Struga

In a sign of growing disarray in the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, two leading figures, the MP and head of the party's general assembly, Zuluf Adili, and Gzim Ostreni, a former DUI secretary general, said they will form a new party called Unity.

Ostreni was one-time head of the general staff of the ethnic Albanian insurgents during the armed conflict of 2001.

The 54th International Poetry Evenings event in Struga, Macedonia, has hosted three poets from Turkey, along with 44 poets from 29 different countries.

Poetry against 'sound of evil'

Alevi-Kurdish author and columnist Bejan Matur, Metin Celal and ?smail K?l?çarslan attended the events from Turkey. 

Police conf irmed on Thursday that they have arrested nine people suspected of having links with Islamic State during raids in Skopje's districts of Gazi Baba and Cair, as well as in the towns of Tetovo, Struga, Kumanovo and Gostivar.

Macedonia's Interior Ministry has launched a special operation to arrest alleged Islamic State (IS) members.

The Macedonian police have arrested a suspect for the murder of Deputy Director of Macedonian Public Revenue Office Argetim Asani.

The police gave the suspects initials, A.K., and said he came from the village of Veleste near the town of Struga. He has been charged with murder and illegal possession of weapons.

The new party, called Movement for Reforms - Democratic Party of Albanians, was registered on Sunday, soon after a Macedonian court decided not to give the leadership of the DPA to Sela, who had claimed that he was the rightful president of the opposition party.

Albanian-language media in Macedonia have reported an exchange of punches between two rival groups at Tuesday's congress of the DUI in the town of Struga, which apparently left one man in hospital with head injuries.

The party itself has stayed silent. Its spokesperson, Bujar Osmani, was not available for comment on Wednesday. The police said no incident was reported.