Albania News In Albania Language

USIA maintains regional English language offices in Vienna, Austria and Tashkent, Uzbekistan. USIA also maintains an English language office in Moscow, Russia. Regional English Language Officer Richard Murphy, who is based in Vienna, covers the region from the Baltics down to Bulgaria and from the Czech Republic to Romania. Regional English Language Officer Bill Ancker, who is based in Tashkent, is responsible for USIA's programs in many of the the countries of the former Soviet Union. English Language Officer Johanna Kowitz, who is based in Moscow, handles USIA's programs in Russia. ... [Read More]

Highlights - Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

ECA Youth Exchange programs make news in the U.S. and abroad, Pakistan celebrates the 20th anniversary of the English Language Teaching Association, the FLEX Program empowers a disabled Russian student, a U.S. Fulbrighter in Kosovo contributes to substance abuse prevention, and more. Read ECA program highlights for July 23. [351 KB PDF] ...

ECA News ... [Read More]

National Visa Center

U.S. Department of State [Read More]

Instructions for Immigrant Visa Applicants (Applying in Canada, Albania, Turkey, United Arab Emirates or Africa)

U.S. Department of State [Read More]

Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Albania

Political parties, trade unions, and various societies and groups published their own newspapers or magazines. The independent media was active, but was constrained by limited professionalism and lack of finances. An estimated 200 publications were available, including daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and pamphlets. Three newspapers were published in Greek in the southern part of the country, and 15 Greek papers and magazines were distributed throughout the south; these dailies and weeklies had very small circulation figures. ... [Read More]

Instructions for Immigrant Visa Applicants(Not Applying in Canada, Albania, Turkey, United Arab Emirates or Africa)

U.S. Department of State [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

AFN available on the Ridge as well as by private license.  TVSH broadcasts in Albanian.  Shows continue to run heavily toward local events, plus sports, musical entertainment, locally produced plays, educational broadcasts, movies, and a few old American TV shows (dubbed in Albanian or Italian).  Local and international news is broadcast several times daily.  There are now 50 local independent TV stations that also broadcast in Albanian.  Italian, French, and German stations as well as EuroNews, EuroSport, and NBCEurope can be received in Tirana. Newspapers, Magazines, and Technical JournalsLast Updated:  9/30/2003 10:32 AM A continually expanding selection of Western newspapers and magazines is available in Albania.  For example, The International ... [Read More]

Albania

The ethnic Greek minority, led by their cultural association Omonia, have a variety of complaints against the Government. Minority leaders cite the Government's unwillingness to recognize the existence of ethnic Greek towns, such as Himara, that are not considered part of communist-era "minority zones"; to utilize Greek on official documents and on public signs in ethnic Greek areas; to address effectively crimes committed against ethnic Greeks, particularly allegations that communal property is being taken illegally by means of fraudulent documents and in some cases with complicity of the courts; to ascertain the size of the ethnic Greek population; and to include a higher number of ethnic Greeks in public administration. Omonia is also concerned about the lack of access to Greek-language education. Greek-language public elementary schools are common in much of the southern part of the country, where almost all ethnic Greeks live. Every village in this zone has its own elementary-midd ... [Read More]

Albania

Police separated men from women in pretrial detention centers and prisons which, as of July, were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice. Pretrial detainees were not separated from convicted prisoners due to overcrowding.The country has no juvenile justice system, and children's cases frequently were presented to judges who had not received any education in juvenile justice. In cooperation with international donors, Albania's Magistrate's School attempted to address this problem by offering continuing legal education courses in the area of juvenile justice for judges. The Ministry of Justice reported that a total of 17 minors were serving prison sentences: 6 in pretrial detention centers and 11 in Vaqarr--the only prison in the country that has a special wing for juveniles. The Children's Human Rights Center (CRCA) noted that, while juveniles at Vaqarr were held in a separate wing of the prison, they mixed with adult prisoners ... [Read More]

Albania

The Law on Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms provides for freedom of speech and of the press, and the media was active and unrestrained; however, there were serious, fundamental problems with the use of the media for political purposes. Libel carries criminal sentences. The punishment for libel varies from a fine to 2 years' imprisonment. Political interference in the media remained a problem. Publishers and newspaper owners often edited news stories to serve their own political and economic interests. Daily circulation of all newspapers was estimated at 76,500. Political parties, trade unions, and various societies and groups published their own newspapers or magazines. The opposition media was active, but was constrained by limited professionalism and lack of finances. An estimated 200 publications were available, including daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and pamphlets. At least 2 newspapers were published in ... [Read More]