#Albania corruption

[aktualitet-al]

Toxic Waste Scandal at Kurum: Investigations Stagnate as Transport Company Demands Container Return

Investigations into the export of toxic waste from Kurum remain at a standstill due to the lack of expert teams to collect samples from the 102 containers currently held at Porto Romano, under police supervision. Meanwhile, the transport company responsible for shipping the waste has repeatedly demanded the return of the containers, claiming that the delay is disrupting their…

[nando161mando]

"Albania's opposition tries to disrupt a parliament session in protest against ruling Socialists" using smoke bombs and chair barricades.

Associated Press:

[aethon-recs]

Themed Rec List | 16 Sex Work Tomarrymort Recs 🍑💸

After coming across a couple of sexy amazing stripper/camboy/sex worker Tomarry fics recently, I went looking for more fics along this theme 🤍 See below for a list of recs for all the other horny sickos out there who really enjoy reading about Tom or Harry leveraging their physical assets for pleasure or money or sometimes even reconnaissance, 8 of each:

*

Sex Worker Tom

A Slice of Heaven by jellybeantarot (M, 3k, complete)

Tom is a sex worker under an agency that masks as a pizzeria, Harry orders a large sausage pizza, and yep, that's a dick in a pizza box.

After Class by osculatrix (E, 5k, complete)

Professor Potter discovers that her star student is a camstar, and what does she do? Jack off and give him money, that's what.

cam and get it by @swoontodeath (E, 3k, WIP)

Harry Potter isn't one for pornography. He's got a perfectly adequate imagination, thank you very much, not to mention a fully functional right hand. One accidental glimpse of Tom Riddle's arse, though, threatens to change everything.

champagne shimmer by @cindle-writes (E, 21k, complete) 

Tom has one of the most popular accounts on OnlyFans. Harry, who is Tom’s uni professor, stumbles onto Tom’s stream by accident. Featuring: Spoiled brat Tom, and Harry trying to be as much of a gentleman as he can despite lusting after his barely-legal student.

Corruptible by @hiredhorse (E, 4k, WIP)

Harry Potter goes to Knockturn Alley for a prostitute, under a flawless glamour. When he sees a handsome young man outside the tavern infamous for picking up prostitutes, he hires him before he even asks his price. Tom Riddle isn’t really a prostitute, he was just making a delivery for his employer, Borgin & Burke’s. But Tom has never been one to miss an opportunity, and he sees Harry Potter for exactly who he is.

down to get the friction on by @xodahafez (E, 8k, complete)

Harry follows Tom to Albania, fully expecting to find him up to no good. What he wasn't expecting, however, was to find Tom Riddle dressed in lacy black lingerie, and better known as 'Voldamour.'

Oh my god, they were nemeses by Baryshnikov (T, 13k, WIP)

Tom starts an OnlyFans to recruit for his cult; Harry, his flatmate, has incredibly mixed feelings about it.

That's Money, Honey by @dividawrites, @duplicitywrites (E, 10k, complete)

Tom is a dear friend to many beautiful older women who love to treat him like their beloved son by spoiling him with presents. It is the perfect gateway to the perfect lifestyle—one full of frequent spa days, free holidays abroad, and all of the latest fashions. When Auror Harry Potter claims to be investigating Tom's 'inappropriate' relationships, Tom decides the best course of action is to instigate some 'inappropriate' behaviour of his own.

*

Sex Worker Harry

Cam for the Money, Stayed for the Fun  (part 1) / Cam and Get Me, Won't You Honey? (part 2) by @itsevanffs (E, 12k, complete)

Harry flushed, looking back down. 'Isn't this illegal, sir?' Professor Riddle smirked, leaning back on the couch. 'I'd beg to say what you do isn't very legal, either.'

Dark Adrenaline by @katsitting (E, 10k, complete)

Riddle was a snake—definitely. A conniving man that forced people into corners simply because he wanted to see if he could. He cared little for the feelings of others, using them just as he was using Harry to attract the attention of the political socialites in the Gala. Harry had suspected there was a far more hidden game at play when he had been in the hotel with him earlier, having caught that Riddle had set his machinations on him rather than on prominent figures in the hall. But how the bloody hell was he supposed to know it would end up like this?

Make Me An Offer I Cannot Refuse by lemonchase (E, 3k, complete) 

“I’d like to hire you for a blowjob.” Harry nods slowly, ignoring his increasing heart rate. If he does a good job, Tom might become a regular customer, and Harry is always on the lookout for those. With how rich Tom allegedly is, he should be able to afford to pay Harry every other day. This is a chance he doesn’t get often.

Night Walker by @syntheticsoulmates (E, 3k, complete)

Harry knocked on the door only two minutes late. Which was an achievement for him. He had his smile fixed before the door even swung open. “You’re not who I ordered.”  Ugh. Rude. Harry kept smiling, perfect. “No. Emergency substitution.” He looked down, traced the client up from the tips of his perfectly overshined leather loafers to the one ridiculous perfect curl falling over his forehead on the left side. He made it obvious, finished it up with a small bite on his lower lip. “You’re lucky enough to get me instead.”

Ride by @hiredhorse (E, 123k, WIP)

Harry lives with the Dursleys, but he has two best friends, a regular bunk at the Weasleys', and a bright future riding horses. It’s unclear whether crossing paths with Tom Riddle, super-rich kid and a skilled horseman himself, is good luck or bad. They crash together on the day they meet with a violent combination of mutual lust and personality conflicts. And yet somehow instead of hating each other they develop different feelings, no less intense.

Secrets of a Wixen Call Boy by @milkandmoon-ao3 (E, 12k, complete)

Echoing in the darkest recess of his mind, Harry heard Hermione lecture on his father complex. How, having never known his own father, he tended to fixate on older men... subsequently resulting in some pretty questionable romantic partners. Really, Harry couldn’t think of a good reason not to fuck or be fucked by them.

Shiver, Lustre, Skin by @monsieurclavier (M, 9k, WIP)

Harry goes undercover as a bargirl at one of Tom Riddle’s exclusive clubs. Tom has her figured out in approximately one second. Or: In which Tom is a badass Wizarding mob boss and an incorrigible lesbian flirt, and Harry—sassy newbie Auror and secret virgin—is just Tom’s type.

Twelve Weeks by @ohyondermemphis (M, 12k, WIP)

“Stand up.” Harry blinks, confused but immediately stands at the request. “Place your hands, flat, to the desk.” Indignation blooms bright in his cheeks, but he swallows, does as he’s told. Thinks with vitriol, prick. “See? Easy.” A bright smile, full white teeth. Riddle leans closer to Harry, his hand traces the curve of his face, the line of his jaw. Harry doesn’t blink. “I knew you could be a good boy.”

*

[mariacallous]

The US-sanctioned president of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity, Milorad Dodik, organised a cocktail party with government members and coalition partners to toast Donald Trump’s victory in the US on Wednesday.

“Since the US embassy in Sarajevo didn’t organise a celebration for Donald Trump’s victory, I took it upon myself to do so as the President of Republika Srpska,” Dodik wrote in one of seven X posts dedicated to Trump.

Before the party on Wednesday at noon, Dodik gathered his supporters in front of the Palace of the President in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska’s administrative centre, where he held a celebratory speech while wearing Trump’s MAGA red baseball cap.

“For Republika Srpska and me personally, Trump’s victory symbolises a return to values we hold dear—family, freedom of choice, and the right to preserve one’s traditions,” Dodik said.

“In a changing world where individuals and countries are often expected to forget their roots, I see in Trump’s leadership the possibility of a different, fairer approach that does not impose ideas that Americans themselves do not support in their own homes,” he added.

Dodik may be hoping that a Trump administration will remove US sanctions imposed on him, first introduced in 2017, six months into Trump’s first term, and intensified under the Joe Biden administration since 2022.

Since 2022, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, OFAC, has placed sanctions on numerous companies and individuals in Bosnia, most of whom are closely linked to Dodik.

These measures began to have a stronger impact this year when OFAC issued a warning that anyone assisting or providing financial services to sanctioned individuals and companies could also face sanctions.

This prompted Bosnian banks to close accounts belonging to those on the US blacklist, both in Republika Srpska and in Bosnia’s Federation entity.

Victory by Trump would mean a “better geopolitical situation for Republika Srpska”, Dodik said last year, claiming he regretted not declaring the entity’s independence from Bosnia during Trump’s 2016-2020 presidency.

However, Dodik’s celebration day ended with freshly-imposed US sanctions on an individual and a company close to his already-sanctioned son, Igor Dodik.

This time, OFAC blacklisted Vladimir Perisic, general director of the Prointer company, which was also sanctioned in June this year.

“As the general manager of Prointer, a company controlled by Igor Dodik, Perisic provided Igor with updates, sought Igor’s approval and guidance, and executed business decisions according to Igor’s instructions,” OFAC stated in a press release on Wednesday.

OFAC also sanctioned a company named Elpring, which was set up shortly after the Kaldera company was sanctioned in June as an attempt to evade the sanctions.

Meanwhile Trump’s White House comeback was also hailed in Albania, where another US-sanctioned politician, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, who in 2021 was blacklisted by Washington “for involvement in corrupt acts”, took to Facebook to welcome the Republican’s win.

“On behalf of the Democratic Party, the sister party of the Republican Party, I wholeheartedly congratulate Donald Trump for the historic victory of the 47th US President… and express belief that traditional relations between two countries will see excellent developments,” Berisha, who is under house arrest in Tirana, said.

Trump was also congratulated by Ilir Meta, head of the opposition Freedom Party, who is under arrest for corruption charges.

[pesoglav]

The boom in low hanging fruit conspiracy theorists, Alex Jones, Fox News, flat earthers, Qslop and other bullshit is detrimental to all of the political spectrum.

I recently had the displeasure of some Dumbfuckistani explaining how the Balkans were being turned into this East Roman Empire era of paganism to open a portal to hell and how the entirety of the peninsula will be sacrificed to Gog and Magog. Nevermind the fact that Christianity is on the rise in the Balkans to the point where Albania is no longer a Muslim majority, never mind that most Balkan governments barely function due to years of outside exploitation and spheres of influence battling for whatever scraps the common man here has.

You don’t have to label it as a conspiracy theory that both the west and the east pour unlimited funds into the entirety of Eastern Europe to exploit, corrupt and subvert as much as possible. Yet we are the smelly Slavs/Jews/Gypsies/Subhumans or whatever derogatory shit you come up with to dehumanise us all the while treating our countries as amusement parks full of cheap food, booze and light women for your yearly cheap vacation. All the while you can’t wash your western ass properly and the average eastern euro teen is smarter than a 30 something westerner.

One day your crooked pseudo empires will collapse and from the ashes the world will be free and you will be back to being nations of piss poor peasants and worshiping swamp demons.

[gemsofgreece]

are there any non-european countries that you consider to have surprisingly similar characteristics to greece? asking this bc i'm filipino and in my case there is even the brazilippines (brazil + philippines) meme lol so I wondered if there would be a similar phenomenon with greece. and in case any non-greek followers are reading this and have a similar phenomenon, i'm also curious to know which country has a similarity to yours despite the geographical distance!

Hmm... that's actually tough. Technically, the Mediterranean Basin where Greece is located is considered a somewhat unique region in that its environmental and climatic qualities cannot be found anywhere else in the world except a small part of California. So all those environmental, biocultural factors that are involved in Greece's trademark qualities may be hard to find outside of the Mediterranean.

Then, it's the cultural expression and the historical events. Obviously every nation has its unique culture and history, and Greece has a peculiarity of blurring the lines between being "a culture of the East" and yet the "Cradle of the western civilization" like they call it. All these need a long discussion but my point is that Greece really is the line blur there and that's a quality hard to find in many other places, especially ones that are not close to Greece.

Politically, it isn't all that special. Many other countries follow similar polices. It still sits in a blurry line, between really wanting to adopt a western political mentality and being slowed down by religious, historical conservatism in some aspects. And at this point corruption broadens the list of similar candidates rather than narrows it down.

All these make Greece similar to countries it's close with. The Mediterranean countries, which are not only European. There are the Middle Eastern countries and the North African ones too. Apart from them Greece has a lot of similarities with the rest of the Balkans (southeast Europe). Maybe a few with the countries of Caucasus - West Asia (i.e Armenia).

The top 3 most similar are Cyprus, Italy and Turkey. Then follow ups could be, from most to less similar; Spain, Albania, Portugal, Lebanon, other Balkan countries like idk Croatia, Montenegro, then a Caucasus one like Armenia, some regions of Egypt and Morocco a little etc But they are all close to Greece.

Now from far far away, I can only think of some South American countries maybe, in terms of mentality mostly, a bit of their recent history maybe... There are a lot of affinities between South American and Mediterranean countries. I would say Greece could find more similarities with half the South American countries than with Northern and Western Europe.

An exception could be Ireland. I have heard there are a lot of similarities in the lifestyle, mentality and recent history. But the landscapes look downright opposite on the other hand.

Long story short, I can't think of an obvious twin country far away from Greece.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 12.9

Holidays

Anna's Day (Finland, Sweden)

Armed Forces Day (Peru)

Ball-Bearing Roller Skates Day

Battle of Ayacucho Day (Peru)

Christmas Card Day

Christmas Gift Memory Day

Cremation Day

Eggsmas (from “The League”)

Fatherland’s Heroes Day (Russia)

Fiesta of the Mother of Health (Mexico)

Genocide Prevention Day

Geologist Day (Tajikistan)

Grace Hopper Day

Heroes Day (Antigua and Barbuda)

Heroes of Fatherland Day (Russia)

Homecoming Day (Guernsey and Alderney)

Homemade Gift Day

International Anti-Corruption Day (UN)

International Day of Commemoration & Dignity of the Victims of the Crimes of Genocide & of the Prevention of this Crime

International Day of Veterinary Medicine

International Human Rights Defenders Day

Lady Gaga Day

Mail Your Cards Day

National Blake Day

National Heroes Day (Antigua & Barbuda)

National Llama Day

National Youth Day (Albania)

Navy Day (Sri Lanka)

Petrified Forest Day

Public Transit Day

Santa Marian Kamalen Day (Guam)

Savin Juniper Day (French Republic)

V.C. Bird Day (Antigua & Barbuda)

Weary Willie Day

World Alliance for Patient Safety Day

World Day of Computing

World Genocide Commemoration Day (UN)

World Patient Safety Day

World Smallpox Eradication Day

World SIUGR (Selective Intrauterine Growth Restriction) Awareness Day

World Techno Day

Yuri's Day in the Autumn (Russia)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Lutefisk Day (Finland; Sweden)

Mariscada Day (Spain)

National Opal Apples Day

National Pastry Day

Pepparkakans Dag (Gingerbread Cookie Day; Sweden)

Search High and Low For Your Gingerbread Recipe Day

Independence & Related Days

Rino Island (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Tanzania (f.k.a. Tanganyika; from UK, 1961)

2nd Monday in December

Green Monday [2nd Monday]

Marinara Monday [2nd Monday of Each Month]

Meditation Monday [Every Monday]

Mindful Monday [2nd Monday of Each Month]

Monday Musings [Every Monday]

Motivation Monday [Every Monday]

National Tree Planting Day (Malawi) [2nd Monday]

Weekly Holidays beginning December 9 (2nd Full Week of December)

Human Rights Week [2nd Week]

National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week [2nd Week]

Festivals Beginning December 9, 2024

Duhok International Film Festival (Duhok, Iraq) [thru 12.16]

NLS Food Quality Symposium (Cedar Creek, Texas) [thru 12.11]

Vermont Maple Conference (Various Locations, Vermont) [thru 12.14]

Feast Days

Ann Hood (Writerism)

Ashleigh Brilliant (Artology; Wrierism)

End of Days of Reckoning (Shamanism)

Evergreen Day (Pagan)

Feast of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by St. Anne (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Fiesta of the Mother of Health (Mexico; Everyday Wicca)

Galileo (Positivist; Saint)

Hanukkah Day #2 (Judaism) [thru Dec. 15th]

Jean de Brunhoff (Artology)

John Milton (Writerism)

Juan Diego (Christian; Saint)

Leocadia (Christian; Saint)

Ljubica Sokić (Artology)

Loch Ba on Mull Island (Celtic Book of Days)

Margaret Brundage (Artology)

The Martyrdom of St. Kenny (Church of the SubGenius)

Nectarius of Auvergne (Christian; Saint)

Noodle Ring Day (Pastafarian)

Peter Fourier (Christian; Saint)

Remembrance for Egill Skallagrimsson (Troth/Asatru/Norse Pagan)

Sage Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

The Seven Martyrs at Samosata (Christian; Martyrs)

This Day Deliberately Left Blank (Pastafarian)

Tropical Grossbill (Muppetism)

Wulfhilde (Christian; Saint)

Yuri’s Day in the Autumn (Russian Orthodox Church)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Very Unlucky Day (Grafton’s Manual of 1565) [58 of 60]

Premieres

The America Minerva (Daily Newspaper; 1793) [1st U.S. Daily]

The Bishop’s Wife (Film; 1947)

Brigg’s Bad Wolf (Super Chicken Cartoon; 1967) [#14]

Brokeback Mountain (Film; 2005)

Buddy’s Show Boat (WB LT Cartoon; 1933)

Charge of the Light Brigade (Poem; 1854)

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Animated TV Special; 1965)

Chi Chi Dog (George of the Jungle Cartoon; 1967) [#14]

Christine (Film; 1983)

A Christmas Story (Hanna-Barbera Animated tV Special; 1972)

Coronation Street (UK Soap Opera; 1960)

Dark Horse, by George Harrison (Album; 1974)

Davy Jones’ Locker, featuring Willie Whopper (MGM Cartoon; 1933)

Disclosure (Film; 1994)

Fiesta Fiasco (WB LT Cartoon; 1967)

Fresh Cream, by Cream (Album; 1966)

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Animated Film; 2022)

Hot August Nights, by Neil Diamond (Live Album; 1972)

A Job for a Gob (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1955)

La La Land (Film; 2016)

Little Saint Nick, by The Beach Boys (Song; 1963)

A Love Supreme, recorded by the John Coltrane Quartet (Album; 1964)

Memories of a Geisha (Film; 2005)

Merbabies (Silly Symphonies Disney Cartoon; 1938)

Mississippi Burning (Film; 1988)

The Night Before Christmas (Silly Symphonies Disney Cartoon; 1933)

Nutty Notes (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1929)

Office Christmas Party (Film; 2016)

Peace on Earth (MGM Cartoon; 1939)

The Peachy Cobbler (Tex Avery MGM Cartoon; 1950)

Pet Pink Pebbles (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1978)

The Pink of Bagdad (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1978)

Pink Press (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1978)

Richard II, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1595)

R is for Rocket, by Ray Bradbury (Short Stories; 1962)

Salome, by Richard Strauss (Opera; 1905)

Scarface (Film; 1983)

SOS, by SZA (Album; 2022)

Soul Man, by The Blues Brothers (Song; 1978)

The Story of Babar, by Jean de Brunhoff (Children’s Book; 1931)

Sudden Impact (Film; 1983)

Syriana (Film; 2005)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Film; 2011)

Twins (Film; 1988)

The Whale (Film; 2022)

Words and Music (Film; 1948)

young Adult (Film; 2011)

Young at Heart, recorded by Frank Sinatra (Song; 1953)

Today’s Name Days

Liborius, Reinmar, Valerie (Austria)

Ana, Anna, Anushka, Nusha (Bulgaria)

Ciprijan, Diego, Liberan, Zdravka (Croatia)

Vratislav (Czech Republic)

Rudolph (Denmark)

Raid, Raido, Raidu, Raigo, Raigo, Raik, Raiko, Rait (Estonia)

Anna, Anne, Anneli, Anni, Annika, Annikki, Annu, Annukka, Anu (Finland)

Pierre (France)

Liborius, Reinmar, Valerie (Germany)

Ann, Anna (Greece)

Natália (Hungary)

Siro (Italy)

Joachims, Jukums, Sarmīte, Tabita (Latvia)

Gedenė, Leokadija, Vakaris, Valerija (Lithuania)

Annette, Anniken (Norway)

Delfina, Joachim, Joachima, Leokadia, Loda, Waleria, Wielisława, Wiesław (Poland)

Maria (Romania)

Izabela (Slovakia)

Diego, Juan, Leocadia (Spain)

Anna (Sweden)

Ambrose (Ukraine)

Delfina, Delfino, Delphina, Kirby, Kirk, Kirkwood (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 344 of 2024; 22 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 1 of Week 50 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ngetal (Reed) [Day 16 of 28]

Chinese: Month 11 (Bing-Zi), Day 9 (Ding-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 8 Kislev 5785

Islamic: 7 Jumada II 1446

J Cal: 14 Black; Sevenday [14 of 30]

Julian: 26 November 2024

Moon: 62%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 8 Bichat (13th Month) [Harriot / Vieta]

Runic Half Month: Jara (Year) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Autumn or Fall (Day 78 of 90)

Week: 2nd Full Week of December

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 18 of 30)

[weirdestbooks]

The Satellite Inspection (Wattpad | Ao3)

For @one-new-letter

Location: The Satellite Inspection Room, Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Date: October 9th, 1951

It was the beginning of another month, which meant that Hungary and the other communist countries allied with the USSR were traveling to Moscow to meet with him for what he called an inspection. They did this on the ninth of every month, although none of them remembered how it started. 

Yugoslavia used to be a member of this group but left. That made the USSR very upset, and their inspections after that had been less focused on their physical condition and more on their mental condition.

This one was a physical inspection, which is the kind Hungary preferred. Mental inspections made his head hurt and often left him dazed and confused. The USSR said that that was normal and not to worry about it, so Hungary didn’t worry. 

Right now, the other countries and Hungary were lined up as the USSR explained the rules of today’s little contests. 

And please, my children, remember to behave. I don’t want to deal with any harmful behavior,” the USSR said. Hungary nodded at his words.

“Don’t worry, Mother. We’ll behave.” Hungary heard Albania mutter as he almost hissed out the word mother. The USSR turned around quickly, his eyes showing extreme anger. Hungary froze, fear running down his spine as he knew what would happen to Albania and the rest of them.

"Who said that?” the USSR hissed. Everyone stayed silent and still. Then, it happened.

Hungary gritted his teeth as his fa—as the USSR’s power slammed into his brain, slowly seizing control. The forceful seizure was excruciating, which is most likely what he wanted. Hungary refused to show pain, knowing that it was not allowed. He knew one of them would give in eventually and rat out the country that had hissed out the word.

Then, out of the corner of Hungary’s eye, he saw Poland straighten, and without seeing his face, Hungary knew his eyes were empty. It was the man’s curse. Being born as a puppet left his mind weaker to the USSR’s and made it harder for him to resist his control. Hungary was one of the few who lasted longer against the pain.

“Albania called you mother, my father,” He muttered blankly. Hungary barely had time to feel sorry for Albania before his mind succumbed to his father’s will.

Hungary stiffened, shaking away the unneeded thoughts he could barely remember. Hungary knew Albania, his brother, had been the one to hiss out that offending word at their father.

“Grab him!” Their father barked in their family’s shared language. As Hungary stood next to his brother, he grabbed Albania’s shoulder and arm, as his sister, East Germany, grabbed the other. Albania squirmed in their grip, but Отец placed a hand on his forehead, and Albania slowly calmed. Отец removed his hand, revealing Albania’s now dazed face.

“You can let him go now,” Отец said, much more calmly this time. East Germany and Hungary did as he commanded, and Albania sank to his knees.

“This was just supposed to be a physical inspection. But now you’re making me do this. Mongolia, my daughter, be a dear and take Albania to the other room, would you?” Отец asked. The country nodded.

“I will Аав.” She said, lifting Albania, who walked like a newborn horse, shaky and unstable. Hungary wished he hadn’t spoken against Отец, then that never would have happened to him. Her hooves clicked sharply against the ground, and Albania was lucky that his limp wings were not in the way.

“Now, for the rest of you, I’m sure I can find some nice films for you to watch while I inspect Albania. However, since Albania spoke out like this, I’ll need to check up on the rest of you first to ensure that no one else is in the process of being corrupted by capitalists. I’ll start with the one I feel is in the most danger: Hungary. So everyone go to your rooms, and Hungary, follow me,” Отец said, walking off towards the direction of Hungary’s room.

Hungary followed him, still making sure to keep his posture. But despite the fact that he knew it shouldn’t, his mind kept wandering back to Albania. There was something bad in the room Albania had been put in, Hungary thought. He knew he had been in there before, but he couldn’t remember why or what was there. 

Maybe that should have concerned Hungary, but he knew that Отец cared too much about their well-being to let anything bad happen or do anything terrible to them. He always talked about how he wanted to make sure they didn’t end up like Hungary’s estranged sister, Austria.

Отец opened the door to Hungary’s room, and the satellite obediently walked inside. The room was sparsely decorated, although there were some posters that Отец had given Hungary that were dotted across the walls. Hungary sat on the bed, hands on his knees, and faced his father. 

“You struggle too much. It’s so hard to get you under my control because, for some odd reason, you struggle against it. This is a bad thing and can lead to you being harmed in the future, something I really don’t want to happen. Do you know why it is happening constantly?” Отец asked.

“No Отец, I don’t. I know that being a communist is why I am a civilized country, so I can’t imagine why I wouldn’t want to be working with you. The only reason I can think of is that there are too many of my people who don’t like communists.” Hungary said, his voice blank. Отец nodded, looking smug. Or maybe happy. It was hard to read his face.

“The people who live in your land but aren’t communist, you really shouldn’t be calling your people. They are hurting you, trying to damage our relationship and turn you into the same kind of country the Kingdom of Hungary was. They don’t want you to be an advanced nation. Why claim them as yours?” Отец said. Отец made a point, but some parts of his claims concerned Hungary.

“But…” Hungary muttered, trailing off. Отец looked upset at that. 

“But what, Hungary?” He asked, causing a brief flash of cold and pain through the satellite’s head. Hungary lowered his head somewhat and shook it in an attempt to dislodge the feeling.

“Nothing Отец. You are always right. I will no longer call them my people and ignore their influence on me.” Hungary said. Why was he trying to question Отец? He was much older and wiser and had more experience dealing with ignorant, rebellious people. He was Hungary’s father, after all. Отец smiled at this, and the cold and pain finally ended, leaving behind a calm feeling. 

“Good job Hungary. I was worried you would be a lot more corrupted, but I’m glad you were barely being negatively influenced. It makes me so happy to see you safe like this.” Отец said, patting my shoulder. Hungary nodded.

“Thank you Отец for always looking out for me,” Hungary said. 

“It’s my job, after all. Now, I need to check up on the rest of your siblings, so why don’t you just relax here while I take care of them? Then I can get that movie for you while I de-corrupt Albania,” Отец said before leaving Hungary’s room, the door locking shut behind him.

Soon after that, Hungary felt like a weight had been removed from his head. Hungary groaned, rubbing at his forehead, where the achy pain was. The USSR’s presence in his mind always gave Hungary a bit of a headache. Hungary knew—he thinks the USSR was just concerned, but his power over it was invasive. However, the USSR only had that kind of power over a few countries, mainly Hungary, Eastern Europe, Mongolia, and all the countries that made up his Union.

According to him, capitalist countries like the USA, France, and Britain all had similar degrees of control over the smaller capitalist countries, so it’s not like it’s uncommon. 

Although…some days, Hungary had trouble believing that. He tried to push away those traitorous thoughts quickly. Sometimes, it felt as if the USSR could read his mind. Hungary didn’t want to end up like Albania. Besides, the inspection for Hungary, it seemed, was over. Hungary was disappointed he didn’t get to compete against his fellow communists in the little games the USSR always set up. 

Those were the most fun parts of these inspections, especially when Hungary beat Romania. Sure, they were to prove to the USSR that they were staying fit and good soldiers, but the contests were fun and never really felt like tests. 

Even East Germany, Mongolia, and Czechoslovakia were allowed to compete alongside them, and they were women. Although, frankly, East Germany could be pretty scary sometimes, as she was freakishly strong. 

Some part of Hungary wasn’t always happy with him coming to Moscow on the ninth of each month, but Hungary ignored it. Sure, something the USSR was a bit pushy, and his power was invasive, but Hungary still had his free will, and he wanted to be a communist.

Right?

[stele3]

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/cuba-implements-emergency-measures-millions-go-without-electricity-2024-10-18/

[katoktm8]

Riot gear and tear gas

Breakfast and headed out. Heard a lot of noise, thought it was a band. We looked and it appeared that a political protest was starting so instead of turning right we turned left and joined the crowd. We were probably one of the first 50 people to be at the protest. Frontline view. All the journalists were there, the stage was set for speakers, and a huge pile of tires was in the street. In addition, police and riot gear guarding the parliament building with tanks of tear gas ready to go. and police Holding gas Masks were lining the street. Did not bother us. We were in it. We found out that people were protesting the current Prime Minister, who apparently has been recorded doing business with gangsters talking about kidnapping people in white vans, and they were also supporting the ex Prime Minister who is under house arrest for some type of apartment sales corruption. So pick your poison. Anyway, people started yelling Free Berini or whatever the ex Prime Minister‘s name was. We scooted along behind the police officers, and the tires were lit on fire and smoke was pouring into the air, and people were chanting. People were screaming. The fire was getting bigger. The firetrucks came in to put out the fire. We got shooed away by a polite policeman a few times, but nothing really seemed to be happening so we got bored and left. There were probably a couple hundred people at this protest. The police were very casual aside from trying to get us out of the way, and unfortunately, we are not living civil historian journalists. We recorded as much as we could thinking that it was all going to go down and we would be witnesses to it. Damnit

We then walked about 4 miles to a cable car in a national park outside of town. It was the steepest longest cable car I’ve ever been on. It took about 20 minutes to get to the top of the mountain. We sauntered around, headed back down and then went to a Bunker museum.

This museum was one of 168,000 bunkers that the dictator of Albania built and he never used a single one. But everywhere you go you see bunker tops throughout the city. This one was the largest. It was five stories high underground and had 106 rooms. This bunker museum told the story of Albania from World War II all the way to present Day Albania. It was fascinating to think that people my age had lived through an entire reign of communism and Democracy. But people my parents age would’ve lived freely in childhood, then under communism, then freely again. The most interesting fact I learned today was that this dictator put a barbed wire fence…an electric barbed wire fence around the entire country of Albania and it was meant to keep citizens of Albania in and people that were not Albanians out. If you got within, a footstep of the fence or tried to escape you would get electrocuted. Several thousand people died from the electric shock before they lowered the voltage and just sent out dogs to hunt the people trying to escape and imprisoned them. They kept the perimeter forever muddy in order to have footprints of the people who were escaping and be easier to track. I think as Americans we just don’t appreciate the fact that we’ve never had a government other than a republic democracy. We don’t understand the trials and tribulations that other citizens and other countries have been through historically… even since we have been alive. We are so lucky.

We walked back, cleaned up, went out for dinner came back and tomorrow We had to a new town up in the mountains. It’s actually a village up in the mountains. Fresh air, and hopefully few people but rumor is that tourists abound

[newhorizonstoday]

New movie starring Halle and Jonah

Logline: Two young spies (Branton Wentworth and Ashlynne McGregor) are paired together to bring down a corrupt Albanian pharmaceutical billionaire, who is about to release a dangerous drug aimed at the youth. The pair have one week to intercept the chemical formula, but will their intense attraction to each other derail their critical mission?

************************************************************************I will post more movie ideas if you guys want to see more.

*********************************************************************

Branton paying for the bill and their introductory lunch at an outdoor cafe near the agency.

Branton: So... I thought we could go over some on-the-ground logistics and brush up on our Albanian pronunciation. Would you like anything else before I pay the bill?

Ashlynne: Not so fast, I haven't had dessert.

Thirty minutes later, a satisfied and dishelved Branton with torn clothing is fooling around on instagram on his burner account...typing and quickly deleting.

When your girl's so rough , she pulls out all your facial hair. #notcomplaining #imyourvictim #scratchme #hurtme #yesmore #dirtyboy

A few days later in Albania at another outdoor cafe.

Fellow agency spy: How's it going with your new partner?

Branton: Heaven.

Fellow agency spy: Well, I'll drink to that.

Two weeks later, Zoom call with agency boss upon their return to the U.S.

Boss: I just want to congratulate you two on a successful mission. This was an extremely delicate first mission and you two passed with flying colors. (blablablablabla...)

Branton (whispering between clenched teeth- while on Mute): OMG, your hand is doing things to me. Help. Help. Help.

Ashlynne (whispering back between clenched teeth - pressing Mute): No one cares about your silly internal screams. Shut up and look professional. Let me work my magic!

Ten minutes after the brief Zoom call.

Branton (in stage 4 sleep): zzzzzzzzzzz

Ashlynne (Point of View): 😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈

One Year Later...

Religious rep: Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the marriage of Branton Wentworth and Ashlynne McGregor. This is an acknowledgment of the next chapter in their lives together.

Branton (whispering during ceremony): Umm, so anyway, you're kind of awesome, sexy and you always have my back. I love you.

Ashlynne (fighting back tears): I love you too, Bran.

They squeeze each other's hand with the unspoken understanding that although their physical attraction has always been undeniable and intense, when their lives were on the line, only true love held them together and will continue to guide them as they bring down more bad guys in the future.

[jorgenavasnews]

US sanctions on bank in Hungary mark new low in relations

For the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US has sanctioned a Hungary-based bank. Prime Minister Orban's government seems unimpressed but has announced it will withdraw its staff from the institution.

Anyone who looks at Hungary's pro-government media outlets these days could get the impression there is no war raging in eastern Europe. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is mainly referred to as the "Ukrainian crisis," with the US portrayed as the aggressor. Pro-government media outlets suggest the US is attacking Hungary's sovereignty and "pulling it into a war."

Not even in the final years of Hungary's socialist dictatorship did anti-Americanism reach such shrill extremes. This recent backlash was sparked by an anti-Russian sanctions package announced by the US on April 12 that also affects Hungary. The sanctions include measures that impact the Russian-Hungarian International Investment Bank (IIB) and its management and IIB deputy head Imre Laszloczki, a Hungarian national.

This is not a first. The US has sanctioned politicians and business figures from allied countries before, including entities in Albania and Bulgaria. Hungarian citizens have also been sanctioned, though their identities have not been made public. But this time, for the first time since the start of Russia's war on Ukraine, an entity based in  Hungary— a NATO ally and EU member — is officially being sanctioned. The IIB is not just any bank, but one of which Hungary owned around 25% of the shares although it has majority Russian ownership.

On Thursday, however, Hungary's Economic Ministry announced it would withdraw from the IIB.

The operations of the bank, which was once a development bank for the communist eastern bloc, no longer had any relevance to Hungary, the Ministry for Economic Development said in Budapest. Hungary was for this reason withdrawing its staff.

The operation of the Russian-controlled International Investment Bank has "become impossible" after US sanctions so Hungary has quit the bank, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday.

IIB: Hungary's 'spy bank'

In Hungary, the IIB is also known as the "spy bank," as its leadership is comprised of individuals liked to or associated with Russia's FSB intelligence service. IIB head Nikolay Kosov comes from a family of KGB officers. The bank, whose headquarters were moved from Moscow to Budapest in 2019, plays an important role in Russo-Hungarian relations. IIB deputy head Laszloczki manages Hungarian economic policy in Russia and the Central Asian republics.

These sanctions against the Hungary-based bank mark a new low point in the already strained and now openly hostile relations between Hungary and the US. Orban has never concealed his dislike for the US Democrats and US President Joe Biden and remains a friend and fan of Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump. Orban was the first EU leader to congratulate Trump on his election victory in 2017. And more recently, when Trump faced criminal indictment for hush money, Orban tweeted, "Keep on fighting, Mr. President! We are with you, @realDonaldTrump!"

Orban's close ties to Russia

US government representatives have repeatedly criticized the state of Hungary's democracy and rule of law, denounced corruption among Orban's entourage and expressed concern over Hungary's close ties to Russia.

Hungary is the only EU country that still maintains friendly relations with Russia today. It has only half-heartedly condemned Russia's war against Ukraine. On Tuesday, Hungary's foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, traveled to Moscow for talks on Russian gas supplies and on Russian investments in the Hungarian nuclear industry. On the same day, Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik came to Budapest for talks.

Homophobic abuse

Hungary has so far supported the EU's sanctions on Russia,which can only be enacted if all 27 members of the bloc agree to them. For this, Moscow recently designated it an "unfriendly country." However, Orban has repeatedly spoken out in favor of ending the sanctions against Russia. The Hungarian leader has also made numerous controversial statements, for instance claiming the war in Ukraine would not have erupted if Trump were still US president. Orban indirectly blames the Biden administration and the "pro-war" EU for Russia's full-scale invasion and ongoing war in Ukraine.

David Pressman, the US ambassador to Budapest, is openly homosexual, making him an ideal target for Hungary's homophobic government. Upon taking office in the Hungarian capital, Pressman was subjected to savage abuse by pro-government activists and the media. This has further strained US-Hungarian relations.

Anti-American media

Hungary's government, in turn, has long accused Pressman of supporting opposition parties and seeking to overthrow Orban. One of the reasons is that the US Embassy currently supports a pro-Ukrainian poster campaign in Hungary that reads: "Russians go home" — a campaign slogan once used by Orban's Fidesz party during the fall of communism.

Pressman, for his part, is friendly in tone but critical in his assessment of the Orban regime. Sometimes he can't resist sarcastic digs: Last fall, for example, the Budapest embassy posted an online quiz with bizarre anti-American and pro-Russian statements from Hungarian politicians and journalists. 

After Pressman announced US sanctions against the IIB late Wednesday afternoon, representatives of Hungary's governing Fidesz party said Hungary would defend its sovereignty and not change course.

Hungarian pro-government media outlets, meanwhile, continued spewing anti-American vitriol. The widely read tabloid portal Origo ran the headline: "The USA has been exposed again: it betrays all its allies and stabs them in the back." 

Orban on Friday told state radio the United States was an important ally but there was a difference of views over the war in Ukraine, and the US had "not given up on its plan to squeeze everyone into a war alliance," a step he said Hungary would resist.

[ackermental]

Thoughts about second semi-final:

1. Albania, Australia and Georgia nailed it! I don’t remember anyone else. 

2. UK as a host is terrible. Those sad island people are truly forgetting every two minutes that Ukraine won last year Eurovision and bring nothing meaningful from their own country to the table. Scotland? Doesn’t exist. Wales? Never heard of it. Ireland? ABANDON SHIP.

3. Why I think Poland qulified to the final: 

- The first eight songs were boring, to the point where I was falling asleep and then BEJBA came in with her upbeat song. 

- Polish Diaspora mostly watches TVP, and we all know how much Blanka was promoted by our corrupted national TV. 

- Ukrainians. I know for a fact that a lot of you are voting for Poland as a gesture of solidarity and guys, we love you anyway, there is truly no need 😢.

- 40+ right-wing dudes that are praising BEJBA to heavens and are being extremely homophobic towards Jann.

[mariacallous]

Serbia’s Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Goran Vesic, has signed a contract with Affinity Global Development’s director Asher Abehsera on revitalizing the former Army General Headquarters in Belgrade, demolished by the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999.

Affinity Partners is Jared Kushner, former US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law’s, investment firm. It has $2 billion in funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, among other foreign investors, media have reported.

“We are very excited,” the New York Times reported Kushner as saying in an interview in March about planned projects in Belgrade and Albania. “We have not finalized these deals, so they might not happen, but we have been working hard and are pretty close.”

The former military HQ is in the Belgrade city centre, right across from the gvernment building.

According to the ministry press release, Vesic said the government had leased the premises for 99 years but did not specify at what price.

“The investor has assumed the obligation that, if he does not complete the investment within the period specified in the contract, he will return the land and what will be built until then to the Republic of Serbia without compensation,” Vesic said after signing the deal on Wednesday*.

The press release said the investor will also be obliged to build a memorial complex “dedicated to all the victims of NATO aggression” from 1999 on the plot.

“The memorial complex will be financed by investors and will be owned by the Republic of Serbia, which will decide on the program content of the complex and will manage it,” Vesic said.

The design of the memorial complex will be determined at an international architectural competition.

Abehsera said the project includes a unique aspect of cooperation in which Serbian architects and designers will be invited to submit their ideas for the Memorial Centre.

Kushner previously confirmed plans on X (former Twitter) to invest in this complex as well as in two locations on the Albanian coast. The samer New York Times report in March said that Kushner been working on the Balkan deals with Richard Grenell, who served briefly as acting director of national intelligence under Trump and also ambassador to Germany and special envoy to the Balkans.

According to the NYT, the investment in Belgrade will be a luxury hotel and 1,500 residential units and a museum. It also reported that Trump himself had showed interest in working with this complex in 2013, but Kushner claimed he did not know about this.

The former Yugoslav army HQ was severely damaged in two 1999 NATO air attacks, beween April 29 and 30 and between May 7 and 8. Part of the premises were demolished between 2014 and 2017 for security reasons.

Information that a US company will take over the demolished HQ was first revealed by the Serbian opposition in March, drawing criticism because of suspicions of corruption but also because of the damaged HQ’s architectural and cultural value. It was claimed that the land on which the HQ lies was being leased free of charge.

The building was constructed in 1965 and designed by the famous Serbian architect Nikola Dobrovic.

[randompjofan]

the questions humanity is yet to solve

•did coraline escape the other world

•why do people ship goldric

•are coraline and wybie dating (i MUST know)

•what happened in albania with reyna, nico and coach hedge

•does lester still act humbled as a god

•IS ALADARIUS CANON

•did ethan nakamura go to elysium

•was the guy who wrote "good lookin" trolling us

•is lego eda an actual thing

•is gustholomule canon

•do other people besides raine, eda and king believe luz got titan powers

•Who is katara dating?! I can no longer tell if its zuko or aang-

•besides the corrupt churches (jesus loves EVERYBODY) why would people be homophobic?

•is Australia real

•better yet: is FLORIDA real

•do people recognize alex and magnus whenever they're in Boston and just be so confused because tHeYrE dEaD

•WHAT SPECIES IS HOOTY?!

•what is Darius's hair?

•did Thalia like Luke?

•this will be updated

[beardedmrbean]

Economic expert and political novice Jakov Milatovic won Montenegro's presidential runoff election Sunday, defeating the pro-Western incumbent who has been in power for more than three decades, the candidates and polls said.

Milatovic, who is backed by Montenegro's governing majority, won around 60% of the vote Sunday while President Milo Djukanovic won around 40%, according to predictions released by the usually reliable Center for Monitoring and Research and based on voting samples.

In a victory speech, Milatovic described the moment as “historic" for Montenegro and promised to help lead the small NATO member nation into the European Union during his five-year term in office.

“Tonight is the night that we waited for the past 30 years,” said Milatovic, blasting Djukanovic as the “last dictator in Europe.”

“We want to deal with issues that are of vital importance: the rule of law, economy and European integration,” said Milatovic. “We are leaving the past behind and making a decisive step into the future. This is a historic day for us."

Djukanovic conceded defeat and congratulated Milatovic on his victory. He said he was proud of the results he achieved during such a long period in power.

“Montenegro has chosen and I respect that choice,” said Djukanovic. "Elections are sometimes won — we won for a very long time — sometimes you lose. I wish [for] the new president that he be worthy of the trust he received.”

The state election authorities Sunday evening said turnout was at nearly 70%.

Analysts said that the results could shift slightly as the vote count progresses but that the gap between the two is too wide for a major change.

“This result is an indicator that the final result won't be substantially different,” said analyst Ana Nenezic.

Milatovic’s victory is believed to reflect voter fatigue with Djukanovic, who has served multiple times as both president and prime minister in the past decades, and disillusionment with established politicians. Milatovic, 36, first entered politics in 2020 after earning his education in Britain and the United States.

Djukanovic is credited with leading his country to independence from Serbia in 2006 and defying Russia to steer Montenegro into NATO in 2017. But critics say Djukanovic and his Democratic Party of Socialists, or DPS, have let crime and corruption engulf society.

The DPS was ousted from power in a 2020 parliamentary vote, but Djukanovic has remained in office until the end of his five-year mandate. His defeat Sunday means that both he and his party will be in opposition for the first time since late 1980s.

Milatovic's supporters took to the streets of Montenegrin cities as the outcome became clear, setting off fireworks and honking horns as they drove around the streets. Hundreds gathered outside the main church in Podgorica, the capital, reflecting ruling coalition's close ties with the Serbian Orthodox Church and Serbia.

The Serbian Orthodox Church played an important role in the protest movement that eventually resulted in the DPS' removal from power in 2020. Many Montenegrins identify themselves as Serbs and support improving relations with Serbia.

Sunday’s runoff was scheduled after none of the contenders won a majority in the first round of voting two weeks ago. Some 540,000 people were eligible to vote. Montenegro has a population of 620,000 and borders Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and the Adriatic Sea.

The outcome of Sunday’s election is likely to influence an early parliamentary election set for June 11. That vote was scheduled because of a months-long government deadlock that stalled Montenegro’s pending European Union membership and alarmed the West as war rages in Ukraine.

Milatovic’s Europe Now movement could find itself in a position to dominate the next government after the June election. Milatovic’s presidential candidacy won the backing of a shaky ruling coalition — which Europe Now is not a part of — that includes parties in favor of closer ties with neighboring Serbia and Russia.

Milatovic has denied Djukanovic’s accusations that the ruling coalition is pushing Montenegro back under Serbia’s influence.

Europe Now emerged after the first government that resulted from the 2020 parliamentary election collapsed. As the economy minister in that government, Milatovic gained popularity by increasing salaries, but critics say this was done at the cost of Montenegro's badly depleted health system.