When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital MagazineNEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
blog

FIRST QUARTER MOON - Jan. 26 - Feb. 2

(March 21 to April 19)

Professional connections developed last week now turn out to be winning options. A positive phone call or reply comes your way around Jan. 30. It is a good time for work, which will dominate your sky in this lunar cycle — but this doesn’t mean emotions are to be forgotten. Your desire to love and protect is high, and it will grow over the next few weeks. If you are facing confusion, especially if you are in a secret relationship, my advice is to let things happen naturally.

TEMPO: allegrissimo trionfante



(April 20 to May 20)

You have the situation back in hand. If January was a tough month, especially at work, now is the time to look for support elsewhere — or to change strategy. Even your money situation, which has been the biggest cause of stress recently, seems to be taking a turn for the better. In love, new relationships thrive and singles are curious about recent exciting encounters. Dialogue returns to stable couples, but it’s best to wait a while before making future plans.

TEMPO: marcia con brio


(May 21 to June 21)

Your need to escape has put you on the road of no return. This is particularly valid for anyone who has been living in emotional crisis in recent times. If you have been rather tame the last few weeks, now is the time to strike out and to risk rocking the boat. In some cases, it is your partner’s choices which you find unconvincing or which make you nervous, especially if they concern their career or life plans. Your worklife is not satisfying you and it is important to evaluate this without making a wrong move.

TEMPO: lento mesto


(June 22 to July 22)

This is a good sky for lonely hearts, especially for those who, after a difficult breakup, have decided to open up again. The combination of Venus and the First Quarter Moon, both in splendid form, strengthen the desire to love and to meet new people. On Saturday or Sunday, you will see the first suggestion of better times to come, composed of alliances — but also enemies.

TEMPO: allegro affettuoso




(July 23 to August 22)

This period of reflection continues. Jupiter and Saturn maintain a kindly alliance, but this week you will have to face up to a change at work. This may concern a new colleague, task or — in some cases — a change of location. Don’t go overboard on the criticism and aim to work with what’s happening around you. Love is on hold for singles or part-time lovers; external stress and breakups for couples in crisis.

TEMPO: adagio lamentoso




(August 23 to September 22)

The enormous workload of last week rather stressed you out. I hope you took my advice to get a massage or visit a spa. Things are looking a lot better now, although this is also because you are accepting what has to be done and looking for solutions which balance your personal life and external responsibilities, like work and family. If you are having problems in your love life, right now is almost definitely not a good time to talk about them. One thing at a time.

TEMPO: andantino affaticato



(September 23 to October 23)

Work is back on track! But as with all new starts, your ideas and methodology need careful organizing — especially if you are navigating unknown waters. It is definitely a positive and productive week for you. There are just a few questions to resolve with your boss or a colleague who is imposing their own opinion. Others are not quite sure about the path they have chosen. Thursday and Friday will help clarify things. It is a good time for love, albeit in second place.

TEMPO: marcia grandioso





(October 24 to November 20)

Scorpios who have recently started a new relationship may begin to see the first differences. I recommend that solitary souls, for several reasons, think carefully before throwing themselves into a relationship. That said, from Jan. 27, Venus will offer heightened emotions and reconciliation for couples facing problems. At work, you are dissatisfied and need a change. Your finances are not shining too brightly, but a chance to find alternative solutions will emerge.

TEMPO: andante incalzando


(November 21 to December 22)

From Jan. 27, Venus is not making things easy for lone wolves. Relationships that do start are part-time and lacking in energy. This First Quarter Moon distracts from emotions and brings tiredness and worry to the workplace, especially on Thursday. Recently, many people have enthusiastically chosen a new path or a new project. But it is likely that this week there will be a lot to do or that someone stands in your way.

TEMPO: andante moderato



(December 23 to January 20)

This sky will definitely inspire new projects and lead you to explore new things in the workplace. We are not talking about anything stable or definitive yet. But around Jan. 28, a promising phone call or confirmation will bring order to your finances. This is also a good time for lonely hearts looking for certainties and for couples that are planning to move in together, get married or have children.

TEMPO: vivace cantabile



(January 21 to February 21)

If last week’s New Moon restored your strength and enthusiasm for your future revolutionary projects, this First Quarter Moon calls you back down to earth and the many responsibilities that family and work lay on you. But you’ll stay calm and cool-headed, mainly because lucid Mercury is on your side. A splendid opportunity arises on Thursday, a day to dedicate to your partner or to the hunt for a romantic interest.

TEMPO: adagietto rallentando



(February 22 to March 20)

This is the week to speak clearly and face up to problems which you have been having with your partner or your boss recently. In both cases, the issue is about money and the possibility of developing a long-term project. I don’t believe the problem will be resolved immediately, but you can at least establish a common path ahead. Venus in your sign brings back the need to love: Feb. 1 looks promising for single Pisces.

TEMPO: allegretto deciso

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Migrant Lives

Albania, The Brutal Demographics Of A Neverending Exodus

Since the fall of communism in 1991, the small Balkan state has been slowly but inexorably emptying itself, at the pace of incessant waves of emigration. With an aging and declining population and a birth rate in free fall, it is facing all kinds of challenges.

Photograph of the city view of the Albanian village of Berat. An old man walks along the river, surrounded by trees.

City view of the Albanian village of Berat, May 23, 2022.

Florian Gaertner/ZUMA
Basile Dekonink

MEMALIAJ — It is 1 p.m. on a summer Saturday, and only the barking of a dog breaks the silence in the street of this small Albanian town. The sun illuminating Minatori Square doesn’t change a thing: there’s not a soul to be seen in this former mining town in Southern Albania. On the steps leading up to the cultural “palace," there is no one. Behind the drawn curtain of the old kepuce italiane ("Italian shoe") store, no one. In the red-brick buildings that threaten to crumble into ruin: no one.

“There’s nothing here anymore. No work, no money, no bread. Everyone left after the end of the dictatorship," says Stefan Arian, a 60-year-old man who speaks rusty Greek, sitting at the Café Qazimi, one of the few businesses still open. It’s hard to picture that, not so long ago, this abandoned town was one of Communist Albania’s great working-class centers. Built from scratch in 1946 to exploit the nearby coal mine, the city counted up to 12,000 inhabitants in its heyday. Barely more than 1,000 remain.

Memaliaj isn't the only one: Kukës, Zogaj, Përmet, Narta — there are dozens of such towns and villages in Albania. From North to South, the small Balkan state is criss-crossed by semi-ghost towns, with few or no inhabitants. It is the mark of a unique demographic phenomenon: since the fall of the communist regime 30 years ago, the country has been slowly but inexorably emptying itself through incessant waves of emigration.

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital MagazineNEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch

The latest