Kumanovo

An incident at the weekend when Ali Ahmeti, the head of the junior ruling Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, narrowly escaped an attack by an angry mob in the town of Kumanovo could be the beginning of an outburst of discontent among voters, observers suggested.

Lawyers for 37 defendants accused of participating in the shootout with police that left 18 people dead in the northern Macedonian town of Kumanovo want a retired police general who is now head of the small opposition Dignity party, Stojance Angelov, and the head of the junior party in the country's ruling coalition, Democratic Union for Integration chief Ali Ahmeti, to appear as witnesses.

Ethnic Albanian opposition parties in Macedonia are organizing a protest march on May 9 in the northern town of Kumanovo, to mark the first anniversary of the bloody events there that led to the death of 14 citizens and eight policemen.

After several breached deadlines, Macedonia's warring parties on Friday reached an agreement on the appointment of several interim ministers and deputies from the ranks of the opposition.

The appointments were envisaged in the EU-brokered crisis agreement reached this summer that foresees several reforms being undertaken before early elections in April.

Seven individuals were arrested in Kumanovo suspected of aiding a criminal-terrorist group in the May clashes in the village of Divo.

Seven individuals were arrested within a comprehensive police action in the city of Kumanovo, Macedonia, and its vicinity on Thursday, all of whom are suspected of aiding a criminal-terrorist group in the May clashes in the village of Divo.

In a sign of growing disarray in the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, two leading figures, the MP and head of the party's general assembly, Zuluf Adili, and Gzim Ostreni, a former DUI secretary general, said they will form a new party called Unity.

Ostreni was one-time head of the general staff of the ethnic Albanian insurgents during the armed conflict of 2001.

Police conf irmed on Thursday that they have arrested nine people suspected of having links with Islamic State during raids in Skopje's districts of Gazi Baba and Cair, as well as in the towns of Tetovo, Struga, Kumanovo and Gostivar.

Macedonia's Interior Ministry has launched a special operation to arrest alleged Islamic State (IS) members.

One person was killed and another injured on Tuesday in an armed attack in the Divo neighborhood of the town of Kumanovo, Macedonia.

Tanjug is quoting TV Alfa as reporting that the victims are a man and his son, and that the suspect in the case has been named as B.N., who comes from Kosovo.

Bajram Limani, president of the local branch of the DUI party in Kumanovo, Macedonia, has surrendered to the police.

Limani is a suspect in the murder of Xhemail Rexhepi that took place on Thursday afternoon.