Sali Berisha

Opposition groups led by the Democratic Party, are preparing for a major rally in the Albanian capital, Tirana, on May 13, raising fears in some quarters that violence could occur.

Ahead of parliamentary elections in June, Prime Minister Edi Rama has been taking to Facebook to say he will help people to find jobs, but he hasn't delivered on his employment promise from the previous polls four years ago, economic experts told BIRN.

 A 40-year-old worker, Shkelqim Muca, died and five others were wounded after an explosion at the Ballsh oil refinery in southern Albania.

The explosion happened while 300 workers were on a shift, 11 of them in the hydro-cleaning sector where the blast happened. Workers told the media tell that the flames from the explosion burned for around 20 minutes.

Former Albanian prime minister Sali Berisha has blamed the unmaking of a continental shelf pact between Albania and Greece five years ago on outside intervention.

"I am saying with full certainty that you did so in the interests of a third party," Berisha said in reference to current Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government.

Albanian environmentalists are threatening to call a referendum on a controversial draft law on waste imports that MPs adopted on Thursday. The draft now has to go to the President before passing into law.

It is not the first time that green activists in Albania have mustered supporters for a referendum on this hot issue. 

Activists in the northern Albanian region of  Tropoja are preparing to submit lawsuits to halt the planned construction of hydropower plants on the Valbona river and its tribunaries, claiming it will destroy tourism in the so-called "Albanian Alps".

The Supreme Court decided on Monday to close its case on the killings of the protesters during an anti-government rally on January 21, 2011, when several other demonstrators were also wounded when Republican Guard troops opened fire.

But the families of the four victims told Albanian media that they are not going to abandon their efforts to find justice.

Environmental activists and local residents are upping their campaign to stop the building of six hydropower plants on the Valbona river, arguing that they will destroy tourism in what some call the "Albanian Alps".

Albania's opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha travels on Monday to the US with key aides for meetings with members of Congress and US officials to discuss democracy and the rule of law in Albania.

However, BIRN has learned that on the eve of the visit the Democratic Party signed a contract with the lobbying firm Podesta Group to secure access to Washington's top echelons.

An Albanian court on Sunday remanded Ksera in custody after he was charged with misusing his authority to embezzling around 216,000 euro from a fund intended for social programmes, along with his subordinates.

Ksera was a member of the centre-right administration headed by former Prime Minister Sali Berisha until 2013.