Ansa news

(ANSA) - BELGRADO, JUL 30 - The District Court of Split, Croatia, has found retired general of the former Yugoslav National Army (JNA), Borislav Djukić, an ethnic Serb, guilty of war crimes against the Croatian civilian population, committed on Croatian territory between August 1991 and May 1992. The former general was sentenced to 16 years in prison, according to reports in Croatian and Serbian media. The indictment filed by the Split County Prosecutor's Office accuses General Djukić of ordering…

(ANSA-AFP) - WARSAW, 30 LUG - A missile that fell in eastern Poland early Thursday was likely Russian, Prime Minister Donald Tusk told journalists. "From the analysis of most of the traces, the recovered fragments point to a Russian KH-101 missile," he said. Polish authorities said Thursday that a 10 metre (33 feet) wide crater had been left by an explosion in an eastern region that occurred as Russia staged new missile attacks on neighbouring Ukraine. Prime Minister Donald Tusk was to head to the…

(ANSA-AFP) - ATHENS, 30 LUG - Thousands of people were evacuated late on Wednesday as fires threatened a tourist resort on the Greek island of Crete and continued to rage on Thursday, fanned by violent winds, a local official said. "We evacuated (some) 8,000 people" from the resort village of Agia Galini, Maria Lioni, deputy governor of the Rethymno area, told state TV ERT. The evacuations were decided as the fire, which broke out Wednesday and had earlier killed two firefighters, got to within…

(ANSA-AFP) - ATHENS, 29 LUG - Three firefighters died battling forest blazes in Greece on Wednesday as several other fires broke out around the country, fed by gale-force winds. The fire department said two firefighters had died on the island of Crete "during an operation to contain a rural forest fire." A third firefighter was found unconscious near the Peloponnese port of Gytheio, a fire department spokesman told AFP, with media reports saying he had died of pathological causes. State TV ERT said…

(ANSA) - BELGRADO, JUL 29 - The Serbian oil company Nis announced Tuesday that it had applied to OFAC, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, for a new license to operate freely after July 31, when its current license expires. This was reported by the independent newspaper N1. Since last October, Nis has been subject to U.S. sanctions due to the controlling stake held by Russian giants Gazprom and Gazpromneft; Nis has been surviving on one extension (license)…

(ANSA) - SOFIA, JUL 29 - Bulgarian border police have completed the evacuation of all 186 passengers from the Swiss-flagged cruise ship Viking Ullur after it ran aground yesterday on the Danube in Bulgaria due to low water levels in the river caused by the drought. This was reported by the Bulgarian news agency BTA. The ship ran aground at river kilometer 817, opposite Gomotartsi and about 25 km upstream from Vidin, not far from the Serbian border. There were 186 passengers from EU countries and…

(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, 29 LUG - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faced a rising chorus of criticism from within his own centre-right CDU party Wednesday as he completed a chaotic cabinet reshuffle. Complaints over Merz's high-handed leadership style have boiled over after the personnel changes prompted by the resignation of the CDU's parliamentary leader Jens Spahn. Spahn had to step down this month after it emerged he and his husband had had a child via a surrogate mother in the United States, despite…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, JUL 29 - Investments in cybersecurity at the Port of Trieste have exceeded 2 million. It was announced by the Port System Authority of the Eastern Adriatic, stating that it will serve as the lead partner in coordinating "Shieldport — cross-border cooperation for smart and resilient port security." With a total budget of approximately 1.37 million, the project—according to the Authority—is the only one dedicated to port cybersecurity funded under the third call for proposals…

(ANSA) - PRISTINA, JUL 28 - Two people suspected of alleged war crimes have been arrested in Zubin Potok, in northern Kosovo near Mitrovica, Police of Kosovo announced. The two arrested individuals, M.J. and M.B., whose nationalities have not been disclosed, are accused of committing crimes against the civilian population in the Mitrovica region during the 1999 Kosovo War, resulting in the deaths of 23 Albanian civilians. According to the investigation conducted by the Directorate for the Investigation…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, JUL 28 - In the first six months of 2026, the Trieste Seaport Terminal recorded 20.24 million metric tons of crude oil unloaded, marking a 5.75% increase compared to the same period in 2025 and the second-best result ever since 2018. This was announced by Siot, an Italian company belonging to the Tal Group, noting that oil tankers unload crude oil in Trieste, which is then transported via the Tal pipeline to refineries in Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic. The data, based…

(ANSA) - ROMA, JUL 28 - "The guiding principle of our Presidency is teamwork among European institutions, member states, regions, and civil society. We want to make the Adriatic-Ionian region—its businesses and territories—increasingly dynamic drivers of growth and key economic, logistical, and energy hubs between Europe and the broader Mediterranean." Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani made these remarks at the launch event for Italy's Presidency of the European Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian…

(ANSA-AFP) - SARAJEVO, 28 LUG - A popular Catholic pilgrimage site in Bosnia has been vandalised and a nearby altar set ablaze, authorities said Tuesday, days before tens of thousands are expected to gather at the shrine. The Marian shrine of Medjugorje, about 140 kilometres (87 miles) southwest of Sarajevo, rose to fame in the 1980s after purported apparitions of the Virgin Mary there. It has become one of the most popular Catholic pilgrimage sites, with more than a million people visiting "Apparition…

(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, JUL 27 - Polish authorities asked the United States to arrest and extradite former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, a member of the Law and Justice (PIS) party, in order to try him for abuse of power, embezzlement of public funds, and spying against political opponents. According to a statement from the Polish National Prosecutor's Office, the request was transmitted through diplomatic channels via Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek. The extradition request concerns 19 of the 26…

(ANSA) - BELGRADO, JUL 27 - Montenegro tops the list of candidate countries for accession to the European Union, but there is one obstacle standing in its way: Croatia. Zagreb has set out a series of conditions for giving its consent to Podgorica's progress, blocking negotiations with Brussels on Chapter 31, which concerns foreign, security and defence policy. As early as 2024, Zagreb had officially raised objections, contesting a resolution passed by the Podgorica Parliament on the genocide of…

(ANSA-AFP) - TIRANA, 27 LUG - Albania's parliament on Monday approved a $302-million loan from Washington to upgrade its military, the latest Balkan nation to ratchet up defence spending. The move comes weeks after Albania, a NATO member, announced an increase to its defence budget to 69.2 billion lek ($840 million) in 2026, almost triple its military spend six years earlier. The move was labelled a "historic agreement" by the government, but opposition MPs boycotted the vote over allegations that…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUCHAREST, 27 LUG - Romania on Monday ordered a Russian embassy employee expelled from the NATO member bordering Ukraine as "a firm response" to drones repeatedly breaching the country's airspace. Romania shot down three drones on three consecutive days at the end of last week, with a new drone incursion reported by the country's defence ministry on Monday as the war in Ukraine rages on. Romania on Monday summoned Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev. In the meeting, it notified Lipayev…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, JUL 27 - Agata Tomšič will serve as artistic director of Mittelfest for the 2027-2029 term, becoming the first woman to hold this position after 35 editions led by men. The announcement came at the end of the press conference summarizing the 2026 edition of the international theater, music, dance, and circus festival dedicated to the theme of Fear. Born in Isola, Slovenia, in 1986, Tomšič is a director, actress, dramaturg, project manager, and theater theorist active in avant-garde…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, JUL 27 - Despite an international landscape marked by growing geopolitical and trade fragmentation, the Port of Trieste closed the first half of 2026 with a 2.74% increase in total cargo handling, which totaled 29.5 million metric tons compared to the first half of 2025. Combining the results of the ports of Trieste and Monfalcone, the Eastern Adriatic Port System recorded more than 31 million metric tons handled during the first half of the year (+0.67%), consolidating the position…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JUL 27 - Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated that early presidential elections could take place between late December and early February 2027. "It makes sense: if parliamentary elections are held in October, the presidential election could take place between late December and early January. If the parliamentary elections are held in November, then the presidential elections will definitely take place in January, or perhaps no later than early February," Vučić told Prva…

(ANSA) - BERLIN, JUL 27 - "You were all there on Saturday at a celebration of openness, diversity and freedom. People who were celebrating peacefully were attacked by an Islamist who wanted to undermine these values." German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said during a press conference in Berlin. "We must react and, above all, answer the question of how it is possible that a man classified as such could make his way undisturbed to the vicinity of the Christopher Street Day event here in Berlin and carry…

(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, JUL 25 - "For the second time in 24 hours, Romanian airspace has been violated by drone incursions. I commend the Romanian authorities for their swift and effective response. We stand in full solidarity with Romania and its people. Romania's security is Europe's security. We will continue to strengthen the EU's security, resilience, and deterrence, including along our eastern borders." European Council President, Antonio Costa, wrote it on social media. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - VILNIUS, JUL 25 - The U.S. company Native Trading has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Latvian Ministry of Defense to develop an artillery rocket production facility in Latvia. The complex, whose construction costs range from 70 to 90 million euros, will be responsible not only for building the rockets, but also for producing the solid propellants needed to power them, loading the warheads, performing final assembly, and conducting functional tests. Latvian Defense Minister…

(ANSA) - VILNIUS, JUL 25 - The Latvian Prosecutor General's Office has launched an investigation to determine whether AirBaltic's financial management complies with legal requirements. According to the announcement, the investigation was launched at the request of Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs to assess the company's management and shed light on the possible causes of the airline's crisis. Another investigation into AirBaltic's financial management had already been launched at the end of…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUCAREST, JUL 25 - Romania shot down a drone in its airspace for the second consecutive day. The forces of the NATO member country bordering Ukraine shot down a drone that "had illegally entered Romanian airspace" at 8:34 a.m. local time (7:36 a.m. Italian time), according to Defense Minister Radu Miruta. The drone was shot down 9.6 kilometers west of Sfantu Gheorghe, in the Danube Delta, near the border with Ukraine, he added. "It was detected by the Ministry of National Defense's…

(ANSA) - KONOTOPIE, 25 LUG - In a village in central Poland, a statue of the Virgin Mary soars above the fleecy July skies: while churches are emptying in this country with a long Catholic tradition, a tycoon has had Europe's tallest Marian monument erected there. Rising to a height of 55 meters, the white silhouette of concrete and steel beams stands, rigid and solemn, amid a sea of greenery and parking lots in the rural town of Konotopie, a three-hour drive northwest of Warsaw. Its dedication…

(ANSA) - TIRANA, 23 LUG - Giovedì mattina la polizia albanese ha utilizzato gas lacrimogeni e idranti contro i manifestanti fuori dal parlamento, mentre l'opposizione a un progetto turistico legato alla famiglia Trump attanaglia la nazione. Dalla fine di maggio si sono svolte proteste contro la prevista costruzione di un hotel di lusso legato alla figlia di Trump, Ivanka, e a suo marito Jared Kushner, in una riserva naturale sulla costa del paese. Nelle ultime settimane, diversi raduni si sono…

(ANSA-AFP) - TIRANA, 23 LUG - Albanian police used tear gas and water cannon against protesters outside parliament on Thursday morning, as opposition to a tourism project linked to the Trump family grips the nation. Since late May, protests have been held against the planned construction of a luxury hotel linked to Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner in a nature reserve on the country's coast. In recent weeks, several gatherings have also seen protesters clash with police outside…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, JUL 23 - Tomorrow, Saturday, July 25, the summer exodus begins on the Autostrade Alto Adriatico network, marking the first of the summer's five "black alerts." A total of 182,000 vehicles are expected to pass through in 24 hours, with possible traffic jams and slowdowns on the A4 (Venice-Trieste) highway toward Trieste at the exits for beach resorts in the morning and afternoon, and at the Trieste Lisert exit (starting in the early afternoon); in the direction of Venice, again…

(ANSA) - VILNIUS, JUL 23 - The energy ministers of Latvia (Janis Vitenbergs), Estonia (Andres Sutt), and Lithuania (Lukas Savickas) signed an agreement today to establish joint energy reserves that will enable the rapid restoration of electricity supply to residents and businesses in the event of disruptions. The three ministers emphasized that, after disconnecting from the Russian power grid and successfully synchronizing with the continental European grid, the Baltic countries are facing new challenges…

(ANSA) - ROMA, JUL 23 - Italy will be the featured country at the second edition of the Short Film Forum, a regional platform dedicated to the development and promotion of new short film projects, scheduled for August 9-12 as part of the 25th edition of DokuFest in Prizren, Kosovo. The initiative, organized by the Italian Cultural Institute in Tirana, in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Pristina, aims to strengthen cultural and professional dialogue between Italy and the countries of the…