Seven young men missing on a route to Italy They set off on 13 March in a speedboat toward the Apulian coast, and since then no one has seen them. Their desperate families are asking for help FIER — Seven people from this same city have lost all hope of learning the fate of their sons, who set off toward the Apulian coast on the speedboat “Jona”. They are still “alive” because no one has yet paid the funds for their death. But the world has become a place with no sign of them. Without thinking at all about the dangers, about the speedboats and the shadow of the night that covered them, on 13 March these seven boys, around twenty years old, set off for Italy in a speedboat, “Jona”, with a 75-horsepower engine, borrowed from the owner’s wife, with his fisherman. The boat’s driver was the husband of one of the boys’ sister, known as “Lito”; he was to be the last hope as well, the hope of taking them to the Apulian coast. But after that night, no one has yet paid the funds for them to have drowned. This tragic event began on 13 March, when, based on a telephone call from Durrës, it was reported that a speedboat “Jona”, carrying 7 young men, had capsized 9 miles from the Albanian coast, and that 5 more miles separated it from the Italian coast. The false news shocked the families and later also the authorities. All seven families were thrown into anxiety and began to look with modest means for traces of their sons. At one point the authorities were given a strange clue: a boat with two people had come ashore. The two bodies were lifeless. Another version said that two people had been rescued and others had disappeared. One of them, according to testimony, had been in the pocket of Puglia. Nothing was confirmed. Only lost names, cut-off telephones and waiting. SHKODËR — “Rescue today, or when?!” say the anxious family members, who ask every day about a possible piece of news. In the absence of any official confirmation, their pain remains suspended between hope and loss. People go from institution to institution, asking about morgues, hospitals, lists of arrivals, police and port notices. There is no clear trace anywhere. In their hometown, the parents keep the boys’ clothes, documents and photographs. Silence is heavy in their homes. No one knows whether they drowned, were arrested, or disappeared without a trace. The newspaper publishes the families’ appeal for help and for any information about the missing boys. A motorboat used by emigrants

They were fishing illegally in the national waters of the Apulians DURRËS — Seven Italian fishing boats have been blocked by the Albanian authorities over the past five days in different ports of the country. The fishing boats were caught fishing illegally in Albanian waters. “Totonero”, “Mina”, “Primavera”, “Mazzini”, “Vittoria”, “Maria” are some of the names of the vessels that were stopped. According to fishermen and port sources, some of the boats were stopped near Durrës, others in Vlorë. In some cases the fish caught in the prohibited areas was also seized. The captains were questioned and held aboard the vessels under observation. The Albanian authorities said the measure was taken to protect national wealth and to enforce sovereignty rules in territorial waters. The incident has also created tension among local fishermen, who complain of economic damage from the entry of foreign fishing boats. Pending procedures, the vessels remain blocked in the respective ports. Fishing boats in the port of Monopoli.

Three opposing platforms and the Democratic opposition clashed People of the latest bloc’s ignorance 10,000 lekë for the body TIRANË — Parliament’s review began yesterday with the debate on the draft law on land, one of the most sensitive issues of the Albanian transition. Three different platforms for agrarian reform were presented in the chamber: one supported by the socialist majority, another by the Democratic Party, and a third version put forward by independent deputies. The debate focused on the principle of ownership: return the land to former owners, divide it according to the spirit of the dismantled cooperatives, or find an intermediate solution. The democratic opposition strongly opposed the majority’s draft, describing it as a violation of property rights and an obstacle to the creation of a free rural market. Other deputies warned of social consequences if the land were taken away from families that had worked it for decades. The session was marked by harsh tones and frequent interruptions. In the end, the discussion was postponed to continue in the following sessions.

Berlisha: “Payment visa from ‘Islkovik’”

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