Ansa news

(ANSA-AFP) - GIESSEN, 29 NOV - A meeting to launch the new youth wing of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was delayed Saturday for more than two hours as protestors blocked access to the venue. Thousands of anti-AfD protestors began descending on the central town of Giessen near Frankfurt from the early morning, with police also out in force. The meeting had been due to start at 1000 local time (0900 GMT) but only got underway after 1200, accompanied by audible whistles, drums and chants…

(ANSA-AFP) - KYIV, 29 NOV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday removed his powerful chief of staff and top negotiator, Andriy Yermak, after detectives raided his house as part of a sweeping corruption probe. Yermak's removal deals a serious blow to Zelensky, who is facing a mounting Russian offensive in the east just as the United States, a crucial ally, peddles a plan to end the war that Kyiv fears will hand big concessions to Moscow. Yermak, 54, was supposed to negotiate on behalf…

(ANSA-AFP) - MOSCOW, 29 NOV - Hungary's Viktor Orban defied the EU Friday by promising Vladimir Putin he will keep buying Russian oil, as he attended a Kremlin meeting held in the midst of a diplomatic push to end Moscow's Ukraine offensive. Orban -- in power in the EU and NATO country since 2010 -- has throughout the war maintained ties with the Kremlin, while also criticising Hungary's neighbour Ukraine. It was the Hungarian nationalist's fourth meeting with Putin since Moscow launched Europe's…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 27 - In 2022, senior German officials in Berlin finalised a secret war plan against Russia. They are now preparing to implement it. The Wall Street Journal was given access to Operation Plan Germany, a massive, classified 1,200-page document outlining how up to 800,000 German, US, and other NATO troops would be transported eastward to the front lines. It describes the ports, rivers, railways, and roads they would pass through, as well as how they would be supplied and protected…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 27 - Under pressure from protesters, the Bulgarian government has decided to withdraw the draft budget for 2026 that was submitted to parliament, with the intention of resuming dialogue with employers and unions, Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov, a member of the conservative GERB party, told journalists today. Zhelyazkov won the last elections in the autumn of 2024, but was unable to secure a parliamentary majority. As a result, he has formed a coalition with the Socialists…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 27 - The Romanian Ministry of Defence has announced that it will buy French air defence systems worth more than €620 million as part of a joint supply agreement with several other European countries, Sky News reported. The ministry confirmed that the agreement includes 231 Mistral man-portable air defence systems, 934 missiles, training, and logistics. The country's current air defences consist of F-16 fighters, Patriot systems, Lockheed Martin Himars rocket launchers, surface-to-air…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 27 - "We will soon issue a communication to the eastern border regions outlining concrete steps to promote long-term prosperity, resilience, and security. The communication, which is set to be adopted next year, seeks to align all efforts—policies and investments—for the security and prosperity of the eastern border regions." EU Commission Vice President Raffaele Fitto confirmed this in a video message broadcast during the Committee on Citizenship, Governance, Institutional…

(ANSA) - CORNO DI ROSAZZO, 26 NOV - Scientific evidence, operational tools, and a shared set of guidelines to improve water use and soil management in vineyards were presented today in Corno di Rosazzo (Udine) at the final conference of Irrigavit, the Italy-Slovenia cross-border project aimed at making viticulture more resilient to climate change. The project, coordinated by the University of Udine and implemented in the eastern hills of Friuli and the Slovenian Brda region, introduced the use of…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 26 - Andrej Babis, the leader of the ANO Movement and a likely future prime minister, has presented Czech President Petr Pavel with a list of members of the government that will be formed by ANO, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), and Motorists for Their Own. The primary change concerns the Foreign Affairs position. Motorists for Their Own MP Filip Turek, who has been criticised for racist and homophobic statements and was widely regarded as a future Foreign Minister, is…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, NOV 26 - "The CEI is today a unique bridge for regional cooperation, but we must build a clear vision around current priorities: supporting the European integration of the Western Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine, as well as continuing to support Ukraine in the face of brutal Russian aggression," stated Franco Dal Mas, Secretary General of the Central European Initiative (CEI), at the CEI ministerial meeting held today in Belgrade under the Serbian Presidency. "Our task is to strengthen…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 26 - Hungary intends to provide concrete assistance to Serbia in its energy problems, which are linked to US sanctions against the NIS oil company, according to Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who is in Belgrade today for the CEI ministerial conference that will conclude Serbia's presidency. "Just as Hungary has always been able to rely on Serbia for energy supplies, Serbia can also count on Hungary's assistance. We'll never leave you alone. We will do everything…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 26 - The meeting of foreign ministers from the Central European Initiative (CEI) countries began this morning in Belgrade, marking the end of Serbia's annual presidency. A review of this year's work will take place as the organization's presidency transitions to Romania in 2026. Maria Tripodi, Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, represents Italy. Serbia's presidency has prioritised four areas: supporting European integration, developing artificial intelligence, strengthening…

(ANSA-AFP) - STRASBOURG, NOV 26 - EU chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed Wednesday that Europe would keep supporting Ukraine and pressuring Russia until a "just and lasting peace", calling a revised US plan a "starting point" to end the war. "I want to be clear from the very outset: Europe will stand with Ukraine and support Ukraine every step of the way," von der Leyen told EU lawmakers. "Yes, the situation is volatile. Yes, the situation is dangerous. But I believe there is also an opportunity here…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 25 - According to a Eurostat report, from 2004 to 2024, real per capita household income in the EU increased by 22%. Between 2004 and 2008, per capita income increased steadily, then stagnated between 2008 and 2011 due to the global financial crisis, before declining in 2012 and 2013. Since then, income has been steadily increasing until 2020, when it fell due to the global pandemic. Income recovered in 2021, but increased slowly in 2022 and 2023. According to Eurostat, initial…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 25 - Tomorrow, Czech President Petr Pavel will meet with Andrej Babis, the leader of the ANO (Action of Discontented Citizens) movement and the likely next Prime Minister, at Prague Castle. Babis is expected to submit to the head of state the list of ministerial candidates proposed by the newly formed coalition, which includes the ANO movement, the extremists of Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), and the Motorists for Their Own Party. Andrej Babis' conflict of interest, which…

(ANSA-AFP) - WASHINGTON, NOV 25 - The White House said Tuesday that remaining sticking points in talks to find an end to Russia's war against Ukraine are "not insurmountable" but will require more negotiation. "The United States has made tremendous progress towards a peace deal," press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X. "There are a few delicate but not insurmountable details that must be sorted out and will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States." (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, NOV 25 - "With ongoing negotiations, I believe there is universal consensus on one fundamental point: the end of the war cannot be interpreted as a surrender of Ukraine, and thus of Europe," stated Franco Dal Mas, Secretary General of the Central European Initiative (CEI), during his opening remarks at the meeting of CEI National Coordinators held in Belgrade under the Serbian Presidency. "Peace must respect human rights, the rule of law, and Ukraine's territorial and political…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 25 - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has warned that continued US sanctions against Serbian oil group NIS (Naftna Industrija Srbije) will have serious consequences for the country's entire energy, economic, and financial systems. These sanctions are based on the fact that Russian energy giant Gazprom owns the majority stake. The sanctions, which had been delayed since their announcement earlier this year by the previous US administration of Joe Biden, went into effect on…

(ANSA-AFP) - WARSAW, NOV 25 - A top European court on Tuesday ruled that an EU nation had to recognise a gay marriage recorded in another member state, following a complaint by two Poles married in Germany. The couple, one of whom also has German nationality, were residing there and married in Berlin in 2018. But when they tried to move to Poland and requested their marriage certificate be registered there, they were "refused on the ground that Polish law does not allow marriage between persons…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUCHAREST, NOV 25 - Romania and Moldova on Tuesday announced drone incursions in to their airspace, and Bucharest deployed four fighter jets after a night of massive Russian air strikes in neighbouring Ukraine. Romania and Moldova have repeatedly seen violations of their airspaces, including drone fragments falling onto their soil, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moldovan police said a village was evacuated after drone fragments fell on a house in the Cuhurestii…

(ANSA-AFP) - WARSAW, NOV 24 - The Polish foreign minister summoned the Israeli ambassador Monday over a social media post by Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial saying Poland was the first country where Jews were forced to wear a distinctive symbol during World War II. The post Sunday by the museum marked the anniversary of the 1939 antisemitic order -- but did not mention that Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany at the time, drawing an angry reaction from Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 24 - "It is clear that the EU wants to continue the war in Ukraine without providing Ukraine with military equipment, financing Ukraine's operations, or even knowing how to finance it. Their only suggestions are for member states to provide more funds or issue a joint loan. Hungary will not finance an unwinnable war, nor will it mortgage our grandchildren's future." These were Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's remarks following his remote participation in the meeting…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 24 - Russia has resumed nighttime drone strikes against Ukrainian civilian and port infrastructure near the Romanian border, according to the Defence Ministry in Chisinau, which also reported that the fighters had been scrambled as a precaution. "Radar monitoring systems detected air targets heading towards Ismail (a Ukrainian border town), and two German Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft engaged in enhanced air policing missions scrambled to monitor the air situation. The drones…

(ANSA-AFP) - FRANKFURT AM MAIN, NOV 24 - German business sentiment fell more than expected in November, a survey showed Monday, the latest sign that industry is losing faith in the government's plans to revive the economy. The Ifo institute's confidence barometer dipped to 88.1 points from 88.4 points in October. Analysts surveyed by financial data firm FactSet had expected a reading of 88.3 this month. "Sentiment among companies in Germany has deteriorated," said Ifo president Clemens Fuest. "They…

(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, NOV 24 - In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Election Commission, with polls almost completed, confirmed late yesterday evening the victory of Sinisa Karan, candidate of Bosnian Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik, in the early presidential elections held in Republika Srspka (Rs), the Serb-majority entity in BiH. After 92.8 percent of the ballots were counted, 50.9 percent (216,000 votes) went to Karan, compared to the 47.8 percent (188,000 votes) obtained by Branko Blanusa,…

(ANSA-AFP) - LJUBLJANA, NOV 23 - Slovenians on Sunday voted to suspend a new law to legalise assisted dying in a referendum held after critics mounted a campaign against the legislation, partial results showed. Around 53 percent of voters rejected the law, while 47 percent voted in favour, meaning its implementation will be suspended for at least one year. (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 23 - Slovenia's polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. today, allowing nearly 1.7 million eligible voters to vote Yes or No on the law on assisted voluntary end-of-life. The law, passed by parliament on July 24, will be rejected if one-fifth of the electorate—approximately 340,000 people—vote against it, with no minimum turnout requirement. There are a total of 2,971 polling stations open, including 88 so-called omnia polling stations where citizens who have decided…

(ANSA-AFP) - BANJA LUKA, NOV 23 - Bosnia's Serb-majority entity began voting Sunday to pick a replacement for its banned firebrand president, Milorad Dodik, who was removed for defying Bosnia's international peace envoy. Dodik was ejected from office in August following his conviction for ignoring rulings by the international appointee who oversees a peace deal which has held Bosnia together since the end of its 1990s inter-ethnic war. The early vote in the Republika Srpska (RS) -- one of Bosnia's…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 22 NOV - A wave of severe weather, with frigid temperatures and snowfall, is hitting the Balkans. Heavy snow has fallen over the past few hours, particularly in Sarajevo and across Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in Croatia, Serbia, and other parts of the region. In the Bosnian capital, regional media reported that traffic was paralyzed for hours, with crews of snowplow workers deployed to clear streets of snow and ice. Many towns across Croatia have been struggling with the…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 22 NOV - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, referring to new episodes of ultranationalism and ethnic hatred in Croatia, said he was horrified by the resurgence of fascism in Europe and expressed hope for a strong condemnation of such expressions of hatred by the European Union. Speaking to reporters today on the sidelines of the opening in Belgrade of the fourth edition of the Wine Vision by Open Balkan fair, Vucic commented on the latest performance last night in Osijek, in…