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EDITORIAL After culture, the Municipality goes up for auction By Agim BAÇI If the Socialist Party had not chosen Edi Rama to run for mayor of the capital, few people in the cultural community would have noticed him. Not because they have nothing to say to the representative of “civil society” about what he has done with the perfect-disaster model in Albanian culture, but because the tall minister’s perfect chaos cannot be conveyed through news reports, protests or short articles. In short, Rama stood out again, …During this period of government, the Socialists have tried to describe Edi Rama as the most successful minister in their government. As a genuine success, they have counted Valentine’s Day, celebrated proudly not only in Tirana, or matters associated with the name Millennium. Meanwhile, the Socialists have forgotten that, in Rama’s time, there have been absurd spectacles of people auctioning off historical things that they would not dare put up for sale even if they were culture officials, and renting them out to hoteliers. Thanks to his attention, the Church of Saint John Vladimir in Shijon, Elbasan, went up for auction, etc., etc., etc.—the tall minister’s pearls are too many for us to list, since we continue to consider Rama Albanian by origin. The Culture Minister’s absurdities became part of reality. They went beyond blunders, silencing anyone with any connection to logic. But they remained what they were as long as he was the appointed one; they In short, Rama stood out again because now the Socialists want to turn him from an appointee into an elected official. And as far as culture is concerned, this means that the Socialists want to turn the cultural disaster from an appointed one into an elected one. have been bizarre things involving historical sites that even the occupiers of a country would not dare do, let alone the Minister of Culture. Thus, thanks to Rama’s care, the amphitheatre of Durrës, one of the Balkans’ gems, is no longer even fit to be a public toilet. Thanks to his care, the castles of cities and monuments have been associated with the name Millennium. such as long as he was Nano’s “civil” appointee. The moment the “absurdity” seeks to become elected, things naturally change. And to avoid standing out any further, the citizens of Tirana have the chance to give him a culturally informed “no” vote.

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He accused her of selling their daughter as a prostitute in Italy Page 5

Italy takes back funds for Albania Italian General Franko Anxhoni, who until the end of last year served as Extraordinary Commissioner for all Italian initiatives in Albania, accuses Italian politicians of wasting more than 35 million dollars earmarked for the recovery of the Albanian state. These funds were suspended at the end of last year following pressure from the Italian right-wing opposition. It took statements by General Anxhoni for the public to learn what the governments of both countries had kept hidden for almost a year: that the scissors had long ago been taken to the aid funds. Page 4 Xhuliano Amato

Scandal/Buyers gain 7 million dollars Telenor\Cosmote, which bought the mobile telephone company in Albania, has been forgiven a further 7 million dollars by the Albanian state. It was an initiative by Finance Minister Anastas Angjeli, personally backed by the head of the Government, Ilir Meta, that made it possible for all the dollars Albanian Mobile Communication had in the bank to be transferred to Telenor\Cosmote’s account. The amount in question is officially listed as 7 million dollars, while other sources officially claim that it is actually around 10 million dollars. Page 11

The minister’s campaign begins with a fight against the press The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Edi Rama, has found a very original way to inaugurate his electoral campaign as a candidate in the race to win the post of mayor of Tirana. His first step, announced not very publicly just two days ago, is to declare “Republika” an undesirable newspaper for the department he heads. Page 2

The lung hospital with its lungs destroyed Page 12

Adriatic coast, holidaymakers in panic Page 7 Dismissed secretary exposes Meidani The President threw the CEC into confusion Page 3 Prosecution owes the morgue millions of dollars The state, a business with the dead Page 9

… of theirs in … with rrë nothing [?]