Albanian President Bamir Topi has set June 28 as the date of Albania’s parliamentary election, a crucial test of democratisation that will be watched closely by the European Union. Albania has yet to hold elections that meet international standards, with all six general elections since the collapse of communism in …

Kosovo police have arrested six people suspected of involvement in “high-profile” organised crime, a spokesman said on Tuesday. All suspects were Kosovo Albanians from the wider Mitrovica region, and were arrested for alleged involvement in racketeering, money laundering, and smuggling of fuel and other goods into Kosovo. Police spokesman Veton …

(Reuters) – Israeli forces pushed deeper into Gaza city Thursday and unleashed their heaviest shelling of its crowded neighborhoods in three weeks of war, stepping up pressure on Hamas as the Islamist group weighed a ceasefire. The Palestinian death toll topped 1,050, including many civilians. More than 4,000 have been …