Today, an emergency meeting in Shkodër. Bloodshed is averted through the intervention of local leaders Shots fired at the police station. “We’ll take the commissioner hostage” Police officers revolt at the Shkodër Directorate. “You can’t fire us.” The incident risked turning into a tragedy Today, an emergency meeting in Shkodër. Bloodshed is averted through the intervention of local leaders Police officers stage a revolt Shots fired at the police station. “We’ll take the commissioner hostage” Police officers revolt at the Shkodër Directorate. “You can’t fire us.” The incident risked turning into a tragedy SHKODER - Police officers revolt and open fire at the Shkodër police station. The day’s proceedings at the city Police Directorate began with gunfire. At around 8:00 in the morning, criminal police inspectors fired their pistols into the air and demanded the removal of the management staff. After threatening the other police officers standing in the building’s courtyard, they headed for the office of the newly appointed director, Fran Ndoi, and threatened to take him hostage if their demands were not met. Reforms at all police stations have also brought changes to Shkodër’s management staff, but the “revolting” police officers accuse the changes of being unjust and say that no clean figures have been appointed to head the Shkodër police. “We refuse to be led by smugglers and criminals,” they shouted. “The current staff consists only of corrupt people who are trying to get us fired.” On page 3 (PHOTO REUTERS) On page 4 Director Fran Ndoi: “We have no intention of throwing people out onto the street. We’ll only conduct the assessment.” The protagonists of the dangerous incident were several criminal police and rapid-response inspectors 7 years, funny handcuffs

Controversy TIRANA - Janullatos finds himself between two fires. “There must be dialogue with the official authorities on the issue of the three metropolitans,” his spokesperson confirmed yesterday. The signals that the leaders of the State would not receive the Patriarchate’s envoys have nevertheless left a bitter taste. “Their indirect statement, before the two envoys from the Patriarchate arrive in Tirana, is a game of prejudice,” say other sources close to the Archbishop. On page 2

swallowed the ship Durrës, 2 sailors missing DURRËS - The raging sea swallowed two sailors and their ship, “Guia”. Eight-metre-high waves and a powerful cyclone have “taken over” the Adriatic for three days and continue to challenge all the ships. The fishing boat took its new owner and a sailor from the ship “Erzeni” with it. Genti Dervishi, from Durrës, had just bought the 5-ton boat in Italy and had left the Italian port on Thursday. It was the ship “Erzeni” that [unclear] towed it and brought it as far as Durrës. The journey began in rough seas, which later became very violent. According to the sailors, the sea’s force was 7 to 8 on the Beaufort scale, causing the waves to rise 7–8 metres high. The journey became much more difficult with the onset of a cyclone, which snapped the [unclear] connecting the ship “Erzeni” — which is about 27 metres long and over 100 tons. On page 9 MEJA? [?]

FOOTBALL / Tirana leads the Championship with a perfect record National team: Daiu leaves Bellai returns from Greece TIRANA - Hafizi announces the names of the National team. No major changes from the last match in Switzerland against Ireland. Only one, which at first glance may seem unimportant, but which conceals something. Bellai has returned in place of Daiu. “Daiu is not in form; moreover, in an interview he made comments that were not his place to make and, furthermore, were not true,” Hafizi declared. The Championship is in its 7th week. Tirana manages to win again and lead without a single defeat. The champions’ columns for draws and defeats are still blank. Laçi is the surprise in second place, level on points with Partizani. At the bottom, Shkallë? [?], with no points and no goals scored, brings up the table with 0 points. On page 11

MEMALIAJ On page 12

SARANDË On page 9

EVENING AT VILLA 31 Nano turns 45, a belated birthday From Hong Kong to the USA, visits “burn” up the celebration TIRANA - Everyone from the country’s top official, Meidani, to Haliti, the veteran guard at the PS headquarters, came to see Nano yesterday at Villa No. 31. Last night the Albanian Prime Minister celebrated his birthday, and the “best wishes” were lining up. “May you live to be a hundred, Mr Nano, and one more...” Last night the Prime Minister celebrated his 45th birthday. In fact, Nano would surely have held the party several days earlier had he not gone so far away from Albania. But Hong Kong, the IMF or the USA had to come before his birthday. Frano was the first to arrive, one of those closest to Nano, who, to everyone’s surprise last night, was seen spending very little time with him. Socialist delegates from groups [?] arrived one after another that evening at Enver Hoxha’s former villa, seemingly barely able to wait to greet the Government’s number one. From the South and the North, birthday wishes came by phone that day, and before reaching Nano, the delegates stopped to meet the other Prime Minister, the former one, Fino of National Reconciliation. “It may happen that you don’t know this, but today I don’t have time to deal with Nano. I have to talk a lot with Nano; I have to see off all my fans,” Fino’s humour, as always, was not lacking, and his laughter could be heard as far as the villa’s distant rooms. The seemingly endless rooms were all supplied with everything that could be served to “guests” who came to wish him a happy birthday, except that one thing stood out. Bottles which, from a distance, gave the impression of champagne, but when you came closer, the bottles turned out to contain nothing but sparkling wine with a “shumante” aroma. Had Nano forgotten [?] the champagne? Or had the Reception Directorate overlooked this detail and bought “shumante” instead of real champagne? Perhaps it had been arranged differently; and had we not spent so much time with Demi, the director of the Reception Directorate, we would never have found out that the Prime Minister of Albania had paid for all that “abundance”. For more than two hours, they did not leave for a moment the large hall where Nano stood with his wife. Fino, meanwhile, spent almost all his time in the long corridor leading out into the villa’s courtyard. “It’s strange when I think that on October 12, just a week from now, I’ll be celebrating my birthday too,” says Fino. “I’ll be 35, and of course, being younger than Nano, I’ll celebrate at ‘Qemal Stafa’ Stadium.” It was hard to tell whether Fino was speaking seriously or joking. Nano and Gjinushi during last night’s celebration Photo P. Ilo Arian Çani

Controversy

Tragedy at sea, 20 miles off the coast

FOOTBALL / Tirana leads the championship with a perfect points record