EMBARGO Financial Police uncover over 40 quintals of goods headed for Italy: did they come from Belgrade? A value of thousands of dollars Mushroom scandal Shipments blocked in Durrës DURRËS — After the fuel scandal, the mushroom scandal breaks out. Once again, business with the former Yugoslavia is at the center of the mystery. But in this story not only do the protagonists change, but also the goods: toward Italian traders, at least two large shipments of mushrooms were attempted to be moved through Albania, which according to the financial authorities came from Serbia, thus violating the UN embargo that bans the movement of products from the former Yugoslavia. The shipment in question was blocked at the port of Durrës two days ago. The first one had been discovered last week. In all, more than 40 quintals of mushrooms, with a market value of millions of dollars internationally. In fact, these are mushrooms of a very sought-after quality in Italy and of the other type, at 20 dollars per kilo. It is a complicated case. Let us try to understand it starting from the seizure. The Financial Police discovered that the goods, as mentioned, were stored separately in packs at the port of Durrës, ready to be loaded onto the ferry bound for Ancona. Mushrooms are not a very common commodity, and so the financial police of Durrës decided to carry out a stricter inspection, also requesting the cooperation of UN officials who oversee the embargo in Albania and Macedonia. The two trucks loaded with mushrooms came, according to the documents, from Macedonia. The first one — a load of 2,934 kilograms — had been sold by the company "Delta I.M.S." of Skopje to the Italian company "Nuova Co.D.F." based in Alessandria. But the financial police, after carrying out a series of successive checks, discovered that in fact the mushroom supplier was the company "Delta I.M." of Belgrade. The Italian truck, after crossing the border between Serbia and Macedonia, had changed its license plates in order to avoid detection of its true identity. The same route was to be taken by the second shipment — which transported, besides fresh mushrooms, also dried mushrooms — but the company names were different: the buyer was still an Italian company, this time from Brescia. The Albanian financial police therefore decided to block both trucks, because the embargo law — very strict — prohibits importing or exporting any product coming from Serbia. But the Italian traders protest: "In both orders that were sent to us from Macedonia — they explain — there is no embargo on imports there. The goal does not come from us. Those who have profited so far from this unprofitable deception have been the mushroom sellers. For whom? They had claimed that the goods be paid for in advance. We believe that it actually appears suspicious..." p.r.

Drama of the 13-year-old TIRANË — They wanted to set her broken arm but caused its amputation. It is the painful story of a 13-year-old girl from a village in Krumë in Martanesh. Her story is a typical example of the fatal consequences that such interventions can cause when carried out by unauthorized people. Not long ago, after a trivial accident, the girl suffered a fracture, to the finger and the trigger finger [?] especially in children, who are pushed into play and movement in these hot seasons of the year. Unable to find a faster way of treatment, she turned to a person in her area, who of course bound the little girl's arm in the manner he himself knew. But right there the girl's condition began to worsen, and very soon it would lead to the amputation of the arm. The binding of the broken arm in fact blocked the circulation and very soon the hand began to take on an ugly bluish-purple color. The person who treated her on his own reassured the girl's relatives: "This usually happens in the first few days." But the initial calm was entirely temporary. A rise in temperature was enough for the family to realize that something serious was happening to the sick girl; they immediately headed to the Military Hospital in Tirana, where the doctors shrugged with regret. It was no longer a matter of saving the girl's arm, but her life itself. In fact, with the sick limb in this condition, amputation had risked killing her. There was also the danger of further spread. Thus, because of a completely absurd cause, the little girl from Martanesh will now have to live as most of her peers do.

It is enough to have an official document proving that you are single, widowed or divorced In Tirana a special agency TIRANË — It will certainly be a great help for anyone facing the major dilemmas caused by marriage in relation to married life. For anyone caught up in the game of "traditional" customs, the same love has thought of an original solution. For some time now, an organization has been operating in Albania too, taking on the task of helping people who find themselves in such situations. The Albanian public has been informed through what is called "Love International" — based in Sanremo and with branches in several European countries. Ai Rrustani, the young economist, is president of this firm. He tells Gazeta that he has brought thought even into the lists of foreigners. Through its clients, or rather through English clients, interest has grown in establishing links with Albanian women, but according to Rrustani interest in this type of activity is also increasing among Albanians, especially among women. For this, all the interested person needs to do is fill out a form where the main general details and religious affiliation and life preferences are listed. Service fees depend on the time the contact takes and on the clients’ financial situation. A convenient service for those who want to hit the mark without too much trouble. It seems that President Rrustani is determined on a point on which Albanian clients are very interested in the service. "We fully guarantee our clients the preservation of secrecy regarding their identity — says Rrustani — and on the other hand we are determined to stop any attempt at any possible fraud. We will not serve any person who does not appear to be single, divorced or widowed on the basis of official documents."

PRESIDENT BERISHA RECEIVES BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER DOUGLAS HOGG — Greece and the current problems in the region were at the center of the talks. Albanian President Sali Berisha and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth of the United Kingdom Douglas Hogg. Berisha, while giving an overview of the situation and the movements of politics and security in Albania, thanked the British minister Hogg for urging the European Community to pressure Greece to lift the veto on the 35 million ECU aid that had been threatened for Albania. A ROAD ACCIDENT — Four people were the victims of a serious road accident on the road near the village of Visok. A "Mercedes-Benz" car veered off the road and fell into a ravine dozens of meters deep. As a result of this event, Arjan Shepza, 26, from Fier, was killed. Three others were urgently hospitalized after suffering serious injuries. SARANDË, 5 THOUSAND FARMERS FOR PLANTING WITHOUT PERMIT OF DYNAMITE — Eqim [?] Gjini, accused of illegal possession of weapons, was sentenced by the Court of Sarandë to 5 months' imprisonment. This decision was made on the basis of a complaint that the young man from Gjinari was illegally keeping a quantity of explosives. FIER, FASHION PARADE OF YOUNG STYLISTS — There were 18 models from two young stylists from Fier, Mirela Bego and Mira Naçi, who presented at a special fashion show "Summer '94", in the city cinema-theater hall. All the outfits were presented by 6 female models who will later appear again with creations by both stylists, made with different materials and styles. HOUSING IN TIRANA — The regulation of land use in the district territory, a new area of Kamëz of 40 hectares in Vlorë, has now been approved. According to the urban study, this area will be inhabited by around 10,000 people in villas and 3-story buildings.

SHKODER — He had killed a vendor seven months ago in his kiosk and has now been arrested by the Shkodër Police. E. Koçja, from Shkodër, now aged ninety [?], is now accused of murder. The murder was uncovered after a long and tiring search by the city police. The serious incident, which had made a great impression on public opinion in the city, had occurred about seven months earlier. Then — according to official sources from the Ministry of Order — Koçja, who is now under arrest, had fatally struck, for motives that have not yet been fully clarified, a vendor, the kiosk owner, in the well-known "Parrucë" neighborhood of Shkodër. After that he had quickly fled, managing to evade the police for seven months in a row. This case was caught by surprise while he was traveling in a vehicle. Further details about the direction of his journey and about the operation that led to his arrest have not yet been made known.

Socialist Party: "Meksi must leave office" TIRANË — "In the case of incidents in the local elections, Meksi did not apply the law; he has favored corruption, including through illegal privatizations and appointments that were complicit in favoring obstacles to the adoption of the Constitution." These are the core of the social criticisms that supported a vote of no confidence from the PS parliamentary group. On their part, Prime Minister Meksi considered the PS motion to be "a phenomenon that is normal in all democratic countries," but he called it "tendentious," not a real attempt at a serious debate, one that politicized the issues and was not consistent with the real facts." After deputies from both sides defended their positions, Parliament decided that the debate on these motions would be held in mid-September after the parliamentary recess.

Tirana TIRANË — The three organizing forces behind the creation of the "Anti-Communist Right Front": the National Association of Property Owners, the Democratic Right Party and the Albanian Justice Party have decided to take another step. A joint statement by the three announces the establishment of the Anti-Communist Right Front. The political and organizational platform of the two right-wing groups will be presented by the "Property Owners". The Front will be led by a council made up of the main leaders of these forces.

Now only private doctors TIRANË — What a pain it is to pay the dentist! Treating teeth today has truly become a problem. In the old, tangled system of dentistry, which operates without being governed by laws, fees and taxes, it has become a real pain for citizens. The best-known dentists charge from 200 to 2,000 lek, not to mention prostheses, which go beyond the 10,000 lek mark. As if all this were not enough, health is often also at risk, since many people who have obtained a license as consultants work only as real doctors. "We are alone in this fact" — specialist Mirela Bogdani, a consultant at the Ministry of Health, tells Gazeta — "but the current dentistry system is still being reorganized, because sectoral needs have not been given the proper importance." Dentistry in Albania operates split in two. On the one hand, licenses are being issued for the free private practice of dentists, which is nearing completion, while on the other hand the state will still take care of free treatment for children up to the age of 18. To carry out this very important service for children — Bogdani explains — a special system that will function in schools must first be set up. However, the problem remains, since even now the facilities are almost completely worn out." Ar. M.

After the inauguration at the International Center, Mimmo Gianfreda speaks TIRANË — Yesterday in Tirana, at the International Center of Culture, "Expo-Tirana" was inaugurated, a fair for Albanian export enterprises. According to its director, alongside the exhibition of products, for the first time in Albania there are also events showcasing the culture of the country. The center, located in the International Center of Culture, will be open only to foreign visitors. The fair has the specific aim of helping create trade links between Albanian enterprises and foreign investors, by presenting various products. At the same time, this initiative also has a symbolic meaning, because according to the organizers, along with the goods, Albanian culture should also become better known. The stands on display also feature cultural materials, including traditional objects and elements of the country’s heritage. View from one of the pavilions of "Expo Tirana" (Photo A. Babaramo)

ITALIC REALITY GJIROKASTER — Grasshoppers continue to "swarm" in the South. It seems that cities too will become the target of their attack. In the last few days of the high summer month, grasshoppers have descended on the city, creating a real concern, fear of some increase in heat [?] that they could trigger movements. So far the grasshopper infestations are still on a small scale, gathering mainly in patches in the city neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the only fairly similar thing that has been used so far — even this spontaneously — has been the fires of vehicles that, passing near the city, have left black marks on the asphalt behind them. The grasshopper alarm appeared some time ago — but the work in the countryside, with the great rise in temperatures, the specialists from the Ministry of Agriculture assure that the interventions give no cause for alarm. This first period usually ends with writing [?]. We hope it does not come to that, otherwise citizens of Gjirokastër and other areas of the South will truly have troubles. ro. ka.

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