Skopje

Macedonia is paying some 5.6 million euro to the construction firm Beton from Skopje to build a 32-metre-high complex dedicated to the famous nun on the capital's main square over the next 18 months.

The Eurobasket 2015 countdown between Greek players and their adversaries from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) proved a success for Greece but was marred by provocative acts by Skopje. They held flags carrying Greek smbols and yelled out “Macedonia” , lifting up a banner stating “Kick Hell-Ass” during the Greek national anthem.

In a shock ruling, the Skopje Criminal Court has ruled that compromising tapes of officials' conversations provided by the opposition cannot be used as evidence in court.

According to newly obtained public procurement data published in BIRN's Skopje 2014 Uncovered database, the price tag of the urban revamp has surged by an additional 40 million euro, surpassing a total cost of 600 million euro.

When the BIRN database was first published in late July, the cost of the project amounted to some 560 million euro.

Macedonian authorities have allowed migrants stranded at the train station in Gevgelija to travel to Serbia, and have provided a special train for this purpose.

Skopje made the decision in agreement with the UNHCR - although they previously intended to send the migrants back to Greece.

The government in Skopje on Thursday declared a state of emergency along its southern and northern borders due to a rising wave of migrants.

This creates the possibility of deploying the Macedonian army, Interior Ministry spokesperson Ivo Kotevski said.

Police conf irmed on Thursday that they have arrested nine people suspected of having links with Islamic State during raids in Skopje's districts of Gazi Baba and Cair, as well as in the towns of Tetovo, Struga, Kumanovo and Gostivar.

Macedonia's Interior Ministry has launched a special operation to arrest alleged Islamic State (IS) members.

Construction workers started laying the foundations on Wednesday for the giant observation wheel that will stand on top of a bridge on the Vardar River in central Skopje.

The Skopje 'eye' will have a diameter of 57 meters. Along with the pedestrian bridge on which it will stand, the entire structure will be 73 metres high.

While Athens and Skopje are working towards a solution on the long-standing name dispute between the two countries, the former foreign minister and current Vice President of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Antonio Milososki, is continuing to provoke Greece.