Macedonia

Migrants running out of options as borders remain closed

Migrants running out of options as borders remain closed

26 Photos

The decision by Macedonia to close its border to migrants last week has left thousands of people stranded at the Idomeni refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonia border. The closure, following the lead taken by neighboring countries, has effectively sealed the so-called western Balkan route, the main migration route that has been used by hundreds of thousands of migrants to reach countries in western Europe such as Germany. Humanitarian workers have described the conditions at the camp as desperate, which has been made much worse by recent spells of heavy rain.

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World Athletics Championships, International Aviation and Space Show, financial market gyrations | August 25

World Athletics Championships, International Aviation and Space Show, financial market gyrations | August 25

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The day in photos around the world.

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Violence in Macedonia

Violence in Macedonia

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KUMANOVO, Macedonia (AP) — An armed group battling Macedonian police over the weekend aimed to destabilize the country by attacking state buildings and public areas, the prime minister said Sunday. The attacks left at least 22 people dead, a top official said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski, who gave the death toll, called the attackers in the northern town of Kumanovo “terrorists.” He said police were still searching for other bodies but did not believe anyone from the armed group was still at large.

The 40 plus-strong group was targeting state institutions, sports events and shopping malls and was made up of well-trained fighters who had participated in attacks in the region and the Middle East, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski told reporters in the capital of Skopje.

“One of the aims of the group, at least, was to destabilize Macedonia,” Gruevski added.

The fighting comes as Macedonia is grappling with its deepest political crisis since its independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. The government and the opposition have accused each other of planning to destabilize the country to take or preserve power, and some analysts fear leaders on both sides are ready to provoke ethnic clashes.

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The kidnapping ordeal of an unlucky German tourist

The kidnapping ordeal of an unlucky German tourist

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Two years ago this weekend, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of Khaled El Masri, a German man who was held by police near his European vacation destination for having a name that was somewhat similar to one on a list.

He was then locked for months in a secret CIA prison without charges before being dumped on a roadside in a different part of Europe without explanation.

This gallery comprises a visual timeline of some countries, cities and places involved in his journey.


ADDITION: McClatchy published some additional updated information on El Masri’s current state of affairs on Saturday.


Some graphic scenes are described.

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