Jihadist bought Italian visas in Kosovo
30/08/2014


Jihadist bought Italian visas in Kosovo The visa scandal at the Italian embassy in Prishtina, which has involved the son of the former Kosovo President Rugova, Uke Rugova, has taken bigger proportions beyond the Adriatic, by putting in motion the police forces.

Italian media report that three  jihadist have bought visa for 3500 Euros and entered Italy normally.

It seems unbelievable, but it is true. Italian police are working to find these persons in their country.

One of them has been reported dead in an explosion in Iraq, while there is no sign for the two others, according to Italian media.

The investigation started from the Kosovo Eulex and was continued by the Rome Prosecutin, which, according to the Italian media, was held secret because it involved several officials.

This includes the former Italian ambassador in Prishtina, who has not resulted under investigation so far, but was fired right after the scandal.

Italian authorities are working to find traces of the jihadists, whose whereabouts remain unknown

DP will boycott the Parliament again
30/08/2014

DP will boycott the Parliament again
The biggest opposition party will be absent this Monday in Parliament, with the start of the new session.

The seats of the Democratic Party will be empty, a stance warned by the DP leader a few days ago.

"There is a decision taken by the DP in July 10th, after a physical attack against the opposition, an act for which the DP accused Prime Minister Rama of trying to intimidate the opposition", Basha declared.

The other decision will not change the first one. The same forces say for Top Channel that the opposition thinks that the Prime Minister's behavior with the opposition and independent institutions has not changed.

The opposition's absence in Parliament seems to be no surprise for the Prime Minister, who gave his version of why they were boycotting.

"There are no efforts to intimidate the opposition. The opposition has started a self-humiliating process, a self-victimization process, because they don't have a strategy, a platform or a project. The opposition has a problem and that problem is not us", Rama declared,

Not having enough votes to go against the majority, and having a Prime Minister who has claimed to not
"turn into the nanny of the opposition" by inviting them in Parliament or to be part of the local elections, the DP seems to be expecting a difficult political season.

Greek lawmaker gets jail leave for city seat

Associated Press By DEREK GATOPOULOS and PETROS GIANNAKOURIS
3 hours ago
 Parliament member Ilias Kasidiaris, second left, participates in a swearing in ceremony in Athens, on Friday, Aug 29, 2014. Jailed spokesman of Greece’s extreme right Golden Party Kasidiaris has been granted a brief leave from prison to take up his seat on Athens’ new city council, after the party won 16 percent of the capital’s vote in May municipal elections. Golden Dawn, an ultranationalist party of Neo-Nazi origins, has seen its support soar during Greece’s financial crisis. Nine of its 18 lawmakers are currently in prison, awaiting trial for alleged criminal activity. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

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ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The jailed spokesman of Greece's extreme right Golden Party was been granted a brief leave from prison on Friday to take up his seat on Athens' new city council, after the party won 16 percent of the capital's vote capital in May municipal elections.

Parliament member Ilias Kasidiaris, who was jailed last month on illegal firearms charges, ran as a candidate for Athens mayor in the May 18-25 poll.

Police escorted the 33-year-old Kasidiaris on Friday to a municipal amphitheater where center-left Mayor Giorgos Kaminis was sworn in for a second five-year term.

Golden Dawn supporters gathered outside, briefly challenging a police cordon and chanting "Greece belongs to Greeks," while party opponents also held separate demonstration that ended peacefully.

Golden Dawn, an ultranationalist party of neo-Nazi origins, has seen its support soar during Greece's financial crisis. Nine of its 18 lawmakers are in prison, awaiting trial for alleged criminal activity.

"We wanted to put the thieves in jail, but they got to us first. It doesn't matter though, because Greece always wins in the end," Kasidiaris said while being escorted into the building by plainclothes police officers, who flanked him throughout the swearing-in ceremony.

Left-wing city council member Petros Constantinou said authorities shouldn't have granted Kasidiaris prison leave.

"I will fight for a city of democracy, freedom and solidarity, without neo-Nazis and racism," he said.

Rival protests by supporters and opponents of Golden Dawn have been held in other parts of the country this week as other municipal councils were sworn in.

In Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, re-elected Mayor Yiannis Boutaris attended the city ceremony Thursday with a copy of a Nazi badge used to identify Jews pinned to his jacket, in an apparent protest against Golden Dawn members elected to his council.

42-year-old builder executed with explosive in Vlora


28/08/2014

42-year-old builder executed with explosive A 42-year-old builder from Vlore, Isuf Bajrami, died today after a bomb was placed under his car, and a 19-year-old girl who was in the car with him is hospitalized in critical conditions.

The vehicle exploded this morning at 07:14, went in flames and kept moving for some meters until it crashed against the wall of a house.

Passerby citizens were able to remove the girl, severely burned, while the driver remained inside.

The explosive was placed under the driver’s seat, and the blast has even damaged the windows of nearby buildings.

The victim had already escaped a bomb murder attempt. Police suspects that this is retaliation, since exactly one year ago, his brother was victim of a similar murder attempt at the same place. His 40-year-old brother escaped with a few bruises, because the explosive was placed at the vehicle’s motor and he was already outside the car when it went off.

“The president cannot have 24 heads of communes from the Democratic Party and tell them what documents they should prepare for the Constitutional Court”, Fino declared.

The majority did the same thing at the Commission of Security, in which they rejected the law that returned the Police Law. These decisions will be finalized this Monday.

All Presidential decrees rejected
29/08/2014

All Presidential decrees rejected Both the rejection of all Presidential decrees and the boycott of the opposition were no surprise at the Commission of Laws.

What attracted attention was the preparation of the majority MPs to argue that their stance was based only on the Constitution and regulation, and that it was not political, since the opposition accused the decision of anti-constitutional. This claim was rejected by the Chairman of the Commission of Laws.

“Article 32 says it very clear. The permanent commissions meet even before the session”, Xhafaj declared.

The majroity says that this means that the rejection of the President’s decrees is valid, and to show that this is not a political stance, they argued that the President has not found any constitutional problem for returning the laws.

Socialist Party MP, Armand Subashi: “The President’s reasons for rejecting the laws do not stand”.

The Chairman of the Commission of Laws compared two different stances held by the Prseident, one that finds anti-constitutional his legal obligation to appoint the vice chairman of the High Council of Justice, and one of the members elected by the Parliament.

Xhafaj referred to a declaration of the President, two years ago, mentioned on Top Channel’s program “Top Story”.

“The tradition has always been that the vice chairman of institutions should come from the Parliament, for balance. In 2012 the President shared the same opinion with what we are doing today with the law, and which is the real constitutional spirit”, Xhafaj declared.

One of the rejected decrees was the one that required a review of the territorial reform, an occasion for the former Chairman of the Commission, Bashkim Fino, to make an open accusation against the President.

“The president cannot have 24 heads of communes from the Democratic Party and tell them what documents they should prepare for the Constitutional Court”, Fino declared.

The majority did the same thing at the Commission of Security, in which they rejected the law that returned the Police Law. These decisions will be finalized this Monday.

Albania offers weapons for Kurds in Iraq


Albania offers weapons for Kurds in Iraq Seven Western Governments and Albania have promised to provide weapons and ammunition for the Kurdish forces that are fighting against the ISIS militants in Iraq.

The news was made public by the Pentagon Chief, Chuck Hagel, who said that these countries are working in parallel with the USA.

Albania, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Italy, France and Great Britain are giving their maximal efforts for helping the Kurdish forces.

The supplies include ammunition for light weapons, since the Kurdish forces have demanded more weapons for facing the attacks of the jihadists.

The Spokesperson for the Pentagon, John Kirby, told journalists that Albania and Britain have started preparing supplies for the Kurdish people in Iraq.

Army Helicopter blocked in Dukagjin, Northern Albania


Helicopter blocked in Dukagjin A police helicopter has been blocked on the ground in the Megulla village, Pult commune, Dukagjin district.

The helicopter was shot during the second day of the anti-cannabis operation, and the pilot was able to land it on the ground. Now it is being guarded by the Special Forces, until it will be removed.

After removing 90.000 plants of cannabis in Pult, the police has moved to the Temal commune, a very deep mountainous area.

Police has also seized automatic weapons and ammunition in the Brucaj village of the same commune, together with 5 kilograms of marijuana.

The authorities arrested Leke Thani, resident of the Plan village in the Pult commune. He is suspected of having shot the police helicopter on 22 August 2014, and of cultivating the parcels.

Cannabis plantations destroyed in Gjirokaster

The Gjirokaster police has destroyed 300 plants of cannabis in the Kraha village, Tepelena, and arrested four people as cultivators.

Three citizens are being prosecuted for opposing the police during the operation, Demo Shehu, Faik Qata and Hasan Ajdini, and after police found cannabis inside their vegetable plantations.

Three women of this village are also being prosecuted for trying to stop the police from making the arrest.

The Lezhe police is looking for citizen Nikolle Uksani, after finding 167 plants of cannabis at his property.

Summit for Balkan in Berlin
28/08/2014
 
Summit for Balkan in Berlin All countries of the region gathered today in Berlin to establish a new milestone regarding their relations with the EU.

Our reporter in Berlin, Muhamed Veliu, says that this new and important chapter has been organized through the Balkan Conference under the care of the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.

The Conference will have economic and diplomatic discussions and a meeting of Merkel with the seven Prime Ministers of Western Balkans.

The EU president, Manuel Barroso, is also part of the meeting between Merkel and Western Balkan Prime Ministers.

Merkel has underlined the need to intensify the cooperation between the EU and the region.

“There are many things that can be done together. For this we need to intensify the relations between our countries”, Merkel declared, valuing the fact that Balkan lives in peace today, after the wars of the past.

There will be a press release with 18 points after the meeting, held by the Chancellor, President Barroso and Prime Minister Rama.

This important event started with the meeting of Economic Development ministers and representatives of the EU, for seeing the opportunity of advancing the infrastructure projects, the most important of which is the Blue Corridor that starts in Croatia and ends in Greece, including the projects in energy and railway transportation.

Before the meeting of the Foreign Ministers, the Chief of German Diploamcy, Steinmeier, declared that “this conference underlines the fact that Germany is being involved with higher dedication for the entire region. It proves our confirmation for the European perspective and that of all Western Balkan countries.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

HIMARA COMMUNITY HOLD ANNUAL MEETING IN HIMARA REGION

Stopping illegal constructions
26/08/2014
 
Stopping illegal constructions The Interior Minister, Saimir Tahiri, declared that anyone who builds illegally and every company that offers services to them will be criminally prosecuted.

The Interior Minister appealed builders, workers and transporters that if they will offer their services to an illegal building, they will face legal consequences.

The State Police will investigate the assets of illegl buildrs. “The Police will administer all construction permits given by local governments and all legalization practices. Every construction will go under the police inspection, and any illegal activity will be prosecuted, and the assets of the builders will be audited”, Tahiri underlined.

Tahiri appeals citizens to call 129 for any illegal construction.

DP: Government is allowing environmental destruction
 
“The Prime Minister declared yesterday that crime against environment is like a murder. We are reporting today a murder 100 meters from the Prime Minister’s house”.

The DP has vowed to report what they call cases of giving selective construction permits to people close with the government. According to the Democratic Party, this is the case of a construction in Surrel, Dajti commune.

“This construction is being made by the closest person to the Minister, Erion Veliaj, 100 meters from the new house of the Prime Minister. These hills had trees three months ago, but now they have another look”, declared Ervin Salianji, coordinator for legal assistance at the DP.

The DP reported as propaganda the public determination of Prime Minister Rama to not allow illegal constructions.

“The residents have complained and have found a deaf ear. The DP will report ths selective demolition of buildings, and every construction made with the blessing and protection of the Prime Minister. This is the Rama standard”, he declared.

Himarioton Lobby, a special interest in the State Department 

Continue the efforts of Himarioton Lobby of USA, for the territorial reform in Albania 

Himara - Lukovo and Provincial Autonomy, is in the right track



State Department Meeting 8.22.2014

A new chapter has begun in HSA's efforts on behalf of the Himarra community in both the United States and Albania, as it meets with Stephen Banks, Deputy Director, Office of South Central Europe, and Benjamin Rinaker, Albania Desk Officer, to discuss the recent Albanian territorial reform draft-law. Working with Andy Manatos of the public policy firm Manatos and Manatos, HSA was able to present to the Department of State a fresh perspective as to some of the underlying issues behind the Albanian government's drive for inclusion of Vranisht in a territorial alignment with Himarra and Lukovo.

The Himarrioton Society of America remains firm in its oppostion to the current draft-law map, and encourages the Albanian government to take progressive steps in line with international norms, including the European Charter of Local Autonomy, and return for vote a territorial map that respects the will of its citizens, including the the will of the citizens of Himarra. HSA supports Himarra and Lukovo as the only alignment which respects the rights of the local populace. The Department of State was receptive to the information provided, and additional discussions concerned Himarra's land and property issues.