Greek President Karolos Papoulias and his Cyprus counterpart Demetris Christofias on Thursday expressed hope that calm will prevail in Egypt and Cairo’s stand over issues of national interest to Athens and Nicosia will not change.

Albania’s Socialist opposition is expected to hold simultaneous rallies in four Albanian cities on Friday, in an effort to put pressure on the government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and force early elections.

The EU risks being “overtaken by a racist mentality” against Turks, Turkey’s chief EU negotiator Egemen Bagis said on Wednesday (February 2nd) in an e-mailed statement of remarks in Poland. He was there on Tuesday to attend a commemoration for Holocaust victims at the former Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz.