Ansa news

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, SEP 2 - Slovenia's Special Prosecutor's Office will launch a corruption investigation against former Prime Minister Robert Golob, and the Ljubljana Parliament voted overwhelmingly against his immunity, including Golob himself. The Prosecutor's Office can now begin an investigation into the pro-European centre-left former prime minister, who narrowly won the March 22nd general election but failed to find allies in Parliament, handing the initiative to conservative leader and current…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, SEP 2 - Trenitalia's Frecciarossa trains are beginning test runs in Germany and Austria as part of the international approval process. Following the successful completion of the approval process for the new trains, the FS group announced that connections between Milan and Munich and Rome and Munich will begin in the summer of 2027. "The start of test runs in Germany and Austria is a step towards realising a project that confirms our desire to make trains the standard for European…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, SEP 2 - The Central European Initiative (CEI) announced that Italy has committed more than €2.1 million to eight technical cooperation projects financed through the CEI Fund at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), reaffirming its role in regional cooperation in Central, Eastern, and Southeast Europe. The CEI emphasises the initiative's leverage effect, stating that the more than €2.1 million allocated will facilitate over €450 million in investments…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, SEP 2 - In Kosovo, the agreement reached two days ago between the Vetëvendosje Movement (LVV) of interim Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) may not guarantee the election of constitutional judge Bekim Sejdiu, whose name has political convergence, as president of the Republic. This is due to the dissent of six LDK MPs, who have withheld their votes and are particularly opposed to Kurti's term extension. In a press conference, LDK leader Lumir…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, SEP 1 - More than 20,000 passengers traveled from June 25 to August 31 on the ferry route connecting Trieste and the towns of Piran, Poreč, Rovinj, and Mali Lošinj, operated by Liberty Lines as part of the service promoted and funded by the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region. Passenger numbers on the high-speed monohull vessel Sofia M rose by 20.9% compared to the previous season, while the number of bicycles transported increased by over 25%. "Closing the season for the second consecutive…

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, SEP 1 - A police search for an armed Russian man in Montenegro ended early Tuesday when the suspect, wanted for killing three people, killed himself after exchanging fire with police, authorities said. According to the interior ministry, the suspect, a 30-year-old Russian, shot dead three employees of the shooting range in Danilovgrad, close to the capital Podgorica. After an hours-long manhunt involving special units and a helicopter, the suspect was located in woods above…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, SEP 1 - "Russia is responsible for the hybrid attack in Leipzig on August 4," said German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt during a press conference in Berlin with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. The minister referred to evidence reviewed by German security services and agencies. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, SEP 1 - "At a time when the foundations of the global order are shaking under the blows of a selective approach to international law, the Non-Aligned Movement remains the most solid bastion of multilateralism, defending the idea that the world should belong to everyone, not just those whose economic or military power is currently superior," Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said today, while hosting a high-level meeting commemorating the 65th anniversary of the first conference.…

(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, SEP 1 - Several improvised explosive devices were found at a substation near a coal-fired power plant in Germany on Tuesday and several power lines were damaged, police and a grid operator said. Operator 50Hertz said there was a "brief interruption of service" but all lines are now back in operation at the Preilack substation, which distributes power from the nearby Jaenschwalde power plant. Police said no one was hurt. (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, SEP 1 - "Russia must understand that Germany is a stabilising force in Europe, always willing to negotiate, and will not be intimidated in any way," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in Algeria, before the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman spoke. "There is no disproportionate reaction from us, but we will react if we are attacked," he said, in response to a question about whether Berlin should be concerned about a Russian counter-reaction to the package of measures…

(ANSA) - PORDENONE, 01 SET - "The exhibition 'Impressionism and Modernity. Masterpieces from the Kunst Museum Winterthur closed with 81,095 visitors, indicating a strong national and international draw as well as a high level of public appreciation." Sergio Emidio Bini, regional councillor for Productive Activities and Tourism, announced an unprecedented result for Udine: the highest number of visitors ever recorded at a city exhibition. The exhibition, produced by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, SEP 1 - Eleven EU countries—Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and Sweden—sent a non-paper document to High Representative Kaja Kallas and the remaining member states. In this document, they outline, ahead of tomorrow's informal Foreign Affairs Council, five principles for overcoming the excessive use of the veto on foreign and security policy issues, including "increasingly resorting to constructive abstentions"…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 31 - "The European continent is witnessing a devastating war as a result of Putin's Russia's massive aggression against Ukraine. Defending and supporting the Ukrainian people can only be considered a fundamental duty to affirm and defend the European Union's founding values of freedom and democracy," said Franco Dal Mas, Secretary General of the Central European Initiative (CEI), who attended the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) today in Bled, Slovenia. "In a scenario where even…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 31 - "In 2019, Angela Merkel told us at an informal European Council that the Green Deal would be fantastic and would address nature, water, and forests. What is the outcome? Already in September 2021, I stated that the price of the ETS1 certificate differed significantly from what the European Commission promised in 2020. They stated that the ETS1 certificate would cost €26.50 in 2030. How much is it worth now? €80. So, what's the outcome of this Green Deal? As a result,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 31 - "Students4Cooperation allows young people to gain firsthand experience with cross-border cooperation and develop proposals for the future of their regions." Barbara Zilli, Friuli Venezia Giulia's Regional Councillor for Finance, made this statement while announcing the launch of the third edition of Students4Cooperation on September 9. This competition, which is part of the Interreg VI-A Italy-Slovenia 2021-27 Programme and is aimed at secondary school students in the…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 31 - "I believe in action, and what I learned in Hungary is that the most important thing is to speak honestly and avoid using double standards, particularly in Brussels. My colleagues understand exactly what I'm talking about. We must avoid ideological debates and concentrate on real issues, such as energy security, interconnectors, and regional cooperation," said Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, speaking at the Bled Strategic Forum, along with the prime ministers…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 31 - In August, inflation in Germany increased, but not as much as expected. According to the statistics institute Destatis, it increased by 2.9%, up from 2.8% in July and 2.3% in June, owing to rising energy prices (+10.5% versus +8.3% in July). Analysts expected the price index to increase by 3.1%. Excluding energy and food (which rose only 0.1%), the index increased by 2.4%. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 31 - A Greek government delegation is set to sign a 3.1 billion euro agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Defence today in Tel Aviv for the supply of the so-called "Achilles Shield," an integrated, multi-layered air defence system against missiles, drones, and aircraft, Greek media reported. The "Shield" is part of the Greek government's ten-year programme to modernise its Armed Forces by 2030, and Defence Minister Nikos Dendias described it as "an important link in the…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 31 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended his gratitude to Prime Minister Janez Janša on Sunday for Slovenia's veto on a joint EU statement condemning Israel's plans in the occupied West Bank, the Slovenian news agency STA reported today. "Thank you PM Janša for your courage and clarity amidst EU hypocrisy. The EU remains silent when Turkey, a NATO member, illegally occupies half of Cyprus - an EU member! Yet when the Jewish people want to exercise their historic…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 31 - The Bled Strategic Forum (BSF), Slovenia's leading foreign police event, begins on Monday with addresses by Foreign Minister Tone Kajzer and Prime Minister Janez Janša, according to Slovenian news agency STA. The event, which will be attended by the Slovak president as well as the prime ministers of Hungary, Croatia, and Czechia, will focus on Europe's future in the face of global uncertainty. The forum, which will be attended by experts, analysts, and politicians, will…

(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 29 - Russia and Belarus continue to actively cooperate on the international stage and to strengthen the Union State between the two countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his meeting with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. "We continue to actively cooperate on the international stage and strengthen the Union State," he said, according to TASS. Putin noted that the Council of Ministers of the Union State will meet shortly. He also mentioned the active engagement…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 29 - The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals announced that it cannot yet specify when Ratko Mladić's remains will be handed over to Serbia, nor provide details on the circumstances of his death, as the investigation into his death and its circumstances—ordered by the Mechanism's president—is still ongoing and it is unknown when it will be completed. Tanjug reported, citing the Hague press service. However, it stated that it responded to a preliminary…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 28 - "Young people are not passive recipients of the future, but active participants in the decisions that shape it. Supporting the Young BSF means concretely following up on the commitment made by CEI member states with the 2019 Trieste Declaration'", said Zsuzsanna Kiraly, Deputy Secretary General of the Central European Initiative. The initiative, designated as a CEI Flagship Event and supported by the CEI Cooperation Fund, is one of the organization's concrete pillars…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 28 - The search for two men who stole a valuable necklace from Vienna's MAK, the Museum of Applied Arts, is still ongoing. The two are still on the run, and police have launched a massive search operation to find them. The stolen jewel is Queen Nazli of Egypt's famous diamond necklace, created in 1939 in the Art Deco style by the Parisian house Van Cleef & Arpels. Viennese police confirmed the object's identity but did not provide any information about its value. According…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 28 - Just over a week before the regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, according to a representative poll conducted by the research group "Forschungsgruppe Wahlen" on behalf of the ZDF, the AfD continues to have a clear lead over Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU. According to the data, the far-right AfD stands at 40%, while Prime Minister Sven Schulze's Christian Democrats stand at 23%. They are followed by Die Linke (The Left) with 13%, the SPD with 9%, and the Greens with…

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, AUG 28 - Serbia's justice minister Nenad Vujic said Friday that former Bosnian Serb military leader and convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic "will receive all the military and state honours to which he is entitled". Mladic died on Thursday while serving a life sentence in The Hague for war crimes committed during the 1990s Bosnian war. "It is certain that General Mladic will receive all the military and state honours to which he is entitled, as far as the state is concerned,"…

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, AUG 27 - Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military chief who was convicted of war crimes for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, died in hospital on Thursday, according to a United Nations international tribunal. Mladic, who had suffered several strokes in recent months, was serving a life sentence in The Hague for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity after overseeing the Srebrenica slaughter, Europe's worst act of bloodshed since World War II. His…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 27 - "Almost two trillion euros for the next EU budget is simply excessive. It is unacceptable that Brussels is debating the largest budget ever, while we at home are forced to tighten our belts. This is why I met with Chancellor Merz and other heads of government from net-contributing countries in Berlin today," Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker wrote in X at the end of the so-called "frugal countries" meeting on the EU budget in Berlin. The Chancellor then set the "priority":…

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, AUG 27 - Former Bosnian military Serb leader and war criminal Ratko Mladic has died in a prison hospital in the Hague, according to Serbian state broadcaster RTS, after suffering several strokes. Mladic, 84, was dubbed the "Butcher of Bosnia" for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre during the Bosnian war. (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, AUG 27 - Slovenia's conservative government, led by Janez Janša, has faced criticism from the opposition and President Nataša Pirc Musar for refusing to sign the European Union's joint declaration against new Israeli settlements in the West Bank, reports EU Observer. The latter urged Ljubljana to strongly support the EU's position, stating that such settlements "violate international law, undermine the two-state solution, and impede long-term peace." Pirc Musar emphasised the…