Ansa news

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 25 LUG - For the 2024 summer exodus and counter-exodus, Autostrade Alto Adriatico is reinforcing its staff to monitor traffic, deploying 220 operators on the ground for each designated high-traffic day in collaboration with the traffic police, and also enhancing communication channels. There are five days expected to have the most critical traffic: Saturday, July 27; Saturday, August 3; Saturday, August 10; Saturday, August 17; and Saturday, August 24. Additionally, there are 14…

(ANSA) - FRANCOFORTE SUL MENO, 25 LUG - Frankfurt International Airport, the most important airport in Germany, has suspended arrivals and departures after a group of climate activists invaded the landing and take-off runways. "We are doing everything possible to remove the activists from the runways," a spokesperson for the German airport told AFP. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, 25 LUG - The Czech Republic has decided to put the name of Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Sikela as a candidate commissioner for the future European Commission. This was announced via X by the Czech premier, Petr Fiala. "He demonstrates competence, he has extensive international experience, and during his presidency at the European level he has shown that he can solve problems," Fiala stressed in explaining his decision. "It is a great honor for me that my colleagues in government…

by Paolo Algisi (ANSA) - MILAN, 25 LUG - Unicredit closes the quarter with a profit of €2.7 billion, up 16 percent on 2023 and higher than the €2.3 billion expected by analysts, while archiving the first six months of 2024 with €5.2 billion in profits, 20 percent higher than last year, and generating €6.7 billion in capital, evenly split between the two quarters. "Record" results, stresses CEO, Andrea Orcel, who revises 2024 guidance on revenues, up from 22.5 billion to over 23 billion,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 24 LUG - Belgrade's Gay Pride will take place on September 7, culminating a week of events and initiatives aimed at raising public awareness about the rights still denied to the LGBTI+ community in Serbia. In announcing the event, the organizers highlighted that gays and homosexuals continue to face violence and discrimination in Serbia. Among the demands made to the authorities are the enactment of laws on same-sex unions, equal rights and treatment, punitive measures for hate…

(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, 24 LUG - The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, accepting several appeals, has suspended the electoral law passed by the Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority entity whose leader, Milorad Dodik, is under scrutiny for his growing secessionist ambitions. The law in question was adopted by the Serb-Bosnian parliament on April 19 and came into effect on July 17. The High Court found there were reasonable doubts that this measure could violate the constitutional order and…

(ANSA) - STRASBOURG, 24 LUG - Poland must end the pushbacks of migrants to Belarus and not approve the law currently under discussion in the Senate, which proposes to exempt some law enforcement officers stationed in border areas from criminal liability if, under certain conditions and in emergency situations, they use force or firearms in violation of existing regulations. This call comes from the Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner, Michael O'Flaherty, in two letters sent to Polish Prime…

(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 24 LUG - Judicial systems, anti-corruption frameworks, media freedom and pluralism, and other institutional balances: two-thirds, almost 68%, of the recommendations made by Brussels last year to member states to advance the rule of law have been fully or partially implemented, and the capitals are now "much better prepared to identify, prevent, and address emerging challenges." This is stated by the European Commission in its fifth annual report on the rule of law, which for…

(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 23 LUG - In Serbia, as in Italy and other European countries, there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. According to the Institute of Public Health 'Dr. Milan Jovanovic Batut,' there has been a rise in the number of tests conducted and positive cases since the beginning of May, with current numbers ranging between 60 and 90 cases per week. However, there has not been an increase in hospitalizations or severe clinical forms of the disease. Therefore, given the…

(ANSA) - ZAGABRIA, 23 LUG - Behind yesterday's massacre at the nursing home in Croatia, where six people were killed and another five injured in Daruvar, Slavonia, lies the killer's precarious financial situation, exacerbated by his consumption of alcohol and psychotropic drugs. This is what emerges from reports in the Croatian press, citing various informed sources about the massacre, the second deadliest mass killing in Croatia's history, following a 1993 shooting that left nine dead. Krešimir…

(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 23 LUG - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has denied recent reports from the media about a supposed deterioration in his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking to journalists during a visit today to Nis (in southern Serbia), Vucic recalled his cordial meeting with Putin at the last Silk Road summit in Beijing last October. Serbia, he said, has excellent relations with the Russian Federation and will continue to maintain them despite those who wish otherwise.…

(ANSA) - ZAGABRIA, 22 LUG - Croatia is in shock after today's massacre at a nursing home in the eastern part of the country, resulting in five deaths and seven injuries, four of which are in serious condition. The massacre occurred around 10 a.m. at a nursing home in Daruvar, a town in Slavonia, located 150 km east of the capital Zagreb. According to still-unconfirmed information from official sources, the victims were all women, including the killer's mother, an employee of the small private facility,…

(ANSA) - UDINE, 20 LUG - The universities of Udine and Nova Gorica (Slovenia) are among the founders of Across, the new cross-border European university alliance for knowledge sharing. This collaboration aims to jointly address the economic, social, and environmental challenges that characterize the border areas where the ten universities involved in the project are located. This initiative is particularly relevant for 2025 when Nova Gorica and Gorizia will become the European Capital of Culture.…

(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, 20 LUG - The Minister of the Interior of the Croat-Muslim Federation, one of the two entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina (the other being the Republika Srpska), was turned back at the border with Croatia because he did not have the proper documents to enter the neighboring country, which is part of the European Union. According to reports, Minister Ramo Isak, to avoid the long queues that occur at this time of year at the more frequently used border crossings, tried to…

(ANSA) - VIENNA, 19 LUG - Since its inception in mid-March, the Austrian police task force for Juvenile Delinquency (EJK) has filed approximately 4,200 reports and made 380 arrests. Half of the reports and over 280 arrests occurred in Vienna. More than 1,000 of those reported were minors, with around 300 in Vienna. The EJK has so far checked 30,000 people across the country. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner announced plans to increase police presence in Vienna and launched a training and incentive…

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, 19 LUG - Serbian police on Friday killed the alleged culprit who shot a law enforcement official dead this week near the border with Bosnia, the minister of interior announced. It comes more than a day after the incident that saw a policeman shot dead and another wounded during a routine vehicle inspection near the western Serbian city of Loznica. "Police officers eliminated the killer of the policeman near the vicinity of Loznica," said Interior Minister Ivica Dacic in a…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 19 LUG - Serbia and the European Union signed a memorandum of understanding today in Belgrade on a strategic partnership to exploit sustainable raw materials and develop supply chains for batteries and electric vehicles. President Aleksandar Vucic, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and European Commission Vice-President and Energy Commissioner Maros Sefcovic participated in the summit on strategic raw materials held in the Serbian capital, where the deal was signed. Today's meeting…

(ANSA) - UDINE, 19 LUG - "Regarding the forest fire in Slovenia that broke out yesterday morning, my fellow mayor of Nova Gorica, Samo Turel, informs me that there are still some active hotspots on the northern side, towards the Vipava Valley, which are, however, under control." This update was provided a short while ago by the mayor of Gorizia, Rodolfo Ziberna. "The only risk," specified the mayor, who has been in constant contact with Slovenian authorities for the past 24 hours, "is that the wind…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 19 LUG - This Saturday, certain sections of the highway network managed by Autostrade Alto Adriatico will be marked by a red "sticker" traffic alert. Approximately 179,000 vehicles are expected to pass through the network, with potential traffic jams not only near the short construction section of the third lane between Portogruaro and Alvisopoli but also at exits for beach destinations and the Trieste-Lisert toll barrier. About 20,000 vehicles are anticipated to exit at the Lisert…

(ANSA) - UDINE, 19 LUG - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this morning in Belgrade. Scholz arrived late yesterday to attend the summit on strategic raw materials. Maros Sefcovic, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for the Energy Union is also in Belgrade for this purpose. The agreement to be signed between Serbia and the European Union will also cover the supply chain of batteries and electric vehicles and aim to ensure that strategic…

(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, 19 LUG - Flights were suspended at Berlin Brandenburg airport in Germany on Friday morning due to a "technical problem", a spokeswoman told AFP as several countries reported massive IT disturbances. "There are delays to check-in and flight operations had to be cancelled until 10:00 am (0800 GMT),"the spokeswoman said, adding however that she could not say when they would resume. The disruption ahead of the first weekend of the school holidays in Berlin came as US tech giant…

(ANSA) - UDINE, 18 LUG - The 33rd edition of Mittelfest, a festival featuring prose, music, dance, and circus from Central Europe, will commence tomorrow in Cividale del Friuli (Udine). This year, the festival is dedicated to the theme "Disorders" and will run until July 28. It will showcase 29 artistic projects from 17 countries. The festival is directed by Giacomo Pedini and will open with a music performance called "Happy Concert" in Piazza Duomo, featuring the Fvg Orchestra and the duo Igudesman…

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, 18 LUG - A Serbian policeman was shot dead and another wounded near the border with Bosnia early Thursday, authorities said, sparking a manhunt for the culprit. The shooting happened during a routine vehicle inspection near the western city of Loznica, said an interior ministry statement. "While exiting the vehicle, one person fired a gun, hitting police officer Nikola Krsmanovic in the chest and police officer Vjekoslav Ilic in the shoulder, after which he fled," said the…

(ANSA-AFP) - STRASBOURG, 18 LUG - EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday savaged a rogue diplomatic trip made by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Moscow to discuss ways for ending the war in Ukraine as an "appeasement mission". "This so-called peace mission was nothing but an appeasement mission -- this was a plain appeasement mission," she told the European Parliament in a sharp rebuke for Orban, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency. "Russia is banking on Europe and…

(ANSA) - GORIZIA, JUL 18 - The extremely high temperatures and dry climate of these hours have favored the outbreak of a fire this morning near Mount Trstelj in the municipal area of Kostanjevica na Krasu, in the Slovenian Karst. According to reports, about 100 firefighters are already operating, also using aircraft. Smoke is visible from dozens of kilometers away, affecting Italian territory as well, in the same areas that were devastated by the fires of summer 2022: Doberdò del Lago, Fogliano…

(ANSA) - STRASBURGO, 17 LUG - Twenty-one EU capitals, including Rome, call for urgent and decisive action at the EU level to enhance water resilience "through innovative solutions, substantial funding, and collaborative approaches." In a letter addressed to European Commission Vice President in charge of the Green Deal, Maroš Šefčovič, and European Commissioner for Climate Action, Frans Timmermans, the capitals described water as a vital and strategic resource that is increasingly under pressure…

(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 17 LUG - A new fierce clash has erupted between Belgrade and Pristina, with mutual accusations of supporting terrorism and illegality. Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic and the head of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic, have indignantly rejected the statements of Kosovo's Interior Minister Xelhal Svecla, calling them false and defamatory. Svecla claimed that terrorist training camps, supported by the Serbian Army, are active in Serbia, similar to…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 17 LUG - On Friday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Belgrade to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. He will also participate in a conference on strategic raw materials alongside the Vice-President of the EU Commission and Commissioner for the Energy Union, Maros Sefcovic. The Belgrade media reported this. In Serbia, there is renewed interest in exploiting a rich lithium deposit, which had been put on hold due to protests over environmental concerns. President…

(ANSA-AFP) - ATHENS, 17 LUG - Greece's most visited tourist attraction, the Athens Acropolis, is to close during the hottest hours of Wednesday, authorities said as a heatwave scorches the country. Tourists won't be unable to visit the Parthenon and other ancient masterpieces atop the UNESCO-listed archaeological site between noon and 5:00 pm local time (0900-1400 GMT), the culture ministry said. The limited closure -- which is the second announced in just over a month -- comes as Greece's national…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 17 LUG - The strengthening of military collaboration between Serbia and Russia and discussions on the security situation in the Balkans and worldwide were the primary topics of a meeting held yesterday in Belgrade. The meeting took place between the Serbian Army's Chief of the General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović, and General Gennadiy Mozhayev, the Russian Federation's defense envoy. According to the Ministry of Defense, General Mojsilović stated that the Serbian Armed Forces…