Montenegrin police have detained dozens of people after seven officers were injured in clashes with pro-Serb opposition protesters in several towns last night. Police say two opposition lawmakers are among the detained after protests late Wednesday in the capital Podgorica and other towns. The incidents reflect mounting political tensions in the small Balkan nation ahead of a parliamentary election set for 30 August.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor in the Hague said on Wednesday it had filed an indictment against Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and nine other former guerrillas for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including nearly 100 murders, torture and enforced disappearances, news wires reported.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's Progressive Party (SNS) won a partially boycotted, pandemic-delayed parliamentary election on Sunday by a huge margin, newswires reported, citing early results. According to a projection by the agency CESID based on a sample of polling stations, the SNS will have 63.4% of the votes, on a turnout of around 48%.

Serbia’s ruling populists of President Aleksandar Vucic’s party looked set to tighten their hold on power in the parliamentary election on Sunday, news wires reported. The vote is taking place despite the spread of coronavirus in the Balkan country and a partial boycott by the opposition.

Serbians are going to vote in parliamentary polls on Sunday after a lifeless campaign without rallies because of the coronavirus pandemic. With the ruling party surging in the polls, and most of the opposition parties resolved to boycott the polls, political change is clearly not in the air, BalkanInsight reported.

A court in North Macedonia on Thursday jailed a former top anti-corruption prosecutor Katica Janeva for seven years after she was found guilty of accepting bribes and luxury gifts as part of an extortion scheme, news wires reported.

A Serbian opposition leader whose group is boycotting the country’s parliamentary election says taking part in the vote amid the coronaviorus pandemic and without free media in the Balkan country would only legitimize what he called a “hoax vote.”

Turkey's health minister Fahrettin Koca announced on Tuesday that wearing face masks in public become mandatory in 42 provinces, as the number of coronavirus cases has spiked since many restrictions were eased.

Political parties in North Macedonia agreed on Monday to hold parliamentary elections on 15 July, despite the country battles a second wave of coronavirus infections. The elections are expected to be a test of support for the pro-EU policies of the Social Democrats of former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.

Despite the recent surge in Covid-19 infections, North Macedonia authorities let the state of emergency to expire on Saturday night putting the country on road to snap elections, which were scheduled for the spring but delayed. President Stevo Pendarovski said on Friday that despite an ongoing spike of infections, there was no “necessity” in prolonging the state of emergency.