucial things."

"Albanians deserve better than circus politics"

BELGRADE -- Marko Djuric has commented on announcements of "national unification of Albanians" to say that they "deserve more responsible politics."

Several thousand supporters of Albania's opposition centre-right Democratic Party showed their strength in Tirana on Thursday at a rally demanding the resignation of the speaker of parliament, Ilir Meta.

Tom Doshi, a former Socialist Party MP, has caused ructions by claiming that Meta paid an assassin to have him and one other MP killed.