tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26089232320964583132024-03-18T21:05:08.853-07:00ReportazheTravelAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875508710720396612noreply@blogger.comBlogger310125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-53513437051284225412018-10-30T10:06:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.825-08:00Albania and Greece at odds over ethnic Greek’s death at shootout with Albanian police<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Albanian and Greek foreign ministries held opposing stands on Monday morning after 35-year-old Konstantinos Katsifas was shot dead a day earlier during a crossfire with officers of the Renea Special Force in Gjirokastra’s Bularat village.<br />
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The Greek foreign ministry announced it had been made aware of the Greek citizen’s death and that it is following the case’s developments alongside Albanian authorities.<br />
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“Our condolences for the death of the Greek minority member, the loss of a person’s life is unacceptable under any circumstances. We express our regret for the Greek citizen’s death,” the foreign ministry’s announcement read.<br />
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In response to the Greek reaction, the Albanian ministry of foreign affairs expressed disappointment Greek officials did not condemn the armed attack against Albanian police forces, but rather spoke of “unacceptable loss of lives.”<br />
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Further on, the Albanian ministry’s announcement called for maturity in handling this clear and unprecedented case without giving it diplomatic or political connotations.<br />
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“We ensure our neighbors that Albania is a safe and secure county for all its citizens, including without any distinctions those under Greek citizenship,” the Albanian ministry’s announcement said.<br />
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Further on, the ministry’s announcement said it had clarified all the details of the event that led to Katsifas’ death and that this was an incident isolated from the activities taking place on Sunday in the area and a case of flagrant extremist aggression against State Police.<br />
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Police forces were in Bularat on Sunday in context of the celebrations taking place to honor the Greek soldiers who died during the Greek-Italian war and were shot upon by heavily-armed Katsifas at around 10 am, before chasing after him and asking him to hand himself in, without success.<br />
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The country’s Prime Minister Edi Rama also reacted to the news through his official twitter.<br />
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“Dear neighbors! Instead of calling unacceptable the life loss of a crazy man who shot with military bullets on our police, which was only doing its job, join us in thanking God no innocent lives were taken today by the extremist madness,” Rama wrote on Sunday evening.<br />
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Local media has reported Katsifas, who belonged to the Greek minority and mainly lived in Athens, was shot during a crossfire a few hours after first aiming at the RENEA police forces. According to official police sources, RENEA operatives called on Katsifas to drop his gun and surrender without success, as he continued to shoot and gravely risk the policemen’s lives.<br />
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An investigative unit immediately arrived at the crime scene to inquire on the incident, which is officially reported to have happened during the national Greek holiday celebrations in Bularat.<br />
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Additional sources have reported Katsifas, who had arrived in Bularat only a week before the attack, had shown signs of extreme and dangerous behavior in his Facebook page.<br />
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Greek media, on the other hand, reported Katsifas opened fired against the police as officers were taking down a Greek flag he had raised at a cemetery for Greek soldiers who had died in battle.<br />
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Meanwhile, dozens of protesters gathered outside the Albanian Embassy in the northern Athens suburb of Filothei on Sunday evening to protest the killing, organized via social media by Greek-Albanian groups and the far-right Greek Golden Dawn party./tirana times</div>
Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-3299075250831521742018-10-30T10:02:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:46:23.146-08:00China rolls back ban on tiger, rhino products in medicine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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China says it will allow trading in products made from endangered tigers and rhinos under "special circumstances," reversing a previous ban and bringing condemnation from conservation groups.<br />
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A notice from the Cabinet issued Monday avoided mentioning any change in the law, saying instead that it would "control" the trade and that rhino horns and tiger bones could only be obtained from farmed animals for use in "medical research or in healing."<br />
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"Under the special circumstances, regulation on the sales and use of these products will be strengthened, and any related actions will be authorized, and the trade volume will be strictly controlled," the statement said.<br />
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Tiger bone and rhino horn are used in traditional Chinese medicine, despite a lack of evidence of their effectiveness in treating illness and the effect on wild populations. Chinese demand for ivory is also blamed as a driver behind the slaughter of African elephants, despite Beijing banning all trade in ivory starting from this year.<br />
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China rolls back ban on tiger, rhino products in medicine<br />
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No reason was given for the lifting of the ban, which was implemented in 1993 amid a global push to protect fast-disappearing endangered species.<br />
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The statement also said nothing about regulating the farming of tigers and rhinos, but added that the central government "urged governments at all levels to improve publicity activities for protecting rhinos and tigers to help the public actively boycott any illegal purchases."<br />
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The World Wildlife Fund said the move to overturn the ban would have "devastating consequences globally" by allowing poachers and smugglers to hide behind legalized trade.<br />
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"With wild tiger and rhino populations at such low levels and facing numerous threats, legalized trade in their parts is simply too great a gamble for China to take," Margaret Kinnaird, WWF wildlife practice leader, was quoted as saying in a statement from the Washington-based organization.<br />
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"This decision seems to contradict the leadership China has shown recently in tackling the illegal wildlife trade," Kinnaird said.<br />
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Despite the former ban, China has long allowed tiger farms, which harvest the bones of dead animals, and tacitly allows their sale for alleged medicinal purposes, according to a study by the Environmental Investigation Agency, a British nonprofit.<br />
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Operators are also believed to be investigating the possibility of farming rhinos in the country, although, unlike tigers, those are not native to China.<br />
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The EIA called the overturning of the ban a "brazen and regressive move which drastically undermines international efforts for tiger and rhino conservation."<br />
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"At a single stroke, China has shattered its reputation as a growing leader in conservation following its domestic ban on the sale of ivory at the start of the year," the group said.<br />
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An estimated 3,890 tigers remain alive in the wild, according to a report presented during the Third Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation in 2016. Thousands of tigers are also believed to have been bred on Chinese farms where conditions for the animals are often criticized as dire.<br />
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Studies put the population of wild rhinos at less than 30,000, while poaching is reducing that number drastically each year.<br />
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Humane Society International also criticized China's move, saying that "the trade it engenders will inevitably increase pressure on animals in the wild."<br />
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"With this announcement, the Chinese government has signed a death warrant for imperiled rhinos and tigers in the wild who already face myriad threats to their survival," Iris Ho, the group's senior specialist for wildlife program and policy, was quoted as saying in a statement.<br />
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"It sets up what is essentially a laundering scheme for illegal tiger bone and rhino horn to enter the marketplace and further perpetuate the demand for these animal parts," Ho said.</div>
Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-57459004267874820802018-10-30T10:00:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.835-08:00Trump plans to terminate US birthright citizenship for non-immigrants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCrIWFhwQ4Ymu8PVaf6SRyxPSefQJiB9SL0y_n0I_muw8qF-e-GKs7pwTddvRH8hC8szN6u59EJOvILPmFgS-9Gx7egR_oK-PB-gZixyXsZ47rbAVYDD4JV2bF3kzlaHId8PEohiYZ0c/s1600/trump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="640" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCrIWFhwQ4Ymu8PVaf6SRyxPSefQJiB9SL0y_n0I_muw8qF-e-GKs7pwTddvRH8hC8szN6u59EJOvILPmFgS-9Gx7egR_oK-PB-gZixyXsZ47rbAVYDD4JV2bF3kzlaHId8PEohiYZ0c/s640/trump.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />President Donald Trump is intensifying his hardline immigration rhetoric heading into the midterm elections, declaring that he wants to order an end to the constitutional right to citizenship for babies born in the United States to non-citizens.<br /><br />With seven days to go before high-stakes elections that he has sought to focus on his fearmongering over immigration, Trump made the comments to "Axios on HBO." Trump, seeking to energize his supporters and help Republicans keep control of Congress, has stoked anxiety about a caravan of Central American migrants making its way to the U.S.-Mexico border. He is dispatching additional troops and saying he'll set up tent cities for asylum seekers.<br /><br />The president has long called for an end to birthright citizenship, as have many conservatives. An executive order to revoke the right would spark a court fight over whether the president has the unilateral ability to change an amendment to the Constitution. The 14th Amendment guarantees that right for all children born in the U.S.<br /><br />Asked about the legality of such an executive order, Trump said, "they're saying I can do it just with an executive order." He added that "we're the only country in the world where a person comes in and has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States," though a 2010 study showed that 30 countries offered birthright citizenship.<br /><br />An excerpt of the interview was posted on Axios' website on Tuesday.<br /><br />The president said White House lawyers are reviewing his proposal. It's unclear how quickly he would act and the White House did not provide further details.<br /><br />A person familiar with the internal White House debate said the topic of birthright citizenship had come up inside the West Wing at various times over at least the last year, but has some internal detractors. White House lawyers have debated the topic, and expect to work with the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel to develop a legal justification for the action. It is one of many immigration changes being discussed including asylum law changes, and barring the migrant caravan from entering the country.<br /><br />But administration officials said there would likely be no decisions until after the midterms, due in part to the president's trip to Pittsburgh.<br /><br />Legal experts questioned whether Trump has the authority to do this by executive order.<br /><br />Omar Jadwat, director of the Immigrants' Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union in New York, said Tuesday said the Constitution is very clear.<br /><br />"If you are born in the United States, you're a citizen," he said, adding that it was "outrageous that the president can think he can override constitutional guarantees by issuing an executive order,<br /><br />Jadwat said the president has an obligation to uphold the Constitution. Trump can try to get Congress to pass a constitutional amendment, "but I don't think they are anywhere close to getting that."<br /><br />"Obviously, even if he did, it would be subject to court challenge," he added.<br /><br />But others suggest the president may have an opening.<br /><br />Jon Feere, a senior adviser at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is among those who has long argued that that the president could limit the citizenship clause through executive action.<br /><br />"A president could direct his agencies to fall in line with his interpretation of the Supreme Court's rulings, which are arguably limited to children of permanently domiciled immigrants (the court has never squarely ruled on children born to tourists or illegal aliens). He could direct his agencies to issue Social Security numbers and passports only to newborns who have at least one parent who is a citizen or permanently domiciled immigrant," he wrote in 2015 in an op-ed in the Hill.<br /><br />In the final days before the Nov. 6 midterms, Trump has emphasized immigration, as he seeks to counter Democratic enthusiasm. Trump believes that his campaign pledges, including his much-vaunted and still-unfulfilled promise to quickly build a U.S.-Mexico border wall, are still rallying cries for his base and that this latest focus will further erode the enthusiasm gap.<br /><br />Trump voiced his theory that birthright citizenship could be stripped during his campaign, when he described it as a "magnet for illegal immigration." During a 2015 campaign stop in Florida, he said: "The birthright citizenship - the anchor baby - birthright citizenship, it's over, not going to happen."<br /><br />The first line of the 14th Amendment states: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside."<br /><br />The 14th Amendment was passed by Congress in 1866 during the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War. It was ratified in 1868 by three-fourths of the states. By extending citizenship to those born in the U.S., the amendment nullified an 1857 Supreme Court decision (Dred Scott v. Sandford), which ruled that those descended from slaves could not be citizens.<br /><br />Republicans in Congress continue introducing bills to end birthright citizenship, including legislation this session from conservative GOP Rep. Steve King of Iowa who has aligned himself with some nationalist political leaders abroad. King's bill has almost 50 co-sponsors in the House. King's legislation though would likely face a cool reception in the Senate where there is no companion bill pending, and a handful of senators supported past efforts.<br /><br />King said he had not discussed the issue with the president at any length in recent months, but that it had come up "in passing" several times in group discussions. He said he hadn't personally considered birthright citizenship to be part of the caravan issue and applauded the president for connecting the issues.<br /><br />"Sending this message out, it's another component of saying to the caravan: Don't come in here. Some are pregnant, no doubt," he said.<br /><br />He stressed there's never been a Supreme Court case on the issue, "so it's never been tested."</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-654363519528615832018-10-30T09:58:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.838-08:00Bosnia races to launch shelters for EU-bound migrants before harshBalkan winter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bU8wsDKObHnBadMGCKIuoF7nLYjkY4MnIMopyCjLm-MZa23IxzUeShurb9ZAUH1bl6xH41SpJsaQFIf8VCJImwT2YSMdXvpGSGtn1z51wBpuVoDtftfs474Lo3sO97TLfHYPassOoGY/s1600/645x344-bosnia-races-to-launch-shelters-for-eu-bound-migrants-before-harsh-balkan-winter-1540899533787-640x341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="640" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bU8wsDKObHnBadMGCKIuoF7nLYjkY4MnIMopyCjLm-MZa23IxzUeShurb9ZAUH1bl6xH41SpJsaQFIf8VCJImwT2YSMdXvpGSGtn1z51wBpuVoDtftfs474Lo3sO97TLfHYPassOoGY/s640/645x344-bosnia-races-to-launch-shelters-for-eu-bound-migrants-before-harsh-balkan-winter-1540899533787-640x341.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />With winter knocking at the door, Bosnia is racing to avert a humanitarian crisis for thousands of EU-bound migrants crossing its mountainous terrain and sleeping without proper shelter as temperatures drop.<br /><br />The poor Balkan state has become a well-trodden stop on the new route to the European Union for migrants escaping war and poverty in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.<br /><br />Some 20,000 have traversed the rugged country this year, headed for EU member state Croatia, according to authorities.<br /><br />But Bosnia, saddled with its own economic and political problems, is not eager to host the newcomers and has been slow to open reception centers -- especially in the northwest region, where most are gathering near the Croatian border.<br /><br />Last week authorities unveiled two new facilities, one in the northwest and the other near Sarajevo. Together, they double the total number of available beds for migrants to around 1,700.<br /><br />That still leaves more than 1,000 others in fragile conditions that could turn into a "humanitarian tragedy" when the first snow falls, the UN refugee agency has warned.<br /><br />Many migrants have been living under tarpaulin, tents and inside an abandoned building in a wooded park around Bihac, a city in the northwest that has become a base for attempts to cross into Croatia.<br /><br />Hundreds of others are clustered at make-shift camps in the area or inside deserted homes.<br /><br />Toilets and showers are in short supply, while aid groups and locals are stepping in to provide meals.<br /><br />'The Game'<br /><br />"We are very lucky that the weather has been mild so far," said Peter Van Der Auweraert from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).<br /><br />The goal is to provide roofs for around 3,700 people "who are in transit in Bosnia", not permanent housing, he added.<br /><br />Many of the migrants have been traveling for years and are eager to move forward.<br /><br />Mohsin, a 27-year-old from Pakistan, said he was planning to leave Bihac soon in the hope of reaching Italy before winter.<br /><br />"I tried three times but had bad luck. I was caught twice in Croatia and once, the last time, in Slovenia, after seven days of walking," he told AFP.<br /><br />Migrants refer to these attempts as "The Game".<br /><br />While most manage to continue north, some migrants have been thwarted by border police who are stepping up patrols.<br /><br />The unlucky ones have reported numerous accounts of police abuse, saying officers stole their phones and money and beat them with tree branches, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).<br /><br />"That is not the job of the police to break the phones, to steal the money and to beat the people," said an Afghan migrant who gave his name as Commando, holding up his phone's shattered screen.<br /><br />Mobile phones are a lifeline for migrants on the move, allowing them to touch base with relatives and also send coordinates of their route to others trying to follow, according to Bosnian police.<br /><br />Border clashes<br /><br />The urgency of winter was one factor spurring several hundred migrants to march to the Croatian border last week, where they skirmished with police obstructing their path.<br /><br />The group, which includes families with young children, has been sleeping in tents on the roadside for several days, huddling around campfires as temperatures sink to around five degrees overnight.<br /><br />They refuse to return to a make-shift camp-site in Velika Kladusa, where resources had run dry.<br /><br />"The situation in Velika Kladusa's camp is real agony," said Zehida Bihorac, a local resident who has been bringing migrants food, clothing and other support.<br /><br />"These people have been without electricity for more than a month and a half and their water was cut off...as well," she told AFP last week.<br /><br />Up to 200 migrants have been arriving daily in the Bihac area in recent weeks, with tensions rising as some locals came out to protest the influx.<br /><br />Police announced last week that they would no longer allow migrants into that northwest zone, sending at least 700 south back to Sarajevo in recent days.<br /><br />The decision was taken because of the "deteriorating security situation", Snezana Galic, a spokeswoman for the regional police, told AFP.<br /><br />In early October, police officers fired warning shots into the Bihac camp after being swept up in a melee with migrants who had been fighting among themselves.<br /><br />But those who have made it to within sight of the EU's edge are not interested in backtracking.<br /><br />"We had a good life and we have lost it," said Majid Dayyani, an Iranian among those camped close to the Croatia border crossing.<br /><br />"We want a life, is that too much? That's not too much. We want to leave this country, someone should hear us."</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-42654957304168655482018-10-29T05:31:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.815-08:00Extinct ancient foal in pioneering cloning experiment is older thaninitially believed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLz4-b7xZqFHgBRDKfCdtzM4e2B_S7uWJBXeHMLMjcdLpl_oS9wYFZcKE33HpyM7Zyzxnm1_8IBNQwdocEOVEA_qgXi2cv7N_1OyrEnDqNTkfxfsKIstsBwD4QzM0mfEaSzgqcuw13z-E/s1600/information_items_7495-640x409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="640" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLz4-b7xZqFHgBRDKfCdtzM4e2B_S7uWJBXeHMLMjcdLpl_oS9wYFZcKE33HpyM7Zyzxnm1_8IBNQwdocEOVEA_qgXi2cv7N_1OyrEnDqNTkfxfsKIstsBwD4QzM0mfEaSzgqcuw13z-E/s640/information_items_7495-640x409.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Radiocarbon dating shows baby horse is 42,170 years old: bid to restore the species will 'pave the way for return of woolly mammoth'.<br /><br />The light ginger-coloured carcass of the long-gone species of horse was found in the permafrost in Yakutia, the coldest region in Russia.<br /><br />Experts initially said it was between 30,000 and 40,000 years old.<br /><br />Now Semyon Grigoryev, leading researcher at the Mammoth Museum in Yakutsk, has revealed: 'The exact age turned out to be 42,170.’<br /><br />Radiocarbon tests were carried out by South Korean professor Hwang Woo-suk with whom Siberian scientists are collaborating in efforts to clone a number of extinct species preserved in permafrost - including the woolly mammoth.<br /><br /><br /><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-144988" height="480" src="https://www.flurudha.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1-2.jpg" width="720" /> <img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-144989" height="480" src="https://www.flurudha.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2.jpg" width="720" /> <img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-144990" height="480" src="https://www.flurudha.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/3.jpg" width="720" /> <img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-144991" height="431" src="https://www.flurudha.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/4.jpg" width="720" /> <img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-144992" height="540" src="https://www.flurudha.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/5.jpg" width="720" /> <img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-144993" height="600" src="https://www.flurudha.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/6.jpg" width="362" /><br /><br /><strong>The Batagai foal, Semyon Grigoryev and the team that found the horse, the Batagai depression in Yakutia. Pictures: The Siberian Times, NEFU, Semyon Grigoryev</strong><br /><br />Achieving the return of the lost horse species is seen as a precursor for an attempt to restore the woolly mammoth.<br /><br />A search is now underway in Yakutia for live cells from a foal found in permafrost in the Batagai depression.<br /><br />Semyon Griogoryev said earlier: 'Fortunately, the animal's muscle tissues were undamaged and well preserved, so we managed to get samples of this unique find for biotechnology research.'<br /><br />Professor Hwang - who has returned to Yakutsk - told The Siberian Times: ‘If we manage to find a cell, then we will do our best to clone the unique animal.'<br /><br />'We are trying to make primary culture using this baby horse, which was discovered a few weeks ago.<br /><br />‘If we get live cells from this ancient baby horse, it is a wonderful promise to people in terms of cloning.’<br /><br /><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-144994" height="480" src="https://www.flurudha.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/7.jpg" width="720" /> <img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-144995" height="466" src="https://www.flurudha.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/8.jpg" width="720" /> <img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-144996" height="600" src="https://www.flurudha.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/9.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><strong>Radiocarbon dating shows baby horse is 42,170 years old. Pictures: The Siberian Times</strong><br /><br />When the woolly mammoth makes a comeback, its surrogate mother will be an elephant - but he said it should be easier to use a modern-day mare to restore a lost horse species.<br /><br />‘We have so many live horses,’ Professor Hwang said. ‘We can get a very good choice of eggs from these female horses. After making the cloned embryo with this baby horse, we can easily transport it to the surrogate mother. There are the types of horses that are very close with the ancient one.’<br /><br />In contrast, there is ‘a very big distance between the ancient mammoth and the elephant’, he said.<br /><br />‘There are a million years of evolution between them.’<br /><br />Hwang stressed: 'So if we find only one live cell, we can clone this ancient horse.<br /><br />‘If we have one live cell, we can multiply it and get as many embryo as we need.<br /><br />'Actually if we get the living cell from the ancient tissue it will be unique by itself, because no one managed to do this before. If we manage to clone the horse - it will be the first step to cloning the mammoth. It will help us to work out the technology.’<br /><br /><img alt="" class="alignnone wp-image-144997 size-full" height="600" src="https://www.flurudha.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/20.jpg" width="598" /><br /><br /><img alt="" class="alignnone wp-image-144998 size-full" height="600" src="https://www.flurudha.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/21.jpg" width="614" /><br /><br /><img alt="" class="alignnone wp-image-144999 size-full" height="440" src="https://www.flurudha.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/22.jpg" width="720" /><br /><br /><strong>Modern day Yakut horses. Pictures: The Siberian Times</strong><br /><br />Dr Grigoryev said earlier: ‘The foal has no damage to its carcass, even its hair is preserved - which is incredibly rare for such ancient finds.’<br /><br />Its mane and tail are intact.<br /><br />He said: ‘This was called the Lenskaya, or Lena horse (Equus lenensis), genetically different from those living in Yakutia now….<br /><br />‘This is the first find in the world find of a pre-historic horse of such a young age and with such an amazing level of preservation.’<br /><br />Modern-day Yakut horse is the hardiest in the world, surviving temperatures of minus 60C in the blistering Siberian winters.<br /><br />The the species was preceded by the extinct species. The reason these horses died out is not known.<br /><br />https://youtu.be/jSyC8BZIQ6w</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-91485148867572013912018-10-28T23:56:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.863-08:00Albania makes it to Lonely Planet’s top 10 affordable adventuredestinations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaS77WXAI4RonMd2iWUALZUD_FAMlnhnWabdDkXt0-ZZnqTODpnbMX6uApaF2nwjM9FkCefCtK7M0OOLx9hQWAax__3aN4gZHmpbWEQa1RVJ0lzQRmGIap8uEl4F9_scWjXw0BfHAclo/s1600/albania-640x427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaS77WXAI4RonMd2iWUALZUD_FAMlnhnWabdDkXt0-ZZnqTODpnbMX6uApaF2nwjM9FkCefCtK7M0OOLx9hQWAax__3aN4gZHmpbWEQa1RVJ0lzQRmGIap8uEl4F9_scWjXw0BfHAclo/s640/albania-640x427.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Albania has made it to Lonely Planet’s top 10 affordable adventure destinations for 2019 as one of Europe’s final frontiers that offers hiking amid beautiful mountain scenery, superb beaches and a unique history.<br /><br />Albania ranks eighth on a top 10 list led by Egypt and Poland, but which also includes Maldives, two US destinations, Argentina, Bangladesh, Ecuador and Slovenia, being the sole Western Balkan country to make it to the list.<br /><br />The rating is made by Lonely Planet, the world-renowned travel guidebook publisher that has long been a standard for backpackers, budget travelers, and people seeking off-the-beaten-path destinations.<br /><br />“Albania has been Europe’s final frontier for a while. Here’s a pocket of great value hiding in plain sight, with some superb beaches, a unique history and none of the crowds of Montenegro to the north or Greece to the south. The country’s exciting food scene celebrates the fruits of its unique local flavours and offers seriously distinctive dining,” says the 2019 ‘Best in Travel’ guidebook, Lonely Planet’s annual search to find top countries, regions and cities to visit in the next twelve months.<br /><br />“Although its archaeological sights, such as Apollonia and Butrint, and its one-of-a-kind blend of Balkan, Mediterranean and Italian influences are no secrets, Albania remains a destination where you can hike amid beautiful mountain scenery, stay in tiny and timeless villages and explore the buzzy capital Tirana for far less than pretty much anywhere else in Europe,” adds the guidebook.<br /><br />Earlier this year, Lonely Planet also rated Albania’s capital city, Tirana, as one of the top ten European hotspots for 2018, describing it as a vigorous metropolis that has undergone transformation and offers much to visitors.<br /><br />Albania has regularly made it to Lonely Planet’s top 10 destinations since 2011 when the popular travel guide ranked long-isolated Albania under communism as the number one global destination to visit as the Balkan country was branding its emerging tourism industry as ‘Europe’s last secret’ and a “New Mediterranean love.”<br /><br />Taking an adventure trip to Albania has also been rated as one of the top tours on travelers’ to-do-list for 2018 by National Geographic France which suggests discovering the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Berat and Gjirokastra, the Greco-Roman amphitheaters, the Adriatic and Ionian beaches and above all the country’s unexplored landscapes such as alpine summits, green valleys, wetlands and rich fauna.<br /><br />Several outdoor tour operators in the country offer hiking, rafting, biking, horse riding and birds watching adventures in the country, while cross-border tourism is gaining an upper hand with the opening of several mountain hiking trails.<br /><br />The communist past is also what fascinates tourists about Albania, which was cut off from the rest of the world under a hardline Stalinist dictatorship./TiranaTimes</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-75160653414153206552018-10-28T23:54:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.850-08:00Hundreds of Salvadorans form new US-bound caravan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6Qw90BINxzdrJZWgaTEYDuVMdxAQpwh4WtnbhwZAtBHCxQ2XTWt6WBg41timMyfA7GfuMwt3Cl4gwUxwzFb8qOfPpWjjxPH2TxcIw0mqRnPOBidL6t8kn7YVNEiItK-bsTbQ6MpCcoM/s1600/ho.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="640" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6Qw90BINxzdrJZWgaTEYDuVMdxAQpwh4WtnbhwZAtBHCxQ2XTWt6WBg41timMyfA7GfuMwt3Cl4gwUxwzFb8qOfPpWjjxPH2TxcIw0mqRnPOBidL6t8kn7YVNEiItK-bsTbQ6MpCcoM/s640/ho.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />A group of around 300 migrants left the El Salvador capital on foot on Sunday heading for the border with Guatemala in the hope of eventually realizing the "American dream" and reaching the United States.<br /><br />The group, made up mostly of men, has been inspired by the much larger Honduran caravan already in Mexico and striving to reach the U.S.<br /><br />"We're a little more than 300 people, but as we walk we hope more compatriots will join us," Hernan Quinteros, a 48-year-old retired army sergeant, told AFP.<br /><br />The new caravan ignored warnings from El Salvador's government on Friday not to put their lives in danger.<br /><br />It's more than two weeks since a caravan of Honduran migrants set off in search of a better life, passing through Guatemala and now into Mexico, with its numbers swelling up to 7,000 according to U.N. estimates.<br /><br />U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy the military to halt them at the border with Mexico.<br /><br />But while Quinteros, who took part in El Salvador's 1980-92 civil war, said it was "painful" to leave his three children behind, he said the United States is "the country of opportunities."<br /><br />"A young person spends a year hoping to find work that never arrives and that's why I'm going after the American dream," said 24-year-old Pablo Figueroa.<br /><br />Figueroa lives off the tips he earns singing in restaurants but says he wants to find permanent employment that would allow him to "build a project for life."<br /><br />Among the few women in the group is 38-year-old single mother Lorena Cruz, who left behind children aged 16, 12 and 10.<br /><br />"The caravan is presenting an opportunity for me (to emigrate)," said Cruz, who confessed that it would cost a lot to pay people smugglers to get her into the US.<br /><br />As it left San Salvador, the group was accompanied by police who would "guarantee safety" all the way to the Guatemala border, one officer told AFP.<br /><br />Around 2.5 million Salvadorans live in the U.S. and last year sent home more than $5 billion in remittances, making up almost 16 percent of the Central American country's gross domestic product.<br /><br />Meanwhile, more than a hundred Central American migrants have forced their way through a customs gate at the Guatemalan border town of Tecun Uman to request passage into Mexico.<br /><br />A Mexican official said Sunday that the group is seeking entry via Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico.<br /><br />Video from the Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre showed men arguing with Mexican immigration officials through the metal bars of a gate separating the two countries.<br /><br />Mexican immigration officials in the video urge the men to bring families to the front of the line and present their requests for transit in an orderly manner.<br /><br />Cesar Quinonez is a volunteer firefighter in Tecun Uman and he told The Associated Press by phone that several Guatemalan police officers and migrants were injured as the group kicked and pushed its way through the gate on the Guatemalan side of the border. He says several people received medical treatment for exposure to tear gas fired by police.<br /><br />A larger group of thousands of Central American migrants has been winding its way through southern Mexico with the goal of reaching the U.S. border. Mexico has offered them asylum if they remain in the southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca.</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-2495651228360179812018-10-28T23:52:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.794-08:00Albania and Kosovo exhibit art in Austria<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXs1KvnKqN04s8aaEkXD8I1-jiRKdDz61jkAN6bb1RvpqdqUwZSezXCRERpGcwfoLCb7_0cgMkFLfiymy4F5MdZRhqSi9uWTJ2n-UAtjzjgWGep2rUUt-qbc5jqKenc7aQ4iILDbe-pD8/s1600/aust-890x395-640x284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="640" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXs1KvnKqN04s8aaEkXD8I1-jiRKdDz61jkAN6bb1RvpqdqUwZSezXCRERpGcwfoLCb7_0cgMkFLfiymy4F5MdZRhqSi9uWTJ2n-UAtjzjgWGep2rUUt-qbc5jqKenc7aQ4iILDbe-pD8/s640/aust-890x395-640x284.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />A group of artists from Albania and Kosovo have organized an exhibition in Graz, Austria, titled ‘Let’s discover the similarities.’ The concept of the exhibition is that art breaks all barriers and unites nations and people, regardless of geographical distances.<br /><br />The exhibition is curated by Eva Lassing and brings various oil paintings, works on paper, collages, and sculptures. Some of the artists are Albana Ejupi, Haxhi Fejzullahu, Destan Gashi, Resul Jusufi, Admir Pervathi, Edi Rama, Adriana Sedaj, Naim Spahiu.<br /><br />In this exhibition Albania is represented by Admir Pervathi with his abstract paintings, and our current prime minister Edi Rama, with some of his works on paper. Rama’s work are from the periods when he was Tirana Mayor and Minister of Culture, and thus has been presented with his official title along with his artist’s status.<br /><br />There are eight pieces from Rama displayed in this exhibition. For Pervathi, on the other hand, this is not the first time that his work is being exhibited in Austria.<br /><br />‘’Aside from the warm welcoming from the hosts and participating public at this exhibition, it was valuable meeting the artists from Kosovo, a sort of friendly confrontation. ‘Let’s discover the similarities’ isn’t this exhibition’s title for nothing. We were all presented with unique works, on various media, but what unites us is art,’’ said Pervathi.<br /><br />The exhibition will remain open until Nov. 7 and it is opened on the framework of the Austria-Albania cultural year and the 10th anniversary of Kosovo’s independence. It grabbed the local media’s attention as some of the displayed work is from the prime minister of Albania, respectively Rama.<br /><br />The organizer Karl Bauer said that the event is essential to get attention shifted to the Western Balkans area, as Braz and Steiermark have had a close relationships with the countries in the area. This exhibition is initiated by him is also in respect to Austria getting the EU presidency for the second half of 2018.<br /><br />‘’Initiatives like this one promote cultural dialogue,’’ said Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, who attended the event.<br /><br />As the cultural year is about rediscovering the similarities between nations, by inciting a friendly dialogue through art and culture.<br /><br />‘’Culture approaches nations, but only when art is the translator. Art teaches us that being human, is the only true identity that unifies us,’’ said Fatmir Osmani, the director of the Coordinating Council of Albanian Associations in Steiermark./TiranaTimes</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-25424646514621294912018-10-28T23:49:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.798-08:00Albanian movie claims Grand Prix at the Warsaw Festival<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwlfE_UAysEVHfKM0zTfgy8RCxRVcwvhLPj8zVJiw6e5VdZbVDhScW4x_tG3TL0TXu5sj4TN2aT2JheugZy41nLPler9VrYSPnlqerhlwg32RIiclj8gQLz2xX7PYlro-MnypfGFuVak/s1600/delegacioni-890x395-640x284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="640" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwlfE_UAysEVHfKM0zTfgy8RCxRVcwvhLPj8zVJiw6e5VdZbVDhScW4x_tG3TL0TXu5sj4TN2aT2JheugZy41nLPler9VrYSPnlqerhlwg32RIiclj8gQLz2xX7PYlro-MnypfGFuVak/s640/delegacioni-890x395-640x284.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The Albanian film ‘’Delegacioni’’ (The delegation) won the Warsaw Grand Prix and the ecumenical prize – a special award given from the jury – at the 34th Warsaw International Film Festival, from Oct. 12 until Oct. 21.<br /><br />The film uses a script written from Artan Minarolli and was directed from Bujar Alimani. Part of the cast are Viktor Zhusti, Ndricim Xhepa, Xhevdet Ferri, Kasem Hoxha, etc.. The production comes in a collaboration between Albania, Kosovo, Greece and France, and discusses the events in Albania after the communist regime fell in the 1990s.<br /><br />A European delegation has arrived in Tirana to closely study how are the democratic reforms undertaken by the government working out. These reforms are main conditions set to Albania to join CSBE, which today is known as OSCE.<br /><br />Their leader is mister Loherin, whose duty is to report on the human rights the Albanian people live. When student in Prague, Loherin has been classmates with Leo, a political persecutee for about 15 years. Leo is still in prison, but he gets bailed out so Albania will be presented in the eyes of the foreign delegation as a place where democratic reforms happen, and to also meet Loherin as an intellectual, since they have studied together. Leo understands the situation and yet tries to persuade Loherin that things go smoothly in Albania, however, nothing goes as planned.<br /><br />The film speaks not only to the politically persecuted citizens during the communism, but adopted to current terms, to the intellectuals who with pride and courage do not become tools of the government’s power.<br /><br />‘’For as long as the people continue living, the intelligence won’t die,’’ said director Bujar Alimani.<br /><br />He said that the staff dedicated this award to screenwriter Artan Minarolli who no longer lives. He left behind a script for which the hard work pays back with a great reward, which appraises the artistic approach to a painful history and its adoption to nowadays issues the country is facing, through simple symbolism.<br /><br />The film will be screened in November at the Tirana Film Festival./Tirana Times</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-75864045937098767132018-10-28T23:45:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.853-08:00Ukrainian leader to hold talks in Ankara<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexcdDCPDKGfEZEeJtD7VXCWOL7fi7Tx-s1cl7WVpm6kKJCGpQCuQN_Hd9TRyG2ROtAp2udVkbswA4c6MLJnahRIxmuA-fUu4vahM4hgl2APQ1r6r9Cj0RZNA7lRPgL3xI9yC8_-lCtxA/s1600/Poroshenko-640x360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexcdDCPDKGfEZEeJtD7VXCWOL7fi7Tx-s1cl7WVpm6kKJCGpQCuQN_Hd9TRyG2ROtAp2udVkbswA4c6MLJnahRIxmuA-fUu4vahM4hgl2APQ1r6r9Cj0RZNA7lRPgL3xI9yC8_-lCtxA/s640/Poroshenko-640x360.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is to pay an official visit to Turkey on Nov. 3, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.<br />Poroshenko is to attend the seventh meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in the capital Ankara, together with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.<br /><br />Topics such as political, economic, and defense industry cooperation, free trade agreements, security, and the fight against terrorism are expected to top the agenda during Poroshenko’s meetings, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.<br /><br />The current situation of Crimea’s Tatars is also expected to be discussed at the meetings, with representatives of the Tatars also in attendance.<br /><br />The Tatars have suffered under Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.<br /><br />The last meeting between Erdoğan and Poroshenko was held in New York last month during the U.N. General Assembly.<br />In 2011 ties between the two countries gained the status of strategic partnership with the establishment of a High-Level Strategic Council, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.<br /><br />Talks between the two countries have continued in particular over the defense industry, software transfers, armored car projects, space, and aircraft design.<br /><br />To strengthen economic and humanitarian ties, a visa-free regime between Turkey and Ukraine entered into force in 2012.<br />Travel using national ID cards instead of passports also facilitates bilateral tourism.<br /><br />Last year the visa-free regime enabled over 1.2 million tourists from Ukraine to visit Turkey.</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-89929163645540850252018-10-28T06:47:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.860-08:00Besa movement elucidates its proposals to amend Constitution<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AmHuGH6n0j48gBX16NCNyCgO0fY-vEyJnnH1Burt1ZAKmgJq4WBTsOCRIBFotvz8JIDqMnOiZawf9RI-OYqkACsZRfoNsFxjyVVw8KpaS4aIYhhvIA2Wts5807a6a7oCOK6UowiS9vs/s1600/bilall-kasami-640x440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="640" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AmHuGH6n0j48gBX16NCNyCgO0fY-vEyJnnH1Burt1ZAKmgJq4WBTsOCRIBFotvz8JIDqMnOiZawf9RI-OYqkACsZRfoNsFxjyVVw8KpaS4aIYhhvIA2Wts5807a6a7oCOK6UowiS9vs/s640/bilall-kasami-640x440.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The lawmakers of Besa movement have tabled four amendments to the Government asking it to take them into consideration while drawing up the constitutional amendments.<br /><br />Besa’s demands are: equal status of Albanian and Macedonian language, the state to take care of its citizens living abroad (Diasporas), to deprive the head of the state of his/her veto powers after the second voting in parliament.<br /><br />Besa suggests a change in the Preamble of the Constitution, restitution of a paragraph adopted by the signatories of the 2001 Framework Agreement, in which Macedonia was defined as a state of equal citizens, i.e. citizens equal in rights and obligations towards the common good.<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="478" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Flevizjabesa.mk%2Fposts%2F2218876178398057&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe></div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-32241749422416308332018-10-28T02:34:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.801-08:00Macedonia Ex-PM Gruevski Summoned to Serve Jail Sentence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXN7kry92VPltLm1Mx51vFw89NGa94x-gK5AYjXkDS2xLvlPGRwYliyH2ZroYDcO6LPyzpMCgV7XC1ug_EzNiyrPGEGrPCpogPwoG7SAKY7pxIOi2F201W8GzWPfmaTMOaxDs4sqb__U/s1600/Gruevski-court-4x3-EPA-EFEGEORGI-LICOVSKI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXN7kry92VPltLm1Mx51vFw89NGa94x-gK5AYjXkDS2xLvlPGRwYliyH2ZroYDcO6LPyzpMCgV7XC1ug_EzNiyrPGEGrPCpogPwoG7SAKY7pxIOi2F201W8GzWPfmaTMOaxDs4sqb__U/s640/Gruevski-court-4x3-EPA-EFEGEORGI-LICOVSKI.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><strong><br /></strong><strong>Macedonia’s former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has been told to report to prison on November 8 the latest, to serve his two-year jail sentence for the illicit purchase of a luxury Mercedes.</strong><br /><br />The Criminal Court in Skopje confirmed on Friday that it has handed a ‘referral act’ to ex-premier Nikola Gruevski, saying he should start serving his jail sentence at the prison in Shuto Orizari, near Skopje, on November 8 at the latest.<br /><br />The court in a press release said that a courier today handed the act to Gruevski in person, while he was in front of the court for another trial, “after a previous unsuccessful attempt to deliver it at a home address”.<br /><br />On October 5, the Appeals Court confirmed Gruevski's two-year jail sentence in the case codenamed 'Tank', in which he was found guilty of illegally soliciting the secret purchase of a 580,000-euro Mercedes in 2012 from former Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska, which he planned to use for his own purposes.<br /><br />The Criminal Court initially convicted Gruevski in its first-instance verdict in May.<br /><br />In the same case, the Appeals Court reduced the sentence of another defendant, former assistant interior minister Gjoko Popovski, from six-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years in jail.<br /><br />Jankuloska was sentenced to six years in jail earlier this month in a trial conducted separately because of her pregnancy. She has the right to appeal the first-instance verdict.<br /><br />Gruevski has insisted that this and other ongoing court cases against him were a political set-up fixed by the new government led by the Social Democrats, SDSM.<br /><br />He served as prime minister from 2006 to 2016. His right-wing VMRO DPMNE party was ousted in 2017 after a prolonged political crisis in which he and his close associates were accused of imposing authoritarian rule and involvement in corruption./BIRN</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-56483076257537869632018-10-28T02:27:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.832-08:00Progress on Kim-Abe summit elusive during July meeting of North Koreanand Japanese officials: envoy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCH1HC6SJutOaYT5HRxOrdJOb_30MdlJgIwG3Ch69CZn44webAYkMdCh3C8QLlF3NW9j94fYJFLZH_morDypdDQjCG8il_ftW-85AR8UbfRCt9ozhNqbGYtfrXqi4dR1M5pXWVD42spCQ/s1600/Shinzo-Abe-640x360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCH1HC6SJutOaYT5HRxOrdJOb_30MdlJgIwG3Ch69CZn44webAYkMdCh3C8QLlF3NW9j94fYJFLZH_morDypdDQjCG8il_ftW-85AR8UbfRCt9ozhNqbGYtfrXqi4dR1M5pXWVD42spCQ/s640/Shinzo-Abe-640x360.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><strong><br /></strong><strong>Progress on Kim-Abe summit elusive during July meeting of North Korean and Japanese officials: envoy</strong><br /><br />A top North Korean diplomat has essentially acknowledged that North Korea and Japan made contact in July in Vietnam, but said no substantial progress was made toward summit talks between the two country’s leaders.<br /><br />The disclosure was made Saturday to Kyodo News by Shingo Kanemaru, the second son of the late Shin Kanemaru, who was a prominent politician and former Liberal Democratic Party vice president who had worked to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries in the 1990s.<br /><br />Kanemaru, 73, held talks with Song Il Ho, North Korea’s ambassador for negotiations to normalize ties with Japan, during a five-day trip to Pyongyang that ended Saturday.<br /><br />On the contentious issue of abductions of Japanese nationals, Song reiterated the official line that the issue has been resolved, saying that there are no Japanese abductees still alive in North Korea, according to Kanemaru.<br /><br />Japan officially lists 17 Japanese citizens as having been abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s but alleges Pyongyang’s involvement in many more disappearances. Five of the 17 were repatriated in 2002.<br /><br />According to Song, Tokyo must first make a “sincere apology” for Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula before any summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un can be held.<br /><br />Abe has repeatedly said that he is open to talks with Kim, but has placed the resolution of the abduction issue as a top agenda item for any summit.<br /><br />By emphasizing that the environment for a summit is not yet in place, Pyongyang, while acceding to limited contact with Japanese officials, appears to be assuming a posture of waiting for a change in Tokyo’s stance on the issue.<br /><br />Kanemaru, who visited North Korea with officials from Yamanashi Prefecture, his home turf, said he exchanged opinions with Song at a meeting that lasted several hours.<br /><br />It was previously reported that Shigeru Kitamura, head of Japan’s Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, and a senior official from the North’s ruling party had held a secret meeting in July in Vietnam.<br /><br />Song downplayed the importance of the interaction to “seasonal greetings,” saying the Japanese side had merely stated its basic stance on the abduction issue, according to Kanemaru.<br /><br />Moreover, there was “absolutely no concrete proposal” from the Japanese government regarding summit talks between Abe and Kim, Kanemaru quoted him as saying.<br /><br />At the same time, Song also voiced a readiness to meet with Japanese government officials himself, saying that if a nonpartisan delegation of lawmakers were to visit North Korea, he would “unreservedly welcome” them.<br /><br />In September 1990, Shin Kanemaru co-headed a joint delegation of LDP and Japan Socialist Party members that visited North Korea. The parties signed a joint declaration with the North’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea calling for the need to normalize diplomatic ties.<br /><br />The elder Kanemaru, who died in 1996 at age 81, also held talks with the North Korea’s late founder, Kim Il Sung, during the visit.<br /><br />Shingo Kanemaru served as his father’s secretary and was deeply involved in the negotiations at the time. Since then he has frequently visited North Korea.</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-56411404961127253072018-10-28T02:19:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.828-08:00Ridvan Dibra publishes psychological book in France<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLKyRLJuMjf3T_co9Sw16UP4-Av9OggEaChx9s90XyV-d7hxxrDfh7vQnlzKG1l50G1xu1TlJfxzxd2Dni7pGmfVw-A811CHjj1YwBaRGnbjnVEq56GKfWWftWdhaqY4MlRWcXKbwDQ4/s1600/1442_10152296463222037_1081309681_n-640x422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="640" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLKyRLJuMjf3T_co9Sw16UP4-Av9OggEaChx9s90XyV-d7hxxrDfh7vQnlzKG1l50G1xu1TlJfxzxd2Dni7pGmfVw-A811CHjj1YwBaRGnbjnVEq56GKfWWftWdhaqY4MlRWcXKbwDQ4/s640/1442_10152296463222037_1081309681_n-640x422.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />A psychological novel by writer Ridvan Dibra titled ‘The Legend of Solitude’ has been recently translated in French and introduced in Paris at the ‘’Editions intervalles 2’’ library, on the event ‘’Albanian literature nights.’’ The novel scrutinizes the themes of an old Albanian folk song, which talks about solitude, exclusion, revenge, in a quite clear and oral style.<br /><br />‘’Now Bala is sightless. But it’s ok: his friends accept him blind. And now he doesn’t feel as lonely as once.’’<br /><br />It takes the story of young boy Bala, whose father died in a tragic, bizarre manner. He is separated from the rest of society, excluded, and lives in the forest nearby. There, he spends his time in revenge fantasies against the man Bala is convinced has killed his father. However, the more Bala separates from society and approaches the woods, he starts getting more attached to his soul and rediscovering a sense of life.<br /><br />There is a lack of characters to Dibra’s books. The reason as he has said, is that he tries to focus in answering the questions that bug his head, and give solutions to his inner quarrels. In this book particularly that is noticed even more, and the writing style is quite vertical, going to the depths of being’s mysteries, trying to explore them.<br /><br />‘’With a limpid and outright style he [Dibra] immerses the reader in young Bala’s tormenting thoughts and psychology, who, after the inexplicable and cruel death of his father, seems as he is completely isolated in a hostile environment,’’ writes the book’s publishing house in Paris ‘’Le Ver a Soie’’ in the foreword.<br /><br />We are taken into a journey of life, its loss of meaning and rediscovery, through the eyes of the child. We can see the cruelty that people sometimes allow to emerge in themselves. We are reminded that fate is ours to make through the grief of Bala, and perhaps reconnect with the child within us.<br /><br />‘’It is the writing of Ridvan Dibra, beautiful and interactive (challenging for the reader), that poetically marries these arguments: short chapters and simple phrases, the synchronized thoughts that come as songs choruses, the titles and chapter endings that summarize all what’s happening, like the old tales,’’ said French poet Radu Bata on his critical literary analysis on the French translation of the book. He appraised the translation as refined, depicting the naturalness of the occurances.<br /><br />Ridvan Dibra was born in Shkodra in 1959, and has been described as one of the five greatest living Albanian writers. (The rest, Ismail Kadare, Fatos Kongoli, Rexhep Qosja, Bashkim Shehu). He studied for Albanian language and literature at the University of Shkodra, and worked as teacher of the field in Kukes from 1982-1987. He then worked as a journalist in the city of Shkodra from 1988-1994, and from 1994 onwards, he has been a professor at the University of Shkodra for Albanian literature.<br /><br />Legend of Solitude is translated by Evelyne Noygues, a renowned translator of Albanian novels and works. She has finished her study in Albania in early ‘90s and decided to live and work here until 1994. Returning occasionally for associative, literary and artistic projects.<br /><br />The book grabbed an interest from the event participants for its themes, content, writing style and translation. In Albania the novel was announced the best published book for 2012 in all Albanian regions and won ‘’Rexhai Surroi’’ award,a prestigious award given for the best novel and journalistic piece. For 2018 however, this book is nominated in France for Le Grand Prix SGDL award for translation.<br /><br />Along with it was also introduced another book by Sebastien Colson titled Albania: Castle in Front of Oneself. The book wants to serve as a sort of guide to the French reader in understanding the contemporary Albania./TT</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-4661618750933903492018-10-28T02:17:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.822-08:00Vlora’s symposium: Albanian language descents from Pelasgian<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9kHI24upbdY-0Z9RFEY2r2j2N-TLHPNB_GmpQ9puWEiFPcmpZ5GIKLbrMfViTsiswHxAyPnbG-TjdRr9N5JtlDJWqLWEeLrvWTVbTeTRpY4CfeC8llJO5H7wSOYkqMH4DeeqzuY_Bj4/s1600/ie-640x378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="640" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9kHI24upbdY-0Z9RFEY2r2j2N-TLHPNB_GmpQ9puWEiFPcmpZ5GIKLbrMfViTsiswHxAyPnbG-TjdRr9N5JtlDJWqLWEeLrvWTVbTeTRpY4CfeC8llJO5H7wSOYkqMH4DeeqzuY_Bj4/s640/ie-640x378.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />At the ‘Shefqet Musaraj’ library in Vlore the fifth international symposium ‘’Ancient history of Albanian people and language’’ was held on Oct. 20, where the Albanian language descendancy was discussed.<br /><br />Various historians, Albanian language researchers and archeologists from Albania, Kosovo, Turkey and Europe have discussed about the ancientness of our language. The discussion in general were focused in evidenting the link Pelazgi and Illyrians with today Albanians.<br /><br />Dr. professor Luftulla Peza talked extensively about the contribution of Nermin Vlora to this study. Peza said that Vlora was the first to scientifically prove that through her studies which she conducted in Italy.<br /><br />‘’This great scholar was the first in history that scientifically proved that Albanian language descends from Illyrian and she prepared the basis through her paperwork,’’ said Peza.<br /><br />Nermin Vlora was born in Vlora ni 1921 and completed her high school studies in Tirana at the Female Institute ‘Nana Mbretneshe’ (Mother Queen). While in high school she was also translating various poetry from French and Italian for the Tirana Radio. When she was 17 she met Italian officer Enzo Falaschi whom she married and moved with in Italy. She studied for law there and then started her 20 year long studied on the Etruscan case and its linkage with Albanian language and people. She prepared the necessary base research for other researchers and scholars, who agreed with her and gave the case a fuller projection.<br /><br />‘’What a great weight and value we all here think, but not only, for the value and weight that the Albanian language has, as the most essential tool in our national identity,’’ said Albanian language professor Vilma Bello.<br /><br />She said that the continuous discussion that has been going on for years, which will never finish, is rather important in the ongoing research about the discovery our Albanian people’s value as a nation and descendancy. That doesn’t only amount worth to the history, but also to the language we share.<br /><br />The event was also attended from Vlora Mayor Dritan Leli, who said that this activity is quite positive about the town, and that the municipality will be raising the Nermin Vlora Institute in Vlora in her honor.TranaTimes</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-65962038869682246772018-10-28T02:12:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.841-08:00Albania’s Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj resigns<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1uAKLVdJPpsv6c7N-3qXfu5xluUFUnDFfRg81h3CbqbduyMPYcV5MpMFiDYZM0LWvq6Gu2-GH2OhCzviaDumK7nSU1u0_Vzpt-KdSHmEVpmMsAMW73oToAbiDzFJ0CtO3qP8LoMtrAA/s1600/Xhafaj-640-640x502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="640" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1uAKLVdJPpsv6c7N-3qXfu5xluUFUnDFfRg81h3CbqbduyMPYcV5MpMFiDYZM0LWvq6Gu2-GH2OhCzviaDumK7nSU1u0_Vzpt-KdSHmEVpmMsAMW73oToAbiDzFJ0CtO3qP8LoMtrAA/s640/Xhafaj-640-640x502.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Albania’s Minister of Interior Fatmir Xhafaj handed in his resignation from office to Prime Minister Edi Rama on Saturday morning.<br /><br />Rama himself made the news public through a tweet, while also announcing General Sander Lleshi will be taking Xhafaj’s post.<br /><br />“I accepted the resignation of Minister Xhafaj, whom I thank for his valuable contribution. General Sander Lleshi will bring new positive energy as the head of interior affairs. The track has been paved. Now we need to increase the speed and achieve even more meaningful results,” Rama wrote on Twitter.<br /><br />Head of the opposition’s Democratic Party Lulzim Basha wrote in social networks soon after news of his resignation broke out that “Fatmir Xhafaj was the only interior minister in Europe with a drug trafficker brother,” and that his resignation “is an important step in our battle to clear up politics from crime.”<br /><br />In the same context, the opposition has also demanded Rama’s resignation for his alleged ties with crime.<br /><br />Xhafaj’s resignation comes at an interesting time, as the Albanian police has been overseeing a number of operations aiming to capture the country’s most notorious criminal rings, while his replacement by the counselor for security issues – a non-political and non-experienced entity – has raised even more doubts.<br /><br />An official reason behind Xhafaj’s resignation is yet to be given, although he’s been the target of numerous opposition attacks, particularly regarding the alleged protection of his brother, Agron, who used to be part of a narcotics trafficking ring in Italy.<br /><br />The accusations towards Xhafaj began with the surfacing of the ‘Babale case,’ in which Albert Veliu, former collaborator of Agron, claimed he recently spoke with Agron to help him traffic narcotics for some quick money.<br /><br />Both Xhafaj and Rama have denied the veracity of this audio-surveillance, while the country’s prosecution is investigating the case and has already issued two arrest warrants against Veliu and the man who impersonated Agron.<br /><br />However, the Babale case investigations also made clear the fact that Agron’s sentence years back was eased significantly by saving him some prison years. Following the case breakout, Agron left to Italy to serve his sentence.<br /><br />Xhafaj is one of the Socialist Party’s main politicians, a lawmaker and minister for several mandates, and chairman of the parliamentary committee of the judicial reform.<br />Along the vetting of the judiciary, he devised the vetting process for the state police, while leading the ‘Force of Law’ operation for many months.<br /><br />Xhafaj had also been often critical of his predecessor Saimir Tahiri, who is also under fire for possible ties with criminal rings in the country due to the criminal records of his relatives in neighboring Italy.<br /><br />Tahiri had announced a press conference recently, which he cancelled after Xhafaj’s resignation according to local media./tt</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-66162084069911941582018-10-28T02:07:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.844-08:00Istanbul summit calls for Syrian constitutional committee by year-end<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcDwdATKjOBf2BOSILVGwvEu4GCzyCOIjvZB4Buq0QC8D6k155tMnX8JtOpp9p_mgdJrAsgR1114KaQk8mySkXpO57GgNAlFaMC94x2145_FGJtkYY8cQaDvrRa4HH2TAJFaOD8S4Slw/s1600/645x344-istanbul-summit-calls-for-syrian-constitutional-committee-by-year-end-1540668117809-640x342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="640" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcDwdATKjOBf2BOSILVGwvEu4GCzyCOIjvZB4Buq0QC8D6k155tMnX8JtOpp9p_mgdJrAsgR1114KaQk8mySkXpO57GgNAlFaMC94x2145_FGJtkYY8cQaDvrRa4HH2TAJFaOD8S4Slw/s640/645x344-istanbul-summit-calls-for-syrian-constitutional-committee-by-year-end-1540668117809-640x342.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The leaders of Turkey, Russia, France and Germany held talks on Syria at a Saturday summit in Istanbul, hoping to lay the groundwork for an eventual peace in a country devastated by years of war.<br /><br />Speaking at a joint news conference after the summit, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the summit aimed at reaching a full cease-fire to halt bloodshed in Syria.<br /><br />"The Syria conflict cannot be solved merely by military means. We will improve cooperation against the terror threat from Syria," Erdoğan said during a joint joint press-conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, adding that a constitutional committee for Syria should be formed as soon as possible.<br /><br />"We discussed the return of refugees to Syria and agreed that this should be voluntary," he added.<br /><br />Erdoğan underlined that Astana peace process for Syrian conflict sets an example to international community, saying that Turkey is determined to continue efforts both in Astana process and in other platforms such as today's meeting.<br /><br />When asked about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Erdoğan said that they have discussed the case of Khashoggi during the bilateral meetings.<br /><br />"Saudi authorities need to answer who sent the 18 suspects to Istanbul," he said.<br /><br />A final statement from the four leaders also rejects "separatist agendas aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria as well as the national security of neighboring countries."<br /><br />Leaders highlighted the need to create conditions throughout the country for the safe and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their original places of residence in Syria, and that the returnees need security from armed conflict, political persecution or arbitrary arrests.<br /><br />"Syria needs to be completely cleaned of radical groups. A constitutional reform is needed to strengthen the Syrian society," Russian President Vladimir Putin said.<br /><br />French President Emmanuel Macron said that it is unacceptable that aid organizations are blocked in Syria, adding that humanitarian aid corridors should be established.<br /><br />"We should be vigilant that the ceasefire in Syria will be long lasting," he said. Macron also said that a military offensive on Idlib would have severe political and military consequences.<br /><br />German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that there must be free elections at the end of this political process and that Syria must become a safe place for the Syrian people, so that they can return to their country.<br /><br />"A political solution is necessary besides military solutions. We will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons in Syria," she added.<br /><br />Istanbul summit calls for Syrian constitutional committee by year-end<br /><br />The summit, hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at Vahdettin Pavilion in the city's Üsküdar district, included Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emmanuel Macron. Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. special Syria envoy, is also present at the summit.<br /><br />Earlier, the four leaders walked in the gardens of the pavilion, where the talks were held. The renovated structure, which was built in the 19th century for the last Ottoman Sultan Mehmet VI Vahdettin to reside before he ascended to the throne, has sweeping views of Istanbul's Bosporus strait.<br /><br />Istanbul summit calls for Syrian constitutional committee by year-end<br /><br />"Now all eyes in the world, primarily of our Syrian brothers, are set on our meeting. I believe that we will act in a sincere and constructive approach and won't let down these expectations," Erdoğan told a press conference shortly before the summit kicked off.<br /><br />Istanbul summit calls for Syrian constitutional committee by year-end<br /><br />During the summit, the participants will address the Syrian conflict in all its aspects, focusing on the situation on the ground, the political process, and ways to harmonize joint efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict.<br /><br />Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity. Almost half of the 30 million pre-war population of Syria were displaced as a result of the conflict, with more than half of them seeking refuge in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, in addition to hundreds of thousands of refugees heading to Europe. Nearly half a million people were killed in the conflict.<br /><br />After arriving in Istanbul, Macron tweeted that what was at stake was averting a "new humanitarian disaster." Turkish Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said on Friday that the primary goal would be to "clarify the steps to be taken for a political solution and to determine a roadmap".<br /><br />Forming a commission to create Syria's post-war constitution, seen as a stepping stone to elections in the war-torn country, would be a particular point of emphasis, Kalın said. A United Nations plan for a committee to draft a new constitution ran aground this week after Damascus blocked the proposal. De Mistura said the Syrian government would not accept a role for the United Nations in selecting a list for the committee.<br /><br />The Istanbul talks will also discuss extending the ceasefire around Idlib, where aid groups have warned that a military offensive could spark one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the seven-year war.<br /><br />With an assault by government troops seeming imminent, Moscow and Ankara agreed on Sept. 17 to create a 15-20 kilometer-wide demilitarized zone ringing Idlib as Turkey sought to avoid an attack leading to a further influx of people across its border. On Oct. 10, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced that the Syrian opposition and other anti-regime groups had completed the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the Idlib demilitarized zone.<br /><br />Under the deal, opposition groups in Idlib are to remain in areas where they are already present, while Russia and Turkey carry out joint patrols in the area with a view to preventing a resumption of fighting.<br /><br />Russia, which supports the regime of Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey, which backs the opposition, agreed to create a buffer zone around Idlib, but violence has escalated dramatically leading up to the summit. Turkey and Russia have held talks with Iran on the Syrian conflict in efforts that have often been greeted with suspicion in the West, but Saturday's summit will be the first to include the European Union's two most significant national leaders.<br /><br />However shelling in the area continued intermittently and has ramped up in recent days. On Friday, Syria's U.N. envoy Bashar Jaafari maintained that the buffer zone is temporary and that Idlib would eventually revert to government control.<br /><br />However France hopes to extend the ceasefire to enable aid convoys to get through to Idlib, home to four million people.<br /><br />During a phone call with Putin before the summit on Saturday, Macron reiterated his objectives to "extend the ceasefire in Idlib, prohibit chemical weapons, ensure access to humanitarian aid and find a timetable for the political process," the French presidency said.<br /><br />The participants talked down hopes of a long-term solution ahead of the summit, with the Elysee palace speaking of "modest expectations" and Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov urging all sides to be "realistic."<br /><br />Peskov said that while all sides want a political settlement, "certain disagreements may exist regarding the instruments and tactics", and the day was to "synchronize our watches" and "attempt to identify common topics."<br /><br />Syria's opposition, which has previously described Russia's military intervention in 2015 as an occupation, on Friday said it welcomed dialogue with Moscow, signaling readiness for more concessions following the Assad regime's battlefield successes.<br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><br /><div dir="ltr" lang="en">Leaders of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Russia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Russia</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Germany?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Germany</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/France?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#France</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Turkey?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Turkey</a> gathered in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Istanbul?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Istanbul</a> on Saturday for a summit on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Syria</a>, where violence this week in the last remaining major rebel stronghold highlighted the fragility of a deal to avert a massive government offensive.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sharjah24?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sharjah24</a> <a href="https://t.co/z3F1KjBJXN">pic.twitter.com/z3F1KjBJXN</a></div><br />— الشارقة24 (@sharjah24) <a href="https://twitter.com/sharjah24/status/1056415060023750656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2018</a></blockquote><br /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br /><br />However U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Russia was no replacement for the United States.<br /><br />"Russia's presence in the region cannot replace the longstanding, enduring, and transparent U.S. commitment to the Middle East," Mattis told a security conference in Bahrain on Saturday.<br /><br />The summit also comes amid Turkey's warnings of a new military operation across the border into northern Syria, in zones held by the PKK terrorist group's Syrian offshoot the People's Protection Forces (YPG). The YPG is the dominant group of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the main U.S. ally on the ground in Syria. The SDF controls almost all the territory in the east of the Euphrates River comprising some one-third of the territory of Syria, except for the Assad regime-controlled area near Deir el-Zour and the Daesh-held area near the Iraqi border. The SDF also controls the districts of Manbij and Tabqah on the right bank of the river.<br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><br /><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Putin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Putin</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Merkel?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Merkel</a> meet at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Syria</a> summit in Istanbul <a href="https://t.co/5khdzlbgud">pic.twitter.com/5khdzlbgud</a></div><br />— Ruptly (@Ruptly) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ruptly/status/1056191002556465152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2018</a></blockquote><br /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br /><br />On Friday, Erdoğan said that Turkey is determined to focus its attention on the east of the river instead of wasting time in the northern Syrian district of Manbij, where Turkey and the U.S. agreed on a deal that focuses on the withdrawal of the YPG terrorist group from the town in order to stabilize the region and conduct joint patrols. The terror group has instead stepped up its presence and activities in the area, completed the construction of trenches and embankments in areas surrounding the entire town center as if it has no intention of leaving.<br /><br />Turkish troops and their allies the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have captured bordering Jarablous, al-Rai and al-Bab districts from the Daesh terrorist group through Operation Euphrates Shield launched in Aug. 2016. The Turkish military and the FSA also cleared the Afrin district from the YPG in Operation Olive Branch launched in Jan. 2018.<br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><br /><div dir="ltr" lang="en">Four-way <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Syria</a> summit kicks off in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Istanbul?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Istanbul</a><br /><a href="https://t.co/FsB2cDf5gD">https://t.co/FsB2cDf5gD</a> <a href="https://t.co/KwOLWvEmmq">pic.twitter.com/KwOLWvEmmq</a></div><br />— Yeni Şafak English (@yenisafakEN) <a href="https://twitter.com/yenisafakEN/status/1056187268417966080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2018</a></blockquote><br /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br /><br />The summit also takes place in the aftermath of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.<br /><br />Turkish media reported that Erdoğan will discuss the crisis in one-on-one talks with leaders on the summit's sidelines.<br /><br />https://youtu.be/NnvZWJNEaRc</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-32455913500977198982018-10-28T02:02:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.804-08:00Brazil's far-right Bolsonaro poised to win presidency in second roundvote<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghV_VIej-fuTfNnc87oTdPgqUySTXjauPPYOVcV53Pf2vFvdDpJ0hhZQOI7WRdKn2lQdPjzC1qr6w4HXK47XllUm37xcElHKo-H3FS-tiHzowH1haNlMDFE49JOjPQe1yxSO-6ABiiGw/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="640" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghV_VIej-fuTfNnc87oTdPgqUySTXjauPPYOVcV53Pf2vFvdDpJ0hhZQOI7WRdKn2lQdPjzC1qr6w4HXK47XllUm37xcElHKo-H3FS-tiHzowH1haNlMDFE49JOjPQe1yxSO-6ABiiGw/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Brazilians fed up with political corruption and rising crime are expected to vote in former army captain turned politician Jair Bolsonaro as their president on Sunday in a turbulent swing to the right in the world's fourth largest democracy.<br /><br />Bolsonaro's sudden rise was propelled by rejection of the leftist Workers Party (PT) that ran Brazil for 13 of the last 15 years and was ousted two years ago in the midst of the country's worst recession and biggest graft and bribery scandal.<br /><br />His leftist rival Fernando Haddad, standing in for the jailed PT founder and former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been trailing Bolsonaro since the first round vote three weeks ago.<br /><br />But final opinion polls on Saturday showing Haddad gaining momentum and endorsements from leading legal figures in Brazil's unprecedented fight against political corruption have raised hopes among his supporters that he can pull off what would be a stunning upset win.<br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><br /><div dir="ltr" lang="en">If Jair Bolsonaro wins Brazil's election, the survival of democracy in Latin America's largest country could be put at risk <a href="https://t.co/EWZNq44ptW">pic.twitter.com/EWZNq44ptW</a></div><br />— The Economist (@TheEconomist) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/1056259812084850688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2018</a></blockquote><br /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br /><br />Haddad has reduced Bolsonaro's lead from 12 to 8 percentage points in five days, according to the Ibope polling firm that gave him 46 percent of voter support compared with Bolsonaro's 54 percent. A Datafolha poll also released late Saturday showed Bolsonaro had 55 percent and Haddad 45 percent.<br /><br />Haddad failed to win the crucial endorsement of center-left former candidate Ciro Gomes, a former governor of Ceará state in the northeast, which would have given Haddad a big lift in Brazil's poorest region.<br /><br />But Rodrigo Janot, Brazil's former prosecutor general under whose watch unprecedented prosecutions of endemic political graft took place, tweeted that he would vote for Haddad. Popular anti-corruption judge, Joaquim Barbosa, who jailed several top PT leaders for corruption, also came out for Haddad.<br /><br />The endorsements were a blow to Bolsonaro's campaign to position himself as the only anti-corruption candidate.<br /><br />"I think we are at the brink of a process that could push our democracy beyond its limits," Janot told Reuters.<br /><br />Many Brazilians are concerned that Bolsonaro, an admirer of Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship and a defender of its use of torture on leftist opponents, will trample on human rights, curtail civil liberties and muzzle freedom of speech.<br /><br />The 63-year-old seven-term congressman has vowed to crack down on crime in Brazil's cities and farm belt by granting police more autonomy to shoot at armed criminals and easing gun laws to allow Brazilians to buy weapons to fight crime, a major demand by one of his biggest backers, the powerful farm lobby.<br /><br />"This is not just an election. We only have two options: to turn right or left, and we all know where the left took us for 13 years with the PT," Bolsonaro said in his final video address to supporters on Saturday evening. "We want a free Brazil."<br /><br />Investors are heartened by Bolsonaro's choice of Paulo Guedes, a Chicago University-trained economist and investment banker as his economic guru and likely finance minister.<br /><br />Brazil's most polarized election since 1985 and the near-fatal stabbing of Bolsonaro at a rally a month ago have caused turbulence on markets, yet the real currency strengthened 9.7 percent against the dollar in last 30 days as his prospects of winning increased. Sao Paulo's benchmark Bovespa stock index has risen 13.5 percent since mid-September.<br /><br />Guedes is keen to privatize hundreds of state companies, including units of oil company Petrobras and utility Eletrobras. His free-market ideas have clashed with the views of a group of retired army generals who are helping Bolsonaro draw up policies and believe strategic resources should remain in state hands.<br /><br />Environmentalists are concerned that Bolsonaro will reduce Brazil's efforts to stop deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, which is seen as essential to soaking up carbon emissions responsible for global warming. He has, however, backed off a plan to follow U.S. President Donald Trump's example and pull Brazil out of the Paris climate change accord.<br /><br />Bolsonaro's critics fear he will allow commercial farming and mining to penetrate on Indian reservations, which he has said he will not expand by a single centimeter if he is elected.<br /><br />He told Xingú tribes people on Friday they had the right to charge royalties for mining and hydro electric power generation on their reservations, a proposal welcomed by some natives but rejected by anthropologists and environmentalists who see the tribes as the last guardians of the Amazon rainforest and its biodiversity.<br /><br />"You are as Brazilian as any of us," he said in a video posted on social media. "I want you to have the right to use your land and exploit its biodiversity and mineral riches."</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-34806365419332060812018-10-28T01:58:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.811-08:00Challenge of attracting 10 million tourists<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDZayAwHhk0IvD1GWNO_jJJBW0v3oSvM1On6Rkn7jJ4f7SgrnKzl408-BWvPQQV5nGELkWSJ7asrrRaYmDZ-QZ6TL5hi55UZ9068vlIza2iYMKpthJClMkWV_zR2ksIlHGagZc-2Q1WU/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="640" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDZayAwHhk0IvD1GWNO_jJJBW0v3oSvM1On6Rkn7jJ4f7SgrnKzl408-BWvPQQV5nGELkWSJ7asrrRaYmDZ-QZ6TL5hi55UZ9068vlIza2iYMKpthJClMkWV_zR2ksIlHGagZc-2Q1WU/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Prime Minister Edi Rama’ remarks at meeting with international tour operators at Hilton Garden Inn:<br /><br />Perhaps it is worth a comparison to speak about the tourism performance and expectations by point out Croatia’s example, a country with foreign tourist numbers four times higher than the number of foreign tourists visiting Albania, generating six times higher tourism revenue rates than Albania. However, most recently, Croatian newspapers surprisingly note that Albania is attracting our tourists.<br /><br />Of course we are not attracting the Croatia-bound visitors, but yet it is a very significant fact that if Croatia tourism or in other countries like Croatia appears to be at a stalemate due to the exhaustion of potential, Albania has a huge untapped tourism potential and a clear indicator of this huge untapped potential is the fact that if number of foreign tourist in Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bulgaria grew by less than 15%, the foreign tourist arrivals in Albania grew by around 30% in August and September. Today we looked at September tourist numbers and it was exactly these numbers we were discussing with some leading tour operators in the tourism industry for years now, who also confirmed that number of tourist arrivals in September grew more than ever before.<br /><br />Growth in tourist number and tourism revenue is yet more significant if we are to consider the fact that a number of destinations are re-emerging in the tourism market although deemed somehow inappropriate, including Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia. However, having said all these, including the fact that the number of foreign tourists visiting Albania over the past five years has surged to over 6 million, up from around 3.4 million previously, and the tourism industry generated about 2 billion euros, up from around 1 billion generated previously, quite a significant reflection also in employment terms with over 30 000 people employed in the tourism industry during the high season only. The truth is that our tourism potential should double earlier rather than later and our challenge is to achieve the 10 million tourists target sooner rather than later.<br /><br />I am not somewhat overoptimistic as Blendi Klosi (Tourism Minister) who sounds very optimistic in every word and every though coming to his mind, but however, I am confident we can achieve the goal of drawing 10 million inbound tourists annually in the next four or five years. Here today we are in a new reality of tourism and development of tourism industry in Albania, a new five-star hotel, while many others will become a reality in Tirana, of course not planned for next year, but in the signing contracts phase now to draw for the first time ever a number of renowned international five-star hotel brands. The discussions on these contracts are currently at an advanced stage with the Ministry of Tourism to develop investment projects in the coastal areas.<br /><br />In addition to the permits issued in 2017 for construction of 53 new hotels, we still have to take stock of contracts signed in 2018, besides new projects on construction of Vlora and Kukes airports. Apart from the massive infrastructure projects and other positive aspects as part of the tourism development efforts in the country, and not tourism alone, I want to clearly state something as a kind of prologue to an event that we are organizing together with the Ministry of Tourism and our highly valued consultants from the Croatia’s Horwath group, which has contributed to over 50 countries with a significant impact on their tourism development, that we can no longer continue developing an Albanian-style tourism industry for Albanians in the sense of keeping on constructing the so-called tourist villages projected to be personal villages that can then be sold to other co-villagers, buildings surrounded by walls without taking care of what is lying around, or, in other words, we can no longer continue turning the country’s coastline into a Golem-like area.<br /><br />Albania’s transition period saw two phenomena; the Bathore-like chaotic urbanization of the peripheral areas in the big cities due to a massive demographic movement and the Golem-like chaotic and illegal construction and occupation of land as a nightmare to move from the city to countryside and transit from a rich individual in the city in a villager in coastal tourist areas. These two phenomena should belong to the past. The country has a coastline with tremendous potential and Albania is the last undiscovered destination in the Mediterranean. An exponential growth of interest in Albania is related to the country’s stunning natural beauties, to aspects of the country’s pristine nature and if we are to continue the Golem-like chaos, in ten years from now, Albania will no longer be the country everyone wants to visit, but a country in which no foreign tourist will be interested in. It means we should definitely provide another development alternative. We will definitely provide an alternative to investors, but we should first put an end to the time of selling apartments and real estates of the city’s rich who all of a sudden became co-villagers and co-owners of properties on the seaside, while coastal investments should coincide with a great ambition to make Albania not just a country where many tourists come, but a country where tourism generates a lot more revenue and creates much more qualitative employment.<br /><br />This is the challenge; to combine the existing beauty with the beauty we are building, and not destroy the existing beauty with the primitive and vulgar forms of development, which are part of a historical phase but in no way should we allow a project development by a group of villagers who own a higher number of beds than Croatia, that is to say, a neighbourhood of wealthy people but who don’t understand where this world’s good of the mind and spirit comes from.<br /><br />Having said this, I want to express appreciation and congratulate all those who have provided maximum contribution in this transition phase of our tourism industry, and of course we are making preparations not to discourage, but quite the contrary to encourage and support investments in tourism. We are ready to support ambitious people and investors who are committed to ushering in a new era of building the chain of contributions for Albanian tourism, contributions that provide Albania the ambition to not destroy itself and not to close the door to the future by exploiting in a vulgar and barbaric way yet the untouched beauties of the past.<br /><br />Thank you very much!</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-15312324399701516552018-10-24T16:26:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.784-08:00Erdoğan, Crown Prince Salman discuss Khashoggi case<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYJZ3OfM2HFOUaodFK1X0oS08l7qjy3d430l5I9-UIxwdj_zkU_w8UvhBkMlO_HNTvkI9dhZU2xkRv9HwjwMZy-ehINZYz5RGW-RM3JylBF5efT7-p-FF6NSN8qrfhRqMXjBZSMaDuW0/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="620" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYJZ3OfM2HFOUaodFK1X0oS08l7qjy3d430l5I9-UIxwdj_zkU_w8UvhBkMlO_HNTvkI9dhZU2xkRv9HwjwMZy-ehINZYz5RGW-RM3JylBF5efT7-p-FF6NSN8qrfhRqMXjBZSMaDuW0/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on Tuesday and discussed steps needed to bring light all aspects of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, presidential sources said.<br /><br />The call was made on the request of the crown prince, the sources added. Salman was later due to address the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, a high-profile business event that has been overshadowed by the killing Khashoggi. International business leaders have pulled out from attending the summit.<br /><br />In his speech at the Future Investment Initiative, the crown prince called Khashoggi's killing a "heinous crime that cannot be justified."<br /><br />"The crime was very painful to all Saudis. And it is painful, heinous to every human being in the world," Mohammed bin Salman said in his first comments since the murder of the journalist.<br /><br />The crown prince said all culprits will be punished and justice would prevail, adding that Saudi Arabia and Turkey will work together "to reach results."<br /><br />"Many are trying to exploit the Khashoggi affair to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Turkey," he said. "There will be no divide between Saudi (Arabia) and Turkey under the leadership of King Salman and Erdoğan."<br /><br />Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a U.S. resident, disappeared three weeks ago after a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh, which initially denied knowledge of his whereabouts, has since said he died in a "fistfight." It later blamed Khashoggi's death on a "rogue operation." The journalist was a critic of the crown prince, the kingdom's de facto ruler.<br /><br />Erdoğan has said Turkey will not let the killers escape justice, no matter how highly placed they were. The president confirmed Tuesday that a 15-man Saudi team killed the writer at the consulate, describing the killing as "savage" and labeling it as a "political murder."<br /><br />"As a country, we are determined not to allow the cover-up of the murder. We will share new findings with related parties as we reach them," Erdoğan said Wednesday during a meeting in Ankara./ds</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-77293177916262780732018-10-23T21:21:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.857-08:00Fier regional hospital, fundamental infrastructure and servicestransformation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmng-v79StPuflHJWBXxlbEGARjTanYOpkpyG3tLhwLq9DOxbYXw48Nw3AbRdjQj_F842207NE8pyEtPNFCdW6iRUgR97zCqzMy6jiVkAcaPExzyYlJ1HL1OHvvt5Az1CW1KzO3rYhQ30/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmng-v79StPuflHJWBXxlbEGARjTanYOpkpyG3tLhwLq9DOxbYXw48Nw3AbRdjQj_F842207NE8pyEtPNFCdW6iRUgR97zCqzMy6jiVkAcaPExzyYlJ1HL1OHvvt5Az1CW1KzO3rYhQ30/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The regional hospital in Fier, southern Albania, has expanded its services with the opening of new units and after being supplied with new state-of-the-art equipment. This year alone, the government has invested around 1 million euro in examination equipment for each medical unit, providing services to around 300 000 residents in Fier district.<br /><br />Prime Minister Edi Rama, together with the Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu, visited Saturday the newly refurbished and renovated facilities of this hospital, where the chemotherapy and hemodynamic units are opened for first time ever.<br /><br />The hospital’s modern infrastructure is also evident in the reception and waiting area. What is noticeable upon walking into the hospital facilities is a displayed medicine list, a practice, according to Health Minister Manastirliu, being implemented in every hospital across the country to put an end to any abusive forms of purchasing drugs out of hospital. “The medicine list is displayed at every hospital, not only in the regional hospital centres, but also in municipal ones. No essential medications should be missing as all hospitals, under the framework agreement, are supplied with all medicines, in terms of both quality and quantity, without creating stocks. These lists are displayed as part of efforts to increase transparency and allow nobody to recommend buying medication out of the hospital. The hospital’s director informed that a hotline number has been made available 24/7 for every citizen to report any complaint in case medical staff refuses to provide the required medication.<br /><br />The new chemotherapy unit will treat the local tumour patients. In the conversation with doctors and patients already under treatment with the Herceptin in this unit, Prime Minister Rama stressed the importance of efforts to raise awareness among women and girls for early examinations to ensure early detection of severe tumour illnesses. Oncologist Dhurata Tarifa, the head of the chemotherapy service at the Tirana University Hospital Centre who attended the inauguration of the new chemotherapy unit in Fier regional hospital, noted that breast cancer patients receive timely treatment with Herceptin since this medication was fully provided in May.<br /><br />“The Herceptin supply issue has been tackled. It was actually a serious challenge as this medication is pretty expensive, but the life of these women and girls who need Herceptin is much dearer. The supply matter was tackled thanks to the framework agreement. I am really pleased that the chemotherapy service is provided in this hospital as it will no longer be necessary to transfer patients from this area to Tirana and it will reduce the workload. We should make utmost efforts to raise awareness among women and girls for early examinations to ensure early detection of severe tumour illnesses so that they won’t be forced to undergo this process,” the Premier said.<br /><br />A movable mammography x ray machine has been installed in Fier regional hospital in October as part of the breast cancer awareness month. “The movable mammography machines operate all over the country where local hospitals and clinics lack the capacities to provide the static mammogram so that we ensure continued screening of women and girls for breast cancer. This service will be available throughout the year also in the country’s most remote areas for all women to be screened,” Manastirliu said.<br /><br />The emergency service ward has also been modernized to provide first aid with professionalism and also reduce the waiting time for all citizens.<br /><br />The emergency ward – the Premier underlined – will significantly reduce the workload at the emergency department at University Hospital Centre in Tirana. The emergency service is underway and the service distribution is being made step by step, because such service was provided at the University Hospital Centre only, but now an entire service delivery system is being build. We will keep on working to fully meet the needs, but it is important to ensure positive performance of the whole medical and nursing personnel. Of course there are individuals who bring disgrace on the doctor’s while lab coat, but the majority of doctors and nurses are not absolutely like them. With the upcoming state budget, we have projected a considerable pay hike for the workers in the health sector next year.”<br /><br />After the two university hospital centres in Tirana and the regional hospital in Shkodra, which provides services to the residents in northern part of Albania, a hemodynamic unit has been installed in the regional hospital in Fier which will provide specialized and advanced treatment of cardiac emergencies for the residents in the country’s southern part.</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-32940303518546233732018-10-23T21:18:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.808-08:00Fiscal incentives help business grow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmviN2k7hw9o7M8L29YX1wseanNaNNgswawWqwNBq3XKohtEBj5svkzeKfs384qJF_W3RvKKuj8kWZqBPrVWp_qBJ0_gpAIScPVKQjCYSpq7OWhqx87ySCZRaJzyaEzuCyJu6CQ5achqE/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmviN2k7hw9o7M8L29YX1wseanNaNNgswawWqwNBq3XKohtEBj5svkzeKfs384qJF_W3RvKKuj8kWZqBPrVWp_qBJ0_gpAIScPVKQjCYSpq7OWhqx87ySCZRaJzyaEzuCyJu6CQ5achqE/s640/5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Olive oil factory “Subashi” is one of the largest extra virgin olive oil processing and producing enterprises in the country. The factory uses harvested olives from the olive trees in the groves around the area of Marikaj, Tirana, a renowned area for growing centennial olive trees.<br /><br />Over the past few years, the company managers have increased investment in technology aligning it to standards with similar olive oil factories in European countries. At the same time, the production capacity has increased along with the number of employees thanks to the business stimulus packages adapted by the government. The olive oil factory is seeking to enhance its range of products and boost its exports.<br /><br />The company’s manager explained the work process in the production line that has accelerated thanks to the new technology, increasing at the same time consumer safety and protecting the environment. “We are processing olive oil for third parties today. Farmers have brought loads of olive and receive oil. The storage and processing premises work separately as a legal and standard obligation. The factory has employed high tech machineries, while physical and mechanical mill equipment is used for crushing the harvested olives. We have installed latest technology stainless steel machines. The production process is completely a closed process and the technology is environmentally friendly. Meanwhile zero oxidation takes place during the process,” she said.<br /><br />The company managers say they feel protected from unfair competition, which was caused due to the lower cost of non-paying electricity producers. “There were normalized factories that did not pay for light, lowered costs and were always dishonest competitors in some way against us.” “A number of factories operated avoiding electricity bills and therefore they had lower production cost and were somehow dishonest competitors against us.”<br /><br />The factory has also expanded the range of products. It now produces spicy olive oil combined with medicinal and aromatic herbs, as well as olive-based cosmetic products. “Our concept is not just to produce olive oil, but give it a bit more value. We explored production opportunities of other olive oil-based products. We now produce a range of spicy olive oil. We also offer olive leaves and olive wood for the kitchen. These products can serve as souvenirs. This factory also produces olive oil-based soap,” factory’s manager said.<br /><br />The entrepreneurs say the olive groves in the area are a true asset in terms of the olive tree varieties and age. The main olive variety growing in the area is the Kaliniot variety, known for its high nutritional values and anti-cancer properties. “Since we couldn’t visit the olive groove, I would like to show you oldest olive tree there, which is believed to be over 2000-years-old. Very old olive trees are also to be found in the area surrounding the village of Surrel. Tirana is surrounded by a dense canopy of over 300 000 olive trees over 1 000 years old. We want these trees to be protected as monuments of nature of extraordinary value.”<br /><br />Entrepreneurs, among other things, asked the Prime Minister for the government support to improve the infrastructure around the cultural and religious sites as tourist destinations. “Mr. Prime Minister, I want to make a request. This area is home to one of the oldest churches. The church has not been included on the list of cultural monuments and it is not accessible since no road has been built in the area. Developing this infrastructure would help development of tourism in the area. Marikaj has been included in the 100 Villages Programme.”<br /><br />Prime Minister Rama said that Marikaj has been selected by the government as one of the 100 villages that will have their infrastructure upgraded in a bid to make them agribusiness oriented by promoting local agriculture products.<br /><br />“That’s why we are here today and that’s why this area is also part of the 100 Villages programme on integrated development of rural areas, because Marikaj contains elements that meet the selection criteria, not only in terms of the locally-produced products, but also in terms of the cultural and historical heritage. Meanwhile, we will also develop a special digitize register of the oldest olive trees so that no one dares to cut them,” PM Rama said.</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-75143409101716510372018-10-23T21:15:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.847-08:00Annual scholarship worth of $1000 for excellent education departmentstudents<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Yj8F2_y2r2tndRalC0IZ6iQeaDo43bwOW2u_q2sj3YRppL6vNX2kIVZzM8ki2rcmmZCJJRC2jLH59cAJML4NrnkdJWk9y2aPnzh1a3PG7vQBpegLaGDis8XLcXlYSj0VG56p50mqGwg/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Yj8F2_y2r2tndRalC0IZ6iQeaDo43bwOW2u_q2sj3YRppL6vNX2kIVZzM8ki2rcmmZCJJRC2jLH59cAJML4NrnkdJWk9y2aPnzh1a3PG7vQBpegLaGDis8XLcXlYSj0VG56p50mqGwg/s640/6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Prime Minister Edi Rama’s remarks at meeting with excellent students who have chosen a career in teaching:<br /><br />Hello everyone!<br /><br />First of all, I would like to say this is a very beautiful day as long have we waited for this day when excellent students and high-performing students in general now tend to lead a career in teaching, which had become a shelter for the poorly-performing students and indeed, for many years, it had turned into a kind of nursery with no quality of whatsoever that then had an exceptionally negative impact on our education system’s performance.<br /><br />Few days ago, an important publisher in the country said that the findings of a recent survey show that Literature Faculty students were exactly the ones who read less books than the others. According to the survey, the findings of which were apparently surprising, was related to the fact that though the Albanian Language and Literature is an academic discipline specifically related to the gift, talent and passion, yet it was the faculty that attracted the poorest-performing students. This is a painful truth in the entire horizon of teaching if we are to look back many years ago. Poor-performing students with average grades 5 or 6 were the ones to enrol in the education and teaching departments after they failed to enter other academic disciplines.<br /><br />Today we are at the very start of a strong turn after having decided that no student with average grade lower than seven will be allowed to attend teaching department. On the other hand, we also decided to remove the tuition fee for all high-performing students who choose to enter education department and lead a teaching career. Removal of the tuition payment is a significant decision.<br /><br />Meanwhile, we have also decided to grant annual scholarships worth of $1000, due to be paid each month, for every excellent student attending the teaching department. This is a decision that will support you in meeting your needs during entire academic year given that you are students with special results and passion. At least, by doing so we help these students to meet their needs for textbooks and other didactic materials without asking for the parent’s support.<br /><br />This is a true cause for optimism as a generally positive feedback has been recorded following the decision to impose the average grade criterion. And in this very positive reaction, we share a new sense of optimism for the renewal of generations in teaching, since, as one of the girls who took the floor pointed out, because of the poor performance of those who were graduated in teaching, the good high school students corrected their teachers all the time.<br /><br />Now quite the opposite will take place.<br /><br />– Special financial support for excellent students;<br /><br />– Removal of the tuition fee for students enrolling in education faculty;<br /><br />-Further consolidation of the Teachers for Albania portal that ensures competition and merit-based appointment;<br /><br />– Fundamental transformation of textbooks, from a series of texts failing to meet any standards to Oxford, Pearson, and Cambridge’s textbooks;<br /><br />– Further rise in teachers’ salary;<br /><br />– Further stimulation of teachers through state budget funded training programmes;<br /><br />– The start of the Training Centre for the School Principals that marks an indispensable step towards creation of a new generation of school managers;<br /><br />– Reforming the university teaching curricula and accreditation of some 14 higher education institutions to train teachers;<br /><br />All of these are a set of basic milestones to ensure that tomorrow’s teaching is incomparably better than yesterday and a very significant step forward compared to the today’s.<br /><br />I would like to express my appreciation to each and every student attending this meeting. It is just enough to take a look at this hall and figure out that it is only the girls and women the ones who can save this country and undoubtedly only girls can be a guarantee for tomorrow’s teaching. Undoubtedly, any boy or man who joins this great group of girls and women, who form the basis of the teaching, is more than welcome and respected.<br /><br />I also want to express my appreciation to two teachers who conveyed important messages as teachers having a long career in teaching. I want also to thank every other teacher attending this meeting that focuses on the excellent students, who are the early swallows signing a welcome and long-awaited spring in the whole process of our education system’s emerging from a deep winter into a sunny season.<br /><br />We have a lot to do yet. We are still far away, but undoubtedly we are on the right track and the evidence of the rightfulness of this path is precisely your presence here, as the first excellent students dedicated to teaching. Keep in mind that the scholarship for each of you will be provided every academic year should you continue being excellent students. In other words, it is not just a scholarship for the first academic year, but it is granted to all excellent students who remain excellent until the end.<br /><br />Thank you very much!</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-16726541411612662642018-10-23T20:46:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.791-08:00Angelina Jolie, as U.N. envoy, seeks support for Venezuelan refugees<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5CNzr2GUcxg3SLA4IVrYjW-wAD3x1uKOS8Vq26nFBWH_GqYWg8zpTCaS5EeqTwXq5nb4rfzkghftWlAS4Xr1ISNZDUQYc0rgKQiA6UenTf0Nf289RcrNrbissoPVUSz-sTDqgg6P21w/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5CNzr2GUcxg3SLA4IVrYjW-wAD3x1uKOS8Vq26nFBWH_GqYWg8zpTCaS5EeqTwXq5nb4rfzkghftWlAS4Xr1ISNZDUQYc0rgKQiA6UenTf0Nf289RcrNrbissoPVUSz-sTDqgg6P21w/s640/7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie said Tuesday the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans from their country has led to a “shocking” migrant crisis in South America that was “predictable and preventable.”<br /><br />Jolie was ending a three-day visit to Peru as a special envoy for the United Nations refugee agency. During her visit Jolie met Venezuelan refugees who live at a shelter in the capital city and also went to a border crossing in the north of the country.<br /><br />On Tuesday, Jolie met with Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra to discuss potential solutions to the migrant crisis and ways of securing international support. After the meeting she thanked Peru for taking measures that are helping Venezuelans in that country to get legal status, and urged governments around the world to support procedures that help refugees to apply for asylum.<br /><br />“None of the Venezuelans I met want charity” Jolie said. “They want an opportunity to help themselves.”<br /><br />More than 1.9 million people have left Venezuela since 2015 according to the United Nations and some 400,000 have moved to Peru. The UNHCR has described it as the largest population movement in Latin America’s recent history.<br /><br />Venezuela’s government has denied there is a migrant crisis and said its enemies are playing up the situation in order to justify an invasion of Venezuela.<br /><br />On Monday, Venezuelan Socialist Party boss Diosdado Cabello mocked Jolie’s visit to Peru, writing on Twitter that it was merely a show that “right wing media” are using to distract from a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants heading to the United States.</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608923232096458313.post-46258578274506332172018-10-23T20:38:00.000-07:002018-11-05T14:50:21.819-08:00Kosovo Court Demands Clarification of ‘Fake Veterans’ Charges<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerdu3mh9LJ3jmJSsrXJEgvcxaTi2APW9obXw3cmMxuK08N09i9z-BMLhzpZS9IgahrF8CY01nWklXecO_Amv_Ude3ZIGQ9MECTgs4Jv_Lm9MBtLLiFbO5op-H8l1KHKtLQPdoCF2nQiQ/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerdu3mh9LJ3jmJSsrXJEgvcxaTi2APW9obXw3cmMxuK08N09i9z-BMLhzpZS9IgahrF8CY01nWklXecO_Amv_Ude3ZIGQ9MECTgs4Jv_Lm9MBtLLiFbO5op-H8l1KHKtLQPdoCF2nQiQ/s640/8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><strong><br /></strong><strong>A Pristina court ordered Kosovo’s Special Prosecution to clarify a controversial indictment charging 12 former members of the government’s commission for verifying former guerrillas, amid a scandal over alleged fake veterans.</strong><br /><br />Pristina Basic Court has told the Special Prosecution to clarify the indictment of the 12 ex-members of the government’s commission for verifying former Kosovo Liberation Army guerrillas by mid-November or the charges will be dismissed, BIRN has learned.<br /><br />The court decision, which BIRN has seen, says that the number of people alleged to have been wrongly verified as eligible for KLA veterans’ benefits must be made clear.<br /><br />The Special Prosecution was told to clarify whether there are 20,238 or 15,115 people falsely receiving benefits from the Kosovo budget.<br /><br />The court’s decision, made on October 10, said the clarifications must be made within 30 days.<br /><br />The indictment accused the 12 former commission members of misusing their official position or authority.<br /><br />Among those charged was Agim Ceku, a former KLA commander, former prime minister of Kosovo and former Kosovo Security Force minister who was the head of the government commission.<br /><br />The others indicted were Nuredin Lishtaku, Sadik Halitjaha, Shkumbin Demaliaj, Qele Gashi, Shukri Buja, Ahmet Daku, Rrustem Berisha, Faik Fazliu, Smajl Elezaj, Fadil Shurdhaj and Xhavit Jashari.<br /><br />The allegations about fake KLA veterans becoming eligible for benefits have caused controversy in Kosovo.<br /><br />Former KLA fighters from the guerrilla force’s Dukagjini Zone, where Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj was a commander during the war, staged a street protest last month, demanding that the indictment be dropped.<br /><br />Special prosecutor Elez Blakaj, who investigated alleged falsifications in the war veterans’ list, resigned in August, claiming that he had been under threat from “known and unknown people” who wanted him to drop the probe.<br /><br />Blakaj’s resignation caused civil society activists to demand that the chief prosecutor step down.<br /><br />Two MPs have been arrested for allegedly intimidating ex-prosecutor Blakaj - Shkumbin Demaliaj from Haradinaj’s Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK and Milaim Zeka from the Social Democratic Initiative, NISMA./BIRN</div>Poetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16837439808232110885noreply@blogger.com