Archive
Friday, October 23, 2026
38 stories
Politics
Only Politics- GovernmentOver 130 agency heads hand in resignations on Rama's order, including the chiefs of Customs and TaxesBesmir Beja, Ilir Binaj and Etugert Llazi are among the officials who resigned. According to government sources, they remain in office for now pending a performance review.
- GovernmentRama reads out initials of protest detainees: ‘They are not students’; a medical student denies itThe prime minister presented about 45 detainees by initials, ages and criminal records, claiming some were financed by Iran. A medical student included in the list publicly denied it, while Berisha accused Rama of manipulation.
- DiplomacyEPP on Albania protests: violence has no place in a democracy, independent probe into excessive forceThe European People's Party called for dialogue and de-escalation, while MEP Anna Strolenberg dismissed as false the warning of an EU entry ban for protesters.
- DiplomacyAlbania signs agreement to join the International Stabilization Force in GazaChief of the General Staff Arben Kingji and the force's commander, Gen. Jasper Jeffers, signed the document in Tirana. Nufi: as a founding member of the Board of Peace, Albania reaffirms its commitment to peace.
- PartiesBerisha calls national PD protest for Saturday: ‘Don't touch the students!’The Democratic Party leader invited citizens to Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard the next day in support of the students. He said the Democrats will be at every protest against the Rama government.
- ParliamentEthics panel bars six PD lawmakers from Parliament sessions for 60 days, 14 others get a warningParliament's Ethics Secretariat granted the Socialists' request after Thursday's clashes in the chamber. Noka, Këlliçi, Paloka, Kreka, Boçi and Xhaferri will miss plenary sessions for two months.
Crime & Courts
Only Crime & Courts- Crime & CourtsDay 11 of the protest: medical students march in white coats, evening passes without incidentLecturers, students and doctors marched from the Polytechnic University to the Prime Minister's Office and again rejected the invitation to dialogue. In the evening fewer than 100 young people stayed for hours outside the building.
- PoliceKukës: 16-year-old stabs three classmates outside a billiards hall, two taken to PrizrenThe fight broke out over trivial motives on Lidhja e Prizrenit Street. Police arrested the suspected attacker and another 16-year-old suspected of backing him.
- PoliceCaka: seven police officers suspended over protests, 55 citizen complaints of overstepping authorityThe deputy interior minister acknowledged that in some cases officers crossed the line during clashes with protesters. The Police Oversight Agency is investigating.
- Courts194 protesters brought before court since protests began, 170 ordered to report to police; among them a 14-year-oldThe Tirana court ordered ten more detainees to report regularly to police and rejected the prosecution's request to bar them from approaching institutions.
- PoliceVlora: car fire in the ‘1 Maji’ neighborhood was no accident; suspected organizer and arsonist arrestedThe Sept. 22 fire was initially reported as a technical fault in the engine. Police arrested two Vlora men, aged 33 and 36, in Operation ‘Order.’
Economy
Only Economy- BusinessBank of Albania: 94% of companies turn a profit, only 31% have a loan to repayThe central bank's survey of 1,355 companies for the first half of 2026 shows that competition and costs remain the main challenges. Businesses expect to invest and expand.
- TourismINSTAT: 17.48 million entries into Albania in nine months, 10.73 million of them by foreign nationalsMore than 2 million Albanian and foreign nationals entered the country in September, 3% more than a year earlier. Departures by foreigners fell 2.8%.
- EconomyBudget revenue reaches 626.6 billion lek in nine months as VAT jumps 29%; investment at 75% of planThe Finance Ministry reports that January–September 2026 revenue rose 11.3% from a year earlier and slightly exceeded the plan. Capital spending is lagging, at 75.2% of target.
- MarketsEuro regains a little ground at 90.74 lek on Friday, a day after a record low of 90.64The Bank of Albania's official rate put the euro at 90.74 lek on Oct. 23, 10 qindarka higher than on Thursday. Over the week the European currency lost 36 qindarka.
- BusinessTax amnesty wipes out 453 million euros in tax debts, benefiting more than 220,000 businessesThe Tax Administration says the number of businesses benefiting from the amnesty law has reached 220,435. The process continues for unpaid liabilities, both with and without conditions.
Region
Only Region- Kosovo515 new KSF soldiers sworn in; Kurti: We are not building the army against anyone, we are building it for KosovoThe largest generation of soldiers so far took the oath at the “Adem Jashari” Barracks in Pristina. Kurti pledged more than 1 billion euros in investment in the army during the term.
- North MacedoniaMarta Kos after meeting Bekim Sali: Skopje needs only the constitutional changes, there is not much left to doThe enlargement commissioner urged North Macedonia's government to fulfill its obligation to include Bulgarians in the Constitution. Sali asked for concrete benefits from gradual integration, such as SEPA and roaming.
- KosovoKurti meets EBRD President Renaud-Basso: 967 million euros for 151 projects in Kosovo since 2012On the sidelines of the Berlin Process Summit in Montenegro, Kosovo's prime minister listed energy and water security, defense and transport as the priorities of the partnership with the bank.
- KosovoSpecialist Chambers law goes back to Parliament: committee has four weeks, 61 votes needed to pass it againPresident Justina Shiroka Pula returned the law on the Specialist Chambers at the request of PDK itself. Experts at the IKD explain that the procedure does not start from scratch, but the voting threshold rises.
- Presevo ValleyElection silence begins in Serbia: Presevo Valley Albanians run on a single list, the “Albanian Coalition,” as No. 17Albanian Coalition candidates urged residents of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, and Albanians working in Kosovo, to turn out on Sunday. In Serbia, 6.45 million citizens are eligible to vote.
World
Only World- EUDrone hits the “Khoryv” off Constanța: one sailor dead, three missing; Romania blames RussiaThe Comoros-flagged ship capsized in the Black Sea, 13 nautical miles from the Romanian port. Von der Leyen and Costa speak of a new Russian escalation.
- Middle EastJordan: gunmen attack Orthodox church in Karak during funeral, killing seven and wounding 34Two masked men opened fire during a funeral service in the village of Hamoud; authorities called the attack terrorist and unprecedented.
- EuropeMacron calls Trappes shooting a “racist terrorist attack”; one dead, five wounded near ParisA 39-year-old opened fire from his car in Trappes and La Verrière; the wounded include a 12-year-old girl. Prosecutors are investigating murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise.
- USMelania Trump brokers Oleshky ceasefire: Russia and Ukraine to halt fighting from Oct. 29The White House says the first lady has secured a deal for a local ceasefire in the occupied city in the Kherson region, to allow aid deliveries and civilian evacuations.
- WorldMagnitude 7 earthquake in Tibet: at least 16 dead, hundreds of homes collapse in NagquThe quake struck a remote mountainous area of northern Tibet late Thursday; Beijing raised its emergency response level and sent hundreds of rescuers.
Sports
Only Sports- International footballMessi receives Princess of Asturias Award for Sports in Oviedo, with no speech and a quick flight to MiamiThe Argentine received the diploma from Princess Leonor at the Campoamor Theater, at the 46th edition of the Spanish awards.
- International footballKompany collapses at training and is taken to hospital by ambulance; Bayern: his health is our priorityThe 40-year-old Bayern Munich coach lost consciousness while watching the reserve team train; his coaching staff will temporarily take charge.
- International footballBallon d'Or on Monday in London: Kane and his 73 goals take on Mbappé, Yamal and RodriFor the first time in 70 years the ceremony is held in the British capital; voting closed at the end of September, so form in the new season has no bearing.
- International footballKosovo vs. Israel: tickets almost sold out in under 12 hours, Hajdari to miss NovemberThe Nov. 14 match at the “Fadil Vokrri” stadium is Kosovo's last home game in Nations League B; the Hoffenheim center back has had surgery and is due back in January.
- SuperligaWomen's Superiore: Apolonia and Egnatia top the table on 9 points, meet on SaturdayAfter three rounds, the two sides are the only ones with a perfect record; Apolonia beat Lushnja 14-1 and Egnatia won 3-0 away at Atletik Klub.
Culture
Only Culture- Books155 years since Fishta's birth: Rudolf Marku, Flutura Açka and Agron Tufa win literary prizes in LezhaThe fifth edition of the prizes named after the poet drew 83 works; Zef Përgega receives the new “Gjurmë Fishtjane” award for “Epika Malësore.”
- Heritage135 years of the Girls' School in Korça: exhibition honors the Qiriazis; Peleshi: one of the finest pagesThe National Library, the Institute for Albanian and Protestant Studies and the Korça municipality mark the opening of the first Albanian school for girls on Oct. 23, 1891.
- MusicTKOBAP names winners of the “Tish Daija” competition for symphony orchestra, works set for November festivalOn the composer's 100th birth anniversary, four new works by Endri Sina, Fjolla Gashi, Jurgen Muharremi and Kris Sopiqoti will be performed on stage.
- HeritageAlbania's archives open their holdings to the University of Pristina: 20,000 free digital images a yearThe General Directorate of Archives and the History Department of the Faculty of Philosophy signed an agreement in Pristina on Albanological studies.
Opinion
Only Opinion- OpinionA 453-million-euro amnesty with no breakdownThe tax authority announced the fiscal amnesty figure on the same day the budget reported a surplus. The public has a right to know who was forgiven what.
- OpinionInitials are not a verdictThe prime minister read a list of detainees on camera while the courts are ruling with restraint. When young people and minors are involved, justice must speak first, not politics.
- OpinionResignations kept in a drawer are not meritocracyMore than 130 agency directors resigned within a single day on the prime minister's orders. An administration judged by undated letters does not get better; it gets more dependent.