Scores Feared Dead in Albanian Explosions

(AP) - A suicide car bomb exploded early today outside the main gate of NATO's headquarters, killing seven and wounding 91 in the biggest attack in the Afghan capital in six months. The bomber evaded several rings of Afghan police and detonated his explosives on the doorstep of the international military headquarters, sending the message that the Taliban can attack anywhere as Afghans gear up for their second-ever direct presidential election in just 5 days. More»

(NEWSER) - Albania and Croatia both officially joined the NATO alliance today, the BBC reports. The former Yugoslav republics will likely be asked to send troops to bolster NATO’s mission in Afghanistan. Insiders say NATO wanted to celebrate its 60th birthday by welcoming nations from a region recently wracked by bloody conflict. Croatia squeaked in when Slovenia, with which it shares a border, withdrew a veto on Monday. More»

Cat-mouse battle leads to blackout in parts of Albanian capital

(NEWSER) - It’s an unlikely reason for a power outage: A cat and mouse engaged in a chase accidentally ran into high-voltage cables at the main power station in Tirana, frying themselves and causing a 72-hour blackout in some districts of the Albanian capital, Reuters reports. Outages are relatively common in Albania, but they usually result from the Soviet-era infrastructure, not the law of the jungle. More»

Ukraine, Georgia, Macedonia blocked

(NEWSER) - In a blow to the US, a divided NATO has refused to permit membership bids by former Soviet states Georgia and the Ukraine. The decision is an indication that Europe is wary of antagonizing an increasingly belligerant Russia, Bloomberg reports. Germany and France led the opposition to membership. In another defeat for American diplomacy, Greece blocked the admission of Macedonia. More»