Riot police detain a protester during a student demonstration in Tirana over education costs, poor campus conditions and alleged corruption. (EPA Images pic)TIRANA: The traffic lights have been ripped out in the centre of Tirana. Bus shelters are burnt and riot police throng cafes as chronic anti-government protests take their toll on the Albanian capital.
Early mornings are peaceful but then tension grips certain neighbourhoods as they gear up for fresh protests, demanding the resignation of Socialist prime minister Edi Rama.
The leaderless movement started peacefully in May, with rallies against a luxury hotel project in a nature reserve, linked to US President Donald Trump's family.
It morphed in mid-October into a wave of protests against perceived corruption, shortcomings in the health system and the lack of prospects for young people in the country of 2.3 million.
