A former minister also in prison The Prosecutor's Office's first decisions: the charge is “abuse of office” EDMOND LAÇI TIRANA — The first two arrests in the “Aid Scandal.” After Parliament — at the request of the Prosecutor General's Office — approved the lifting of MP Fatos Nano's immunity, who is also Chairman of the Socialist Party, the Tirana Prosecutor's Office — within two days — signed two important arrest warrants: Hasan Malko, a department director at the Ministry of Internal Trade, and Robert Gjini, former Minister of Internal Trade, who served as Ahmet's technician. Both are now in custody at Tirana Prison. No security measure has yet been envisaged for Nano by the group of prosecutors working on the “Aid Scandal.” For the first time, this case has led to the arrest of a former senior official. Robert Gjini, former Minister of Internal Trade, was ordered arrested on Tuesday. Hasan Malko, a former department director, was arrested the day before yesterday at around 9 in the morning. “Both detainees,” Fatos Fagu, Deputy Prosecutor at the Tirana Prosecutor's Office, told the Gazette, “are charged with abuse of office during the time they held important positions.” The same source confirms that the charges against them relate to the same case: the “Aid Scandal.” It is not yet known who filed the complaints against the two arrested men, nor why they were the first to be targeted. This is all the more surprising given that neither Gjini nor Malko appears in the report submitted to the People's Assembly by Blecin Çela, Chairman of the State Control Service. The initial theories about their arrests are linked first of all to the questioning sessions conducted by the General Investigation Department's investigative team, which has been working on the “Aid Scandal” for some time. At these sessions — as Fatos Nano told the Gazette — the State Control Service was also heard. This is because the case concerns millions of lire lost while aid was arriving in Albania from Italy. These investigations now come on top of the five months of intensive work carried out by the State Control Commission, which — because some documents were not available in Albania — also coordinated and cooperated with the Italian investigative authorities. Only recently, Çela, accompanied by two investigators who live there, was in Rome and met with Prosecutor Evelina Canale, who is examining the same case, but involving Italian officials. A cargo of aid at the port of Durrës

An itinerary for domestic tourism Here are the prices during the summer season at all holiday homes Sarandë: 2,150 lekë (per person) Vlorë, Durrës, Dhërmi Progradec: 1,900 lekë Shëngjin, Divjakë: 1,850 lekë Korçë, Dajt, Dardhë, Voskopoje, Razëm, Shirokë, Qafështamë: 1,500 lekë Reservations are made with an advance payment for 10 days, amounting to 50 percent of the full accommodation cost. The remainder of the cost TIRANA — (Ed. La.) — Summer tourism in Albania is very expensive, but still popular. The best hotels in the cities are now occupied by foreigners, the only ones able to afford the almost European prices. But Albanian holidaymakers can stay at the former Workers' Holiday Camps. All of these — owned by Albanian trade unions — have opened their doors and, above all, offer more affordable prices than the state Tourism hotels. “The Holiday Homes,” Spiro Gjeka, accountant at the General Directorate of Holiday Homes, tells the Gazette, “have been instructed to apply the Tourism Directorate's standards for serving meals to holidaymakers.” This is a sign that the Holiday Homes want to “attract” as many holidaymakers as possible by providing good service for domestic tourism. The summer tourist season — from 1 May to 31 October — has brought thousands of holidaymakers to around 14 holiday homes throughout Albania. On these hot summer days, the most popular are the camps in Sarandë, Vlorë, Dhërmi, Durrës, Shëngjin and Divjakë. “So far,” accountant Gjeka continues, “reservations have been made only through this network of the General Directorate of Holiday Homes. For holidays in August, reservations can also be made directly at the respective camps.” But holidaymakers wishing to use these camps should also know a few rules: advance payments and reservations at all holiday homes are made on the 1st, 11th and 21st of each month. The holiday period, unlike in previous years, is now 10 days rather than 15. Double rooms, or rooms with better facilities than others, such as a shower, cost more than the price shown in the table. The reservation price for accommodation does not include dinner, which is paid for in cash. In addition, reductions are also available for children, for whom only a bed may be paid for; an extra bed may be placed in the room. The Holiday Homes are also open to foreign holidaymakers. However, their prices are several times higher. For foreigners arriving in organized groups through travel agencies, the price is about three times higher per person. For foreigners who come individually to these holiday homes, prices are six times higher. In some towns, such as Vlorë, Sarandë and Divjakë, car parks are also available. View of Durrës beach

Criteria for granting status are established TIRANA — The People's Assembly has approved the Law on the Status of the Politically Persecuted and Convicted. The law had been in preparation by experts for some time, and the association defending the interests of the persecuted had also intervened in its review and approval. The new measure aims to establish a legal basis for the special treatment of this social category, which suffered more than anyone under the dictatorship. Under the new law, a politically persecuted person is defined as anyone who suffered as a result of actions by any armed formation or individual belonging to the NAL Army, the Security Service, the Police, or any similar structure, when the action or inaction — the law specifies — was accompanied by loss of life or other serious consequences. The law benefits not only those who were imprisoned, but also those who, for various reasons, were deprived of basic human rights. The period considered relevant for determining persecuted status begins with the founding of the Communist Party, on 8 November 1941, and ends on 22 March 1992.

TIRANA — Twenty-seven-year-old Lebanese national Nabil Hamzit Siblinit, arrested last Monday, is now under house arrest. He is accused of “counterfeiting and smuggling” in connection with “Cooper” cigarettes. After the security measure was changed, Siblinit was transferred from Tirana Prison to a private house on the eastern outskirts of Tirana. At present, the Lebanese man — who, according to some sources, is described as the No. 1 distributor of “Cooper” cigarettes in Albania — is being defended by an Albanian lawyer.

It has already issued 200,000 certificates TIRANA — Tirana Municipality is working with the Institute of Informatics. The issue is a problem that has become very troubling for the capital's residents: the Civil Registry Office. The district is suffering because of the Municipality itself. Its six-month activity report says that the possibility of computerizing this office is being studied. The workload of this service has increased considerably lately, along with the number of formalities citizens must complete following the enactment of many new laws and decisions. The sudden increase in privatization applications and the pressure to meet the June ’93 deadline are just some of the difficulties facing the Civil Registry Office. In the period so far, it has issued 200,000 certificates and 6,000 certificates of the old family register, not to mention approvals relating to civil-status changes for people separating from or joining a family register. The service is particularly demanding and requires specific materials. The Municipality assures us that all the offices in the various districts have been supplied with the necessary certificates and stamps.

An international lead in the bombings in Italy A hope for peace in Bosnia in Geneva Madonna is banned from performing in Thailand

CARLO BOLLINO New York, a public telephone booth near Fifth Avenue, 5:30 p.m., Thursday, 29 July: an Italian economic researcher, Roby Capone, steps up to the counter asking to speak to Tirana. He is making a business call and asks for a telephone number, a number that attempts to locate the country on the giant map: “Here, miss, Albania is here.” She replies: “Excuse me, but is Russia here?” No, miss, Russia is farther away. “Could it be Italy?” No, Italy is farther to the left. “I'm sorry, sorry, for checking on the computer.” It seems that the computer cannot be wrong, and Dr. Capone — after calling his friend — calls us too, to tell us the unbelievable episode. But perhaps we should not be too surprised. America is vast, and alongside mass culture, a localist culture has also flourished. People increasingly look at private matters and less and less toward the horizon. It is the paradox of gigantic dimensions, in which the dimensions of time and space shrink. One need only consider that 60 percent of American teenagers do not know that there was a civil war in their country. “I'm sorry...” “?” No, worse: “I’m sorry, is that Alabama?” No, it is Albania. “I need a number for Albania. A telephone number for Albania.” “I'm sorry...” You want a telephone number for Albania? Excuse me, where is Albania? Roby Capone gives her an astonished smile, but does not lose his patience. “I'm sorry, it is Shqipëria.” But perhaps we should not dwell on it. A New Yorker with a tourist phrasebook, one of those books full of useless phrases and a giant map: “Here, miss, Albania is here.” She replies: “Excuse me, but is Russia here?” No, miss, Russia is farther away. “Could it be Italy?” No, Italy is farther to the left. (the small text continues)

EDMOND HAJDERI Knowledge about the harmful effects of radioactive radiation on aquatic organisms is more limited than knowledge about terrestrial organisms. What characterizes the aquatic environment in relation to the terrestrial one is its tendency to make the distribution of an element uniform throughout the environment. This makes it, generally speaking, possible to assess the effects throughout the area in all directions, while water is continually used every day. Some of the factors affecting this process are the physical nature of the bottom and the shape of the banks, currents and thermal stratification of the waters, their chemical composition and pH, etc. Today, there is a considerable increase in artificial radioactive radiation as a result of massive nuclear explosions in the atmosphere and on land; radioactive waste generated during the extraction, production and processing of enriched uranium in nuclear reactors; the abusive discharge into sewage systems of radioactive substances from nuclear power plants, various industries, research institutes and hospitals; artificial salts and various intermediates; and accidents such as Chernobyl (April 1986). Damage from radioactive radiation is of two types: somatic and genetic. Somatic damage consists of the formation of tumors (mainly in the mammary glands, lungs and kidneys) and leukemias. In organisms with bleeding, abnormalities and even breaks in genetic material (DNA) occur as a result of ionizing radiation. Assessment of the effects of radioactive radiation on organisms is generally based on knowledge of several parameters of ionizing radiation (such as the type and energy of the radiation, and the distance from the radiation source). The sensitivity of different kinds of organisms to radioactive radiation depends on their level of organization. In recent years, radioactive radiation has become more prevalent in freshwater systems throughout the world. Experimental observations have shown that its concentration in water increases rapidly and in parallel with the rapid increase in its concentration in the various biological and abiotic components of the system. The distribution and incorporation of radionuclides in aquatic organisms also varies from one species to another and over time. After a certain period, all components of the system reach a stable level of radionuclide concentration, while their accumulation on the seabed continues to increase, turning sediments into new deposits of radioactive radiation. Planktonic organisms and other small organisms, with their rapid reproductive cycles, fall to the bottom after dying, thereby transporting considerable quantities of radioactive material. The fecal waste of organisms also performs this function as it precipitates into sediments.

HUMANITARIAN AID ARRIVES FOR DURRËS HOSPITAL — A quantity of humanitarian aid has arrived at Durrës Hospital. The news was announced at a press conference by “Mission Without Borders.” The aid consists of 60 beds being installed in the maternity hospital's gynecology ward, as well as an anesthesia machine with its accessories, which will be placed in the city's hospital surgery ward. A quantity of supplies, including disposable syringes and plastic gloves, has also been donated. 700 APARTMENTS PRIVATIZED IN BURREL — Of the 2,637 apartments in Burrel, 700 have so far been privatized, and applications have also been made for another 1,300. Most payments have been made directly by citizens in cash. Only the registration of ownership changes at the notary's office is proceeding slowly. So far, only 100 owners have managed to register their privately owned apartments with a notary. LAÇI LIBRARY IS BEING RESTORED — Work is continuing to rebuild the Laçi Library, which was burned some time ago during unrest in the town. The reconstruction drive began with 4,000 titles donated by the Durrës Library. A quantity of books is expected to arrive from the Library of Pe- shqiposisë. Books that had been distributed among the villages of the district are also being collected. It is expected that the number of books will soon reach 10,000. A simple reading room for book lovers will also begin operating soon. “CARITAS” AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HELP REBUILD SCHOOLS — “Caritas” and the Catholic Church are sponsoring the reconstruction of schools damaged in this town and in the villages of the Laçi district. The project, also financed by state funds, is focused on restoring and putting back into use school buildings, which are to be completed in the coming school year. The assistance of “Caritas” and the Catholic Church has gone toward building a new school in Gurëz and rebuilding the school in the village of Fushë-Milot, which was damaged by flooding last year. JOINT EXHIBITION BY TWO PAINTERS IN SARANDË — Two artists, Lindita Lula, a sculptor with the Sarandë Variety Theatre, and Fatmir Biba, a lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering in Sarandë, have opened a joint exhibition in Sarandë in recent days. The exhibition, well attended by local residents and foreign tourists, contains around 50 works in several techniques.