Two new services will soon be ready Insured against theft In January INSIG will also insure lives But clients have begun committing fraud. The Institute is responding with a network of agents ARMAND MERO TIRANA — Albanians will have less reason to fear theft. Very soon they will be able to insure themselves against this risk. By the end of this year the Insurance Institute has finally decided to begin this activity as well. But that is not all: life insurance will also begin in January. While INSIG seeks to expand the scope of insurance, the first cases of client fraud are also coming to light. INSIG has considered how to respond and will soon have its own agents. Another type of insurance will thus begin to be offered in Albania. It will cover theft, primarily of motor vehicles as well as goods in depots and warehouses. “This is an insurance policy,” Naim Hasa, INSIG’s Director General, tells the Gazeta, “for which we have received many requests, especially from various traders. The only thing left now is to set the rates.” Thus, if an insured person’s vehicle or shop is stolen, compensation will be paid. This time insurance is not compulsory—as vehicle insurance is in cases of damage to third parties—so INSIG will also select its clients, taking their reliability into account. Another new insurance policy will come into force on January 1, 1994. For the first time, Albanians will be able to insure their lives as well. “This type,” Hasa explains, “is not only an investment for the person who takes it out. A client would pay life-insurance premiums of around 500 dollars a year; in the event of death, this amount would be paid to their heirs, or after 10–15 years the sum paid in would be returned to the insured person, together with interest. In global practice, this type accounts for around 35 percent of insurance.” But new initiatives also bring their surprises. And INSIG has begun to experience them: there are quite a few cases in which clients try to take advantage. For example, someone has an old car and crashes it into a wall, then claims that a third party was responsible. “This, on the one hand,” says Arben Siliqi, INSIG’s deputy director, “is a real risk. It shows that Albanians have begun to learn about insurance practices. Even worldwide, 25–30 percent of compensation claims are fraudulent.” Nevertheless, the heads of this institution do not intend to let this problem grow. There is good cooperation between them and the road inspectorate. INSIG is even trying to bring in radar equipment to monitor speeds, in order to prevent accidents. Soon it will also have its own network of agents. They will investigate every compensation claim—so far their number has reached 3,500—and determine whether or not INSIG is liable to the client. With these insurance policies also in place, INSIG will be able to cover every kind of activity in Albania. “We,” Hasa declares, “are ready to cover every investment in Albania, thanks to parity and the attraction of major European insurance companies.” Soon INSIG—which is expected within two years to rank among European-level companies in terms of its financial position—will not be alone. Legislation governing insurance companies is being prepared in the meantime. This legislation will permit this activity to be carried out only by compa- and also a choice among will come into effect also be able to insure their lives. the person who takes it out, but also a form of saving.” Thus, But the new initiatives also have their drawbacks. And INSIG has begun to feel the effects: there are quite a few cases in which a client tries and crashes it into a wall, then claiming that a third party caused it, and consequently seeking compensation. “From The wealthier among them, — and to improve it, radar devices as well to monitor speeds, so that accidents can be avoided. Soon it will also have its own network of agencies. These will investigate every case of damage — so far their number for vehicles alone has reached ... There is good cooperation with the road inspectorate. In fact, INSIG is trying to bring in radar devices will investigate every case of damage — so far their number for vehicles alone has reached ... Regarding the new initiatives ... They are now at the “Children’s Home.” So now they have a home and a staff of 34 people looking after them. The routine for these returnees is regular: they get up at 6:30 in the morning and then ... Regarding the new initiatives ... A fatal accident in Tirana: through insurance, the victims’ families can receive compensation

The sad stories of 43 little ones being raised by the state BRIKENA CANI TIRANA — They are children christened by nature alone. For the place where they were found—left to their fate—has given them a little identity. Edvin Shkolla, Redi Ferra, Eni Themeli, Migena Gjeta: the origins of all of them have been determined by the place where they were found, for example a school, a house foundation, or a thorn bush. These are children whose mother and father are unknown, innocent creatures who have survived. And what is more, it is now almost impossible for their parents to undo their terrible wrongdoing. They are the children of the “Baby Home” in Tirana. Their home is located near the Railway Station. Only a few of the little ones at this institution were given their names by their parents, or more precisely, by their mothers. Of the 43 abandoned children, aged 0 to 3, housed at the “Baby Home” in Tirana, only [??] have someone who takes an interest in them. The others were abandoned outdoors or in the maternity hospital. Raisa, Migena, and Petri are the latest arrivals from the maternity hospital to this special place over the past two weeks. Their mothers left the maternity hospital at night without christening their babies, without even performing their final duty to them: giving them a name. But can there really be any reason that justifies abandoning your own child? There may be a motive: poor circumstances, the absence of a father, or other misfortunes. But a motive can never, ever justify denying yourself. Now they are at the “Baby Home.” So they now have a home and a staff of 34 people who care for them. After [??] and cleaning, they are fed and begin to play. Their playroom is large and full of lovely things. They play and smile sweetly. They are completely innocent. “In this room they can choose the toys they want, according to their preferences and inclinations,” the director of the “Baby Home,” Daklea Shtylla, tells the Gazeta. Their lives are also being reorganized to make them as peaceful and happy as possible, so that these unfortunate little ones do not lack warmth and affection. In one of the recently furnished rooms, toys and beautiful pictures hang on the walls; there are fresh flowers on the windowsills; the beds are pleasant and clean. “This is my room, it is [??] and the most beau- [??]” together with his little brother Redi, aged 2. The two are innocent protagonists of a painful story. Their mother is in prison because she killed their father. In this case, the two unfortunate little ones are also victims. As a rule, children are transferred to the Children’s institutions in Shkodër after the age of 3. But an exception has been made for the two Hosha brothers so they will not be separated from one another. On the [??] of the empty beds, the little ones’ names are written: Eni, Pegi, Migena, and so on. Every morning the educators discuss the children’s condition. The staff also includes a doctor who looks after the children’s health. In most cases the children are newborns; they stay from 2 weeks until the age of 3. Girls under 3 are transferred to the Children’s Home in Shkodër. Sometimes with his back to the television, from time to time. Little Mar- [??]’s mother came to him; he called her in a faint voice “mummy,” and after kissing him and leaving him a banana, she went away, closing the door. Behind her, the little boy was terrified. Nothing could calm Mario. He threw away the banana and cried. He cried a lot. His eyes looked sadly toward the door. It is too early, and he understands nothing. This child ... In the hall of the Institute for abandoned children

Mediterranean cities contribute USD 100,000 for the urban environment TIRANA — Protecting Tirana’s environment is also a concern of eight international organizations. TIRANA — (Ed.La.) Protecting Tirana’s environment is also a concern of eight international organizations. An assembly of 18 Mediterranean cities has judged intervention in Tirana to be urgent and has just allocated 100,000 dollars. Initially, this sum is intended to be used to prepare a study on protecting the urban environment of the Albanian capital. Sali Kelmendi, Mayor of Tirana, who was in Marseille specifically for the assembly’s proceedings, presented a document discussing the municipality’s current concerns as well as the problems currently holding it back. In two months, specialists from international organizations will arrive in Tirana and, in cooperation with local counterparts, will give priority attention to the water supply. But that is not all. The plans also include sewerage, wastewater treatment, and the management and processing of solid waste. The projects will also open up the prospect of securing additional funds, which will again be used for this purpose. Intervention to protect Tirana’s environment has long been considered essential. This is a capital where, after 50 years of prohibiting private cars, there are now around 30,000 vehicles on its streets—which were built without a long-term plan. It is also estimated that around 70 percent of the country’s private-sector goods are stored in this city, where around 2,000 cubic meters of construction waste are generated each month. This is without even mentioning the deterioration of the drinking-water and sewer networks, or the expansion of the electricity distribution network. Although the city-cleaning sector consists of three enterprises with around 900 employees, it lacks the basic equipment needed to do the work. At the beginning of 1992, the city had inherited just two cleaning vehicles and 30 transport vehicles, as well as a deplorable state of rubbish bins, collection points, and other work equipment.

Tirana / Just two years after the real bursts of automatic gunfire EDMOND LAÇI TIRANA — Gunshots near the International Cultural Center in Tirana. Local residents were frightened, even though they know that this time it was not former Guard soldiers, who two years ago had fired into the air—in front of the Enver Hoxha Museum—to frighten the crowd approaching the Central Committee of the PPSH. Although quite some time has passed since February ’91, the sound of automatic weapons is still shocking, as happened at 9 p.m. But while the instinctive fear has not changed, other things have. A 17-year-old from Tirana was caught red-handed on the evening of October 28 by officers from the Criminal Investigation Unit of Police Station 1, as he tried to do the same thing: frighten passers-by. This time the weapons and the location were different; instead of an automatic rifle, E. Ç. had used firecrackers. But the attitude of the public-order authorities had also changed this time: the person disturbing the public peace was punished and immediately taken to the Police Station. The time of gunfire from real weapons has passed—and when the authority of the state seemed distant. Today, you can get in trouble even for merely imitating it.

. Readers will receive the fourth panorama free today, from among those distributed every Sunday together with the Albanian Gazette. The panorama for the day after tomorrow is a reproduction of an old painting of Bari.

KAKAVIJA: 5,000 REFUGEES RETURN IN 10 DAYS — The return of Albanian refugees by the Greek police continues. Meanwhile, the flow of returns has fallen in recent days; at the Kakavija border crossing in Gjirokastër, 5,000 returnees have been recorded in just 10 days. On Tuesday and Wednesday—the days with the largest number of returnees—Albanian-Greek relations became strained for the first time since the socialist Papandreu returned to power. The Greek authorities once again used the familiar claims of protecting minority rights in their statements. LAÇ: ANOTHER TWINNING PROJECT WITH ITALIAN CITIES — Laç and Carsoli—a town in Italy’s Abruzzo region—will soon become twin towns. Edmond Dulaj, the Albanian ambassador to Italy, is working to bring this project to fruition; he has chosen his counterpart among the representatives of the municipality of Carsoli. This will be Laç’s second twinning with an Italian town, following the one with Nichelino, near Turin. IN MIRDITË, LACK OF TEACHER TRANSPORT THREATENS SCHOOLING — The lack of regular transport for teachers in the district of Mirditë has seriously threatened the holding of classes in several areas of the district. Three buses have been made available to the teachers working in these areas. The poor condition of state-owned transport vehicles has forced the district’s Education Economic Center to hire private vehicles at a cost of around 1.8 million lekë.

Football, Boninsegna’s challenge to the Albanian national team The match will be broadcast live tomorrow on RAI3 ON PAGE 2 New coins coming soon in Albania Everything is ready; the designs have also been prepared ON PAGE 3