AGP Executive Report

Student Protests: Demonstrations in Albania entered their 11th day, with lecturers and healthcare workers joining students demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation. Protesters rejected calls for talks as anger over university conditions, costs, jobs and corruption continued; lawmakers also scuffled in parliament over the unrest. Research & Education: Albania and five other Western Balkan partners agreed with the EU to strengthen research careers and innovation, and prepare a joint action plan supporting the region’s path toward EU membership. Albanian Roots: Albanian-born wellness entrepreneur Senada Greca spoke about turning early hardships, including growing up under communism, into the foundation for her fitness business. Community: A Christmas shoebox appeal in Buckie, Scotland, is collecting gifts for children and adults in Albania.

Student Protests: Demonstrations in Tirana entered their 11th day, with students rejecting Prime Minister Edi Rama’s offer of talks and demanding better universities, lower education costs and stronger job prospects. Lecturers and health workers have joined; protests have also brought clashes with police and a confrontation in parliament. Police Conduct: Footage raising concerns about violence against young protesters, including possible minors, has prompted calls for restraint and accountability. Albanian Talent: Albanian-American soccer player Adri Mehmeti, 17, is emerging as a promising midfielder for the New York Red Bulls and has made his U.S. national team debut. Wellness: Albanian-born trainer and entrepreneur Senada Greca, who grew up under communism before moving to the United States at 14, is building wellness businesses and training Kim Kardashian. Community Appeal: A Christmas shoebox drive in Buckie, Scotland, is collecting gifts for children and adults in Albania.

Student Protests: Albania’s student-led demonstrations entered their tenth day, with clashes spilling into parliament as students demand lower tuition, more education funding and action on corruption. Prime Minister Edi Rama again offered talks, while warning that violence could bring criminal charges. Creators’ Rights: A new copyright law requires platforms including YouTube, Facebook and TikTok to appoint local representatives, giving Albanian writers and musicians a route to challenge misuse and unfair payments. Albanian Talent Abroad: Adri Mehmeti, 17, is emerging as a promising midfielder for the New York Red Bulls and the US national team; both his parents are from Albania. Butrint’s Past: New discoveries at Albania’s UNESCO-listed Butrint, including Greek inscriptions linked to ancient emancipation ceremonies, will feature in an archaeology lecture on October 28.

Creators’ Rights: Albania’s parliament has passed a copyright law requiring platforms including YouTube, Facebook and TikTok to appoint local representatives. Writers and musicians will gain a way to challenge copyright violations and seek fairer payment. Student Protests: Demonstrations over education, corruption and living costs continued in Tirana, with students calling for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. The unrest spilled into parliament on Thursday, where MPs scuffled during a debate over protesters’ treatment. Rights and Accountability: Forty-five organisations urged Albania to investigate alleged excessive police force, arbitrary detentions and attacks on journalists, while stressing that violence against officers and damage to property do not justify disproportionate responses. Albanian Heritage: Letters exchanged by Kosovo Albanian couple Fehmi and Xheve Lladrovci during his political imprisonment are on public display for the first time at Prishtina’s Reporting House museum.

Albanian Heritage: Love letters exchanged in the 1980s by Kosovo Albanian fighters Fehmi and Xheve Lladrovci are on public display for the first time at Prishtina’s Reporting House museum. Written while Fehmi was imprisoned, the letters reveal how their devotion endured through years apart. Student Protests: In Tirana, students and professors are rejecting Prime Minister Edi Rama’s offer of dialogue and demanding his resignation over education and corruption. Clashes have included rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at government buildings; Rama says the government is considering travel restrictions for people involved in violence. Long Life: Qamile Marra, who says she is 117, still tends her village home and garden in southern Albania. Documents appear to support her 1909 birth date, which would make her two days older than the woman currently recognised as the world’s oldest.

Student Protests: Albanian students and professors rejected Prime Minister Edi Rama’s offer of dialogue in Tirana, demanding his resignation over education failures and corruption. The demonstrations have turned violent, with police using tear gas and water cannons; Rama says he plans travel restrictions for people involved in violence. Anger also centres on a luxury resort planned for protected Sazan Island, linked to Jared Kushner. A Life Spanning a Century: Qamile Marra, 117, still tends fruit trees and livestock in her village near Kuçovë. Her documented birth date could make her the world’s oldest living woman, though verifying supercentenarians’ ages is difficult. Community Care: Albanian immigrant Aleksander Nilaj, who has run a Bronx food pantry serving about 8,000 people a month, is in US immigration custody after being detained at a hearing.**

Student Protests: Tirana’s demonstrations entered an eighth day, with students calling for lower tuition, better-funded schools and action on education corruption. Protests have also widened into demands for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign, amid anger over living costs and a luxury tourism project linked to Jared Kushner’s investment firm. Rama has offered dialogue, while the UN has urged de-escalation and respect for peaceful protest. A Remarkable Life: Qamile Marra, 117, says she is focused less on proving she may be the world’s oldest woman than on enjoying life. Born in 1909, she has spent nearly all her life in her village near Kuçovë, growing food and tending livestock.

Tirana Protests: Clashes entered an eighth day as students and other demonstrators demanded Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation, lower tuition and action on corruption and poor schools. Police used tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets after protesters threw stones and petrol bombs. Calls for Restraint: The Council of Albanian Ambassadors backed the right to peaceful protest and urged police to avoid excessive force. UN rights chief Volker Türk also called for safe dialogue and independent investigations into alleged abuses, including against young protesters. Corruption Case: Prosecutors formalised charges against former deputy prime minister Belinda Balluku over alleged corruption in public contracts and money laundering; corruption allegations are among the grievances driving the unrest.

Tirana Unrest: Student-led protests entered a seventh day, with demonstrators demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation over corruption, education and living costs. Clashes, fires and attacks on public buildings have left nearly 300 people injured, according to officials. The anger also reflects opposition to a proposed luxury resort linked to Jared Kushner, with protesters raising concerns about transparency and environmental damage. Rama renewed his offer of dialogue but said violence was a “red line” and alleged the unrest was being exploited to hinder Albania’s EU bid. Calls for Calm: Albania’s interreligious council and faith groups urged dialogue and condemned violence, while also raising concerns about the force used by police. Wider Discontent: From France to Albania, young people are protesting unaffordable housing, strained public services and uncertain futures—grievances that risk being overshadowed by clashes and political blame.

Tirana Unrest: Protests entered a seventh day on Monday, with demonstrators throwing petrol bombs and stones near the Interior Ministry as police fired tear gas. The movement began over university costs and conditions, jobs and alleged corruption, then broadened into calls for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. Youth and the Future: Anger has also focused on a controversial luxury resort project linked to Jared Kushner. Rama has offered talks but ruled out meeting those involved in violence, warning the unrest could harm Albania’s EU ambitions. Call for Peace: After an incident in the courtyard of Tirana’s Resurrection of Christ Cathedral, Albania’s Orthodox Church urged people to reject violence and seek dialogue.

Tirana Unrest: Student-led protests entered a sixth day on Sunday, with demonstrators demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation over university conditions, tuition costs, corruption and job prospects. Clashes brought tear gas and water cannons; police said a station was set on fire. Rama refused to quit, while Albanian religious groups urged calm and dialogue and condemned violence by protesters and police. Youth and Living Costs: Similar demonstrations across Europe reflect anger over education, housing and rising prices, though some have turned violent. Sport in Durrës: Moldova’s team won 13 medals, including six gold, at the European Junior and Youth Weightlifting Championships hosted in Albania.

Tirana Unrest: Offices at Albania’s Supreme Court were set ablaze as protests entered a sixth day. Demonstrators are angry over high tuition fees, poor university conditions, unemployment and alleged corruption; police used tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets. Prime Minister Edi Rama rejected calls to resign and warned the unrest could harm Albania’s EU bid. Calls for Dialogue: The European Commission condemned the violence, while Albania’s Interreligious Council urged calm and called on leaders to listen to young people. Culture & Heritage: Albania, Greece and North Macedonia are preparing a joint UNESCO bid for the Prespa region. Albanian Life: A 117-year-old Albanian woman is being reported as a possible contender for the world’s oldest living person.

Student Protests: Anti-government demonstrations entered their fifth day in Tirana on Saturday, as students’ calls for better universities, lower tuition and more job opportunities broadened into demands for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation over alleged corruption. Police used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets; officials reported 167 arrests and 132 injured officers. Seven officers were suspended as claims of excessive force came under review. A Life Well Lived: Qamile Marra, 117, may be the world’s oldest woman. Born in 1909, she has lived through Ottoman rule, World War II and Albania’s communist era, and says her focus is simply enjoying life.

Student Protests: Tirana’s fifth day of anti-government demonstrations turned violent, with protesters clashing with police and fires reported at public buildings, including the Supreme Court headquarters. Police used tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets as crowds called for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. Education & Youth: What began with demands for better university conditions and lower costs has widened to anger over corruption, unemployment and young people’s lack of prospects. The movement also grew from opposition to a luxury resort planned for Albania’s southern coast. Police Conduct: The Ombudsman reported signs of violence on 26 detainees after interviewing 214 people in custody; the police watchdog is investigating officers’ conduct. The police chief said 167 people had been arrested and 132 officers injured during five days of unrest.

Protest Watch: Albania’s Ombudsman says 26 detainees showed signs of violence after inspectors interviewed 214 people in connection with the protests. The watchdog also reported poor medical care and overcrowding, and said some children were questioned without a parent or psychologist present. Young Voices: Student-led demonstrations have spread beyond Tirana, driven by calls for better university conditions, lower costs and more job prospects, alongside anger over a controversial coastal resort project. Prime Minister Edi Rama has ruled out resigning. Call for Dialogue: Albania’s Interreligious Council says young people must be heard and urges institutions to respond lawfully, warning that violence undermines safety and education. Albanian Life: Qamile Marra, 117, spends her days tending her garden in southern Albania and says, “Life is beautiful, like Mount Tomorr in bloom.”

Student Protests: Demonstrations over university conditions, tuition costs and job prospects spread beyond Tirana, with students boycotting classes and clashing with police for a fourth day. Police reported 127 arrests in Tirana and 120 officers injured nationwide; Prime Minister Edi Rama blamed unnamed “foreign hands” as protesters called for his resignation. Calls for Dialogue: Albania’s Interreligious Council urged institutions to take young people’s concerns seriously and called for peaceful dialogue. Remarkable Life: Qamile Marra, 117, continues tending her garden in southern Albania, saying life is “beautiful, like Mount Tomorr in bloom.” City & Culture: A planned cloud-shaped complex in Tirana will combine homes, offices and a hotel with cultural spaces, an auditorium and public areas beneath its elevated structure. Tourism Links: Albania and Azerbaijan are exploring joint tourism initiatives for 2027, including better transport links and promotion of each country’s cultural and natural attractions.