Ansa news

(ANSA-AFP) - SOFIA, NOV 7 - Bulgaria's parliament on Friday adopted legal changes to place Lukoil's refinery in the east of the country under state control following US sanctions against the Russian oil giant. The United States last month hit Russia's two biggest oil producers -- Rosneft and Lukoil -- with sanctions over its war in Ukraine. Lukoil operates the Balkan's largest oil refinery in the Black Sea city of Burgas. The US sanctions "will effectively lead to the shutdown of the refinery's…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 7 - "It is difficult to justify starting a war while expecting to be able to travel freely throughout Europe. The EU is tightening visa requirements for Russian citizens in response to ongoing drone disruptions and acts of sabotage on European soil. Travelling in the EU is a privilege, not an acquired right," EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas stated on X. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 7 - "Europe will require natural gas for many, many years to come (...). It makes perfect sense for the United States to consider Greece as an entry point for its gas, in order to meet the energy needs of an entire region." Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated this during his speech at the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC) conference, which is currently taking place in Athens. Yesterday, at an event aimed at strengthening energy cooperation…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 7 - Mol Nyrt., Hungary's sole oil refining company, is looking for alternatives to Russian oil, according to Bloomberg. Mol Nyrt, which operates oil refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, stated that a pipeline from Croatia could effectively replace the majority of its oil supplies if Russian supplies via the Druzhba pipeline through Ukraine were to cease. US President Donald Trump will meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the White House today in response to US…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 7 - Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric met with Luca Ciriani, Minister for Relations with Parliament, today in Belgrade to discuss strengthening bilateral relations with Italy, Serbia's European path, and key regional issues. According to a statement from the Serbian Foreign Ministry, Djuric thanked Italy for its strong and consistent support for Serbia's European integration process, emphasising the two countries' traditional friendly relations, which are based on a strategic…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 7 - Croatian police arrested seven men after they broke into a small cultural centre in Split, Dalmatia, on Monday evening and disrupted an evening dedicated to Serbian culture and folklore traditions, organised by a local association and featuring artists from Novi Sad, Serbia, with pro-Nazi and nationalist chants. They are currently in pre-trial detention after police charged them with violent behaviour, as well as violations of freedom of expression and national identity.…

(ANSA-AFP) - SOFIA, NOV 7 - Six migrants died in eastern Bulgaria when the car they were travelling in plunged into a lake during a police chase, a police spokesman told AFP on Friday. The accident, in which three other migrants were injured, occurred late Thursday near Burgas, a port city on the Black Sea. "The police initially tried to stop the vehicle... but the driver didn't heed them," the spokesman said, adding that the intervention had taken place 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Burgas.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 7 - A weapons cache was discovered in a building in Vienna, thought to be part of Hamas' foreign operations. The weapons are suspected of being "introduced with a view to potential terrorist attacks in Europe" against "Israeli or Jewish institutions," according to the Austrian Interior Ministry. "Five pistols and ten magazines were discovered in a suitcase and immediately seized," it stated, adding that the weeks-long investigation into a global terrorist organisation linked…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 6 - Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian Prime Minister, is flying to Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump. The prime minister announced the news via X, emphasising the "new opportunities in relations" between the two countries that have emerged since the tycoon's return to the White House. "The first ten months of this year were the initial phase, during which we repaired the damage done to Hungary and Hungarian-US relations by the Biden administration," Orbán wrote.…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, NOV 6 - Franco Dal Mas, General Secretary of the Central European Initiative (CEI), believes that Europe requires a true reunification of its nations today and sees Serbia as a partner in that process, according to Serbian news agency Tanjug. Dal Mas told Tanjug that Serbia is making significant efforts to integrate into the EU because it shares similar values. (ANSA).

(ANSA-AFP) - BRUSSELS, NOV 6 - The EU on Thursday announced a formal antitrust probe against stock exchange operators Nasdaq and Deutsche Boerse over "possible collusion" involving financial derivatives. The European Commission said it suspected US-headquartered Nasdaq and Germany's Deutsche Boerse "may have entered into agreements or concerted practices not to compete" in the EU when dealing with certain derivatives. (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, NOV 6 - "Today, it is crucial that governments and parliaments combine their proposals, energies, and resources to protect collective interests and address these challenges in a coordinated manner: from personal safety to cybersecurity, to the protection and proper use of data," CEI Secretary General Franco Dal Mas said in his opening remarks at the meeting of the CEI Parliamentary Dimension Parliamentary Assembly in Belgrade, organised by the National Assembly of the Republic…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 6 - "We are reversing the trend in ammunition. Until recently, Russia produced more ammunition than all NATO allies combined, but not anymore. Across the Alliance, we are opening dozens of new production lines and expanding existing ones: we are producing more than in recent decades," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at the Defence Industry Forum in Bucharest. "We must apply these advances to other areas, ranging from high-end air defence to low-cost drone interceptors.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 5 - The Netherlands is working to invoke the procedure outlined in Article 7 of the EU Treaty against Slovakia, which could include suspending a member state's voting rights in the Council in the event of a serious violation of fundamental values. The Hague is challenging Slovakia's September law, which recognises only two sexes (male and female) in the Constitution, limits adoption to married heterosexual couples, and prohibits surrogate pregnancies. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 5 - The constitutional ban on Pride, threats to judicial independence and academic freedom, and patronage networks are all contributing to Hungary's rule of law crisis, which is becoming a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy." This assessment is contained in the interim report on Budapest's violations of EU values, which was approved by the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties. The report emphasises how the situation, which threatens the EU's core values, has…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 5 - A 44-year-old German nurse has been sentenced to life in prison after being accused of deliberately causing the deaths of ten patients between December 2023 and May 2024. The Aachen court also found him guilty of attempted murder in 27 other cases. The prosecutor's office had gathered evidence for thirteen murders, and investigations into his previous activities while working at other medical facilities are still underway. (ANSA).

(ANSA-AFP) - SARAJEVO, NOV 5 - Ten people were killed and around 20 injured in a fire that broke out late Tuesday in a nursing home in northeastern Bosnia, police said. "According to preliminary information, 10 residents of the Tuzla retirement home lost their lives in the fire," a police spokeswoman said in a statement. Around 20 people, including firefighters, police officers, medical workers, employees, and residents of the home, received medical treatment at the Tuzla University clinical center,…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 04 NOV - The Balkan Press Agency Association's event will take place in Trieste in September 2026. This was announced today in Trieste by ANSA CEO Stefano De Alessandri at the conclusion of the AI4Health - Artificial Intelligence in Diagnosis, Treatment, and Research conference. "This year, ANSA celebrates its eightieth anniversary," De Alessandri said. "We decided to commemorate this anniversary by highlighting one of our defining characteristics: our global presence. We are members…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 4 - "Overall, 2025 was a year of significant progress towards EU enlargement. Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, and Moldova stand out: they made the greatest progress in reforms over the past year," said European Commissioner Marta Kos, presenting the annual enlargement report to the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. Kos praised the four candidates' "ambitious goals," claiming that "successful enlargement is a realistic possibility in the coming years" given the…

(ANSA) - PRAGUE, 04 NOV - Czech cardinal Dominik Duka, who was accused of covering up clergy sex crimes, died aged 82 on Tuesday, the Prague Archbishopric said on Facebook. Persecuted under the communist regime of the former Czechoslovakia, Duka repeatedly came under fire during his time as Archbishop of Prague from 2010 until 2022, including for allegedly protecting paedophile priests. His stance earned him a place on a "dirty dozen" list of potential papal candidates in 2013 accused of sweeping…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 4 - The Serbian Foreign Ministry expressed "regret" over the Swedish government's decision to reduce aid programmes to Serbia, citing issues with the rule of law, media freedom, and the fight against corruption. "Such positions, if they are official, do not reflect the real situation or the spirit of the partnership established over the years between our two countries," a statement from Belgrade's Foreign Ministry read. "Serbia is a sovereign country that implements its reforms…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 4 - China and Germany "should establish a more stable and sustainable political framework to ensure that bilateral relations always remain on track," said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a phone call with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul on Monday. He urged Berlin not to "make baseless accusations that contradict the facts," according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry report. Wang added that Germany should not engage in "microphone diplomacy," noting that the two…

(ANSA-AFP) - PRAGUE, NOV 3 - Czech billionaire Andrej Babis, a self-described "Trumpist", on Monday signed a coalition agreement to govern with two eurosceptic parties, vowing to push for a "different Europe". The three parties have yet to agree a cabinet lineup, with Babis saying he would only discuss the names of the new ministers at the end of the month. President Petr Pavel asked former premier Babis, 71, last week to form the new government after the latter's ANO movement won a general election…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 3 - Supporters of the ultranationalist, eurosceptic, and pro-Russian Bulgarian party Vazrazhdane gathered today in Sofia in front of the Bulgarian National Bank to protest the country's adoption of the euro on January 1, 2026. The demonstration was planned to coincide with the visit of European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, who is scheduled to attend tomorrow's high-level conference "Bulgaria on the Doorstep of the Eurozone." Bulgarian Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 3 - Starting today, 46 Hellenic Post Office (ELTA) offices will close as part of a nationwide postal network restructuring programme that has sparked heated debate in Greece. Initially, last Friday, the state-owned company ELTA announced that it would close 204 offices (roughly half of the 456 in the country), but after citizen protests, it postponed the closure of 158 post offices for three months, pending an assessment of possible alternatives. Many local communities are…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 3 - Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar spoke at an extraordinary session of parliament to discuss security issues in the country's southeast, following the death of a 48-year-old man in Novo Mesto after a fight with Roma community members outside a nightclub. Pirc Musar addressed MPs, with only those from the main opposition party absent, calling for a sense of responsibility and unity before moving on to topics close to her heart, such as social inclusion, integration,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 3 - Orce Gjorgjevski, a candidate for the ruling conservative party VMRO-DPMNE, is Skopje's new mayor. Yesterday's municipal elections in North Macedonia focused on the capital, where representatives of VMRO-DPMNE, the nationalist party led by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, won a landslide victory. Between the first and second rounds, conservative VMRO-DPMNE candidates won 54 out of the 80 municipalities in the election. Two weeks ago, government representatives had already…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 3 - "With the unanimous vote at the UN Security Council, the world has recognised that you are keeping the country safe," Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative, told EUFOR troops at the NATO military base in Butmir, Bosnia and Herzegovina. "We won't let history repeat itself," she said during her visit. "Free and fair presidential elections can restore trust in local authorities: EU membership can bring stability to the country, but we must seize the window of opportunity that…

(ANSA-AFP) - NOVISADA, NOV 1 - Tens of thousands of Serbians on Saturday marked the first anniversary of a deadly railway station roof collapse in Novi Sad, observing 16 minutes of silence for the 16 victims in the country's second-largest city. At 11:52 am (1052 GMT), the time when the tragedy occurred on November 1, 2024, the crowd of tens of thousands stood in silence in downtown Novi Sad at the start of the commemoration rally, according to AFP journalists. Crowds filled the roads under bright…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, OCT 31 - On the eve of tomorrow's large demonstration in Novi Sad (northern Serbia), called by the student protest movement on the first anniversary of the deaths of 16 people in the collapse of a roof at the local train station on November 1, 2024, the EU representation in Belgrade and the embassies of several EU member states, including Italy, issued a call for calm and to pay tribute to the victims peacefully and without violence. The document reiterates its deepest condolences…