United Nations General Assembly Electifferentiation of 14 New Members to Human Rights Council in Annual Rotation

WASHINGTON, October 15, 2025 – In a routine yet significant procedural vote at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the UN General Assembly on Tuesday elected 14 countries to serve on the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The...

Andalucía declares alert for West Nile Virus

Date Published: 15/10/2025 A Culex pipiens or common house mosquito A health alert has been declared in several municipalities in Andalucía, after it was confirmed that West Nile Virus (WNV) is circulating in Culex mosquitoes captured there. The...

Waterways in the lakes of Western Macedonia: A new chapter for tourism and development

With the conclusion of the Program Agreement between the Region of Western Macedonia and ANKO Western Macedonia S.A. – Local Government Development Organization, the way is opened for the licensing and operation of waterways in four landmark lakes...

News digest: Fico grabs the Orbán playbook (again) — Brussels, brace yourself

Article continues after video advertisement Article continues after video advertisement Greetings. Welcome to Today in Slovakia — where the culture minister’s idea of “cultural diplomacy” involves a dose of Florida sunshine, and Prime Minister...

Enlargement, von der Leyen encourages investment in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Urges governments on reforms

Brussels – Second stop on Ursula von der Leyen‘s Balkan tour. After Albania, yesterday evening (13 October), the President of the European Commission travelled to Montenegro. In Tivat, on the Adriatic coast, she met with the head of state, Jakov...

ODIHR Expands Hate Crime Training to Strengthen Justice Systems Across the OSCE Region

In Warsaw on October 13 2025, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) launched its updated hate crime training manuals for police and prosecutors, building on twenty years of hands-on practice across the OSCE region....

EuroHPC JU Selects AI Factory Antennas to Broaden AI Factories Initiative

Oct. 13, 2025 — The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking has selected 13 AI Factory Antennas to complement existing AI Factories. This step will strengthen national AI ecosystems and extend access to AI-optimized supercomputing resources across Europe. The...

The First Snow Blankets Countries Across the Region

The first snowfall of the season has been recorded in the countries of the region. Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and Montenegro were affected by snow and rain in some areas. Albania was hit by...

Inside Villa Park: Major boost, 'painful to watch' comment, boos response and Pickford praise

Donyell Malen scored against Finland for the Netherlands(Image: Icon Sport via Getty Images) Aston Villa are back in action this weekend against Tottenham Hotspur following the October international break. Unai Emery’s side will be targeting their...

Drought – Greece Declares Northern Region in State of Emergency

The Greek authorities have declared a state of emergency, effective until January 7, 2026, in the Municipal Community of Psarades in Prespes, located in the Western Macedonia regional unit in northern Greece, due to the severe effects of an...

Cooper to host talks on security and migration at Western Balkans summit

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...

Rat interrupts play as Wales’ World Cup hopes are dented by Belgium

Craig Bellamy previously said it was “challenging” working with a teenage Jérémy Doku at Anderlecht’s academy and the winger’s response was to make World Cup qualification harder for Bellamy’s Wales side as they were beaten 4-2 by Belgium last...

Early snow sweeps Balkans, disrupts travel

TIRANA, Oct. 2 (TemA) — Early-season snow and rain hit parts of Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia on Thursday, bringing the first snowfall of the year in higher elevations and prompting travel warnings. Albania canceled Adriatic ferry sailings...

EU's Von der Leyen says private sector deals could unlock 4 billion euros for Western Balkans

TIRANA (Reuters) -European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday private sector deals signed or in the pipeline could unlock about 4 billion euros ($4.63 billion) in new investment as part of an EU growth plan for the Western...

1 European Commission Supports 4iG Group's Digital Infrastructure and Subsea Cable Initiatives in the Western Balkans

Joint declaration signed today in Tirana at the EU-Western Balkans Investment Forum § At the EU–Western Balkans Investment Forum held in Tirana, 4iG Group signed a Joint Declaration with the European Commission and GÉANT, the pan-European...

Elbasan-Rrogozhina Road, a Cat. A Highway

The construction works for the new Elbasan-Rrogozhina road segment have entered an advanced phase, marking significant progress in the implementation of one of the most important infrastructure works of Corridor VIII. The segment is designed as a...

Will superuniversities save UK HE?

Change is coming Mergers are nothing new in English higher education. Successful examples include UCL and the Institute of Education in 2014 and, last year, City University and St George’s, University of London. But the deep financial challenges...

Wales sense 'special moment coming' before Belgium showdown

World Cup qualifier: Wales v Belgium Venue: Cardiff City Stadium Date: Monday, 13 October Kick-off: 19:45 BST Coverage: Live on BBC One Wales, BBC3 and iPlayer, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds, the BBC Sport website...

Craig Bellamy sure ‘special moment’ always waiting as Wales prepare for Belgium

Craig Bellamy is convinced that a “special moment” is always waiting and Wales hope to turn that into reality in their crunch World Cup qualifier against Belgium on Monday. The sombre mood that followed Thursday’s comprehensive 3-0 Wembley defeat...

Christina McKelvie's life honoured as SNP launch women's Holyrood mentor scheme

SNP conference will pay tribute to the former Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse MSP, who died in March this year at the age of 57 following a battle with secondary breast cancer. The tribute will be led by her partner Keith Brown, describing Ms...