BANKRUPTCY Depositors: We will protest! Government: Sue the Fund! 40,000 Albanians on the verge of losing their money Contracts with Anglo-Adriatika expire Page 3

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VLORË/ Anti-trafficking operation [?] 40 people return to setting fires No one has ended up in handcuffs VLORË/ Anti-trafficking operation [?] Speedboat smugglers in revolt Police give in 40 people return to setting fires No one has ended up in handcuffs Page 7

EDITORIAL Not only for Albania, but for any of the countries that entered, progressed through, emerged from, or continue to live in the post-communist transition earlier or later than we did, it cannot be said that the messages coming from the democratized part of Europe and its institutions are unimportant. In the broadest and most modern sense of the word, the ultimate purpose of these messages is not to penalize people or the life of a political force, regardless of their responsibility for mistakes and irregularities. Messages, whether sweet or bitter, open and in harsh tones, are delivered for the ears that know how to catch them and the minds of governments that know how to read them. Beyond that, they are for those in power who know how to decipher them and learn from them—not the diplomatic tones and vocabulary, but what needs to be put right as soon as possible. In this context, to prompt someone to declare that the report’s few secondary phrases about the nature of the elections, taken as a whole, promise nothing good. Now no one can be more certain that the Socialists have taken that report seriously and will do everything possible to correct what urgently and necessarily needs to be corrected. And when the evil that comes along is layered on top of what already exists, then it becomes more ... importance. people or political forces, regardless of their responsibilities for the mistakes, irregularities, or offenses identified by the continent’s democratic bodies. The right—and also the power—to impose penalties and deliver the verdict that follows from them (in this case, an electoral one) belongs only to the peoples concerned, to their votes. More than anything else, they read. Beyond that, for those in power who know how to interpret them and learn from them, it is not the diplomatic tones and vocabulary that matter, possible. In this context, to rush to declare that the Council of Europe’s report on the latest elections in Albania is an endorsement of them means that you are either blind or determined to make things worse than they have been so far. The campaign that erupted in the pro-government left-wing press, seizing on ... take that report seriously and do everything possible to put right what urgently and necessarily needs to be put right. And when the evil that comes is added to the existing evil, it becomes worse than hell itself. It is time to stop deceiving ourselves and to do what needs to be done before it is too late. Otherwise, the punishment that will befall the guilty will be final, and salvation will be a meaningless dream.

The patrol attempted to abduct 30 emigrants A serious diplomatic incident on the Albanian-Greek border. Two officers from Greek police patrols nearly caused one of the most serious incidents of this decade along the Albanian-Greek border. The incident occurred at around 18:00 on Wednesday evening, when two soldiers from a Greek police patrol entered 300 metres into Albanian territory. They approached a group of Albanian emigrants who were waiting to enter Greek territory illegally. Page 5

SHIR files opened on police chiefs SHIR materials have arrived at Gjoni’s office, following a request made by the Minister of Public Order. The reform launched with the leadership of the Public Order department, their motivation, as well as the information needed for further changes, have prompted Gjoni to retrieve from the SHIR archive all the materials gathered over nearly a year by SHIR agents and inspectors of this service.

Farudin Hoxha speaks exclusively to “Republika”. . The second option for the construction of Bushat falls through. Page 9

PR evaluates the Council of Europe report on the elections The Republicans consider the report by the Council of Europe delegation to be confirmation of their longstanding statements regarding the manipulation of the October 1 vote. Republicans consider the report by the Council of Europe delegation to be confirmation of their longstanding statements regarding the manipulation of the October 1 vote. The deputy chairman of the Republican Party, Maksim Begeja, setting out the party’s official position, stated that the report by the delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe had once again confirmed that the PR’s criticisms were justified. Page 2

Epidemic . Flu strikes Albanians again. Page 11