Yesterday the price of the world’s currency rose to 110 lek A terrifying jump in the dollar Will the banks be able to defend the lek? The terrifying jump in the dollar and the drastic devaluation of the lek. At midday yesterday the world currency had tightened to more than 2 lek: 1 USD was sold on the foreign-exchange market in Tiranë for as much as 110 lek, from 107.9 lek the day before. And the more the value of the lek falls, the more worrying the questions become, along with another question asked almost in chorus by all currency dealers: “Will the banks intervene to defend it?” The entire monetary story of April was nothing more than a nearly silent onslaught by the Albanian Commercial Bank with the American dollar, in defense of the lek. The currency sales carried out from time to time by its counters have managed to bring the dollar’s curve down temporarily. But after a short while, the dollar rose again, even more threateningly, like an Antaeus who regains life from the earth, except that, curiously, it does so on ground that is foreign to it. Here is the rising pulse of the dollar Sale Purchase A further devaluation of the lek would lead to a rise in the cost of the currency bought by traders, and therefore also in the price of the goods imported by them Andrea Stefani on page 5

Buses and cheap tickets Refugees coming for the vote? Athens is ready On page 3

On page 6

Yesterday there were incidents at the rally. In the hall Pelumbi, Dokle... Burrel, stones thrown at socialists PS protests: “The police mistreated us” On page 3

FIER They steal anti-gas masks: “They are needed in agriculture” On page 5 TIRANË The cassation court rejects the other candidates On page 5 PUKË The police catch the ambush gang On page 5

PD leaders supported by Perikard Berisha lands in Vlorë: Shehu in Durrës and Tiranë TIRANË - Berisha launched the Democratic Party’s electoral tour yesterday. Accompanied by Perikard, the chairman of the party’s parliamentary group of Shiaruk, the president landed in Vlorë for the presentation of his party’s candidates. There, at the stadium, Berisha had been preceded by a series of technical complications for the staging of the event. PD headquarters On page 3

A protest to Berisha The PS complains: “Give us the campaign money” The Socialist Party is strongly protesting against the exclusion and the use of state funds for the development of the election campaign. This time, the leader of the Albanian opposition has protested in their protest, which calls on President Sali Berisha, Prime Minister Meksi and the Central Election Commission. On page 3

SHOW Tirana “loves” Don Zhuan A successful premiere On page 7 Scenes from the premiere of “Don Zhuan”

The trial of Ramizi, Çela, Mino... continues Testimonies “open” the files The accused respond TIRANË - “There is nothing new here, we have all already been convicted once for this offense and these same witnesses were in front of us before us”, so the accused of genocide, Çela and Mino, responded yesterday, before the day came for them to defend themselves. Meanwhile, the “rebellion” of the former number one of the Albanian Security was particularly harsh, when one of the witnesses accused directly. “I turn witness in service of Yugoslavia. I did not want to speak, but now I will say one thing”, said former Security director Zylyftar Ramizi, who nevertheless did not say that “thing”. On page 5 Zylyftar Ramizi during the trial

A story KAVAJË - Death was “sleeping” in the ground and the slightest carelessness could have “woken” it even after 80 years. By chance, a child on duty discovers in a field in Kavajë an extraordinary “treasure” of war mines. Nearly 200 pieces of Austrian manufacture were blown up yesterday by the special forces of the Ministry of the Interior. The mines were at a depth of nearly one and a half meters. They were discovered completely by chance during work to build a road in Kavajë by the private company “Hidroplan”. The shovel of one of its workers struck an iron object and only moments later it was understood that the object was a mine. The work was stopped and the police arrived at the scene. In the inspection carried out by the special forces, from the opened pit there came into view, one after another, nearly 200 war mines. Even an amateur eye could easily see that the mines were very old — the long time they had spent in the ground had rusted them completely. A citizen from Kavajë states that his own father had bought a large quantity of mines from the Austro-Hungarian army during the First World War. He dismantled them to recover a bronze and tin compound that he used as a craftsman. Later he buried the mines deep underground to make them harmless. But even after 80 years, carelessness could still not be outdone... Qemal Qara

A routine quarrel causes tragedy The wife’s anger burns the house down Family revenge leaves the family on the street LIBRAZHD - He argued with his wife and takes revenge by burning down the house. Albanian family disputes are rarely resolved like this. A woman such as this apparently happened a few days ago in the village of Kakavec in Librazhd. A villager, R.V., 30 years old, had quarreled with his wife and, to get revenge on her, had found a completely “original” solution. He set fire to his house. Nothing escaped the flames, and when, in the end, anger had done its work, A.V. found himself in the middle of the road with his entire family. Quarrels between wife and husband in many families have become commonplace. However, many times they have led to divorces and, in some extreme cases, to murders, although these are rare. A similar decision for divorce was in most cases the husband’s revenge against the wife’s punishment. For this reason, perhaps, the retaliation of the villager from Librazhd seems to be a completely exceptional case. Out of spite toward his wife, he burned down the house, without thinking that along with it he was punishing himself and his family as well. (me.ki)

From the World Prishtina “Kosova still a powder keg” On page 2

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