Kushner is spearheading several projects in the Balkans, where leaders are competing to get into the good graces of Trump and his family.
Sazan, Albania’s only island, was off-limits during the country’s communist era. Kushner’s project plans to replace abandoned military structures with a marina, upscale residences, hotels and restaurants, developing roughly 8% of the island.
Also read | Surging travel in Europe spikes concerns over tourism’s drawbacks
Pro-US Prime Minister Edi Rama is seeking to shift Albania’s rapidly expanding tourism from a mass model to luxury and sustainable development, with the Sazan resort a flagship investment. The project, which is expected to create around 1,000 jobs, is among Albania’s largest foreign investments and is partly backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Albania’s government has granted the project strategic investment status, enabling the fast-tracking of regulations. The 10-year designation seeks to accelerate development within Albania’s legal framework.
Also read |
Fed up with overtourism, protesters take to streets in southern Europe
Meanwhile, Paramount has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over the editing of CBS’ “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Paramount told media outlets the money will go to Trump’s future presidential library, not to the president himself. It said the settlement did not involve an apology.
Trump’s lawyer said the president had suffered “mental anguish” over the editing of the interview by CBS News.
Paramount and CBS rejected Trump’s contention that the interview was edited to enhance how Harris sounded and had sought to get Trump’s lawsuit dismissed.
There was no immediate word from the White House about the settlement.
Under the settlement reached with help of a mediator, Paramount agreed that “60 Minutes” will release transcripts of future interviews of presidential candidates, “subject to redactions as required for legal and national security concerns,” CBS News cited the statement as saying.
Trump, who did not agree to be interviewed by “60 Minutes” during the campaign, protested editing where Harris is seen giving two different answers to a question by the show’s Bill Whitaker in separate clips aired on “60 Minutes” and “Face the Nation” earlier in the day. CBS said each reply came within Harris’ long-winded answer to Whitaker, but was edited to be more succinct.
(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)
