Thousands in Tirana protest $5 billion Kushner resort in Albania
Why it matters: The fight over the coastal project has become a broader test of Prime Minister Edi Rama amid anger over corruption and transparency.
Thousands of protesters marched in Tirana on Wednesday in the biggest demonstration yet against a planned luxury resort in southern Albania backed by Jared Kushner. The roughly 5 billion euro project near the village of Zvernec has drawn opposition over its location by a protected wetland with flamingoes, seals and sea turtle nesting sites, as well as over what critics call opaque decision-making by the government and foreign investors. Demonstrators gathered outside Prime Minister Edi Rama's office carrying signs reading "Albania is not for sale." Rama has said the project will move forward and be completed responsibly. The unrest adds to pressure on his government after earlier anti-corruption protests and demands for political change.