Republic of Macedonia

The latest report of the World Bank says Macedonia’s economy grew last year by 3.1 per cent of GDP, well above the regional average of 2.2 per cent growth in 2013.

EU supports improvements to Balkan railroads

Local and regional elections conducted alongside European Parliament polls on Sunday produced a mixed picture, with conservative New Democracy prevailing in most of Greece’s 13 regions but leftist SYRIZA clinching the key governorship of Attica, which is home to about a third of Greeks.

More bad weather after storm, quake hit Skopje

SKOPJE -- Macedonia will see more heavy rain on Monday, along with gale force winds and thunder and hail storms, forecasters have warned.

On Sunday, a strong storm hit the town of Skopje.

Heavy rainfalls have flooded areas of Macedonian capital Skopje, Sunday.

Apart from the rains, Macedonia saw significant amounts of hail and strong winds of 70m/s during the day, MINA news agency reports.

Macedonia's opposition Social Democrats, SDSM, have submitted a forensic analysis conducted in Serbia that they say proves that Gruevski's own voice can be heard on a telephone recording in which a man was discussing the sale of the bank.

The prosecution in Macedonia says it is still deciding whether to take this new alleged evidence into account, however.

Only 21,810 Bulgarians voted abroad in the European elections, as of 8 pm Bulgarian time.

The highest number of expat votes came from Spain, where 4,537 Bulgarians voted, Dnevnik reported. In Belgium, 2,190 people voted, 1,538 in Greece, 1,911 in Great Britain, 1,498 in France, and 1,571 in Germany.

BELGRADE - The Macedonian Opera and Ballet has decided to send the entire proceeds from the play Faust, staged as part the May Opera Evenings in Skopje on May 22, as aid for the people badly hit by the recent massive flooding in Serbia, the National Theatre in Belgrade has said in a release.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told Macedonian leaders in Skopje that the key condition for joining the alliance was solving the long-standing dispute with Greece over its name.

He was meeting Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and other leaders in Skopje on a regional tour aimed at underlining support for Balkan countries.

Macedonia to join EU Battle Group exercise

Macedonia will take part in the military manoeuvres Rampant Lion 2014 in Belgium.

A Macedonian mechanised infantry unit will participate in the EU Battle Group military exercise Rampant Lion 2014. [AFP]