Makedonien|Mazedonien News

The governing body has confessed to accidentally ticking Vicente del Bosque's name on the ballot paper - despite the forward's support for the Portuguese The Football Federation of Macedonia (FFM) has admitted that it made a "technical error" after confirming Goran Pandev voted for Jose Mourinho to be crowned the 2012 Fifa Coach of the Year. The Real Madrid boss recently revealed that he did not attend the gala dinner to announce the recipient of the award due to irregularities in determining the winner, with Vicente del Bosque pipping the Portuguese to the prize. Pandev then fuelled further talk of a possible fix when he claimed to have voted for Mourinho, only for his selection to go down as another pick for the Spain boss, with Macedonia now admitting to an error on their part. "When it came to the ballot paper, we contacted Pandev and he verbally expressed his preferences to us - he voted Mourinho as the best coach and gave him five poin...

The first six neonatal cardiac surgeries have been performed in Macedonia at the Skopje-based Children's Surgery Clinic in the course of last week. The interventions were carried out under the guidance of a team from the International Children's Heart Foundation, led by world-renowned surgeon William Novick. Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, accompanied by Health Minister Nikola Todorov, paid Sunday a visit to the Children's Surgery Clinic, saying the project marked a new stage of cardiac surgery in Macedonia. "This team is also training our doctors and will come every three months in the coming three years. We expect that the training of our doctors will be completed in the meantime and they will continue to perform the surgeries on their own", stressed PM Gruevski. According to him, the project would result in large savings for operations abroad, proper training for Macedonian doctors, as well as less stress for parents. William Novick stre...

The Government has allocated over EUR 11 million for reconstruction and building of new elementary and secondary schools throughout Macedonia. "Works are set to be completed by the end of 2013 or the first quarter of 2014", said Government Spokesman Aleksandar Gjorgjiev at Sunday's press conference. The project includes the construction of 24 new schools, 14 of which modular and 10 so-called big elementary or secondary schools. The modular ones, having a capacity up to 100 children, will be built in areas where no schools have existed before. The Government has allocated EUR 1 million for such schools. Over EUR 4 million are projected for the 10 big schools, along with three school enlargements, resulting in at least 40-percent capacity increase. EUR 6 million are intended for reconstruction works in 40 schools, including exteriors, replacement of windows, carpentry, floors, roofs, heating systems and toilets

Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) president Marin Mrcela says the Republic of Macedonia has "more or less" met or works on meeting recommendations of the third evaluation round, MIA reports from Strasbourg. "GRECO provided 17 recommendations in May of last year. Those referring to incrimination have more or less been met. What remains is an additional effort regarding funding of political parties. I know that Macedonia has passed a new law in this regard, which we will soon assess. I do not have any doubts in Macedonia's political will for settlement of these issues, since this can be seen in the way procedures are undertaken upon GRECO recommendations and legislative operations in the field of fight against corruption", says Mrcela. According to him, the problem of corruption is not only present in Macedonia and the Balkans, but in the whole of Europe. "Corruption is a problem that exists everywhere, no country is immune to corruptio...

Macedonian DTH platform Total TV has stopped broadcasting the channels of the Pink Media Group as a result of the dispute between the Serbian broadcaster and Macedonia media regulator, the Broadcasting Council (SRD). Among other issues, the SRD requests the payment of back wages to employees of the Pink 15 TV channel in Macedonia. The Serbian media group owes around EUR 33,000 to eight former employees.

Macedonian fruit and vegetable growers have been showing their export potential in Stockholm, Sweden this week, in an event organised by the Macedonian Embassy in Sweden and the Agency for Foreign Investments and Export Program.  The event was attended by the exporters from Macedonia and Swedish food distributors. The Macedonian delegation was headed by the country's Ambassador to Sweden, Kire Ilioski. The event was held in the headquarters of the Scandinavian retailer ICA Group. The Ambassador said he hoped the event would help to promote Macedonian produce on the Swedish market. 

Tutunska Bank has introduced NLB mKlik, the first mobile banking service in Macedonia. It enables customers to perform a variety of payments from any place and at any time, directly through their handsets. A software application is installed on the mobile phone, providing a fast, simple and reliable way for customers to verify all their accounts and make various payments directly from their mobile phone. All bank customers who apply by 31 March can use the application free for the first year.

Macedonia against Bulgaria in August in SkopjMacedonian national team will play a friendly match against Bulgaria in August, in Skopje. The national federations of Macedonia and Bulgaria have agreed to play a friendly match between the 'A' teams of both countries. The match will take place on National Arena Philip II of Macedon in Skopje on 14th of August. It should serve Janevski's boys as final test before the two home qualifiers in September, against Wales and Scotland. Macedonia and Bulgaria have never been in the same qualifying group for a major competition, but have played 5 friendly matches so far. Bulgarians have better record as they have won three, one ended in a scoreless draw and Macedonia won once, 1:0 in March, 1998. The last match between these two teams has been played back in 2006 in Skopje and Bulgaria celebrated a 0:1 win. 

The Macedonian national football team climbed five places at the latest FIFA ranking, advancing to the 73. spot. With regards to Macedonia's opponents from the 2014 World Cup qualifying group, Croatia takes 9. spot, followed by Belgium (19), Serbia (35), Scotland (66) and Wales (71). Spain tops the March ranking, followed by Germany and Argentina. England, Italy, Colombia, Portugal, Netherlands, Croatia and Russia complete the Top 10

The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) will host April 12-14, 2013 the 1st Annual Macedonian-American Leadership Conference (MALC2013) at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The MALC2013 will bring together Macedonian-American leaders of various Macedonian cultural and faith-based organizations from throughout the United States.  The weekend-long conference is a unique opportunity for our leaders to come to a central location to interact, network, and learn effective ways to lead, fundraise, advocate, and best represent their communities, said UMD Director of U.S. Operations Trajko Papuckoski. The goal of the conference will be to empower our leaders, especially our student leaders, through civic engagement, while also supporting U.S.-Macedonia relations, he said. April 12th will begin with a full day of advocacy in Congress, followed by an invitation-only roundtable dinner, including the UMD Board and UMD Advisory Council members. April 13th will feature leadership traini...

The 4. robotics fair "RoboMAK 2013" is held in Skopje on March 12-16, including 80 domestic and 30 foreign participants. They will present their robots in several categories after a five-day training. RoboMAK aims at bringing robotics closer to Macedonian and European high school pupils and students. 

PRILEPSKA Pivarnica, a leading Pepsi-Cola bottler and brewery in Macedonia, invested EUR7.5 million (USD9.80 million) to install a new glass bottling line for carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) and beer. The company said it was its largest investment in a single year to date. Prilepska Pivarnica purchased the new 15 bottling machines from Germany's packaging and bottling machine manufacturer Krones of Neutraubling.

Moldova established a consulate in Strumica, macedonian daily Vecer reported. The official opening of the consulate was attended by Aleksandru Prigorski, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Republic of Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania. Mr. Prigorski noted that the consulate should be considered as another confirmation of the long-standing relations between the two countries and nations.  “We chose Strumica because here we already have established friendly relations”, commented Mr. Prigorski. 

Macedonia Parliamentary Friendship Group has been established at the Parliament of Canada, said the Macedonian Embassy to Ottawa. "The Macedonia friendship group includes 20 members from the three national political parties in Canada, including parliamentary secretaries, senators, former ministers, and leaderships of the European-Canadian and US-Canadian groups", reads the press release. The constitutive session of the Macedonia Parliamentary Friendship Group was chaired by MP Leon Benoit, who referred to Macedonia's contribution in NATO-led operations and achievements in the country's Alliance integration process. Macedonian Ambassador Tevdovski stressed the Macedonian people highly regard Canada's friendship. "Establishment of the friendship group in the Parliament of Canada represents a historic step in the growing bilateral relations, which are based on common values, solidarity and mutual support, as well as the decades-long commitment ...

The protesters outside the Macedonian Embassy in Tirana burned a photograph of PM Nikola Gruevski, saying that the Albanians in Macedonia should not be attacked. The protests, which also saw offensive messages against Gruevski and Macedonia, was organised by the civil party, known for its leader Taulant Capa, who had thrown eggs at Gruevski’s convoy in Tirana in November. Gruevski’s visit to Tirana also saw Macedonian flags being set on fire. Macedonia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that it has received a report from Ambassador Trpeski. If some actions need to be taken, the Ministry will respond diplomatically and has so far not reacted to the protests in Tirana.

Trial in case "Monster" resumed on Tuesday, in the absence of defendants Afrim Ismailovic and Alil Demiri, who are indicted as direct perpetrators of the multiple killings near Smilkovci Lake. Fugitives Ismailovic and Demiri were arrested by the Kosovo police on Sunday. Minister of Interior Gordana Jankuloska said yesterday preparations were carried out for their immediate extradition to Macedonia. Four other defendants - Agim Ismailovic, Fejzi Aziri, Rami Sejdi and Haki Aziri - are present in the courtroom. On 12 April 2012, Filip Slavkovski, Aleksandar Nakevski, Cvetanco Acevski, Kire Trickovski, all aged 18-20, and fisherman Borce Stefanovski, 45, were brutally murdered, by automatic weapons at close range, on the shore of Smilkovci Lake. Verfahren "Monstrum" wieder aufgenommen Gerichtsverfahren für den Fall "Monstrum" wurde am Dienstag wieder aufgenommen, in Abwesenheit der Angeklagten Afrim Ismailovic und Alil Demiri, die als direkte Täter...

Bitte nur kosten und fürs nächste Mal vormerken: Ivan Popovic hat Probleme, seinen Wein von Mazedonien nach Plauen zu bekommen.  Ivan Popovic muss improvisieren. Statt Wein zu verkaufen, lässt er nur kosten. Nicht nur die Überschwemmungen in Mazedonien verderben ihm das Geschäft. Der Weinhändler hat eine Odyssee mit dem Zoll hinter sich. Die Beamten gaben erst nach zwei Tagen seine Waren frei, weil es Irritationen mit der Zoll-Tarifnummer gab. Die Ziffer von Popovics deutscher Firma stimmte nicht mit der Lieferadresse überein - dem Möbelhaus Biller, in dessen Halle der Bauernmarkt stattfindet. Erst am Sonntagnachmittag kam Popovic an seinen Wein, der bis dahin im DHL-Drehkreuz in Leipzig gelegen hatte. Für die Organisatoren des Europäischen Bauernmarkts gehört das zum alljährlichen Geschäft. "Es kommt immer wieder vor, dass Nicht-EU-Länder mit Einfuhr-Problemen zu kämpfen haben", sagt eine Sprecherin des Bauernmarkts. Ein Grund seien vor allem die unterschiedli...