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Sunday’s Student Protest: Police Arrest 69, Launch Criminal Proceedings Against 20

Tirana Police have issued an official statement regarding Sunday’s student protest, confirming that 69 people have been arrested and another 20 are facing criminal proceedings. The arrests were made after the suspects allegedly attacked police officers and damaged public and private institutional buildings using stones and other hard objects. “Tirana/Following …

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First Aid Tents Set Up Behind Prime Minister’s Office for Injured Police Officers

Several first aid tents have been set up this Monday behind the Prime Minister’s Office to provide medical assistance to police officers injured during the student protests. As seen in the footage, the tents are also equipped with tables to facilitate the provision of first aid. Dozens of police officers …

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Albania’s Capital Rocked by Chaotic Weekend of Street Unrest

Thousands of people joined student-led protests in Tirana at the weekend to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, as clashes with police resulted in more injuries and arrests. Original post Here

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Kosovo Wins Two Medals at WAKO Kickboxing World Cup in Uzbekistan

Kosovo kickboxers Nart Kastrati and Art Dulaj won two medals at the WAKO Kickboxing World Cup, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from October 13 to 18. Kastrati claimed silver in the under-81kg category after reaching the final, while Dulaj secured bronze in the under-67kg division. According to the Kosovo Kickboxing Federation, …

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Blue Economy Summit in Orikum: Gonxhja Highlights Marine Tourism as a Year-Round Source of Investment and Jobs

Marine tourism and the potential of sailing marinas to boost Albania’s economy took centre stage at the Balkan Blue Economy Summit, held at Marina Orikum as part of the “Balkans Sea Fair.” Tourism, Culture and Sports Minister Blendi Gonxhja said marine tourism could attract more investment, improve service quality and …

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Egnatia Beat Vllaznia 3-1 to Close in on League Leaders

Egnatia beat Vllaznia 3-1 on Sunday to strengthen their title challenge and move within one point of league leaders Teuta. The hosts took control early in Rrogozhina. Alessandro Albanese opened the scoring in the ninth minute, while Danjel Adjessa doubled Egnatia’s lead in the 41st minute to give the home …

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European Parliament lawmakers condemn protest violence in Albania, urge dialogue

*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(–scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(–thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(–header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]” dir=”auto” data-turn-id=”request-WEB:7820d53c-fce0-4375-9777-7d149d39c22e-552″ data-turn-id-container=”request-WEB:7820d53c-fce0-4375-9777-7d149d39c22e-552″ data-testid=”conversation-turn-2″ data-turn=”assistant”> div:has([data-free-thinking-preview-answer=true])+:is(.text-message,.relative:has(>.text-message))]:-mt-2 grow”> Two European Parliament representatives have expressed deep concern over recent developments in Albania, particularly incidents in Tirana over the past few days. They condemned escalating violence during protests, attacks on public institutions and damage to public and private property. …

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Kosovo and Greece drive Albanian export growth in September

Kosovo and Greece were among the main contributors to Albania’s export growth in September 2026, while the European Union retained its dominant position in the country’s foreign trade, accounting for 54.6% of total trade. According to foreign trade data, Albanian exports to Kosovo rose by 22.5% in September compared with …

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Albanian karate athlete Neevis Hasani wins bronze at world championships

Albanian karate athlete Neevis Hasani has won a bronze medal at the World Karate Championships in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, Tourism, Culture and Sports Minister Blendi Gonxhja announced. Hasani finished third in the junior under-55kg category, securing a place among the competition’s top three athletes. He reached the podium after a series …

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Ertjan Kofsha wins European gold in snatch, silver in total

Albanian weightlifter Ertjan Kofsha has won European gold in the snatch event and silver in the overall total, the Albanian Weightlifting Federation announced. In a social media post, the federation praised Kofsha’s performance and described his medals as another important achievement for Albanian weightlifting. The competition took place in Durrës, …

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Albania’s Revolt Against the Government

The prime minister accuses Russia and Iran of fueling protests as allegations of state capture, police violence and dissent from Socialist figures deepen Albania’s political crisis. Tirana Times, October 19, 2026 – Parts of central Tirana have taken on the appearance of a conflict zone: burning debris, damaged buildings and …

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Albania’s Defence Tax Breaks Raise State Capture Concerns

Proposed fiscal concessions would benefit private partners of the state defence company KAYO as an arms-trafficking investigation puts the sector under scrutiny. Tirana Times, October 19, 2026 – Albania’s government is proposing additional tax privileges for the defence industry while the state company at the centre of its expansion, KAYO, …

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“Citizens must be patient,” Rama reacts again to protests: I am ready for dialogue with anyone except those engaging in violence

Prime Minister Edi Rama has once again commented on the protests that have been taking place in Tirana for the past seven days. In a post on his Facebook page, Rama reiterated that he is ready for dialogue with anyone, “except those engaging in violence and political parties that fail …

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Protests, Rama: €2,500 for every frontline police officer and salary increases from January 1

Prime Minister Edi Rama and Interior Minister Ervin Demo held a meeting with senior State Police officials following last night’s violent protest. During the meeting, Rama condemned attacks on police officers and announced significant salary increases for police personnel starting January 1, as well as financial support of €2,500 for …

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European Parliament reacts to protests in Tirana: We condemn the escalation. Serious concerns over police violence against young people

The Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Albania, Marco Tarquinio, and the European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur for Albania, Andreas Schieder, have expressed concern over the escalation of protests in Tirana. In a joint statement, they condemned violence, attacks on institutions and the destruction of property, while calling …

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Rama reiterates call for dialogue: You are welcome, whenever and wherever you want, without conditions. We are ready!

Prime Minister Edi Rama has renewed his call for dialogue with protesters, urging them to distance themselves from acts of violence, stone-throwing and arson attacks against institutions. Rama stressed that the government is ready to hold talks at any time and without preconditions, while calling on protest organisers to set …

News
Ervin Demo: The right to protest is guaranteed, violence cannot be justified and offenders will be held accountable under the law

Interior Minister Ervin Demo has once again responded to the protests of recent days, stressing that the right to protest is guaranteed by the Constitution and that the State Police have a duty to ensure demonstrations take place peacefully. Demo emphasised that police intervention will only take place when necessary …

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Protests in Europe and Albania, Council of Europe Secretary General reacts

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, has reacted to the wave of protests sweeping several European countries in a post on the social media platform X. In his statement, Berset also mentioned Albania, highlighting the causes of social discontent as well as the violent incidents that …

News
US State Department report: Albania successfully responded to Iranian cyberattacks, US provided $25 million in cybersecurity assistance

Albania has been featured in a US State Department report on the security of digital infrastructure in developing countries, in which Washington acknowledges the progress made following the Iran-backed cyberattack in 2022. In the document submitted to the US Congress, the State Department states that the United States responded to …

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Montenegro Seeks to Resolve Disputes with Croatia Ahead of EU Membership

Montenegro has taken steps to resolve disputes with Croatia that could hinder Podgorica’s ambition to become the 28th member of the European Union by 2028. Last week, Zagreb circulated an eight-point list to other EU member states, outlining issues it wants resolved before Montenegro joins the bloc. Most of the …

News

Albania’s Revolt Against the Government

The prime minister accuses Russia and Iran of fueling protests as allegations of state capture, police violence and dissent from Socialist figures deepen Albania’s political crisis. Tirana Times, October 19, 2026 – Parts of central Tirana have taken on the appearance of a conflict zone: burning debris, damaged buildings and …

News

Albania’s Defence Tax Breaks Raise State Capture Concerns

Proposed fiscal concessions would benefit private partners of the state defence company KAYO as an arms-trafficking investigation puts the sector under scrutiny. Tirana Times, October 19, 2026 – Albania’s government is proposing additional tax privileges for the defence industry while the state company at the centre of its expansion, KAYO, …

News

“Citizens must be patient,” Rama reacts again to protests: I am ready for dialogue with anyone except those engaging in violence

Prime Minister Edi Rama has once again commented on the protests that have been taking place in Tirana for the past seven days. In a post on his Facebook page, Rama reiterated that he is ready for dialogue with anyone, “except those engaging in violence and political parties that fail …

News

Protests, Rama: €2,500 for every frontline police officer and salary increases from January 1

Prime Minister Edi Rama and Interior Minister Ervin Demo held a meeting with senior State Police officials following last night’s violent protest. During the meeting, Rama condemned attacks on police officers and announced significant salary increases for police personnel starting January 1, as well as financial support of €2,500 for …

News

European Parliament reacts to protests in Tirana: We condemn the escalation. Serious concerns over police violence against young people

The Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Albania, Marco Tarquinio, and the European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur for Albania, Andreas Schieder, have expressed concern over the escalation of protests in Tirana. In a joint statement, they condemned violence, attacks on institutions and the destruction of property, while calling …

News

Rama reiterates call for dialogue: You are welcome, whenever and wherever you want, without conditions. We are ready!

Prime Minister Edi Rama has renewed his call for dialogue with protesters, urging them to distance themselves from acts of violence, stone-throwing and arson attacks against institutions. Rama stressed that the government is ready to hold talks at any time and without preconditions, while calling on protest organisers to set …

News

Ervin Demo: The right to protest is guaranteed, violence cannot be justified and offenders will be held accountable under the law

Interior Minister Ervin Demo has once again responded to the protests of recent days, stressing that the right to protest is guaranteed by the Constitution and that the State Police have a duty to ensure demonstrations take place peacefully. Demo emphasised that police intervention will only take place when necessary …

News

Protests in Europe and Albania, Council of Europe Secretary General reacts

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, has reacted to the wave of protests sweeping several European countries in a post on the social media platform X. In his statement, Berset also mentioned Albania, highlighting the causes of social discontent as well as the violent incidents that …

News

US State Department report: Albania successfully responded to Iranian cyberattacks, US provided $25 million in cybersecurity assistance

Albania has been featured in a US State Department report on the security of digital infrastructure in developing countries, in which Washington acknowledges the progress made following the Iran-backed cyberattack in 2022. In the document submitted to the US Congress, the State Department states that the United States responded to …

News

Montenegro Seeks to Resolve Disputes with Croatia Ahead of EU Membership

Montenegro has taken steps to resolve disputes with Croatia that could hinder Podgorica’s ambition to become the 28th member of the European Union by 2028. Last week, Zagreb circulated an eight-point list to other EU member states, outlining issues it wants resolved before Montenegro joins the bloc. Most of the …