Troops on alert in Albania

Albanian troops deployed around the country yesterday after a weekend of violent protests as ruling right-wing Democrats called for a counter-demonstration against rival Socialists they accuse of stoking the tension.

Armed soldiers surrounded the central bank and guarded state television headquarters in Tirana after clashes in the capital, a prison riot and waves of demonstrations. Soldiers began clearing barricades of rocks erected by protesters to prevent police reinforcements reaching their towns. Two inmates were killed in a riot at a prison in central Albania late on Sunday. The unrest has been sparked by the collapse of pyramid investment schemes into which Albanians have poured millions of pounds. Reuters - Tirana