the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate.
The decision, made by videoconference due to the coronavirus pandemic, means the two Balkan nations will be the first countries to begin EU membership negotiations since Serbia started on the same path in … The area in Beirut suffered extensive damage from the explosion at the seaportDamage at the site of Tuesday's blast in Beirut's port area, LebanonA large explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Report: EU To Move Toward Starting Membership Talks With North Macedonia, Albania COVID-19: First Deaths In Afghanistan, Kosovo, Romania, North …
{{#replies}} The Tenggerese climb the active volcano to seek the blessing from the main deity by presenting offerings of rice, fruit, livestock and other itemsA healthcare worker checks the temperature of residents during a check-up campaign in Mumbai, IndiaPeople wearing protective face masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus sit at a bus stop in the city of Zanjan, IranProtesters blocking an exit to the precinct of the officers who arrested Elijah McClain, cover their ears anticipating the use of flash-bang grenades by police in Aurora, ColoradoA member of the Israeli border police jumps during a Palestinian protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the West Bank, in Kafr Qaddum near NablusA surfer jumps clear of his board while enjoying winter waves at New Brighton Beach in Christchurch, New ZealandA man is detained by riot police during a demonstration in Hong Kong. Member state ministers unblock way for Western Balkans to join blocMinisters from member states gave the green light to negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia on Tuesday.The two countries have been candidates since 2005 but progress has stalled amid opposition from some member states.Most recently last year France's Emmanuel Macron led a small group of member states blocking the opening of talks. "We reached a political decision to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia," Croatia's European Affairs minister, Andreja Metelko Zgombic, said after chairing the videoconference meeting.The minister described the decision as "good news, historic news, for those two countries" and said EU leaders were likely to rubber stamp it on Thursday.“[I am] very pleased that EU member states today reached political agreement on opening of accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia," said the EU's Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi"I wholeheartedly congratulate both countries. Almost four million people have been hit by monsoon floods in South Asia, with a third of Bangladesh already underwater from some of the heaviest rains in a decadeSecond Republican infantry guard regiment take part in the annual Bastille Day military ceremony on the Place de la Concorde in ParisA man walks his dog through thick sea foam blowing ashore during a storm in Seapoint, Cape Town, South AfricaSecurity forces on the outskirts of Amritsar take part in Van Mahotsav, an annual tree-planting festival in IndiaPeople covered with coloured powder enjoy music during the Holi festival in Minsk, BelarusA demonstrator during clashes following the funeral of 29-year-old Palestinian Ibrahim Abou Yacoub, who was killed by Israeli forces, in the village of Kifl Hares, south of the West Bank city of NablusThe sun rises in Timmendorfer Strand, northern GermanyPortraits of healthcare workers are pasted on the Opera Bastille, designed by Anne-Christine Poujoulat, to pay tribute to caregivers during the Covid-19 pandemic in ParisTengger tribe people make their way to the summit of Mount Bromo volcano to make offerings in Probolinggo, as part of the Yadnya Kasada Festival. Independent Premium. {{#sender.isSelf}}