World News from the BBC.

Tens of thousands of protesters have gathered in the Albanian capital, calling for a recount of last year's parliamentary elections which they claim were rigged.

They have come out in support of hunger strikers who have been camped outside the prime minister's office in Tirana for the past two weeks. Our Balkan's correspondent Mark Lowan reports.

This is the second huge demonstration in Tirana in the space of two weeks.

The last protest drew tens of thousands and this one appears to be of a similar scale. Socialist led opposition activists marched through the streets of the capital with banners and slogans calling for the government to reopen the ballot boxes from last June's general election which they believed was fraudulent won by the Democratic Party.

But the government says tampering with the ballot boxes would be unconstitutional and is standing firm.

Greece and Turkey have spoken of a big step forward in the relations during a visit to Greece by the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A joint statement by the two leaders said they would strengthen peace and

stab

ility in the region. There was a joint meeting of cabinet ministers which will become an annual event and a range of agreements covering illegal immigration, the environment, tourism and energy.

The new British Foreign Secretary William Hague has held what he called very

productive