Germany

Prospects for an "interim agreement" to achieve a loan extension before April 30 reportedly dominated talks between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Greek PM Alexis Tsipras on Thursday, as the two leaders met on the sidelines of an extraordinary EU summit in Brussels.

Optimists came out on top at the end of Thursday?s Athens bourse session, as the positive signs from the meeting between Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared to have give the negotiation process a boost. It was the second consecutive day of gains for the benchmark, although trading volume slipped below 100 million euros.

LJUBLJANA - Germany is very significant for the continuation of Serbia's European integration and ways of opening the chapters in the EU-Serbia accession talks as quickly as possible must be discussed together, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Thursday.

The Serbian foreign minister is attending a meeting of the foreign ministers of Brdo Process member states in Slovenia.

BELGRADE - The 70th anniversary commemoration ceremony of the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp will feature a special exhibition on the International Monument and its sculptor Nandor Glid at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site.

Nandor Glid (1924-1997) was a Serbian sculptor born in Subotica.

Great Albania threats to tear Balkan apart

Albanian terrorists, members of the UCK attacked Macedonian institutions in the last two weeks in Gosinac, small city near the Albanian border. Many experts stated that these attacks are reprise of the same scenario like the one in Kosovo. One thing is sure: the tensions between Macedonia and Albania are growing.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Greece has made enough compromises for a deal, a top government source has told Kathimerini.

The two leaders met in Brussels on Thursday on the sidelines of a European Union emergency summit called after Sunday's immigrant disaster.

UNESCO's Director-General and UN Secretary-General Irina Bokova and Ban Ki-moon will be travelling to Moscow to attend the Victory Parade on May 9, as announced by TASS news agency.

Deutsche Bank faced a multi-billion-dollar fine on April 23 as British and U.S. officials prepared to announce a legal settlement over alleged attempts at its London-based subsidiary to manipulate interest rate benchmarks. 

Istanbul and Ankara offer a variety of attractions this week, from concerts by German indie rock band The Notwist and American tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander to a food festival offering the different cuisines of Turkey. Istanbul's Miniaturk hosts activities for children

By Paul Taylor & Reinhard Becker

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was expected to press Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Thursday to move faster to agree detailed economic reforms crucial to unlock international bailout funds before Athens runs out of cash.