Excise duties and turnover tax are abolished for imported kerosene and gas. New mobile fuel outlets will open HEATING Meksi orders the security forces to prevent vehicles transporting fuel from going north. From today, transport only by train TIRANA — Anxiety over grain has reached the highest levels of Government. The adoption of urgent measures to address the problems caused by the onset of this winter was at the center of discussions at one of its recent meetings. The decisions taken envisage finally steering consumers, through economic mechanisms, toward using kerosene, gas and even steam for heating, thereby easing somewhat the increased strain on the electricity grid, which is at risk of collapsing. Kerosene has been seen as the “lifeline” that could save the electricity network from a total blackout. To increase imports, the Government has decided to abolish excise duties and turnover tax on kerosene. However, Albanian consumers have not suffered from a lack of kerosene imports so far—in every period, imports have exceeded the country's needs—but rather from their re-export across the country's northern borders. This is why Prime Minister Meksi himself issued a special order. It instructs the security forces to prevent any vehicle attempting to transport kerosene from going north—the road network has so far been the route most frequently used by smugglers. To meet the northern regions' needs for this energy source, only the railway line will be used for this purpose. Meksi has also called for the border barriers used to stop smuggling into the countries of the former Yugoslavia to be reinforced. To encourage kerosene consumption, the Government's decision also provides for the opening of many mobile kerosene sales outlets and for lowering the price—from 8.5 thousand to 4 thousand lekë—of around 20,000 kerosene stoves imported from Germany. Another reserve source, liquefied gas, has not been forgotten. Alongside abolishing excise duties and turnover tax on its imports—which had in fact almost ground to a halt—the Government has also taken account of the interests of businesses selling it on the domestic market, raising its price from 40 to 50 lekë per liter. Meanwhile, measures will be taken to provide steam heating in certain areas and towns such as Bulqiza and Korça. The decision also includes measures to prevent losses in the electricity network, which are estimated to average 20 million dollars a year. These include supplying more than 100,000 households with electricity meters through a project supported by the World Bank. The Government also approved compensation of 500 lekë for employees of budget-funded institutions, up from the 350 lekë paid until now. The incident, which occurred just a few days ago, has also stirred concern among the customs authorities in Kakavijë. Having established—following the customs officer's account—that the stamp had not been deliberately stolen but lost through carelessness, they directed all their criticism at the negligent employee. The General Directorate in Tirana was notified immediately and sent its specialists on Tuesday. Another meeting was held on Wednesday, during which the customs officer at fault again said he had lost his stamp while outside his office attending to a personal matter. He did not try to evade responsibility, admitting his carelessness. Sincerity, however, does not appear likely to save the Kakavijë employee. His superiors have not hesitated to call for his immediate dismissal, and this is the proposal they have forwarded to the Directorate in Tirana. The latter's decision is still unknown, but there will certainly be “punishment” from the capital's offices as well. Andrea Stefani

All goods inspection points are ordered to watch for the missing “code” Concern reaches Tirana GJIROKASTËR — Concern at the Kakavijë customs post. One of the few stamps used to mark goods and trucks—the customs posts have very few officials responsible for this, only two or three—has gone missing. Despite extensive searches, so far only the culprit has been found: one of the Kakavijë customs officers, who himself admitted to the incident that has concerned even the country's highest customs authorities. An alert has now been issued at all border crossings and goods transit and inspection points, along with notification of the stamp's number: all stamps must be checked carefully, and goods bearing the code of the missing stamp must be held. “In this way,” customs specialists explain, “at least the possibility of using it for abuses and forgery will be avoided.”

Shëngjin: “A clandestine crossing” TIRANA — Where did the fishing boat “Albatros” end up? So far, the question has remained a mystery between Albania and Italy. Its owner from Shkodra has long claimed that it sank in Bari after a storm, and that attempts have even been made to recover it from the seabed. Meanwhile, there has officially been no trace of “Albatros” at the port of Bari since March of this year. The matter—despite the conflicting accounts—thus risks becoming one of the typical mysteries of the sea routes across the waters between the two shores of the Adriatic. The first indication of the theory that the fishing boat, registered at the port of Shëngjin, had sunk came only a few days ago from the official news agency. In a dispatch from Lezha, the agency stated that “fishermen in Shëngjin say that this motor fishing boat was detained by the Italian authorities at the port of Bari.” The owner's name, Xhafer Kraja from Shkodra, also appeared for the first time in this report. He stated: “During a storm, the vessel struck something in the port of Bari and sank. Attempts to recover it have failed so far.” In Shëngjin, they tell Gazeta Shqiptare everything they officially know about “Albatros.” “It operated out of Shëngjin for about eight months,” said Dilaver Nazeraj, captain of the harbour master's office at the small northern port. “The last time it left Shëngjin was on March 27, 1994, at around 2:30 p.m. It had 800 kilograms of fish on board. Since then, we have received no official information about its subsequent fate.” The captain registered there was Dragan Paulovic, who declared Croatian nationality, while his deputy was from Shkodra. It is here that new details suddenly emerge, shedding light on the fate of “Albatros.” Feim Hoxha, commander of the border crossing point at this port, states: “On the day this fishing boat left, there was information that it had clandestine passengers on board. The border police staff immediately set off in pursuit; they even fired into the air, but it managed to reach international waters.” The fishing boat's destination on its final voyage is another mystery. It was officially registered at the port of Bari on March 17 and departed from there just one day later. Captain Palumbo of the Italian port authority confirms this information. The vessel was registered there under the same [wording unclear in source], while Dragan Paulovic was listed as a sailor. Where was the vessel from last March 27 onward? Why is its crew described in one account as Albanian-Montenegrin and in another as Albanian-Croatian? If the vessel really sank in Bari after the storm, how is it possible that the Italian authorities know nothing about the accident, let alone about attempts to recover it? Perhaps only statements from the crew will be able to clear up the many questions surrounding this maritime incident. So far, all our attempts to speak with the sailors and the owner of “Albatros” have been unsuccessful. Fatos Baxhaku Irfan Rama Photograph of a fishing boat in port.

Durrës, 10 members detained Among them, a police officer from Fier Durrës, 10 members detained A gang of young robbers uncovered Among them, a police officer from Fier DURRËS — A gang of ten young men in their twenties has ended up in the cells of the Durrës Police Commissariat, all accused of theft. One of them is also an employee of the Criminal Police in Fier. The high-profile detention took place shortly after members of the gang had cut open the cover of a vehicle belonging to a Turkish citizen and taken everything from its “Samsung” electronic equipment. According to confirmation from the Durrës Police Commissariat, the ten young men were detained just a few hours after committing this theft. A search of their homes also uncovered many other items believed to have been stolen at different times and in different places. Perhaps this “detail” alone led investigators to think that the ten young men—now in detention—belong to an organized gang that had been operating in the city of Durrës for some time. The only fact that remains mysterious, perhaps because of the investigation, is the participation of the Fier Criminal Police employee and his connection to the Durrës gang of thieves. In any case, the ten young men are still only accused persons, and it will now be up to the Prosecutor's Office to decide their fate definitively, as well as to establish the truth. (Gë. To.)

Out of order: the “alarm system” LEZHË — Lack of conscientiousness has created favorable conditions for thieves, even in places where the alarm systems are among the most original. A Lezhë resident has suffered from an ordinary power cut. Although the damage he suffered was only the loss of one sheep, he was even more disappointed by “the demobilization of his alarm system.” Tired of spending sleepless nights guarding his sheep, A.M. finally decided to make an “invention” to remedy the situation: an electronic “alarm system.” The bleating of a sheep in his shed was to bring the alarm in A.M.’s shed to mind. Thus, the thief managed to enter unseen for a short time and leave with the only sheep—the one that, by virtue of its function, was supposed to wake him. What is more, the system was also in the barn. [Caption] because of the frequent power cuts in Lezhë. The sheep has damaged its conditions, leaving the alarm system without power—it does not work—it does not work at all. (Ir. Ra.)

Serreqi returns after lengthy treatment Albanian Foreign Minister Alfred Serreqi has returned in improved health after several years of treatment in the United States. Family sources told Gazeta Shqiptare that Serreqi is now feeling better and may return to his office in a few days. The head of Albanian diplomacy had suffered a deterioration in his health after being invited to a regular meeting at the UN, which had forced him to stay away from his diplomatic duties for some time. Krujë, 25 years in prison for a murder The trial of Naxhir Bregmes, accused of the murder committed on December 27 of last year, has ended with a 25-year prison sentence. According to the judicial investigation, 33-year-old Rama—from the village of Burizanë—had killed his fellow villager, Riza Leka, in revenge. The story, as was also mentioned in accounts of the incident, had begun eight months earlier, when a nephew of the victim, Leka, had killed the father of the accused, 76-year-old Ahmet Brema. According to the defendant himself, who admitted to the serious act, the killing had not been committed for revenge, but solely in self-defense. The judges, however, sentenced the defendant to 25 years in prison.

Ebola: the new deadly virus On page 2 Albanian prisoners escape from Greece On page 2 Freight transport drops sharply On page 3

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