Laughing and crying — may God forgive the Albanians! EDITORIAL By Nertian ALIBALI The Albanian Parliament, in complete disregard of the parliamentary opposition’s boycott, held an extraordinary session to make possible this tangled operation, carried out without traffic lights for negotiations. This deal, costing 250 (mil) $, was pushed through by the corrupt leadership of Fatos Nano’s government and his clan. It was a deal rushed through with urgency, and it has made the prime minister just as dependent as the new owners. The same group benefiting today has taken on the role of intermediary in buying AMC shares. This is an operation in which a major, opaque transaction is being concealed. To sell this public asset, there must be guarantees and not secret agreements. All of this has left room for serious doubts about its real beneficiaries. It is not known how far this transaction will go, but one thing is clear: the Albanian people are paying the bill for a shameful bargain. This decision, taken without honest debate, is yet another proof of the link between power and clientelist interests. Page 3

Albanian mafia, baby trafficking in Germany The Italian newspaper “Il Tempo” published in yesterday’s issue an article titled “Mafia of Albania sells children in Germany”, which explained that with the discovery of an important base for child trafficking in Mylheim, a network made up of 7 Albanians was dismantled. It further explained that prostitutes sent to a clinic in Durrës and to another center in Tirana, where the children were born, sold them for 30,000 dollars each. Page 9

Roads are filled with memorials Page 6

The Albanian prosecution withdraws from the investigation Visa mafia, case file in Italy Page 8

Chaotic capitalism is not the market’s anxiety Price increases, the state’s fault Page 2

The Gjirokastra folklore festival asks for additional funding The Ministry raises the Festival’s price Page 21

KOKKALIS After AMC, Cosmote seeks to buy Albtelekom Cosmote Page 3

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