Global View Evening News - Sept. 19, 2011

 SP chairman calls on AG’s office to indict minister for corruption

TIRANA - SP Chairman Edi Rama made an informal request today to the Attorney General’s office to start the indictment process of minister Genc Ruli on accounts of violation of the constitution and corruption. In 2009, few days before the general elections, former minister of Economy, now Minister of Agriculture, Genc Ruli, changed the terms of the concessionary contract with ACR, the company involved in the stand-off with the miners in Bulqiza, without having the authority and competence to do so. The changes favored the concessionary company and caused losses of millions of dollars to the budget. Ruli is involved in a number of other corruption scandals but has never been indicted due to the tight control the government has on the justice system.         

Mr. Rama made this appeal in a meeting with the parliamentary group, where he also said that SP will present a new platform to parliament, which aims the democratization of the politics in the country. It will propose that parliament pass a bill that cuts by one half the VAT for a number of food items and will also ask for the revision of the government’s initiative to recycle foreign hazardous wastes in the country.  

Bulqiza miners resume hunger strike

BULQIZA - One month after they stopped the strike and waited to negotiate their demands and since the concessionary company ACR failed to meet them, the miners in Bulqiza resumed their hunger strike. At 7.00 am, on Monday, first ten miners entered the strike. Others are expected to join later. For three months now the miners are still fighting for their rights and the government is still turning a deaf ear to their demands.

$3,000 in kickbacks for a teaching position

PARLIAMENT - That’s how much an applicant for a teaching position should pay to the Director of Regional Board of Education to become a teacher in a remote village. For a position in the city the amount is much higher. This amount is roughly what a teacher earns in a year and, in many cases, the teachers are fired again at the end of the academic year. It’s a widely known and accepted fact, but today, during an interpellation session in the parliamentary commission, the Minister of Education was asked by socialist MP Marko Bello, whether he was knowledgeable of such a fact. 

Rally in support of battered women. Unelected “smiling mayor” hushes

TIRANA - Hundreds of women gathered today in front of City Hall demanding the dismissal of the Chief of Municipal Police, Florenc Hoxha, who, a few days ago, assaulted and beat up two women in their office causing them bruises all over the body. The unelected major of Tirana, Lulzim Basha, refused to meet with the abused women. Some say that the assault was ordered by the mayor himself.

Massive fire threatens ancient city of Apolonia

FIER – A fire broke out early today in the hills of Pojan where the site of the ancient city of Apolonia is located. The flames came close to the site but firefighters managed to prevent their spread therein temporarily. The efforts to put out the fire are still underway.

Alfred Kola