Skopje - With hospitals lacking equipment and low on doctors who have been steadily moving abroad, Balkan countries fear the worst as they watch the new coronavirus ravage their far richer European neighbours.

Ohrid - Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia discussed setting up a common market at a summit Sunday, weeks after the European Union snubbed bids by Skopje and Tirana to open membership talks.

Skopje - North Macedonia's political leaders agreed on Sunday to hold early elections in April, after the EU blocked the start of membership talks.

Skopje - North Macedonia's prime minister on Saturday proposed a snap election after the EU blocked the start of membership talks, scrambling what had been the key policy goal of his administration.

Ohrid - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned against the "malign" influence of Russian trolls and Chinese investment during a brief tour through the Western Balkans on Friday.

Skopje - North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has apologised for using a gay slur while trying to defend his government against a corruption scandal that has ensnared justice officials.

Skopje - Two Russian pranksters famous for hoax phone calls have tricked North Macedonia's prime minister into seemingly agreeing to pay a bribe and accusing Russia of having "many spies" in the Balkans.

Skopje - Pope Francis called on the Western Balkans to embrace its patchwork of faiths and ethnicities during a visit to North Macedonia on Tuesday, saying "respect for diversity" is key to the region's efforts to integrate with Europe.

Skopje - Small and landlocked North Macedonia, which votes Sunday in a presidential election, recently made headlines when it changed its name to end a dispute with Greece.

Skopje - North Macedonia's pro-West candidate announced a victory over his nationalist-backed rival in a tight presidential run-off Sunday, giving a boost to a government that had divided the public by changing the country's name.

Skopje - When he first heard Pope Francis would visit North Macedonia, the birthplace of the world's most famous Catholic nun Mother Teresa, Marinko Pinjuh thought it was "fake news".

Skopje - North Macedonia goes to the polls on Sunday in a presidential run-off vote that will be a litmus test for the pro-Western government, which has warned low turnout could invalidate the vote and trigger a general election.

Skopje - North Macedonia's centre-left presidential candidate held a razor-thin majority over his right-wing rival after the first round of polls, election results showed Monday, with low turnout spelling potential trouble for the runoff.

Skopje - Less than half the electorate of North Macedonia participated Sunday in the first round of the first presidential election since the European country changed its name.The turnout of 41 percent of the 1.

Skopje - North Macedonia holds the first round of its presidential election on Sunday, the country's first vote under a new name as it struggles with enduring economic problems, cronyism and corruption.

Skopje - Greece's prime minister was greeted with hugs and selfies on Tuesday during his landmark visit to newly renamed North Macedonia, where the neighbours celebrated a new start after resolving their decades-long identity row.

Skopje - Greece's prime minister will on Tuesday pay a historic visit to newly renamed North Macedonia to join in marking the end of a decades-long identity row between the two countries.

Skopje - A former North Macedonia interior minister was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Friday for his part in orchestrating a mob attack on parliament in 2017, one of 16 people given jail terms over the violence.

Skopje - Five former senior officials, including an ex-premier and ministers, have been investigated for allegedly having plotted the 2017 attack on parliament in Skopje, judicial sources said Wednesday.

Skopje - At least 13 people were killed and more than 30 others injured when a passenger bus overturned on a highway in North Macedonia on Wednesday, health minister said.