Eurasia

Six hopefuls have so far confirmed they have raised enough support for formalizing their candidacy in Macedonia’s presidential election next month, local media said. The deadline for rising the required ten thousand signatures expires on Tuesday at midnight, the State Election Commission said. The candidates who already qualified are the …

BISHKEK  – Kyrgyzstan began moves on Wednesday to close a U.S. military air base in the former Soviet republic which is vital for supplying U.S.-led troops fighting in Afghanistan. The decision by a traditional Russian ally in Central Asia sends a tough signal and challenge to new U.S. President Barack …

MOSCOW  – Russia has embarked on a risky political game with new U.S. President Barack Obama by forcing its ally Kyrgyzstan to close a U.S. military base while keeping up overtures to establish warmer relations with Washington. The Manas air base near the capital of the Central Asian state is …

MINGORA, Pakistan  – Pakistani Taliban kidnapped 29 paramilitary soldiers and policemen Wednesday, police said, as the militants intensified their campaign against government forces. Security has deteriorated sharply in northwestern areas along the Afghan border as well as the Swat valley, where troops are struggling to stem spreading Taliban influence. In …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani invited his Turkish counterpart Koksal Toptan to attend a parliamentary conference to be held soon in Tehran where participants will discuss the recent crisis in Gaza. During a phone conversation with Toptan, Larijani said regional countries should call for more effective measures to …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Reliance Industries Ltd. is continuing to supply gasoline to Iran, the International Oil Daily said without saying where it got the information. Reliance shipped a 35,000 ton gasoline cargo each in December and January and 70,000 tons in October and November, the trade daily said. The company shipped …

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu will give a speech at the opening dinner of the 45th Munich Security Conference this Friday, a diplomatic coup for the country as it prepares to celebrate the first anniversary of its declaration of independence. Conference organisers bill the gathering of top leaders on the first …

Six hopefuls have so far confirmed they have raised enough support for formalizing their candidacy in Macedonia’s presidential election next month, local media said. The deadline for rising the required ten thousand signatures expires on Tuesday at midnight, the State Election Commission said. The candidates who already qualified are the …

Albania’s Muslim community has started a petition drive to appeal to all 57 members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, OIC, to recognize Kosovo’s independence. Only 9 out off 57 IOC member states have recognized Kosovo as a sovereign state. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on February 17 last …

Macedonian health authorities kicked off an emergency mass vaccination campaign on Tuesday to deal with an outbreak of mumps, a disease that affects mainly children. Mumps is a viral infectious disease that is spread from person to person through contact with respiratory secretions such as saliva, but can also be …