Macedonia

Last Saturday, on the shores of Mikri (Little) Prespa Lake, situated on Greece's northwestern border with Albania, a multitude of people celebrated well into the early hours of the morning.

The recent gathering of Western Balkan leaders along with top European Union officials in Athens, following an invitation from Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (on the 20th anniversary of a summit between the EU and Western Balkan countries in the northern port city of Thessaloniki) was naturally overshadowed by the previously unannounced presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelens

A senior US State Department official on Friday voiced hope that North Macedonia will be able to approve politically difficult constitutional changes that would help its bid to join the European Union.

Gabriel Escobar, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Balkan policy, said during talks in the capital Skopje that the US strongly backs the country's EU accession bid.

Vui stated that during yesterday's informal meeting of Western Balkan leaders, he did not agree with the part of the Declaration that talks about "a somewhat more effective implementation of sanctions against Russia," but he also mentioned that Serbia supports Ukraine on its European path.

With 70 votes "for", 47 "against" and not a single "abstention", the Macedonian deputies adopted the agenda of their 123rd meeting with a single item - the changes to include Bulgarians in the constitution, which should open the way to negotiations with the European Union.

Illegal parking and speeding are the offenses to which Greek drivers appear most prone to this summer. Indeed, one in four inspections by the Traffic Police found an infringement, with Crete leading the way.

There is a high risk of fire in nine regions of Greece on Tuesday according to the map released daily by the General Secretariat of Civil Protection, part of the Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ministry.

The Bulgarian Embassy in Greece on Saturday condemned the actions of a 35-year-old Bulgarian man who attempted to flee justice following his arrest for lowering the Greek flag at the passenger port in Kavala, saying his behavior had been "illegal" and "regrettable".

A 61-year-old woman from Serres that had been missing since July 30 was found dead on Friday. The body was located by a local near a stream in the area. Six firefighters and two vehicles retrieved the woman's body.

According to the Hellenic Police, there is no evidence of foul play in the death of the woman, who suffered from dementia.

The National Meteorological Service has issued a warning of wet and stormy weather expected in parts of western and northern Greece from Saturday afternoon to early Sunday, as the weather system "Petar" makes its way to the country's shores.