Ansa news

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 18 - Corridor VIII is "a political and economic priority for Italy and Europe: it will strengthen regional dialogue and European cooperation, and will serve as an additional platform, also in synergy with the IMEC corridor," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated on X. Tajani was in Tirana today with his counterparts from Albania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Romania to relaunch Corridor VIII, a strategic infrastructure linking the Black Sea to the Adriatic Sea,…

(ANSA-AFP) - SOFIA, FEB 18 - Bulgaria will hold a snap vote on April 19, its president announced on Wednesday, the eighth in five years following massive anti-corruption protests late last year. The protests swept a conservative-led government from office in mid-December, sparking fresh political uncertainty in the Balkan EU member, where a series of elections has returned fragmented parliaments. "I will sign the decree setting the date of the parliamentary elections for 19 April 2026," President…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 18 - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has openly questioned the Franco-German superfighter project, explaining that the difficulty stems from the requirements, as Germany and France require different aircraft. "We have a serious issue with the requirements profile. And if we can't solve it, we won't be able to proceed with the project," Merz said on the Machtwechsel podcast. "Specifically, in the next generation of fighter aircraft, the French require an aircraft capable of…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 18 - Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani stated that after his visit to Washington for the Board of Peace, he will be in Stuttgart "to participate, also as Foreign Minister, in the CDU congress with former Chancellor Angela Merkel." He went on to say, "This demonstrates the strong ties between Italy and Germany. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 18 - According to Tass, Russia will demand the legal codification of NATO's non-expansion clause to the east, as well as the revocation of the 2008 Bucharest summit decisions. "Russia will insist on formalising the relevant agreements on paper, including the revocation of the Bucharest summit decisions, because all the verbal promises made in the past by NATO members themselves regarding the bloc's non-expansion have been forgotten and ignored at a time convenient to them,"…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 17 - "Today, we remember the peaceful resistance of the 1990s, as well as the Kosovo Liberation Army. We honour the martyrs and strive to preserve and exalt our Republic in their name." This was how Prime Minister Albin Kurti commemorated the 18th anniversary of Kosovo's declaration of independence today, which was observed in squares across the country. The celebrations began with the flag being raised at the Presidential Palace, followed by formal sessions of the government…

(ANSA-AFP) - PRISTINA, FEB 17 - Tens of thousands of people marched through Kosovo's capital on Tuesday, protesting against the war crimes trial of the country's former president and other ex-guerrillas. The rally, held on the country's Independence Day, came ahead of the final hearing in the trial of its former president and political leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Hashim Thaci, along with three senior figures of the rebel movement. Waving red flags emblazoned with the yellow and black…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 17 - Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci will face a second trial in The Hague on February 27th, along with four co-defendants, his KLA associates, on charges of obstruction of justice and witness tampering. Thaci and three other former KLA leaders have been charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war by the International Special Court on Kosovo (officially known as the Specialised Chambers on Kosovo) in the Dutch capital since 2023.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 17 - "The Bulgarian National Security Agency's rules governing the use of undercover agents fail to provide even the most basic safeguards against arbitrariness and abuse. This was established by the European Court of Human Rights in its decision on the appeal filed by the Green Alliance, an NGO that has repeatedly sought to amend the rules. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 17 - Germany's two major newspapers are focusing on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's decision to attend the Addis Ababa summit rather than the Munich Security Conference. Both the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) emphasise Meloni's distance from German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz's speech: according to the FAZ, Meloni "expressed strong disagreement with the German Chancellor" and "reaffirmed that the bond between Europe and…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, FEB 17 - Conserve and safeguard the biodiversity of the Adriatic Sea with marine drone monitoring. Innovate transboundary trout farming with digitized water recirculation systems, improving environmental sustainability and promoting circular blue economy models. Develop diversified and sustainable mariculture by focusing on biosecurity, artificial intelligence, monitoring and farm management. These are the goals of the three projects Brigantine, Circular Rainbow, and Marinet on…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 17 - "Melania is a movie star, and her documentary is doing extremely well," Donald Trump said from Air Force One. According to box office data, three weeks after its release in the United States, "Melania" is only in 15th place. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, FEB 16 - "The Serbian community represents a deeply rooted historical presence in Friuli Venezia Giulia and particularly in Trieste, an example of successful integration that results in growth for the territory." This was stated by Regional Councillor for Environmental Defense Fabio Scoccimarro during his visit to the Serbian Community of Trieste on the occasion of the anniversary of the National Day of the Republic of Serbia. "Over the years, the Serbian community has been able…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 16 - According to Bild, Germany will extend border controls, which were set to expire on March 15, for another six months. According to Bild, a document is already prepared to be sent to European authorities, which is a required step for this type of measure. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told Bild that "we intend to extend border controls with neighbouring countries." These controls are part of our reorganisation of migration policy in Germany." (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 16 - The tragic tram derailment in downtown Sarajevo last Thursday, which killed a young artist and necessitated the amputation of a 17-year-old girl's leg, sparked outrage and a small political earthquake that is worsening by the day, with young people and students taking to the streets every day to protest poor transport safety management. The cantonal prime minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital has already resigned in the wake of the incident. For the fourth day…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, FEB 16 - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Hungary for talks with Prime Minister Viktor Orban Monday, ahead of elections where the nationalist leader faces a significant challenge from the opposition. Rubio's visit is the final stage of a whirlwind trip to Europe that also saw him address the Munich Security Conference and visit another right-wing ally, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico. US President Donald Trump has made no secret of his high regard for…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 16 - Since yesterday, torrential rains have hit northern and western North Macedonia, flooding rivers and streams. The municipalities of Kičevo and Saraj have experienced significant damage, necessitating evacuations and restoration efforts. In the Skopje Region, the crisis is concentrated in the municipality of Saraj, where over 30 homes have been flooded, particularly in the villages of Buković and Semenište. At an emergency meeting of the crisis committee attended by…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 16 - Anyone who talks about European sovereignty "must act appropriately in their own country. Unfortunately, efforts in France have thus far been insufficient to achieve" the 5% GDP defence target," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated on Deutschlandfunk radio. He went on to say, "France is also called upon to do what we are doing here: build investment capacity through difficult discussions, implement some austerity measures in the social sector, and save in other…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUCHAREST, 15 FEB - Romanian President Nicusor Dan announced on Sunday that he would attend as observer the first meeting of US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace". "Next week I will take part in the first meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, responding to the invitation addressed by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump," Dan wrote on X, after having recently said that his country was still considering whether to join the body, of which Trump is…

(ANSA-AFP) - BRATISLAVA, 15 FEB - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Slovakia on Sunday, continuing his European tour with visits to countries led by right-wing allies of President Donald Trump, with the next stop Hungary. The visits come a day after Rubio called on Europeans to defend "Western civilisation" in a speech at the Munich Security Conference, urging them to rally behind the US president's vision of a "renewal" of the world order. During a visit of several hours in Bratislava,…

(ANSA-AFP) - TIRANA, 15 FEB - Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama will travel to Washington next week to join the first meeting of US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace", he told a podcast on Sunday. "I will be in Washington for the official creation of the peace council and the launch of the activities of this council," Rama said in an interview with Albanian podcast Flasim. The board, of which Trump is the chairman, was originally intended to oversee the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip after…

(ANSA-AFP) - MUNICH, 14 FEB - Five European countries including Britain, France and Germany accused Russia of "poisoning" opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison in 2024 using a "rare toxin", on Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. "We know the Russian state now used this lethal toxin to target Navalny in fear of his opposition," the UK foreign office said in a statement alongside Sweden, France, the Netherlands and Germany, ahead of the second anniversary of the death…

(ANSA) - MILAN, 14 FEB - Milan prosecutors investigating the case of the "weekend snipers" in Sarajevo are assessing how to summon, as a witness, Aleksandar Licanin, who at the time was a volunteer in a Serb-Bosnian armored unit and who revealed to the British press many details about the alleged "human safaris." Prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis, who, along with chief prosecutor Marcello Viola, is coordinating the investigation—an elderly man from the province of Pordenone is under investigation for…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, 14 FEB - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Saturday vowed to press on with his crackdown on "pseudo-civil organisations, bought journalists, judges, politicians", saying the work was only "half done". The nationalist leader is facing the toughest challenge since returning to power in 2010, with his Fidesz party trailing the opposition TISZA party in opinion polls ahead of parliamentary elections on April 12. "The oppressive machinery of Brussels is still operating in…

(ANSA-AFP) - MUNICH, 14 FEB - About 80,000 people joined a demonstration against the Iranian government in the German city of Munich on Saturday, police said, as world leaders gathered nearby for a security conference. The protesters rallied in Munich's Theresienwiese area, denouncing the leadership of Iran's Islamic Republic following the deadly repression of nationwide protests in January. (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA-AFP) - MUNICH, FEB 13 - "A rift" has opened between the United States and Europe, driven by culture wars of US President Donald Trump's MAGA movement, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday. "Let me begin with the uncomfortable truth: A rift, a deep divide has opened between Europe and the United States," Merz said at the Munich Security Conference. "(US) Vice President JD Vance said this a year ago here in Munich. He was right in his description," Merz said, referring to a 2025 speech…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 13 - The Hungarian opposition leader, Peter Magyar, is making his international debut at the Munich Security Conference. Viktor Orban's challenger in the April elections will meet with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk this evening, and a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is planned for tomorrow. Meetings with heads of state and representatives from European industries are also scheduled. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 13 - The newly-elected Kosovo Assembly passed a resolution drafted by a group of experts and supported by the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) on Thursday evening, calling for a "fair trial" for the defendants at the Special Court for Kosovo in The Hague, with 90 votes in favour, one against, and no abstentions. The trial of former President Hashim Thaçi and three other former KLA leaders in The Hague has reached the final stage, with closing arguments and statements.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 13 - Greenpeace activists unfurled a banner from a 60-meter-high construction crane in front of the Munich Security Conference. Ten climbers climbed the crane and attached a banner that read, "Free yourselves from tyrants." According to a Greenpeace statement reported by Bild, the activists want to highlight Europe's reliance on Russia and the United States for liquefied natural gas. Greenpeace has announced additional protests at the conference, and at least 21 demonstrations…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 13 - Severe winter storms and rough seas along key migration routes contributed to a sharp 60% year-on-year drop in irregular border crossings into the European Union in January 2026, with approximately 5 500 detections, according to preliminary Frontex data. According to Frontex, only 222 people were detected on the Balkan Route this year, a 72% decrease from the previous year. (ANSA).