Macedonia least respects the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community, of all the countries in the Balkans, an international watchdog says.

To save power in the recent freeze, towns and cities in both Serbia and Macedonia have turned off street lighting while people on both sides of the border are urged to do what they can to conserve energy stocks.

Heavy snowfall continued over the weekend in the Balkans, claiming more victims, blocking traffic and exacerbating problems in areas already cut off by the extremely cold weather.

The United Nations mediator in the “name” dispute between Macedonia and Greece, Matthew Nimetz, is to visit both countries this month to examine their commitment to solving the long-standing issue.

The worst wintry conditions in decades continue to torment the Balkans, causing deaths, cutting power and blocking roads.

The man who designed Macedonia's government building has said he will refuse to participate in a planned makeover that will give his modernist structure a monumental Baroque facade.

Former Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski is taking over the small rightist opposition VMRO - People’s Party after its previous head defected to the ruling VMRO DPMNE.

In spite of a Constitutional Court ruling suspending the lustration process last week, journalists, clergy and NGO activists are still being vetted for past police collaboration.

The Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov awarded the national handball team an Order of Merits for placing a surprising fifth at the men’s European Handball Championship in Serbia.

Journalist comes under fire for not showing enough patriotic pride in country's sporting achievements.

Macedonia’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday temporarily suspended several controversial provisions of the Lustration Law, which aims at purging former police informants from public office.

Macedonian Vice Prime Minister Teuta Arifi and her Greek counterpart, Theodoros Pangalos, are to meet on Wednesday in Athens in a move to revive moribund talks on the 'name' dispute.

Several hundred lucky Macedonians hopped a free train for Serbia on Monday to catch their team's match against Poland at the Men’s European Handball Championship.

Nationalism and the pressure on the media continue to threaten the process of reconciliation in the Balkans, according to a new report issued by Freedom House.

More than three thousand Macedonian fans saw their hopes for a win flicker out after Germany snatched the lead in the final minute at the Men’s European Handball Championships on Tuesday.

To allay suspicions of abuse of the law, Macedonia’s ruling party is contemplating making controversial dossiers of the former police informants available to the public.

Civil society groups seek probe into whether Macedonian officials took bribes from Deutsche Telecom to keep competition at bay.

Gallery of Macedonia's new “Arc de Triomphe” will be rented out for events such as weddings, officials say.

Macedonia will lean on the world court ruling related to its name dispute with Greece at the forthcoming UN talks with Athens, Balkan Insight has learned.

Greece and Macedonia have agreed to a fresh round of UN-mediated talks to resolve their long-standing name dispute.

A human rights watchdog says it has been denied access to Macedonian prisons to monitor the treatment of detainees, including controverisal media mogul Velija Ramkovski.

Turkish soap operas lure increasing numbers of Macedonian tourists to Istanbul, where they hope to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars.

Estonian diplomat Aivo Orav is the newly appointed Head of the European Union Delegation to Macedonia, Brussels announced.

After a week in detention, Jovan Vraniskovski, a former Macedonian Orthodox cleric who defected to the Serbian church and has since been convicted of corruption, is expecting to be released this week.

Law professor and former presidential candidate Ljubomir Frckoski says he is a target of a politically motivated witch hunt after the Lustration Commission started checking his files.

Authorities in Macedonian capital urge residents to stay at home as air pollution levels rocket.

By not setting a start date for Macedonia’s EU accession talks for third year, the credibility of the enlargement process is in danger, the European Parliament's Rapporteur on Macedonia, Richard Howitt, said.

Ministers forced on the defensive after suggesting that Skopje University should stop admitting new students of Macedonian linguistics on the grounds that the country has more than enough.

While Macedonia celebrates victory over Greece in a World Court ruling over its disputed name, experts say the judgement does not address the deeper problem of Greek opposition to Skopje’s drive to join the EU and NATO.

As the two feuding neighbours await the outcome of Macedonia's case before the International Court of Justice, some are already predicting that the outcome - whatever it is - will not much make difference.

Macedonian police on Thursday arrested 88 road toll collectors who are suspected of forging tickets and stealing some 2 million euros.

Macedonia expects soon to get hold of the fugitive former customs chief, Dragan Daravelski, following Wednesday’s signing of a bilateral extradition deal with Serbia.

The court in Skopje on Tuesday jailed Ljube Boskoski for seven years for illegally financing his political campaign and abusing his position as head of a small opposition party.

The government's ethnic Albanian junior partner, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, says it was not consulted over the idea, which many Albanians would see as provocative.

Macedonians and Albanians are trading insults on Facebook and other social networking sites after video footage was shown of Kosovo football fans burning the Macedonian flag.

As Macedonia probes allegations about a sinister adoption "racket", an NGO is compiling testimonies of people who suspect that their children were stolen from them, pronounced dead, and then sold.

Three years on, Macedonia's annual tree-planting action is a roaring success - but do the figures about millions of new trees really add up?

MPs from ruling VMRO DPMNE party have signaled willingness to support an opposition bill removing slander as a criminal offence, a change many Macedonian journalists would welcome.

The court in Skopje on Friday heard the closing arguments in the trial of the former Police Minister, Ljube Boskoski. The verdict is expected next week.

After the closures of several critically inclined media outlets earlier this year, Fokus, a new newspaper, set to launch on Wednesday, hopes to fill a blank spot.

First region-wide TV news service since the 1990s, when Yugoslavia dissolved, starts broadcasts on Friday.

Thousands of people from the town of Veles, including the mayor, joined a protest on Wednesday against the announced reopening of a smelter that for years blighted people's lives - and which many hold responsible for high local cancer rates.

Minister pledges to get to the bottom of allegations that adoption officials have been effectively selling off babies for large fees.

The Greek crisis means it is unmotivated to hold talks aimed at resolving the name dispute, according to Macedonian foreign minister Nikola Poposki.

Macedonia wants to organize a prestigious basketball tournament that is a qualifier for the 2012 London Olympics, but it is not clear whether it has the money.

The high-profile murder trial of the former policeman accused of killing Martin Neskovski on June 6 began in court on Wednesday.

Croatia and Macedonia have signed an extradition agreement as part of a wider regional plan to prevent citizens holding dual citizenship from fleeing to another country to avoid prosecution at home.

Macedonia’s Parliament has made public its conclusions on the proposals outlined in the latest European Commission progress report.

A Macedonian mayor has drawn criticism from police and NGOs for calling for 'moderate' firing of guns to be allowed at wedding ceremonies.

The Nansen Dialogue Centre Skopje is this year’s winner of the “Max van der Stoel Award” for promoting integrated education and ethnic cooperation in Macedonia.

Almost half of all Macedonians oppose any change of their country’s name to satisfy Greek objections, a recent poll suggests.

Macedonia’s combative Prime Minister has renewed his criticism of what he describes as Brussels' one-sidedness in the long-running 'name' dispute with Greece, saying it will prove counter-productive.

Rights groups are concerned by the unintended consequences of a government plan to publish the names, addresses and pictures of convicted paedophiles who have since been released.

The Mayor of Skopje says the city is actively planning construction of a tramway system costing about €140 million, which could be up and running "in a few years".

Opposition takes Nikola Gruevski's 'poor preparations' to task for failed census, while government parties say it is better to scrap census now than collect incorrect data.

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has rebuffed criticism from the European Commission as counterproductive, blaming most of his country's problems on Greece.

European Parliament rapporteur on Macedonia, Richard Howitt has warned that Macedonia should not be overlooked, after the country received a recommendation for EU accession talks for the third year running.

Four days before the Macedonian census deadline, all members of the National Census Commission have filed irrevocable resignations, saying the nationwide operation is in ruin.

Macedonia is weighing possible scenarios following the decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague in its case against neighbouring Greece.

Austrians consider Croatia the most desirable EU candidate state alongside Iceland and opt against membership of all other Western Balkan countries, a poll by the NGO, Austrian Society for European Policy, OeGfE, has shown.

Firefighters have contained the blaze that caught the roof of the building of the Macedonian National Theatre, part of the Skopje 2014 project.

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha will pay an official visit to Macedonia by the end of October, MIA reports from Tirana.

One in three public tender procedures are annulled before contracts can be issued in Macedonia, new figures from a Skopje-based non-governmental organisation indicate.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan is paying an official visit to Skopje, aimed at closening the already warm political and economic links between the two countries.

Ali Ahmeti, the head of the largest ethnic Albanian party in Macedonia, has tried to clear up confusion over eligibility for the country’s imminent census after local Albanian NGO’s and the State Census Commission presented conflicting stances regarding Albanian emigrees.

Popularity ratings for President Gjorge Ivanov have risen by 8 per cent over the past year, according to a survey conducted by the Institute for Political Studies, IPIS, in Skopje.

Members of Macedonia’s opposition have challenged the government to provide bills for the independence day celebrations that the government says cost just €90,000.

An agreement has been reached in Sarajevo on the division of diplomatic properties of the former socialist Yugoslavia.

In a dramatic game Macedonia on Sunday lost the battle for third place at the EuroBasket Championship in Lithuania but its players are still set for hero’s welcome back home.

On Friday Macedonia’s national basketball team will face European champions Spain in the Eurobasket 2011 tournament that is being held in Lithuania. Hopes are high as the team has moved from underdog to favourite in the world competition.

The Macedonian government has paid for 150 supporters to travel to Lithuania so they can cheer on Macedonia's basketball team during a deciding game this evening

Serbia and Macedonia are expected to sign an intergovernmental agreement in October that will enable citizens of the two countries to cross their shared borders with only personal identity cards, according to media reports citing Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic.

More than one hundred thousand Macedonians attended an independence day celebration in the capital city’s main square last night, although opposition parties and foreign dignitaries were absent at the event.

String of wins in European basketball tournament - above all over Greece - turns teams into national heroes.

Global human rights organisation Amnesty International has asked the Macedonian government to reverse a recent decision which grants war crimes suspects immunity from legal proceedings.

Serbian President Boris Tadic will hold separate meetings with his Croatian, Montenegrin and Macedonian counterparts on Thursday, ahead of the ninth UNESCO summit of Southeast European heads of state.

Police officers have been assigned to watch over primary and secondary schools in Macedonia in an effort to curb an upswing in violent knife-crime among children.

A top archeologist, Pasko Kuzman, has come up with a plan to solve the dispute over the ancient fortress in the Macedonian capital, which has threatened to reignite ethnic tensions in the country.

Balkan countries are roasting under a heat wave, with wild fires threatening urban and rural parts of Macedonia and record temperatures expected in Croatia and Serbia.

More than 30 Macedonian civil society groups have joined together to demand the withdrawal of a new law which would usher in Communist-style youth organisations.

Reporters Without Borders has said it fears for the future of free media in Macedonia following a disastrous summer of closures.

The leader of Macedonia’s largest ethnic Albanian party has recommended international diplomats step in to help the country resolve its long-standing name dispute with neighbouring Greece.

Macedonia is today marking the ten year anniversary of the Ohrid Peace Accord but some observers warn the country could yet stray from its path.

Macedonia’s Ministry of Labour is investigating a claim from the head of a union for journalists that her recent sacking from a local television station was illegitimate.

Macedonian politicians and dignitaries are expected to attend the ten year anniversary of the 2001 Ohrid Peace Accord on Saturday

Vegetables, wheat and oils are among the most popular products being imported to Kosovo from other countries following the country’s ban on imports from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The leader of the largest Albanian party in Macedonia has warned that future challenges to Kosovo’s borders could lead to uncontrollable unrest in Macedonia.

The so-called lustration commission, a controversial body tasked with rooting out former Communist-era spies, will soon get a new head, as demanded by the opposition.

Statues of 60 former world statesmen, including Britain's wartime leader Winston Churchill and American civil war leader Abraham Lincoln, are to find a place on top of the new Macedonian Foreign Ministry.

After a court in Skopje pronounced A1 TV bankrupt on Tuesday, journalists said farewell to the doomed-looking station in a news show.

Parliament on Wednesday is expected to formally vote in the new government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

Authorities in Macedonia are advising caution after robbers in three recent cases victimized people by posing as policemen.

The fate of Macedonia’s main pro-opposition TV station, A1, will be determined next week in the Skopje court.

Quick approval of the new government of Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski is expected when parliament votes on July 27.

There have been no secret talks between Greece and Macedonia to resolve the longstanding “name dispute” between the two countries, European Parliament Member Eleni Koppa has told Deutsche Welle.

After reportedly striking a deal with his ethnic Albanian partner party on war crimes cases, Nikola Gruevski is expected to present his new government to parliament on Thursday.

Presidents of four Balkan nations are forging stronger bonds between their countries in a regional meeting underway in Ohrid, Macedonia.

Balkan countries are roasting under a heat wave, with temperatures over 30 degrees for a third day in a row, causing deaths and increasing the risk of wildfires.

Regional leaders are strengthening extradition agreements to prevent citizens holding dual citizenship from fleeing to another country to avoid prosecution at home.

The European Stability Initiative, ESI, says measures taken to curb the number of asylum seekers from Macedonia and Serbia are proving ineffective.

Macedonia is soon to sign bilateral extradition treaties with Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro, which are expected to halt the practice of individuals abusing their dual citizenship to escape justice.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, has warned that lastweek’s closure of three pro-opposition newspapers for alleged unpaid taxes has virtually eliminated criticism of government from the press.

Names of several prominent local politicians and diplomats are in play for successors of the long standing Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki who stayed in the office for five years.

Tuvalu, a small island nation that could disappear into the Pacific in the next half-century, becomes the 132rd country to recognized Macedonia under its constitutional name.

A general strike in Greece has not prevented thousands of Macedonian and Serbians from starting their summer holidays in the Mediteranean country.

President Gjorge Ivanov on Tuesday entrusted Nikola Gruevski with a fresh mandate to form a new government after his VMRO-DPMNE party won the June 5 elections. He has 20 days to complete talks and present a new team to parliament.

The Macedonian parliament held its first session after the June 5 national poll, despite angry protestors surrounding the assembly building demanding accountability over the fatal police beating that happened on election day.

Locals shed tears of joy as giant statue is placed on pedestal in capital. EU officials are less enthusiastic.

Police on Wednesday rejected protesters' demands for the resignation of the police minister Gordana Jankuloska following the fatal police beating of a young man.

Athens warns that attempt to ‘usurp Greek history’ will impact on Macedonia’s hopes of joining NATO and EU

The controversial bronze statue of the ancient warrior king Alexander the Great arrived early Tuesday morning at the main square in the Macedonian capital, Skopje.

The EU said on Thursday that Serbia and Macedonia "have made some progress" in cutting down on asylum seekers, calming fears that bloc would propose a temporary suspension of the visa-free regime.

About 1,000 people gathered in downtown Skopje on Wednesday evening to protest the fatal beating of a young man by a police officer on Sunday.

Several hundred protestors gathered in downtown Skopje on Tuesday to express their outrage over the death of a young man who died after being beaten by a policeman on Sunday.

Macedonia’s early general elections were competitive, transparent and well administered throughout the country, the OSCE/ODIHR monitoring mission to Skopje said at a press conference on Monday.

Macedonia’s ruling VMRO DPMNE party has declared victory in Sunday's general elections, claiming they have won almost half of the seats in the parliament.

Election will determine the fate of the government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski after five years in power.

Some members of Macedonia’s largest federation of trade unions are unhappy that their leader took part in the election campaign of the ruling party of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

Voters are being offered new web-based tools to help them keep track of politicians’ promises and the degree to which they fulfilled them.

Macedonians are in the dark about the likely result of the June 5 general election because the heavily politicized polling agencies are making startlingly different predictions.

EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton has appointed Peter Sorensen as head of the bloc's delegation to Bosnia, transferring him from his current post in Macedonia. 

Current coalition between Nikola Gruevski's VMRO-DPMNE party and the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, is on course to win the June 5 elections, a poll shows.

The election campaign of the ethnic Albanian parties for the upcoming snap poll focuses on improving the community's position in the country, analysts say.

The European Commission proposed on Monday a mechanism that would allow the EU to suspend the visa-free regime for certain states under "exceptional" circumstances.

Macedonia’s most prominent media mogul and owner of A1 TV, Velija Ramkovski, arrived in court on Monday to face charges of large scale financial crimes.

As the country prepares for the June 5 elections, the police guarding the polling stations are getting lessons in good manners. Frowning, smoking and drinking beer in cafes is undesirable.

Police Minister charges election commission head with political partiality, after he refused to consider a police letter detailing the crime records of various opposition poll monitors.

Posters and fliers warning that "the Judgment Day" is coming on May 21 have cropped up all over Macedonia, prompting police to bring in two persons for questioning.

Macedonia's main opposition party has asked Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to step down from his post if his party wins the June 5 early elections.

Leaders of the 30 largest parties on Thursday signed a Code of Conduct for Free and Fair Elections aimed at relaxing the atmosphere before the June 5 polls.

Public Prosecutor pledges to investigate recordings that apparently show the government is bullying civil servants into providing voters for the ruling party at the forthcoming elections.

Macedonia's opposition calls for a thorough investigation after local TV reporters raised suspicions of a government scheme to secure votes at the forthcoming June 5 early elections.

Lagging behind in the polls, opposition Social Democrats are pledging to loosen tight anti-smoking laws in a bid to win over the country's many smokers.

The number of Macedonians living abroad who have expressed a wish to vote on June 5 is far smaller than was predicted.

Politicians have until midnight Thursday to submit candidate lists for the June 5 early elections to the State Electoral Commission.

Balkan states remain in the partly free category in a major assessment of media freedom in the world in 2010 carried out by Freedom House.

The international monodrama festival in the southwestern Macedonian town of Bitola will feature performances by actors from eight countries.

Macedonia's leadership is failing the people and pushing the country away from EU and NATO membership, says former US ambassador to NATO and Macedonian expert.

Macedonia's main opposition Social Democrats have chosen Radmila Shekerinska as the party's candidate for prime minister, as the country prepares for June 5 elections.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov heads to Macedonia on Wednesday for a one-day visit to discuss boosting bilateral ties and economic relations, especially in the energy and investment sectors.

Amid opposition fears of election fraud and violent incidents, the Macedonian police has formed a special headquarters tasked with securing the June general elections.

More than 4,000 monitors are expected to follow the June 5 early elections in Macedonia amid opposition fears of possible poll fraud.

As Macedonia's June 5 general election approaches, parties are busy turning to the internet to reach voters - no surprise now that one-third of the population have profiles on Facebook alone.

Although it took place halfway across the globe, Japan’s earthquake disaster has triggered an unprecedented rush on property insurance in Macedonia.

Macedonia needs to boost its reform process and reach a name agreement with Greece in order to avoid slowing down its EU bid, the head of the European Commission said during his visit to Skopje.

While repeating their call for the start of accession talks with Macedonia, deputies in the European Parliament voiced concern on Thursday over the current political situation in Skopje.

The European Parliament on Wednesday and Thursday will discuss and vote on a draft resolution on Macedonia's progress towards EU membership.

Very few former state officials and politicians have submitted official statements declaring that they did not collaborate with the secret police, as the lustration process in Macedonia nears a deadline.

Authorities in Kyustendil discover 735 Macedonians pretending to live there, drawing attention to phenomenon of Macedonians taking out Bulgarian citizenship.

The formation of a new ethnic Albanian party, led by the charismatic Rufi Osmani, may come too late to pose a real threat to the established players in the upcoming early elections, local observers say.

Macedonia replies to the Greek arguments on Monday in its case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Greece’s legal team on Friday resumes presentation of counter-arguments to the Macedonian suit before the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

Despite high hopes for a deal on an election date, Thursday’s meeting of Macedonian political leaders ended without agreement.

Amid global concerns caused by Japan’s nuclear incident, Green party says Macedonia should abandon all plans to build a nuclear power plant.

Skopje is closely following allegations that Slovenian MEP Zoran Thaler agreed to offers of cash in exchange for amending laws, as the European deputy in charge of Macedonia announces his resignation.

Concern grows in Macedonia over claims that patients from neighbouring Kosovo will pay no more than locals for cancer treatment.

Recent strident remarks directed towards EU and US representatives reflects government's growing impatience of international criticism, observers believe.

As Japan continues to feel aftershocks in the wake of a massive earthquake, embassies from the Balkan region have begun making efforts to contact their citizens living in the Asian country.

The Holocaust Memorial Centre of Jews from Macedonia officially opens on Thursday in the capital Skopje.

Local observers and opposition parties question country’s readiness to organise diaspora voting at the early elections that may take place in May or June.

Macedonia will fast-track the appointment of new governor of the national bank, in an attempt to fill the role before the forthcoming elections.

Macedonia may soon join neighbouring Albanian and Serbia and postpone its head count, planned for April, as country readies for early elections.

Despite facing increasingly vocal criticism from the opposition, the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party would come out on top if elections were held now, a recent poll suggests.

After BBC services in Albanian finished on Monday, the Macedonian language service is getting ready to say goodbye - zbogum - to its loyal listeners on Friday

The court in the Macedonian city Ohrid has launched the trial in the case of the Ilinden boat sinking, in which 15 Bulgarian citizens died.

Only about 12 per cent of those in work can fill a minimal monthly basket of consumer goods, the Association of Macedonian Workers' Unions, SSM, says.

Former prime minister and former leader of the ruling VMRO DPMNE party heralds return to active political life in time for next elections.

The head of Macedonia's Electoral Commission resigned on Wednesday, amid political maneuvering between the government and the opposition about the date for the early elections that both blocs say they want.

Bulgarian planes have evacuated dozens of Balkan citizens from Libya on two flights from Tripoli on Wednesday, as foreigners flee violence in the country.

Government and opposition are at loggerheads over a date for the early general elections that both sides now say they want.

The leader of the opposition Social Democrats has accepted the prime minister’s call for early elections, though it is not clear they will reach agreement on a date for the polls.

Anti-Corruption Commission says it is powerless to probe possible corruption in commercials commissioned by the government.

Walk-out by ethnic Albanian and Turkish members of the commission adds to the list of headaches facing the crisis-hit head count, which is supposed to take place in April.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conveyed her concern about developments related to the rule of law in Macedonia to the country's Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski when the two met in Washington on Wednesday.

Authorities are worried that Sunday's clashes in the capital, Skopje, between ethnic Albanians and Macedonians may be repeated this weekend, as extremists on both sides use Facebook to summon supporters for a second round.

For the second time in less than a month, a Macedonian court has frozen the account of the country's most popular TV, A1, whose owner has been accused of financial crime.

A European Parliament draft resolution on Macedonia, seen by Balkan Insight, has anxious words over the state of media freedom in the country.

Athens and Skopje have failed to agree to a concrete name proposal, UN mediator Matthew Nimetz said after meeting with the two sides on Wednesday.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Thomas Countryman is due to arrive in Macedonia on Thursday, as Macedonian leaders struggle to solve the continuing political gridlock.

The government and the opposition failed to reach a deal to overcome the current political crisis when they gathered at a meeting of political parties hosted by President Gjorge Ivanov.

If the curbing of basic freedoms continues in Macedonia, the country may face an "Egyptian scenario" that could lead to the toppling of the government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, the opposition leader warns.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov has called on political party leaders to participate in a joint meeting on Monday, amid mounting international concern over the ongoing political crisis in the country.

Human rights activists are crying foul after a woman miscarries while being held in custody as part of the high profile investigation against the A1 TV boss Velija Ramkovski and his associates.

Governments across the Balkans have begun evacuating their citizens from Egypt, as unrest continues in the north African country.

Macedonia's ruling party has not yet considered calling early elections in the face of an opposition boycott of parliament, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski says.

Macedonia’s most popular private TV, A1, says it has garnered the support of some 130,000 people in its petition campaign to stay on the air.

Macedonia's popular A1 TV station has held its morning broadcast in sub-zero temperatures in front of the main government building, as it protests the court-ordered freezing of its bank accounts.

Constitutional changes, backed by parliament on Tuesday, pave the way for the signing of extradition agreements with several neighbours in the region.

The BBC World Service is expected to announce today that it will close its Macedonian, Albanian and Serbian language services, part of a series of cutbacks to its programming.

A government proposal to grant amnesty for homes and offices built illegally is generating discontent among some Macedonian mayors, who say the measure could leave their cities penniless.

Garbage floating south down the Vardar is further troubling the waters between Greece and Macedonia.

Main opposition party is considering whether to back striking tobacco growers who have announced more roadblocks and acts of civil disobedience.

The situation in front of the Macedonian Parliament in the evening hours remains tense, as thousands of striking tobacco growers prepare to spend the night on the street to continue their protest.

The trial in the case of the September 2009 sinking of the tourist boat Ilinden in Macedonia's Ohrid Lake, in which 15 Bulgarians drowned, has been postponed for a second time.

Macedonian human rights activists say they will sue the country’s main religious group, the Macedonian Orthodox Church, for spreading hate speech and slender against homosexuals.

Civil rights group urges political parties to clarify whether they support or oppose Church-led proposal to constitutionally ban gay marriage.

Several NGOs from Kosovo have launched a petition against a report by Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty that links top Kosovo officials to organ harvesting and organised crime.

Macedonian Orthodox Church leaders have condemned the decision by a Bulgarian court to free the priest Jovan Vraniskovski, who has been convicted of embezzlement in Macedonia.

A Bulgarian court has refused to extradite controversial Orthodox priest Jovan Vraniskovski to Macedonia, where he was convicted of embezzlement.

For the first time time in years, a survey has put the main opposition Social Democrats close behind the governing centre-right VMRO DPMNE.

A Serbian Orthodox priest, wanted for abusing church money in Macedonia, is expected to be released from a Bulgarian jail on Tuesday, despite requests for his extradition. 

The assets of media mogul Velia Ramkovski, including his pro-opposition A1 TV, remain unfrozen after the courts on Friday detained him for 30 days on serious financial crime charges.

Police late on Thursday seized A1 TV station owner Velija Ramkovski on suspicion of having committed serious financial crimes.

Only 29 per cent of Macedonian women are regularly employed and only 10 percent have senior jobs, a new survey shows.

As Macedonia marks one year since the borders of the EU opened for tourist travel, many citizens have left the country permanently to seek asylum in the EU, while others say that they can't afford a trip abroad.

Broadcasting Council proposes changes to the election law in order to tackle the shady marriage of politics and media in election campaigns.

Macedonian lawmakers on Tuesday night rejected an opposition motion calling for the dissolution of parliament and early elections.

The head of the Skopje Appeals Court, at risk of losing his post over a controversial ruling, claims that he has been pressured by Macedonia's Justice Minister Mihajlo Manevski.

Academy of Sciences and Arts is searching for new ethnic Albanian academics to fill the empty places in the editorial team tasked with preparing a new edition of the much fought-over tome.

The executive committee of the ruling VMRO DPMNE party dismissed an opposition initiative for snap polls at its meeting late Wednesday night.

Locals in flood-affected areas say authorities are not doing enough to protect them from an almost annual occurrence.

The Journalists Union of Macedonia will campaign for collective agreements in the workplace as part of a broader struggle to improve workers' pay and conditions.

Macedonians are divided along ethnic lines in their views on the European Union’s policy towards their country, an opinion poll commissioned by a local newspaper shows.

Ruling party official's verbal assault on the EU ambassador will only harm the country's European prospects, opposition says.

One in every two toys on sale in the country may be hazardous, a group says.

Several hundred people gathered at a rally in the centre of the Macedonian capital Skopje on Saturday night in support of the A1 TV station, which claims it has been a victim of the ruling party’s attempt to shut it down.

Instead of becoming more liberal as their country moves towards EU accession, Macedonians appear to be moving in the opposite direction.

A former Serbian intelligence operative named as the forger in Macedonia’s “spy file” case has denied any connection with the controversial documents.

A majority of Macedonians believe they lived better during the country’s communist period, a recent survey from a Skopje-based think tank finds.

Bulgarian court forbid departure from the country to Jovan Vraniskovski, a renegade Macedonian Orthodox priest who defected to the Serbian Church and was convicted of embezzlement.

Balkan residents are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet and remain pessimistic about their countries’ and their own economic recovery, an annual Gallup poll released on Wednesday finds.

New survey shows that most Albanians in the Balkans dream of being united into one state, though few expect this to happen any time soon.

Hundreds take to streets of the capital to demand a more open society.

Rights activists threaten protests if officials ignore their petition, which urges an end to the practice of referring to homosexuality as an illness in schoolbooks.

While the European Commission blames Kosovo for not doing its homework, others say EU states’ immigration worries were the real reason why Kosovo failed to make progress on visa liberalisation.

Parliament mulls changes that will allow extradition to and from Macedonia of wanted persons who have used dual citizenship to evade justice.

The editor of a national daily is accusing the government of hounding him because of his criticism of official policies.

The European Commission's 2010 annual progress report on Macedonia is more critical than in 2009, but the Commission does not revoke last year's recommendation for the start of EU accession talks with the country, according to a draft seen by WAZ EU Observer.

Macedonia says it cannot investigate reports that ethnic Albanian officials spied for Serbia in the 1980s and 1990s until Belgrade forwards original copies of the relevant secret service files.

The head of Macedonia's Lustration Commission confirmed today that it has received a file alleging that a prominent Albanian leader was a Serbian spy, and that it is now up to the secret services to verify the file's authenticity.

Macedonian police are monitoring the work of several local travel agencies, as EU diplomats warn that the new wave of asylum seekers from Macedonia could threaten the country's visa-free regime.

Macedonia’s Sanitary and Health Inspectorate, in charge of inspecting the quality of consumer products, says it will look into allegations of toxic goods being sold in stores across the country.

Three high ranking members of the junior government party, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, including one government minister, face accusations that they served as spies for the former Yugoslav secret services.
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Macedonia's opposition Social Democrats, SDSM, on Monday evening staged the first in a series of planned anti-government protests and launched their bid for snap polls in the country.

With less than one month left before the European Commission publishes its annual progress report on Macedonia, the country’s parliament is rushing to pass necessary reform bills in an effort to secure a positive report.

Macedonia would need to spend an entire annual state budget, some EUR 2.3 billion, in order to meet EU standards in environmental protection, the European Union's ambassador to the country, Erwan Fouere, said.

Skopje’s central municipality continues to ignore the appeals by the country’s Islamic Religious Community, IVZ, for the construction of a mosque in the city centre, the IVZ says.

Macedonia’s main opposition party has announced a series of protests across the country to voice its discontent with the centre-right government.

The EU ambassador to Macedonia, Erwan Fouere, has urged the government to stop verbal attacks against the country’s Constitutional Court.

The opinion poll ratings of Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, leader of the ruling centre right VMRO DPMNE, have plunged below 20 per cent for the first time since 2005, according to the latest survey by the International Republican Institute, IRI.

A Macedonian journalist arrested for failing to pay his fine in a controversial slander case has avoided jail after his colleagues settled the payment.

Heart disease accounted for almost 60 percent of the deaths in Macedonia last year, Health Minister Bujar Osmani has disclosed.

Four history books for teachers aimed at encouraging students to think critically about painful historical issues in the Balkans have been presented in Belgrade.

Greece's veto of Macedonia's EU and NATO membership amounts to a trade embargo, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov told the UN General Assembly.

Macedonia will not follow the French practice of expelling Roma refugees from its territory, country’s Minister of Social Policy Xhelal Bajrami has said.

The UN mediator in the long-standing name row between Macedonia and Greece did not extend any new proposals aimed at resolving the issue during a meeting with Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov.

Former Macedonian prime minister Vlado Buckovski has denied being involved in an alleged bribery scandal involving Deutsche Telecom and Macedonian and Montenegrin officials.

Nearly a third of Macedonians are now living below the poverty line, the country’s State Statistical Agency has disclosed.

A final solution to the Athens-Skopje “name” row should now be decided, European Commission's President Jose Manuel Barroso has said.

Macedonian journalists have staged a symbolic protest on the country’s Independence Day to raise public awareness about their eroding freedoms and poor working conditions.

A man has been arrested in relation to the deaths of three men in a machine gun attack in a restaurant in Skopje’s residential area of Aerodrom.

UN mediator Matthew Nimetz is to meet Macedonia's delegation to the UN General Assembly in September to discuss the "name row" with Greece, Macedonia's Foreign Minister has confirmed.

The Greek and Macedonian governments have denied newspaper claims that a fresh proposal has been made by UN mediator Matthew Nimetz for a solution to the long-standing Athens-Skopje “name” row.

Closer ties with Russia can not replace Macedonia’s strategic goals of joining EU and NATO, local observers say after Skopje hinted it might soon ink friendship deal with Moscow.

Balkan countries are expected to be among nations discussed in Italy by an international forum focussing on fighting organised crime.

Seven men arrested in connection with the death of a Serbian tourist in the Macedonian lake town of Ohrid have been placed in detention.

Macedonia’s Government, the Employers' Organisation and the country’s biggest workers' unions have agreed to form an Economic and Social Council, a three-party body billed as a key means of establishing better social dialogue.

Two of four giant bronze lion statues costing €2.5 million have been erected in the Macedonian capital - as the country struggles with the economic crisis.

Macedonia's Education Ministry had ordered an urgent review of school textbooks amid widespread criticism of their quality - just a week before the start of the new academic year.

Landlocked Macedonia is considering forming a merchant navy.

A group of Macedonian journalists are preparing a so-called “journalist’s uprising” on their country’s independence day against what they say is blatant political oppression of the freedom of speech.

A primary school textbook which sparked controversy over its depiction of pop stars and celebrities as distinguished cultural workers is to be rewritten, the Macedonian Education Ministry has said.

A Macedonian and his Kazakh bride have taken their marital vows in full diving equipment in the waters of the famous Lake Ohrid, in the first such wedding of its kind in Macedonia.

Macedonia on Friday marks the ninth anniversary since the signing of the Ohrid Framework Accord which ended the 2001 armed conflict between Macedonian security forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents.

People across Macedonia, Albania and Bulgaria have been warned to be alert to a possible spread of the West Nile Virus, despite the fact there have been no reported cases.

Macedonian PM Nikola Gruevski is harming the image of the country by tolerating anti-NATO and EU statements from within his own ranks, the main opposition party has said.

Hostilities between the leaders of the Macedonian Islamic Religious Community, IVZ, and its breakaway Imam, Ramadan Ramadani, will halt during the holy month of Ramadan, both sides have said.

Macedonia's Commission for the Verification of Facts is demanding the country's Lustration Law, aimed at preventing former communist-era secret police informants from holding public office, be changed to allow its officials direct access to state-held files.

German media group WAZ is prepared to pull its operations out of the Balkans, the company's director has told German daily newspaper Handelsblatt.

No progress has been made in the Athens-Skopje name spat despite the more frequent contacts with the UN mediator in the dispute, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has said.

The vast majority of Macedonian citizens want to see their country become a member of the European Union, EU ambassador Erwan Fouere told media in Skopje in reaction to a recent opinion poll showing support for the EU is falling in the country.

The fifth regional summit on energy, investments and economic development kicks off on Thursday in the coastal Croatian town of Dubrovnik with the participation of leaders from the region and Europe.

Macedonia must boost reforms in several areas if it hopes not to spoil last year’s positive report from the European Commission that contained a recommendation for the start of its EU accession talks.

Macedonia’s unemployment rate of 33.8 percent is the highest in the world, according to a study conducted by the well-known internet economic portal 24/7 Wall St.

There are no secret name talks between Macedonia and Greece, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou told media after meeting in New York with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Macedonia will probe allegations of possible mass graves on its territory containing civilian victims from the 1998-1999 conflict in Kosovo, Macedonia’s Foreign Ministry told Balkan Insight on Thursday.

There has been renewed speculation that Greece and Macedonia are close to solving their name spat by using  a name that includes Macedonia’s biggest river, Vardar, as a geographical determinant to distinguish the state from the Greek northern province, Greek media say.

The EU should not postpone extending a start date for Macedonia’s accession talks, ten members of the European Parliament have said in a letter addressed to EU officials and the bloc's member states.

Macedonia's Health Fund is empty and the current effort to balance the state budget will not change the situation, the spokesman for the Fund Dean Gacov told media on Friday as he announced his resignation.  

The Macedonian government on Thursday decided to cut the state budget by some €76 million.

Macedonian leaders should focus on the reward their country will get from reaching a name compromise with Greece, US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said in an interview for Voice of America.

The central Macedonian town of Veles has been raising funds for its lawsuit against the state, which it claims turned a blind eye to pollution from a lead and zinc smelter that operated for 30 years on the outskirts of the town.

A concert dubbed “Our Name Is Macedonia” will be staged on Tuesday afternoon in Skopje’s main “Macedonia” square in support of the country’s official name.

It appears increasingly likely that Macedonia may once again fail to get a start date for its EU accession talks when the bloc's member states meet at the June 17 European Council summit in Brussels, local analysts say.

A third statue has been erected in Skopje’s main square as part of the controversial project for the revamp of the Macedonian capital, dubbed “Skopje 2014”.

Macedonian state debt in the next three years should remain below 30 per cent of GDP, while the total public debt should be no more than 40 per cent of GDP, the country's lawmakers decided this week.

Paddy Ashdown, a British politician and former High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina, is reportedly being considered for a role as a European special envoy for the Balkans, while EU leaders have said that such a post is not currently under discussion.

Senior Balkan and EU leaders are meeting in Sarajevo today at a summit which many hope will help dispel fears of EU enlargement fatigue and encourage the regions' leaders to re-commit to reconciliation and the difficult reforms required for EU integration.

Macedonia's judicial reforms are satisfactory, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said on Saturday at the cornerstone laying ceremony to mark the beginning of construction on a new Criminal Court building in Skopje.

Macedonia will make its first budget cut this year in June but has yet to decide how much and where the belt will be tightened, the country’s finance minster, Zoran Stavreski, announced.

European police need to integrate with policing efforts across the globe in order to face today's challenges effectively, INTERPOL leaders told delegates at the global police organisation's 39th European Regional Conference.

Once again, it’s time to dust off that sequined frock, hold back the irony and prepare for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

More than half of Macedonian residents think that their country should abandon the UN led name negotiations with neighboring Greece, a recent opinion poll shows.

Legislation and access to finance are the biggest problems for doing business in Macedonia, reveals a study on the business climate in the country.

A 58-year-old Skopje resident was killed Thursday morning and two others were seriously wounded shortly thereafter when an unidentified man opened fire on them in the capital.

As part of Macedonia's chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the country’s parliament on Thursday and Friday will host meetings of the Presidential Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, PACE.

Some 100 people gathered Wednesday afternoon in Skopje’s main square to protest the final verdict delivered today by the UN war crimes tribunal in the case of Johan Tarculovski. The court upheld the conviction and the 12 year prison sentence for the former Macedonian police officer.

The UN mediator in the Skopje-Athens name talks, Matthew Nimetz, has not yet decided on the timing of a new meeting with the negotiators of both countries, UN spokesman Ari Gaitanis said late Monday in a press release.

The EU still hopes that the Athens-Skopje name spat can be solved by the next meeting of EU ministers even though the time left is short, the head of the EU delegation to Macedonia Erwan Fouere said on Monday.

Museums across the Balkans kept their doors open into the wee hours of Saturday as they celebrated "The Night of Museums", an event held throughout Europe to celebrate International Museum Day.

Four campers were rescued by police helicopter on Sunday near the northeastern town of Kumanovo after spending the night surrounded by the raging waters of the river Pcinja, which flooded the surrounding area on Saturday.

Prime ministers of the Western Balkan`s countries noted on Friday that the economic crisis is over, but cautioned that the consequences of the global slump will weigh on the region's recovery.

Macedonia's Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska this Friday met her Kosovo counterpart Bajram Rexhepi in Skopje, following recent armed incidents near the border between the two countries.

The European Union is closely monitoring the situation in Macedonia following the incident near the village of Radusha close to the Kosovo border, unnamed high ranking diplomats in Brussels told Macedonian media.

US president Barack Obama expects a solution to be found to the Athens-Skopje name spat by this summer, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Stuart Jones said yesterday in Washington.

Greece filed a declaration against the use of the name “Macedonian Chairmanship 2010” at the start of the Macedonian presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, which began yesterday.

The government of Macedonia has launched an international campaign to boost its tourism sector, which will primarily aim to draw tourists from neighbouring countries.

The long lasting Athens-Skopje name dispute can be solved if there is political will, former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali said in an interview for Macedonian media.

The second world conference on Inter-Religious and Inter-Civilization Dialogue will kick off today in the Macedonian lake town of Ohrid.

Macedonia and Bulgaria should focus on the future, not the past, is the joint stand of the countries' foreign ministers, Macedonia’s Antonio Milososki and Bulgaria’s Nikolay Mladenov, who met in Skopje on Wednesday.

The first two of many statues to come as part of the controversial revamp project dubbed “Skopje 2014” were erected on Sunday in Skopje’s main square, surprising many due to their unannounced arrival.

An unknown group claiming to be the rightful representatives of the now officially disbanded National Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the large quantity of firearms found near the Macedonian border with Kosovo, and for clashing with Macedonian police.

Macedonian police on Thursday seized a large stash of personal firearms and explosives hidden in several bunkers in the mountainous terrain near the border with Kosovo. On Friday, the police reported that they had found an additional large cache of weapons, including sniper rifles, mortars, and missiles, in the same area, as their search continues.

Freedom House, a global watchdog that monitors the status of press and other freedoms around the world, released today its 2010 report on press freedom. Western Balkans states remain among those classified as partly free.

Albanian officials have approved Vele Trpevski as the new Macedonian ambassador to Albania, the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed. Trpevski’s nomination was met with controversy due to his young age and apparent inexperience in diplomatic work.

Macedonia will never accept a solution for the name spat with Greece that touches upon identity issues, Macedonian President Georgi Ivanov told media on Tuesday.

The term “Macedonian Chairmanship 2010” is the most adequate to describe Macedonia’s six month presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki told media.

Macedonia received a prestigious award from the World Bank on Sunday in Washington, which recognised the country as the third top reformer in the world last year.

Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister in Charge of EU Integration, Vasko Naumovski, is doing his job well, the country's prime minister told local media on Sunday. The prime minister was responding to a parliament motion for Naumovski's dismissal.

Sixteen Romanian gendarmes who worked for EULEX and were recently caught trying to smuggle large quantities of cigarettes and alcohol out of Kosovo, have been sent home.

Nearly 1300 hectares of arable land have been covered by rising waters in the region of Shkodra, in Northern Albania, after the Albanian Power Corporation started discharging water from its dams on the river Drin due to high level of rainfall. Flooding has also been reported in Serbia and Macedonia.

The Macedonian Parliament late on Monday voted down the no-confidence motion against Justice Minister Mihajlo Manevski tabled by the country’s opposition.

The foreign ministers of Serbia, Spain and Turkey, - Vuk Jeremic, Miguel Angel Moratinos and Ahemt Davatoglu, respectively - are scheduled to meet in Belgrade today to discuss regional cooperation and the EU integration of the Western Balkans.

Macedonia’s junior ruling party, the ethic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, has indicated that it is ready to revise the country’s controversial new anti-discrimination law and include provisions that are considered by many to be missing.

Amnesty International today wrote to the Macedonian authorities expressing concern that the Anti-Discrimination Law adopted by the country's parliament last Thursday failed to include provisions for the protection from discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The opposition Liberal Democrats, LDP, plan to file a no-confidence vote against Macedonia’s vice prime minister in charge of European affairs, Vasko Naumovski, blaming him for causing a setback in the country’s EU integration bid.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele has confirmed that he sent a letter to Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski with his concerns regarding the content of the country's new anti-discrimination law.

The speaker of the Macedonian parliament, Trajko Veljanovski, has called on the opposition parties to stop their boycott of parliament's weekly coordination meetings.

A train driver of the state-owned “Macedonian Railways” has been sacked two weeks after warning the public that the country's trains are not safe because of insufficient maintenance due to lack of funds.

The heads of Macedonia’s biggest political parties are set to meet today to once again discuss proposed changes to the constitution, in what the ruling party calls an effort to ensure greater independence of the judicial system.

Ever since Macedonia failed to join NATO in 2008 due to its “name” dispute with neighbouring Greece, a number of reforms to the Macedonian army have ground to a halt, local security analysts say.

The head of the junior government party had given a deadline to the Macedonian PM to solve the name spat with Greece - June 2010, local media cite party sources as saying.

The author of a disputed text published in the British newspaper The Sunday Times has told Balkan Insight that he did indeed speak with the head of the Macedonian Islamic Community, Sulejman Rexhepi, while Rexhepi's office has claimed that the leader did not speak with the journalist and did not make any claims about the control of Skopje mosques by radical Islamists.

Macedonia and Albania protested against the racist chants heard during the Greek military parade in Athens marking Greece's independence day, while the Greek ambassadors to Skopje and Tirana have apologised for the incident. Protests were also seen in the Kosovo town of Gjilan.

The UN brokered Skopje-Athens talks focus on the “name” issue alone. All other related debates, like the one on identity, can be misleading, the EU Ambassador to Macedonia told media on Wednesday.

ICTY will likely need more time than its mandate foresaw in order to finish its work, the UN General Secretary said in New York.

Macedonia opened its first embassy in Kosovo on Monday during a visit to Pristina by Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki.

Good neighbourliness and friendship are part of a draft treaty Bulgaria has offered to Macedonia.

The Slovenian parliament has adopted amendments on the law on the "erased", enabling thousands of people whose records were deleted in 1992 to apply for permanent resident status.

The European Union gives its full support for the establishment of a truth commission in the Balkans, according to the director of the European Commission's DG Enlargement Unit for the Western Balkans.

The UN mediator to the Macedonia-Greece “name” dispute Matthew Nimetz sounded a cautiously up-beat note at the start of his two-day visit to Skopje on Tuesday, despite muted expectations among political observers that his meetings will produce results.

A two-day conference on the legacy of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, ICTY, will began on Tuesday in The Hague.