Macedonia

The leader of the main opposition party in North Macedonia has said that if elected prime minister, he would refer to the country solely as "Macedonia," regardless of the 2018 Prespes Agreement that settled the dispute with Greece over the country's name.

Crews continued to battle a wildfire in the Pierian Mountains of the central Macedonia region for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday.

The firefighting operation comprises 36 fire engines manned by a crew of 150 members, along with nine teams of firefighters on foot, supplemented by two water-dropping helicopters.

A foreign national who was detained for the forest fire on Mount Ymittos, near Athens, has been returned to jail after his testimony.

The man was arrested on Saturday by the Fire Service's criminal unit on suspicion of arson near the Monastery of Agios Georgios Koutalas and led before a prosecutor.

His nationality was not disclosed.

The Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) is conducting a nationwide roadshow under the slogan "100 years of TEE: Designing the Greece of tomorrow for a century. And our journey continues." 

The roadshow begins traveling across cities in Central Macedonia, with the aim of bringing the celebration of TΕΕ's centenary closer to communities.

A 53-year-old man has appeared before a prosecutor in the northern city of Kavala on suspicion of conducting an illegal excavation at the archaeological site of Philippi.

Police said the man, equipped with a metal detector, earphones, a small carving tool and an improvised digging tool, conducted the illegal dig on the site on Wednesday evening.

As the arrival of warmer weather beckons, hotels lining the Bulgarian Black Sea coasts are gearing up to welcome the first wave of sea tourists, with an expected surge in visitors around the Easter holidays, coinciding this year with St. George's Day on May 6.

EU leaders on Thursday agreed to open talks with Bosnia on joining the bloc, though negotiations will only begin in earnest once the Balkan country has passed more key reforms.

"Congratulations! Your place is in our European family. Today's decision is a key step forward on your EU path," European Council head Charles Michel wrote on X, as leaders met at a Brussels summit.

The chairman of the Macedonia Foundation, Victor Stoyanov, has raised alarm over an incident involving the reported assault of a Bulgarian citizen, Yane Murgoski, by Macedonian police in Ohrid.

The new prospects and developments in the energy sector will be discussed at the Balkan Energy Forum organized by the Interior Ministry and TIF-Helexpo in Kozani, on May 23-25.

Five people believed to be members of a criminal organization that committed burglaries of homes and businesses, and also stole license plates in various areas of Macedonia and central Greece, were arrested on Wednesday.