Ansa news

(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).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 13 - "What we are witnessing now" in Serbia, "especially with the recent changes to the judiciary and the prosecutor's office, is a clear step backward. They undermine the independence of the judiciary and prosecutors, which is at the heart of the EU accession process," said EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos regarding the judicial reform that came into force this week. For the Slovenian, these changes "are undermining trust" in Brussels as well. "It is becoming increasingly…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 12 - The German army is short on volunteers for the two-year service in the brigade stationed in Lithuania, Der Spiegel weekly magazine revealed. While there are enough applicants for officers, there is a shortage of non-commissioned officers, which is causing concern in the Bundeswehr, given that Defence Minister Boris Pistorius promised to send only volunteer soldiers to Lithuania. Spiegel has seen internal Ministry of Defence documents from late January 2026 that show 1,971…

(ANSA-AFP) - BRUSSELS, FEB 12 - Hungary should not have received 10 billion euros in EU funds that were frozen over rule-of-law concerns, a legal advisor to the EU's top court said Thursday, calling for the 2023 decision to be annulled. The European Parliament took the European Commission to court after it unlocked the funds in December 2023 -- accusing it of caving to pressure from Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was blocking efforts to support Ukraine. Parliament argued Hungary had not met the…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 12 FEB - A total of 238 applications from 28 countries have been submitted for Mittelyoung 2026, a Mittelfest project — the Central European cultural festival — specifically dedicated to under-30 artists and ensembles, scheduled in Cividale del Friuli (Udine) from May 14 to 17. The organizers announced this today in a statement. According to Mittelfest, 110 applications came from abroad: in addition to the countries eligible for selection, including many states from Central…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 12 - Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi and Hungarian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Levente Magyar met bilaterally at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to discuss strengthening European cooperation, beginning with strategic infrastructure. According to a statement from the Ministry of Transport, the meeting confirmed Italy and Hungary's close collaboration, particularly in logistics, connectivity, and infrastructure investments. The meeting centred on Hungary's…

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 12 - Premier Giorgia Meloni said Thursday that the European Union must take concrete action to boost its competitiveness if it is to "think big" and face up to today's international challenges after she hosted a pre-summit meeting with Germany Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever before an informal meeting of EU leaders. (ANSA).

(ANSA-AFP) - PRISTINA, FEB 12 - Kosovo's parliament elected Albin Kurti as prime minister on Wednesday, securing the leader a third term and ending a year-long political gridlock in the country. Following 12 months in a caretaker position, Kurti was confirmed as the Balkan nation's new prime minister after his Vetevendosje (Self-determination) party topped the results in a snap election in December. He was elected to the leadership with 66 votes in favour in the 120-seat parliament -- drawing applause…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, FEB 11 - "Encrypted quantum communication is notfundamental only to combat attacks byhackers, but it is a decisive tool in the defense of our democracies. For several months now, the region has already successfully activated an initial quantum link between the two universitiesregional. Now our involvement in Qcimed confirms Fvg's role as a European gateway for advanced technologies and a leading area in communications security." This was said by the Councillor for Information Systems…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 11 - BMW is recalling vehicles from various model series around the world because product inspections revealed that after a large number of starts, increased wear on the magnetic switch may occur. This may impair the car's ability to start, or in some cases render it impossible to start. Furthermore, a short circuit cannot be ruled out, which could result in local overheating of the starter motor or, in the worst-case scenario, a vehicle fire while in operation. Various German…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 11 - In a tweet, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused the EU and Ukraine of interfering in Hungary's elections. "The official publication of the Brussels elite, Politico, has published the latest war plan from Brussels and Kiev, Zelensky's five-point strategy. They have decided that Ukraine will be admitted into the Union as early as 2027. This new plan constitutes an open declaration of war against Hungary. They ignore the Hungarian people's decision and are determined…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 11 - Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar believes that Prime Minister Viktor Orban's party, Fidesz, intends to release an intimate video, possibly a fake, of him having sex with his partner. The suspicion, as he explains in a lengthy post on X, stems from journalists receiving "a link showing a room filmed by a camera". "I imagine," he writes, "that they intend to release a recording, possibly falsified, made with secret service equipment, of me and my then-girlfriend…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 11 - The European Parliament has approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine. The so-called "Ukraine support loan" will help the country meet its financing needs. Of the €90 billion, €60 billion will be used to strengthen Ukraine's defence and €30 billion to provide macrofinancial assistance. The loan will be financed through joint EU debt, and Ukraine will repay it once Russia pays war reparations. In exchange for the loan, Ukraine must commit to continuing democratic…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 11 - The Kosovo Special Chambers, an international tribunal in The Hague that is prosecuting KLA leaders, including former Kosovo President Hashm Thaci, for war crimes and crimes against humanity, has released three minor defendants on bail. Their names are Haxhi Shala, Bashkim Smakaj, and Fadil Fazliu. According to family members, the first has gone back to Kosovo. In February 2025, the Special Court sentenced Shala to three years in prison for witness intimidation. Shala…

(ANSA-AFP) - SOFIA, FEB 10 - Bulgarian investigators suspect four people found dead in a remote mountain region killed themselves, while two others, including a 15-year-old boy, were murdered. The case -- which one prosecutor has described as something out of the TV series "Twin Peaks" -- has gripped the Balkan country and shone a spotlight on a group that hosts holiday camps for youngsters. The bodies of two men, aged 51 and 22, and of a 15-year-old boy were found on Sunday in a camper van parked…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 10 - A German government official close to Chancellor Merz told Politico that Germany opposes French President Macron's proposal for a common European debt, arguing that it "distracts from the main topic, namely the European productivity issue," which will be discussed at Thursday's summit. "It's true that we need more investment," the official said. "But, to be honest, this is part of the Multiannual Financial Framework and thus not the Eurobond proposal." (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 10 - The organization's leaders and member state consuls met today at the Central European Initiative's Executive Secretariat in Trieste. Among the topics discussed was a conference commemorating the CEI Executive Secretariat's 30th anniversary, which will be held in Trieste on March 17, 2026. The event will be attended by Antonio Tajani, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Oana Toiu, Minister of Foreign…

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 10 - The European Parliament on Tuesday approved a new list of safe countries for irregular migrants to be sent back to, as well as migrant hubs in third countries in a potential boost to Italy's groundbreaking protocol with Albania to process migrants in the Balkan country. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 10 - "By moving away from a Europe of sovereign nations, Brussels politicians intend to establish a centralised empire. Unfortunately, a centrally managed system means less support for our farmers, fewer small businesses, no price cuts for public services, and more power transferred to foreign multinational corporations. We reject their United States of Europe and will continue to prioritise Hungarians!" Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban tweeted on the eve of Europe's…