Orikum
—  Municipality  —
Orikum
Coordinates: 40°20′N 19°28′E / 40.333°N 19.467°E / 40.333; 19.467Coordinates: 40°20′N 19°28′E / 40.333°N 19.467°E / 40.333; 19.467
Country	Albania
County	Vlorë County
District	Vlorë District
Population (2001)
• Total	6,358
Time zone	Central European Time (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	9426
Area code(s)	0391
Car Plates	VL
Website	http://www.orikum.gov.al

Orikum is a municipality in the Vlorë District, Vlorë County, southwestern Albania.^[1] It was named after the ancient city Oricum, which was located 4 km west of modern Orikum. The municipality consists of the town Orikum and the villages Dukat Fushë, Dukat, Tragjas and Radhimë.^[2] Nearby the modern city is located the only marina in Albania, Marina of Orikum (as of 2011).

References[link]

1. ^ Albanian government budget legislation
2. ^ Greece – Albania Neighbourhood Programme

External links[link]

• Municipality Official Website
• Orikum Marina Official Website

v t e Municipalities of Vlorë County Capital: Vlorë Delvinë District Delvinë Finiq Mesopotam Vergo Sarandë District Aliko Dhivër Konispol Ksamil Livadhja Lukovë Markat Sarandë Xarrë Vlorë District Armen Brataj Himarë Horë-Vranisht Kotë Novoselë Orikum Qendër Selenicë Sevaster Shushicë Vllahinë Vlorë

This article about a specific location in Vlorë County, Albania, is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Bamir Topi
President of Albania
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 July 2007
Prime Minister	Sali Berisha
Preceded by	Alfred Moisiu
Personal details
Born	(1957-04-24) 24 April 1957 (age 55) Tirana, Albania
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Teuta Mema
Alma mater	Agricultural University of Tirana

Bamir Myrteza Topi [baˈmiɾ ˈtɔpi] ( listen) (born 24 April 1957 in Tirana, Albania)^[1] is the fifth President of Albania since 24 July 2007. He was also Honorary President of Albanian football club KF Tirana from 2005 to 2007.

Early life and public activities[link]

Topi graduated from the Agricultural University of Tirana in veterinary studies with high grades and earned a PhD degree in the same field. In 1984, he was appointed a Scientific Researcher at the Institute of Veterinary Scientific Researches until 1995. During the 1987-90 period, he attended post-graduate studies in Italy in the field of Molecular Biology. After his return from Italy, Topi was appointed Director of the Food Safety and Veterinary Institute, a position held until the end of 1995. During the activity in this Institute as the Director and Scientific Researcher, Topi gave a Western world physiognomy to this important institution of the country. Alongside his work as Scientific Researcher, Topi has carried out a dense academic activity in preparing the educational curricula of the Toxicology and Pharmacology subjects for the students and postgraduates of the Veterinary Medicine Faculty while at the same time he was also a Lecturer of these subjects for about a decade. He was first elected as a parliamentarian of the Assembly of Albania in 1996 and was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Food where he served until 1997.^[1] He was elected to three mandates in the Assembly of Albania as a candidate of Democratic Party of Albania. In two terms Topi led the Parliamentary Group of Democratic Party in the Assembly. He has been elected vice-chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania, which is led by Sali Berisha. Topi has been distinguished and widely hailed as a politician of a moderated profile, as very active in resolving the crisis between the ruling majority and opposition and as a protagonist of political agreements and various parliamentary initiatives. He also holds the title of Honorary President of Albanian football club KF Tirana.

President of Albania[link]

His Excellency the President of the Republic of Albania Bamir Topi during an official ceremony.

On 8 March 2007, Topi said that he would be the candidate of the ruling Democratic Party in the 2007 presidential election. Both the Christian Democratic and Republican parties said that they would probably support him.^[2] Parliament took 4 tries, and the opposition finally gave up and elected Topi, a choice of Prime Minister Sali Berisha.^[3]

On a vote held on 8 July, Topi won 75 votes in parliament; this was not enough to be elected president, as at least 84 votes are required. The opposition, led by the Socialist Party, boycotted the vote.^[4] The second round of voting for electing the president was held on 10 July. The parliament still failed to elect a president; this time Topi received 74 votes.^[5] On 14 July, another vote was held; this time Topi won only 50 votes, while Neritan Ceka of the Democratic Alliance Party won 32.^[6]

On 20 July, in the fourth round of voting, Topi was supported by some members of the opposition and won 85 votes, thus being elected as the President of the Republic of Albania for a five-year term. He was sworn in on 24 July.^[7]

Topi officially resigned his position as vice-chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania and at the same time withdrew from his party. He is considered to be impartial politically.

Support for Kosovo's independence[link]

Topi has been a vocal advocate of independence for Kosovo. He staunchly pointed out the need for a sovereign state of Kosovo before the European Council and other international instances.

With a joint invitation of Kosovo's President, Fatmir Sejdiu, and the head of the UN mission, Joachim Ruecker, Topi stayed for a three-day visit in Kosovo in January 2009. He was proclaimed an honorary citizen of the capital Pristina. During his visit, he was also conferred an honorary doctorate by the University of Pristina.

Honours and awards[link]

• Knight Grand Cross of the Grand Order of King Tomislav ("For outstanding contribution to the development and improvement of relations between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Albania." - 7 April 2009)
• Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Pristina (25 January 2008)
• Honorary Citizen of Pristina (26 January 2008)
• Honorary Citizen of Rrëshen
• Honorary Citizen of Burrel

See also[link]

• History of Albania
• List of Presidents of Albania

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website (English)

v t e Heads of State of Albania Provisional Government of Albania (1912-1914) Qemali · Alizoti Principality of Albania (1914-1925) Prince William · Toptani · none (1916-1918) · Përmeti · Delvina · High Council of Regency · Noli* Albanian Republic (1925-1928), President Zogu Albanian Kingdom (1928-1939), King Zog I Italian Occupation (1939-1943) Victor Emmanuel III German Occupation (1943-1944) Frashëri  · Frashëri Communist Albania (1944-1991) Nishani  · Lleshi  · Alia Republic of Albania (since 1991) Alia · Islami* · Arbnori* · Berisha · Gjinushi* · Meidani · Moisiu · Topi * Acting head of state

Kate Ryan
Kate Ryan in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Katrien Verbeeck
Also known as	Kate Ryan (stage name)
Born	(1980-07-22) 22 July 1980 (age 31)
Origin	Tessenderlo, Belgium
Genres	Dance-pop, Eurodance, House
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Years active	2001–present
Labels	EMI (2002-2006) ARS Entertainment (2007-present)
Website	www.kateryan.be

Kate Ryan (born Katrien Verbeeck on 22 July 1980^[1]) is a Belgian World Music Award winner. She began her singing career in 2001 and later found fame with a string of dance hits. These included covers, mostly of Mylène Farmer and France Gall, such as "Désenchantée", "Libertine", and "Ella, elle l'a" as well as new material. Ryan represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with "Je t'adore" coming in 12th place in the semi-final.

Biography[link]

[edit] 2001–04: Different

Ryan was born in the small village of Tessenderlo, Belgium. She grew up in a musical family, and reflected a talent for music at a very early age. At eight years old she learned to play piano and guitar. She received singing and piano lessons from her aunt who teaches at a conservatory. She studied at an art school, specialising in jewellery design. Ryan played frequently in bars and cafés as a teenager, and one night she was offered a recording deal. She became a member of a pop group called Melt at the age of 16.^[2] The group was active for two years, but they did not release any material commercially. When she met producer Andy Janssens, she left Melt and the pair began to write music together. Their debut single "Scream for More" was released in 2001, and it became a chart success. Later that year Ryan's second single, "UR (My Love)", cemented her position in Belgian charts.

She gained international prominence with a cover of Mylène Farmer's "Désenchantée", which was a hit in various European pop music charts. She signed in with Belgian department of EMI and released her first album Different in 2002 exclusively in Europe. The album went Gold and Platinum in a number of countries, selling more than 250.000 copies throughout Europe. Two final singles off Different, "Mon cœur résiste encore" and "Libertine" (the first one being a French version of "Scream for More", the latter a second cover of Farmer's number) also turned out a chart success. Kate's records were released in the USA under Robbins Entertainment label.

[edit] 2004–07: Stronger & Alive

In 2004, Ryan released a second album in Europe, entitled Stronger, that also contained her remarkable dance-pop style. The album's lead single, "Only If I" met with a modest success across Europe. A cover of Cock Robin's "The Promise You Made" became the second single, earning even greater success. It was also recorded in French as "La Promesse". Pop ballad "Goodbye" was released as the third single, meeting with considerable success. In 2005 Kate Ryan's music appeared in North America on Water Music Records.

In 2006 the singer participated in Eurosong '06, the national final to select the entrant for Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. She was selected as the entrant after placing first in the Eurosong final on 9 March 2006. Ryan represented Belgium at the Eurovision semi-final held on 18 May 2006 in Athens singing "Je t'adore". However, she did not qualify for the final, finishing two places outside the advancing Top 10 (12th) with 69 points. She was later voted best dressed performer by Eurovisions independent website esctoday.com for her 14.000 € outfit, later sold to raise charity funds.^[3] The following single was "Alive", taken from the album of the same name, which also featured French versions of several tracks including "Je t'adore", "Alive", and the third single "All for You". The album, although critically acclaimed, didn't repeat the success of two previous ones.

Kate Ryan performing at the Eurogames 2007

[edit] 2007-08: Free & Essential

In 2007, she had some success with the double-sided single "Voyage Voyage"/"We All Belong". The track "Voyage Voyage" was a cover of the 1986 European smash hit by Desireless, and "We All Belong" was selected as the official anthem for the EuroGames 2007 in Antwerp. In 2008, Ryan released two singles: "L.I.L.Y. (Like I Love You)" and then "Ella, elle l'a", a cover of France Gall's song. Both tracks (as well as "Voyage Voyage" and "We All Belong") were included on her album Free, which was released in the middle of the year. The album included also a duet with Spanish singer Soraya Arnelas. Singer's first best-of album Essential was released in July. It included songs recorded throughout her EMI period. In August Kate took part in Polish Sopot Hit Festival. During the show she received Gold award for the Free album in Poland. On 9 November 2008 in Monaco, Kate Ryan won the World Music Award as The Best Selling Benelux Artist. Two more singles promoted Free, including "I Surrender".

[edit] 2009-11: French Connection

2009 saw the release of the concept album French Connection. It was a compilation consisting of French-language-only material, including Ryan's previous hits recordings, and adding some new recordings. "Évidemment" and "Babacar", both from France Gall's repertoire, were released as singles, but only met with limited success, as did the album. The singer announced that French Connection was the end of an era, and from now on she will only release material written by her. She received a Multi-Platinum award from Spain for selling more than 300.000 digital songs.

[edit] 2011-present: Electroshock

Ryan announced via Facebook that her next album, Electroshock, would be released in 2011, preceded by a single "LoveLife".^[4] Another single "Broken" was released on October 7, 2011. ^[5] However, the album was delayed and is now scheduled to be released in March 2012, although as of May 2012 the album has not been released yet.^[6] It will contain English and French songs and will not have any cover versions. On May 12, 2012 another single entitled "robots" was released.

Discography[link]

• Different (2002)
• Stronger (2004)
• Alive (2006)
• Free (2008)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kate Ryan

• Official website
• Kate Ryan Music's channel on YouTube
• Kate Ryan on Myspace
• Kate Ryan on Facebook