Politics by country

Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos discussed the trilateral agreement on the EastMed natural gas pipeline with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a telephone call on Friday, after the latter cut his Athens trip short to deal with rising tensions in Iraq.

North Macedonia's parliament on Friday approved a new caretaker government under the country's former interior minister, after Zoran Zaev resigned as prime minister ahead of previously agreed early elections on April 12.

Under a deal made by major political parties, the caretaker government will be headed by Oliver Spasovski, who served in Zaev's center-left administration.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will depart Athens on Sunday for an official four-day visit to the United States, where he will meet with US President Donald Trump, Senators and diaspora leaders.

According to his office, he will have the following meetings, in local time:

Sunday, January 5

Two vehicles near the airport in Baghdad were hit in airstrikes and on that occasion, in addition to the second most powerful man in Iran, Qassem Soleimani, the top leader of the umbrella Shiite organization People's Mobilization Force (PMF) Abu-Mahdi al-Muhandis was killed.

The prime minister of North Macedonia submitted his resignation Friday, paving the way for a new caretaker Cabinet to be named in order to organize a snap election.

The Croatian presidential election race, which ends on Sunday, has been hit by controversy after a far-right singer, a far-right politician and a woman who helped hijack an American passenger plane all backed the incumbent conservative, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, against her rival, Social Democratic former prime minister Zoran Milanovic.

"The government has been working since 8.30 a.m., I have signed my resignation, in accordance with the agreement (for the elections) and the Law on Government. I believe that it will reach the Parliament very soon, which can then start the procedure for electing a transitional government", Zaev said.

The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), the American Hellenic Institute (AHI), B'nai B'rith International, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations have welcomed Thursday's signing of an agreement between Greece, Cyprus and Israel to build the EastMed subsea pipeline to carry natural gas from the eastern Mediterranean's gas fields to con

It's not just presidents and prime ministers who court controversy in the Balkans. Their advisers make headlines too.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the situation in Libya with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, in a telephone call, Turkey's Communications Directorate said on Jan. 2.

The talk came hours after Turkish parliament voted in favor of sending troops to the northern African country.