Macedonia

BELGRADE - Forty percent of Serbian citizens expect the economic situation to improve, while in Croatia that percentage is 11, in Montenegro 26 and in Macedonia 37, according to a survey by Ipsos Strategic Marketing.

The survey states that 33 percent of Serbian people expect their personal financial situation to improve, the daily Politika has reported.

The International Monetary Fund, IMF, has launched a monitoring mission to Macedonia tasked with determining its ability to repay its external debt.

SEE Link, a joint-stock company established by the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE), the Macedonian Stock Exchange (MSE), and the Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE), is to launcha procurement procedure for an IT platform (ITP) which would facilitate order-routing.

Bulgarians' trips abroad increased by 9.7% in September, year-on-year, shows data of the National Statistics Institute (NSI).

The total number of foreign trips was 407 000.

Most significant rise was posted by trips to Greece - 19.6%, Turkey - 17.7%, Italy - 17.1%, Germany - 13.6%, Spain - 13.2%, the UK - 12.1%, Serbia - 7.8% and Macedonia - 7.7%.

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said on Sunday that only the country's appeals court could make the decision whether to ask the Federal Bureau of Investigation to become involved in any investigation of the disputed convictions in the multiple murder case that sparked ethnic unrest in Macedonia.

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NYON - The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body announced Friday that the abandoned Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania has the official score of 3-0 in favor of Serbia.

However, Serbia was also deducted three points by the UEFA's disciplinary committee and so neither side will get any points, the Football Association of Serbia (FSS) said in a release.

Macedonian journalists on Thursday laid 23 flowers in the city centre, at the spot where police obstructed a protest organized in support of Kezarovski one year ago.

The flowers symbolized 23 years of Macedonian independence and democracy.

Serbian and Macedonian minister discuss military cooperation

BELGRADE -- Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gašić and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Jolevski met in Belgrade on Wednesday.

They discussed "perspectives for improvement of the two countries' cooperation and regional cooperation."

Albanian PM wants Serbia "to recognize Kosovo"

TIRANA -- "The sooner Serbia formally recognizes that Kosovo will never again be its part, the better for Serbia and the region," says Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

In an interview for the AP, he added that he "firmly felt and believed" that "they have already recognized it without saying so."

With work on the first section now in progress, Macedonia has issued a project call for the third and final stretch of its long-awaited rail spur to Bulgaria.