Albania PM Says $4.5M Spent on Ye Concert Will Pay Off

Albania's leader is betting millions that a Kanye West show will pay off—despite the backlash. Prime Minister Edi Rama on Wednesday defended spending about $4.5 million in public money to facilitate the rapper's concert this Saturday outside Tirana, saying the "last-minute" allocation was needed to avoid "embarrassing Albania" after roughly 25,000 foreigners from 80 countries bought tickets. It's to be held in a stadium being built specifically for the concert, with construction slated to wrap up Thursday. Balkan Insight reports the country's Minister of Culture said that 3,500 people are working day and night to finish it.

Rama argued the event could bring in more than $100 million in tourism spending, pointing to a spike in hotel bookings. As Reuters reports, the move has "added heat" to daily protests—initially triggered by a Jared Kushner-backed luxury resort plan—and amplified cries for Rama's resignation amid corruption allegations.