Latest News from Macedonia
Balkan Leaders Urge Better Security Cooperation
Ministers and diplomats from Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia, Hungary and Bulgaria gathered for two days in Pristina, Kosovo, to discuss matters of shared interest, especially security and migration issues.
The struggle against terrorism and religious radicalisation was among the main topics, along the migration crisis and security in the region.
Bulgaria Drops to 75th Place in FIFA Ranking
The Bulgarian men's national football team dropped three positions in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World ranking released on Thursday.
At present, Bulgaria occupies 75th position with 494 points, being between the teams of South Africa and Zambia.
There is no change to the first eighteen positions in the ranking as only 43 matches have been played since the start of the year.
Macedonia Special Prosecution Charged With Crimes
The Special Prosecution formed in Macedonia to investigate allegations of high-level wrongdoings and corruption has flatly denied allegations that its members have intimidated or molested potential witnesses and thus abused their office.
EU denies asking Serbia to permanently settle refugees
The EU has not asked nor is asking now to settle a part of Syrian refugees permanently in Serbia and Macedonia.
Such claims are inaccurate, EU sources told Beta agency on Wednesday.
UNICEF: Share Rises of Women, Children in Migration Flow to Europe
There are more children and women than adult males travelling along the so-called Balkan Route at present - for the first time since the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe started last year, UNICEF has said.
Children and women now make up nearly 60% of refugees and migrants crossing the border from Greece into Macedonia, UNICEF reported in a news note on Monday.
Macedonia Election Date Still on Table
"Early elections can be scheduled for the end of May or the beginning of June at the earliest, mostly because there is no time to check the electoral roll. The option of moving the election date to September is also on the table," the ambassador of an EU member country told BIRN under condition of anonymity.
A third of migrants sailing to Greece from Turkey are children: UNICEF
Children now make up over a third of the migrants making the perilous sea crossing from Turkey to Greece, the U.N. said.
For the first time since the start of the migrant crisis in Europe, there are also now more women and children crossing the border from Greece to Macedonia than adult males, according to U.N. children's agency UNICEF.
Bulgarians among Injured as Bus Tumbles Over in Macedonia
Twenty-six people, among them ten Bulgarian nationals, were injured as a Bulgarian-plated bus crashed in the area of Kriva Palanka, northeastern Macedonia, the Foreign Ministry in Sofia has said.
NGO: Some migrants could be kept in Serbia and Macedonia
According to Rados Djurovic, it is possible that some of Syria trust fund money will be used to keep a number of migrants in Serbia and Macedonia.
Macedonia's Greens See Red Over Deadly Smog
A coalition of 21 environmentalist groups and NGOs from across Macedonia is considering more protest marches as well as possible blockades of institutions and streets during February.
They accuse the authorities of failing to take relevant action against extremely high levels of air pollution in the capital and in several other towns.
Southeast Europe Urges Strict Control of EU External Borders at Sofia Meeting
In a joint statement, Southeastern European countries have callef for stricter border controls at the EU's external frontiers, Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov said on Tuesday.
Mitov's remark came as Bulgaria hosted an informal meeting of states that are part of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), which at the moment is rotationally chaired by Bulgaria.
EU "to use Syria fund money to keep migrants in Serbia"
The EurActiv website is reporting that EU's Syria trust fund money will also be used to "keep" refugees in Serbia and Macedonia.
The fund, set up in 2014, is used "to help Syrian refugees and overstretched host communities in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq," noted the report.
Macedonia's Tighter Borders Revive Migrant Smuggling
Macedonia's decision in November to bar so-called economic migrants from entry has revitalised old illegal migrant trafficking routes, local residents and police officers told BIRN.
Eurostat Data Reveal Scale of Macedonian Exodus
Analysis of data released by the EU statistics body Eurostat shows that in four years, from the start of 2010 to the end of 2013, 58,713 Macedonian citizens obtained permission to stay in or become citizens of EU countries.
The number is more than equivalent to the population of the fifth largest town in Macedonia, Tetovo.
Farmers spill milk and burn flags in protest of govt’s social security reforms (pics)
Protesting farmers in western and central Macedonia continued their mobilizations on Friday and planned more coordinated action heading into the next week with road blocks around the country.