Kiosks, Beach Shacks and Alpine Cabins: Albania Goes After Illegal Builds
Demolition teams are clearing kiosks, sidewalk extensions and outdoor cafe seating in the capital, Tirana. In the Mediterranean coastal city of Vlora, they are removing wooden shacks and beach bars. And in the northern Alpine village of Theth, bulldozers have already razed nearly 100 structures to the ground.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
I went in search of the Indonesia I saw on Instagram. The reality was tragically different
After 12 days in Bali and neighbouring Lombok, my friend Ally and I finally addressed the elephant in the room. Sitting on the floor of a cockroach-infested hostel bathroom, we admitted that we weren't having much fun. The reality, it turned out, wasn't what we'd expected. It was on the second night that I'd begun to notice it. We were on the isle of Gili Trawangan, between Bali and Lombok, and had, until then, been wandering around this fascinating new place in a haze of tropical euphoria. But as night fell, the island had begun to morph into a darker, altogether more sinister place. It was quiet, mostly empty, with a few people lurking around trying to sell us mushrooms or marijuana. As we hurried to our hostel arm in arm, we started, for the first time, to become truly aware of our surroundings. The skeletal horses chained to carriages stared out like ghosts. Their necks were contorted into unnatural positions, and looking at them – as one living thing to another – made me sick to my stomach. At 2am, the poor creatures stood shackled – skin and bones – waiting to pick up the drunk tourists who couldn't be bothered to walk five minutes back to their hostel. My friend Sara, who lives in Bali, had told us the day before that the horses looked better than they had the year before. When we asked what she meant, she said: 'It looks like they're being fed now, they were like sticks last time I was here – but I think people started complaining.' When I asked some locals about it the next day, they explained that a local mafia was in control and there was nothing that could be done. They ran the island, making money – mostly from tourists – by selling drugs, sex and profiting from animal cruelty. It was an open secret, but no one spoke up. After that second eye-opening evening, our moods shifted. Though neither of us could bring ourselves to say it out loud, we were both suddenly seeing the island as it was: walking through the sewage and mud that flooded the streets; the buildings windowless and stacked high with rubbish; abandoned washing machines and decades-old furniture dotting the roadside. We also became suddenly aware of how filthy we were. The ocean was full of rubbish. Ally had even spotted a raw chicken foot floating in the sea, and the flooded streets had covered our legs in goodness-knows-what. It was after one such walk – days later, after we had rushed back to the hostel to scrub ourselves clean – that we'd ended up on the floor of the hostel bathroom, and it had all come spilling out. We realised we had fallen for the oldest trick in the book – we had been seduced by pretty pictures; duped by Instagram. We had travelled across the world in search of a picturesque paradise, and though we'd found something quite different, it hadn't stopped us sharing our own social media posts along the way – of dreamy sunsets, tropical waterfalls, the two of us bikini-clad and smiling – feeding the very illusion we had bought into. Friends messaged to say how jealous they were, and that our trip looked beautiful. We hoped things might improve once we reached mainland Bali, but they didn't. The overcrowding was particularly awful – and there was no escaping it, especially when riding around on mopeds. Whenever I drove anywhere, I'd return covered in thick soot, and the traffic was horrendous: we were told by other travellers that they had seen people fall off bikes and their heads 'explode like watermelons'. At one point I saw a man carrying a guitar fall from his bike in the midst of the traffic: the guitar smashed to pieces, but no one stopped to help him. Since returning, I've reflected a lot on my trip, and while there were moments of fun and beauty, ultimately it remains a sobering experience. In particular, I feel guilt for the impact that I had, not just on the environment, but on the local community. The average Indonesian person in Bali makes just £140 per month, while tourists like me take advantage of the low prices and cheap accommodation. Even the rate of road accidents has been exacerbated by the tourist boom – with travellers hiring mopeds, as we did, contributing to the dangerous overcrowding. Last year, nearly 550 people died in motorbike accidents in Bali, making up over 80 per cent of all road accidents in the area. How Bali came to this, I'm not sure – but, as is the case with so many once-idyllic destinations suffering under the weight of over-tourism, I suspect social media has a lot to answer for. There is hope for Bali, but change must come from the tourists themselves. The power lies in the Instagram feeds of those passing through, and until tourists are brave – braver than I was – and start posting the truth about what they see, I fear nothing will change, and this once-beautiful place will be lost forever. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Old Family Dollar demolished in Quincy Center. What will take its place?
QUINCY ‒ Crews have begun demolition of the former Family Dollar in downtown Quincy, clearing the way for a restaurant and seven-story residential tower by real estate developer Joey Arcari, best known for his Tavern on the Square restaurant chain. Arcari's 68,000-square-foot tower at 1445 Hancock St. would include 18 spaces of subsurface parking, a two-level restaurant and five levels of one- and two-bedroom apartments, with 43 units in all. Quincy's planning board approved the proposal in May 2023. The development will be called "The Hancock," according to renderings on the website for Monarc Development, Arcari's company. In 2023, Arcari told The Patriot Ledger he would rent 25 spaces from a nearby public parking garage currently under construction for tenants who don't receive one of the 18 spaces under his building. Arcari did not respond to requests for a construction timeline left with Monarc Development and his Broadway Hospitality Group. The tower will replace a two-story brick building built in 1924. Quincy's historical commission approved demolition of the building in October 2023. Earlier this year, Quincy knocked down two city-owned properties next door at 1455 and 1459 Hancock St. which once held a doughnut shop and taekwondo studio. Now a vacant lot, the space will become a public park providing open cafe seating for Arcari's restaurant. Quincy acquired the properties through eminent domain in 2022, paying $7 million in compensation. The acquisitions were financed through debt. The park will connect Hancock Street with General McConville Way, where two large developments are currently under construction on either side of the Generals Bridge. In a video address posted to social media, Mayor Thomas Koch said ongoing work on a medical office building with public parking garage and retail space attached, overseen by FoxRock Properties, will be completed in 18 months. On the other side of the bridge, Koch said crews are working on a mixed-use project by Atlantic Development and the Hanover Co. that will bring about 300 new apartments and retail space to Quincy Center, including a grocer rumored to be Trader Joe's. "It's really going to liven up this part of Quincy Center," Koch said. On the other side of the future city park, Sam Slater's Tremont Asset Management has proposed a 15-story tower at 1469 Hancock St. The Adams Arcade building, which was built in 1933 and formerly held a discount furniture store, would make way for 204 residential units and retail space. Tremont Asset Management, Slater's company, did not immediately respond to a request for updated information on the the development at 1469 Hancock St. Peter Blandino covers Quincy for The Patriot Ledger. Contact him at pblandino@ Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer. This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: What will replace demolished Family Dollar in Quincy Center Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bad Bunny is making Puerto Rico the hottest trip of 2025
When we talk about tourism trends, we usually focus on airlines, prices and algorithms. But what if the most significant driver of travel to a destination wasn't an ad campaign or a seasonal super deal, but its people represented by an artist? That is precisely what's happening in Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny's residency, "No me quiero ir de aquí," in San Juan, is not only breaking records in sales and attendance, but has become one of the most powerful economic and cultural catalysts the island has seen in recent years. Its impact is not anecdotal: according to an analysis by Moody's Analytics cited by Bloomberg, Puerto Rico is defying the tourism slowdown that many markets in the United States are experiencing. While hotel occupancy in several U.S. cities has decreased, in Puerto Rico it has increased. And it's no coincidence. While the World Travel & Tourism Council projects a loss of $12.5 billion in international travel spending this year in the United States, Puerto Rico is headed in the opposite direction. According to Discover Puerto Rico, the island recorded a 25% increase in hotel occupancy in the first quarter of 2025 and an 11% growth in lodging revenue, compared to the same period last year. At a time when the global tourism economy is showing signs of cooling, Puerto Rico stands out as an example of how culture can become a real economic engine. The experience is worth it The Puerto Rican economy, historically tied to the ups and downs of the U.S. economy, rarely grows on its own. But this time, there is a cultural factor that is tipping the balance: identity. Bad Bunny's new album, in addition to being a musical phenomenon, is a declaration of principles – a love letter to his homeland. From the lyrics to the visual promotion, the artist has made it clear that traveling to the island is more than tourism: it is an experience, it is pride, it is connection. Those of us who work in the travel and digital content industries need to reflect. For years, the equation seemed simple: look for the cheapest fare, even if the trip was mediocre. But the consumer has evolved. Today, more than ever, it wants to save, yes, but without sacrificing what really matters: experience. Travel should be transformative, not transactional. Travelers want to get to know a country, not just visit it. They want to savor its cuisine, understand its history, and walk its streets with local music in the background. Bad Bunny has organically created that with his music and platform. It has turned Puerto Rico into an emotional desire, not just a geographical destination. At a time when so many tourism markets are facing decline, Puerto Rico is teaching us a powerful lesson: culture drives the economy. Authenticity isn't just good for the soul; it's also good for hotels, restaurants, and airlines. The future of tourism is not measured only in hotel occupancy or the number of flights. It is also measured in songs, in identity, in how a place makes us feel. That's why, when we hear about Bad Bunny, let's remember that his impact goes far beyond reggaeton: he's redefining how and why we travel. Wilson "Wil" Santiago Burgos is the founder of one of the largest travel platforms in Puerto Rico and the Latin American market in the U.S. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bad Bunny's concerts are doing what ads can't
