All News on Social Issues in Albania

Montenegro’s COVID-19 Hotspots Demand New Measures as Crisis Escalates

Montenegrin minister of health Jelena Borovinic Bojovic on the press conference.Photo: Government of Montenegro

On Tuesday, the Institute for Public Health said Montenegro currently had 1,257 active coronavirus active cases for every 100,000 citizens. This is the highest rate in the region.

Probe launched following allegations of illegal adoptions

A prosecutor in the northern port city of Thessaloniki has ordered a preliminary investigation into allegations in Greek media reports of an illegal adoption ring operating in Albania and Greece.

Albanian Doctors Fret over Private Control of Hospital Labs

"Let's say we need to manipulate DNA. This process requires space. I cannot do it in a 35 square metre room," Sulcebe, 66, told BIRN.

Online Media in Balkans ‘Need Regulation, Not Censorship’

Experts told an online debate hosted by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network on Tuesday that the current regulation systems for online media in the Western Balkans are not good enough, but efforts to curb the publication of hate speech and defamatory comments must not tip over into censorship.

EU prospects: Green light for Western Balkans, red for North Macedonia and Albania?

The annual conclusions of the EU Council on Enlargement, Stabilization and Association of the Western Balkans are on the agenda of the ambassadors of the member states who will discuss this issue in the afternoon.
The conclusions were previously blocked by Bulgaria, which primarily vetoed the negotiating framework for North Macedonia.

COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Grip West Balkans, Survey Reveals

Over 75 per cent of people in Western Balkan countries believe many or some of the popular conspiracy theories about COVID-19, the latest survey by the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group, BiEPAG, shows.

Albania Police Injured as Protests Over Shooting Turn Violent

Protest against police violence in Tirana on December 9, 2020. Photo: LSA

Hundreds joined separate protests in Tirana, Shkodra, Durres, Bulqiza and other towns, some demanding the resignation of Sander Lleshaj, the Minister of Interior.

Albania has officially banned street protests due to the COVID-19 pandemic but people across the county on Wednesday defied the orders.

Protests Against Children's Sexual Harassement in Albania

Under the motto "For the stolen childhood", late this afternoon in Tirana, Durres and Vlora were held protest demonstrations with the participation of thousands of citizens, mostly women, accompanied by their daughters.

Albanian Women Protest in Street Against Sexual Violence

Several hundred rights activists protested in Tirana on Thursday against sexual violence, after the country was shocked this week when police said they had arrested several teenagers and a 65-year-old school guard for abusing a 15-year-old girl for about two years.

Violence and Hunger Stalk Refugees and Migrants in Albania

Some spoke of dire conditions in the centre and the growth of gangs stealing from and assaulting other residents.

Others, migrants trying to reach Western Europe, said they had been left out in the cold despite seeking refuge at the centre, its doors closed under a lockdown across the country to confront the coronavirus pandemic.

North Macedonia Denies ‘Downplaying’ Bulgaria’s Conditions on EU Talks

The government in North Macedonia has rejected opposition accusations that has downplayed the tough preconditions that Bulgaria has set on the expected launch of EU membership talks and on the gradual solving of open issues.

IMF, EU 3bn Loan Welcomed in Balkans Despite Unknowns

EU candidate states from the West Balkans have welcomed the offer of 3 billion euros in emergency loans, to be distributed among 10 states bordering or near the EU, although the borrowing conditions remain to be determined, the European Commission confirmed to BIRN.