World
Russia ‘hijacking’ frustration with EU accession – North Macedonia FM
Frustration over the delay in North Macedonia’s EU accession is creating an opening for Russia to sow discord in the country through an “arsenal” of hybrid warfare, the country’s foreign minister has warned.
Bujar Osmani told Euronews on Tuesday evening that Russia is using targeted disinformation campaigns – including online trolling and fake news – to “fracture the social fabric of society” in the country and the wider Western Balkans and stall their accession to the EU.
“Obviously Russia designed disinformation in order to keep North Macedonia from achieving its strategic goals, which is NATO and EU membership,” Osmani said.
“The frustration that is built up along the way (to EU membership) is being hijacked by malign forces trying to channel this energy of frustration into their windmill,” he added.
North Macedonia became an official candidate to join the European Union almost two decades ago along with Croatia and Slovenia, now fully integrated EU members.
Its accession path has been stalled due to disputes with Greece over the country’s name, and with Bulgaria over the the rights of minorities as enshrined in the constitution.
A further four countries in the region – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia – are also official EU candidates. Formal accession negotiations have opened with all nations except for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Kosovo, which is not recognised as an independent state by all EU member states, is a ‘potential candidate’ for accession.
But their bids have been plagued with delays and difficulties. Osmani said that the region is now at a “geopolitical crossroads” where the political arena is becoming increasingly polarised between pro-Europeans and anti-Europeans.
The separatist movement in Bosnia’s Serb-majority Republika Srpska and the delays in normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo are all examples of tensions that are being exacerbated by Russian-backed actors, Osmani said.
“I believe that behind all those efforts to keep the region stalling, to keep the region in perpetual confrontation and conflicts, is the Russian Federation through its arsenal of means but also proxy state and non-state actors in the region,” he said.
“The only response is to unequivocally continue with our agenda for Euro-Atlantic integration.”
Osmani backs Brussels’ new approach of ‘phased’ integration, including the €6-billion growth plan for 2024-2027 designed to open the bloc’s common market to the Western Balkan candidates and tipped to boost their economies by as much as 10%.
“We have realised that the default concept of EU accession is all in or nothing. The road is long, the journey is difficult, and people and the candidates do not see any benefits from the road itself,” Osmani explained.
“What we want to see is a gradual integration of the region into the single market before membership and integration into the formal formats of the European Union before integration itself,” he added.
This could mean giving Western Balkan nations observer status at EU ministerial meetings such as the Foreign Affairs Council, an idea that his EU counterparts are supportive of, Osmani said.
“One of the most significant threats of our time”
Osmani spoke to Euronews following the launch of the European External Action Service’s (EEAS) second annual disinformation report, which named Russia as the primary culprit of spreading harmful misinformation on digital platforms, and Ukraine the main target.
The EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell described disinformation as “one of the most significant threats of our time,” and a “cancer that puts the health of democracy at risk.”
The report, which is based on an investigation of 750 cases of so-called Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), says other states such as China also use interference to undermine democratic institutions and stoke polarisation abroad, as a means to “achieve their own political and economic goals.”
The most targeted individuals in the cases investigated were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, Josep Borrell himself as well as celebrities such as Nicolas Cage and Margot Robbie, whose voices and faces were deliberately manipulated to sow misinformation.
ADVERTISEMENTTelegram and X emerged as the preferred platforms for FIMI attacks, with attacks also orchestrated on Facebook, TikTok, Youtube and Reddit as well as Russian social networks VKontakte and Odnoklassniki.
While the report notes it is “prudent” to prepare for potential interference ahead of June’s European elections, it also warns against “inflating the threat.”
Speaking during the event, Osmani said the Western Balkans was the “soft underbelly” of the EU when it came to foreign interference and the “fire line” in the disinformation war between East and West.
World
Armed Kurdish fighters try to breach Iran border as regional threat grows amid protests: reports
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Armed Kurdish separatist groups tried to cross into Iran from Iraq in recent days, stoking fears that the country’s spiraling unrest has attracted dangerous foreign militants who could destabilize the wider region, according to reports.
Iranian officials said the attempted breach came amid a sweeping crackdown on nationwide protests against the country’s regime, with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leading the response, Reuters reported.
The Tasnim News Agency also reported armed militia groups operating in Iraq crossed the border in western and northwestern Iran, according to Middle East Monitor.
TOP IRANIAN OFFICIAL DOWNPLAYS DEATH TOLL, BLAMES ‘ISRAELI PLOT’ AS US CONSIDERS STRIKES
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters gather north of Kirkuk, Iraq. (Reuters)
Reuters had reported that three sources, including a senior Iranian official, said Turkey’s intelligence agency, known as MIT, warned the IRGC that Kurdish fighters were trying to cross the Iran-Iraq border.
The Iranian official said clashes also broke out after the attempt to cross and accused the fighters of trying to exploit the unrest and create further instability.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, around 30 million Kurds live in the Middle East, mainly in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey.
TRUMP SAYS IRAN ‘STARTING TO’ CROSS US RED LINES AS PROTESTERS DIE IN GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN
Kurdish separatists attempted an Iran crossing from Iraq amid protests. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP via Getty Images)
Turkey has designated Kurdish militant groups in northern Iraq as terrorist organizations and has carried out cross-border military operations against them. The Turkish military has also targeted PKK bases in Iraq.
In 2025, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) said it would disarm and end its decades-long battle against Turkey.
Reuters said MIT and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s office did not comment on the Iran crossing, though it warned that any interference in Iran would inflame regional crises.
‘LEAVE IRAN NOW’: US EMBASSY POSTS WARNING TO AMERICANS STILL IN THE COUNTRY
Iranians attend an anti-government protest Jan. 9 in Tehran, Iran. (UGC via AP)
Iranian authorities alleged the fighters were dispatched from Iraq and Turkey and said the Iranian regime has asked both governments to stop any transfer of fighters or weapons into Iran.
The number of deaths during the crackdown on protesters rose to at least 2,571 on Wednesday, accordin g to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had been told the killings had halted, and he believes there is no plan for large-scale executions.
Asked who told him, Trump said they were “very important sources on the other side.”
Iran closed its airspace to most flights Wednesday, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, with the closure lasting a little more than two hours.
Airspace restrictions come amid fears that US President Donald Trump could attack Iran.
Published On 15 Jan 2026
Iran temporarily closed its airspace to most flights amid attack threats by United States President Donald Trump, according to the US aviation authority.
Most flights were prohibited from Iranian airspace between 1:45am and 4:00am local time (22:15 to 00:30 GMT) and again from 4:44 am to 7am (01:14 to 03:30 GMT) on Thursday, according to the notices posted by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
list of 4 itemsend of listRecommended Stories
The restrictions applied to all commercial flights without “prior approval” from Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation (CAO), according to the notices.
FlightRadar, an online flight tracking service, showed just three aircraft over Iran as of 6:05am local time, with dozens of planes flying around the country’s borders. Iran’s airspace reopened at about 7am local time.
The FAA and CAO did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The airspace restrictions come amid threats by US President Donald Trump to attack Iran following Tehran’s deadly crackdown on antigovernment protests in the country.
The US and the United Kingdom on Wednesday withdrew a number of military personnel from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned that it would target US forces in the Middle East region if Trump launched an attack.
A number of countries have also issued advisories to their citizens in the region amid fears of escalation.
Trump appeared to lower his rhetoric towards Tehran later on Wednesday, saying he had received assurances from “important sources” that the killings of protesters in Iran had stopped.
Safe Airspace, a website run by the aviation safety organisation OpsGroup, said the airspace closures could signal “further security or military activity” and warned of the “risk of missile launches or heightened air defence, increasing the risk of misidentification of civil traffic”.
In 2020, Iran’s air defences shot down a Ukraine International Airlines flight shortly after it took off in Tehran, killing all 176 people on board.
A 2021 report by Iran’s CAO concluded that the missile battery’s operator had misidentified the Ukrainian aircraft as a “hostile object”, and that officials had not properly evaluated the risks to commercial planes amid tensions with the US.
new video loaded: What are Trump’s Options in Iran?
By David E. Sanger, Coleman Lowndes, Nikolay Nikolov, Edward Vega and June Kim
January 14, 2026
X claims it has stopped Grok from undressing people, but of course it hasn’t
Armed Kurdish fighters try to breach Iran border as regional threat grows amid protests: reports
Hochul endorses legislation to allow New Yorkers to sue ICE agents: ‘Power does not justify abuse’
Forcing an early wake-up time could harm your health, sleep doctors warn
Mike Tomlin’s exit was unexpected as Steelers begin rare coaching search, team president says
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Hochul endorses legislation to allow New Yorkers to sue ICE agents: ‘Power does not justify abuse’
Iran reopens airspace after closure to most flights amid US attack threats
Trump says he’s been assured Tehran has stopped killing protesters as Iran reopens its airspace – live
Republicans light cigars, cigarettes on burning photos of Khamenei to show support for Iranian protesters
EU Parliament questions defence loan’s ‘€17 billion gift’ to Hungary
-
Montana4 days agoService door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says
-
Technology1 week agoPower bank feature creep is out of control
-
Delaware6 days agoMERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach
-
Dallas, TX6 days agoAnti-ICE protest outside Dallas City Hall follows deadly shooting in Minneapolis
-
Dallas, TX1 week agoDefensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
-
Education1 week agoVideo: This Organizer Reclaims Counter Space
-
Virginia4 days agoVirginia Tech gains commitment from ACC transfer QB
-
Iowa1 week agoPat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star