Irredentism

One of the biggest problems of this government is its managerial inadequacy. I am really struggling to think of an area where the government has achieved any success, or some important work.

A draft bill granting heterosexual and same-sex couples with cohabitation agreements the right to foster a child was approved by a parliamentary committee on Thursday with the support of two prominent opposition lawmakers who broke ranks with their party's official position.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) will need to discuss constitutional reform before it starts accession talks with the European Union, the country's prime minister, Zoran Zaev, said.

Turkish and Albanian Education Ministers on Wednesday attended a first Albanian class in the village of Halil Beyli at the Alija Izetbegovic Middle School near Izmir, where a significant portion of the residents have Balkan origins.

"We believe in an honorable compromise and… this means that you can't have everything you want," Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said on Friday following talks in Skopje with his counterpart, Nikola Dimitrov, on ongoing negotiations over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Macedonia’s adoption of a law extending the use of the Albanian language has drawn praise from neighbouring Albania and Kosovo – but also fury from nationalists at home.

Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said on Friday that German judicial authorities have relayed evidence to their counterparts in Greece suggesting that Greek state officials received bribes from rail firm Deutsche Bahn to influence contract decisions related to construction work at the Athens metro between 2003 and 2007. 

The prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Zoran Zaev, said in an interview published on Wednesday in the Financial Times that he is optimistic a solution to the name dispute with Greece will be reached soon, but reiterated that his country cannot accept the demand by Athens to change its constitution.

Kosovo has celebrated a decade since declaring independence, a moment of pride for its ethnic Albanian majority, although sovereignty remains fiercely contested by Serbia.

A decision to change the flag waving from a tall pole at  at the entrance to Pristina, at the place known as "the roundabout", has divided the public in Kosovo.

Up until Tuesday, the red and black Albanian national flag waved from the pole - but Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj then gave an order to replace it with Kosovo's own flag.