World
Thousands gather in Tirana in major ‘Pink Flamingo’ protests
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Tirana on Saturday, protesting for the 35th consecutive day against plans to build a tourist resort linked to the Trump family.
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It is thought to have been the largest demonstration since the protests began in late May against the construction of a luxury hotel connected to Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner, who advises and negotiates on behalf of the president, in the protected area of Zvërnec, in southwestern Albania.
What started as an environmental protest has now turned into a major anti‑government revolution. Protesters accuse the government of corruption and are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who approved the Kushner-Trump project.
“What began as the ‘pink flamingo revolution’ has turned into widespread public discontent,” protester Alketa Ademi told the French news agency AFP. “The lack of transparency, the arrogance – enough! The prime minister has to go,” she added.
Many protesters carried giant pink flamingos as they marched towards the country’s parliament building on the main boulevard of the Albanian capital Tirana.
One group was carrying a large concrete cake, a double reference both to Prime Minister Edi Rama’s birthday – who turned 62 on Saturday – and to plans to pour concrete over protected ecosystems.
Protesters also set up a bust of Edi Rama and then toppled it with the help of a rope, in an action reminiscent of the iconic overthrow in 1991 of the statue of communist dictator Enver Hoxha, which marked the end of his rule.
‘Albania is not for sale’
On Saturday evening, a large group of protesters broke away from the main march and headed towards the police station where 19 detained protesters are being held after their arrest during Thursday’s march near the parliament building.
Demonstrators smashed the windows of the police precinct, and were met with a violent response from security forces who reportedly deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds.
“Release the kids,” the protesters shouted.
Some carried banners reading “Albania is not for sale” and “Repeal the law on protected areas”, referring to the legislation that enabled the government to fast‑track procedures for building tourist resorts.
The violent incidents contrast with the generally peaceful nature of the gatherings that have been held since the start of the movement, drawing thousands of citizens from all over the country.
Last week, large groups of demonstrators gathered outside the parliament, trying to block lawmakers from accessing the building.
Hundreds of protesters broke through the police-installed security cordon, and officers pushed them back, sparking clashes and leading to dozens of arrests.
Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse those crowds as well, according to eyewitnesses, while some protesters threw eggs, stones and other objects at the security forces.
Officials later announced that 15 police officers were injured and 25 protesters were detained in those clashes.
The Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC), a human rights organisation, expressed on Saturday “its concern at the escalation of the situation”.
“Individual acts of violence cannot justify the disproportionate use of force,” it said, condemning the use of tear gas without warning, batons and beatings by law enforcement officers against protesters and calling for a swift, independent investigation.
The movement has been dubbed the ‘Pink Flamingo Revolution’, a reference to the migratory birds that pass through the protected area where the tourist complex is planned.
Protesters argue that the luxury hotel complex, whose cost is estimated at $4.6 billion (€4.02 billion) and which is to be built in a protected area on the Adriatic Sea, threatens the fragile ecosystem of the neighbouring lagoon.
Investors, for their part, aim to turn the uninhabited island of Sazan, a former military base from the communist era, into a high‑end tourist destination. The project has been strongly opposed since it was first announced back in 2024.
The latest wave of protests erupted after barbed‑wire fencing and excavators appeared on nearby beaches in late May, indicating to the public that their concerns are being overlooked and that the development will proceed against their will.
Iranians mourning the country’s supreme leader condemned U.S. strikes that Washington called retaliation for Iran’s attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. At a tightly controlled state funeral in Mashhad — one of Iran’s most conservative cities, where opponents of the government were unlikely to be found in the crowd — mourners voiced defiance and called for revenge.
World
Beloved musicians among victims in deadly Bahamas plane crash; aviation authority grounds flights
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A devastating double-aviation crisis in the Bahamas, including a deadly North Andros plane crash and a separate aircraft fire on Friday, prompted the government to suspend flight operations for a local airline and launch a federal safety probe.
Shortly after 1 p.m. local time Friday, a Cessna 402 aircraft with Bahamian registration departed Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau bound for San Andros Airport.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) said the plane “encountered difficulties” and crashed into bushes prior to landing.
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Authorities said 10 people were killed in a Bahamas plane crash on Friday. (Our News Bahamas via AP)
First responders, including the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Airport Authority and emergency medical personnel, rushed to the dense brush where the aircraft went down.
The Bahamas Musicians and Entertainers Union confirmed in a statement Saturday that 10 people died in the crash, including prominent members of the “The Pond Band” and a local DJ, whose artistry the union said “touched so many lives and helped to enrich the cultural fabric of The Bahamas.”
Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said a sole survivor was pulled from the wreckage.
“Ann and I are praying for the families who are now facing unbearable grief,” Davis wrote in a statement on X. “We are also praying for the survivor, whose recovery and care will remain in our thoughts.”
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The identities of those killed in the crash have not yet been released.
While the AAIA’s preliminary reports initially indicated seven people were on board, officials are still establishing the facts of the flight manifest.
Just hours before the fatal crash in North Andros, a Flamingo Air flight en route to Mayaguana was forced to turn back to Nassau after the pilot reported a concern, according to the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation (MoET).
After the aircraft landed and passengers safely deplaned, the plane caught fire on the runway.
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FILE – The Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas temporarily suspended Flamingo Air’s Air Operator Certificate following two aircraft incidents Friday. (iStock)
Following the two back-to-back safety incidents, the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas (CAAB) temporarily suspended Flamingo Air’s Air Operator Certificate, according to MoET officials.
“The suspension is a precautionary safety measure and should not be treated as an adverse compliance action against Flamingo Air,” the agency wrote in a statement.
FILE – The plane crashed in North Andros on Friday after taking off from Lynden Pindling International Airport. (Melissa Alcena/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Investigators from the AAIA and inspectors from the CAAB remain at the scene in North Andros as they work to determine what caused the Cessna 402 tragedy.
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Flamingo Air did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Published on •Updated
Moldova’s pro-European President Maia Sandu nominated businessman Vasile Tofan on Saturday as the country’s next prime minister to replace Alexandru Munteanu, who resigned earlier this month over differences with the ruling majority.
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In a video posted to social media, Sandu said Tofan’s primary responsibility, after his candidacy is approved by the country’s parliament, would be to move the country further towards its path of “integration” into the European Union.
He should also “strengthen the resilience of state institutions and society”, and “revive the economy”, added Sandu.
The Moldovan businessman now has two weeks to secure parliamentary backing, a prospect he hopes to achieve after submitting his government programme and his ministerial cabinet nominations.
Tofan had been mentioned as a possible prime minister last year even before the appointment of Munteanu.
Igor Grosu, who heads Sandu’s Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) which won the last parliamentary elections in September, announced on Friday that he had selected him as his candidate to replace the outgoing premier.
He said Tofan shared “the same objectives” as him and PAS, specifying that “EU accession in the years to come, institutional reform and economic growth”, were among the biggest points of agreement.
The nominee for prime minister, who graduated Harvard Business School and turns 44 on Sunday, has a degree in public management from the Netherlands and is a managing partner at Horizon Capital, a private equity firm with assets primarily in Ukraine and Moldova.
He has also chaired the board of directors of Moldova’s Purcari winery, considered the crown jewel of the country’s winemaking sector.
Munteanu, another businessman who like Sandu previously worked at the World Bank, had been chosen to boost the economy and bring it closer to the EU, but turbulence with PAS saw him vacate his post less than a year into holding office.
He resigned on 3 July after less than eight months, stating that he could no longer carry out his mandate “according to (his) principles and (his) convictions”.
The EU last month officially launched a first round of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Both countries became official EU candidate countries on 23 June 2022.
Additional sources • AFP
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