Ansa news

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 12 - The women and men of the 5th Novara Lancers Regiment were bid farewell today by the community of Codroipo (Udine), where the regiment is stationed, ahead of their departure for Kosovo, where they will be part of the NATO KFOR mission. "Friuli Venezia Giulia is proud of the 5th Novara Lancers Regiment, which was called upon to carry out an important peacekeeping mission and provide assistance to civilians" in Kosovo, said Mario Anzil, Vice President of the Friuli Venezia…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 12 - Serbia will resume receiving crude oil from Croatia via the Adriatic Pipeline (Janaf) starting at midnight, according to Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Djedović Handanović, as reported by Belgrade's public television. Crude oil deliveries to the Serbian refinery in Pancevo were halted last October due to US sanctions imposed on the Serbian hydrocarbon giant NIS, which is controlled by Russia's Gazprom. The approval for crude oil to enter Serbia through Croatia is…

(ANSA-AFP) - ZAGREB, JAN 12 - NATO chief Mark Rutte said Monday the alliance was working on ways to bolster Arctic security, as Europe scrambles to deflect US President Donald Trump's interest in taking over Greenland. "Currently we are working on the next steps to make sure that indeed we collectively protect what is at stake," Rutte told journalists on a visit to Croatia. (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 12 - Mercedes-Benz, with just over two million vehicles sold, expects a 10% drop in 2025 compared to 2024. In presenting its figures today, the company preferred to signal optimism: the fourth quarter of last year was its best in terms of results, with sales up 6% from the third quarter. However, compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, there is an 11% decrease. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 12 - According to Eurostat, as of November 30, 2025, 4.33 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine were granted temporary protection in the European Union. Compared to the end of October 2025, the total number of Ukrainians increased by 30,615 (+0.7%). The EU countries with the most refugees were Germany (1,241,000 people; 28.7% of the total), Poland (968,750; 22.4%), and the Czech Republic (392,670; 9.1%). (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 12 - Zbigniew Ziobro, a former Polish Justice Minister and prominent member of the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, has been granted political asylum in Hungary. He is accused of committing 26 crimes, including creating and leading a criminal organisation, while administering the Justice Fund, which is intended to assist crime victims. Ziobro personally announced the news on his social media accounts. "I have decided to accept the asylum granted to me by the Hungarian…

(ANSA) - BUDAPEST, 10 GEN - At an extraordinary congress, Hungary's ruling party, Fidesz, confirmed Viktor Orbán as its lead candidate and nominee for prime minister in the upcoming April elections. The congress also introduced the party's 106 candidates for single-member districts. Since 2010, Orbán has won four elections with a two-thirds majority, but this time his victory is threatened by a strong challenger, Péter Magyar, who leads the new party Tisza (Honor and Freedom). Tisza has already…

(ANSA-AFP) - UNITED NATIONS, 10 GEN - The UN Security Council will meet Monday to discuss Ukraine, a revised scheduled showed, after Kyiv's mayor urged residents to leave the capital due to mass heating outages caused by Russian strikes. "The Russian Federation has reached an appalling new level of war crimes and crimes against humanity by its terror against civilians," Ukrainian ambassador Andriy Melnyk said in a letter to the Security Council seen by AFP on Friday. The latest strikes left half…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 9 - In Kosovo, outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti is just short of securing an absolute majority following the December 28 vote, which appears to have broken the political impasse that had lasted nearly a year. The Central Election Commission (CIK) announced today that the left-wing nationalist Movement (Vetëvendosje, or Self-Determination, VV) won over 51% of the vote and secured 57 of the 120 seats in the National Assembly. This represents a nine-seat increase over the…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 9 - In the so-called E3, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France condemned as "unacceptable" the launch of the Oreshnik super-missile attributed to Russia by Ukraine in the Lviv region. Downing Street issued a statement reiterating the three European countries' (EU and non-EU) support for Kiev. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 09 GEN - Un viaggio nella Nuova Europa attraverso i racconti del passato e le memorie più fresche per svelare volti e voci del nuovo continente in divenire. È la 37/a edizione del Trieste Film Festival, la rassegna dedicata al cinema dell'Europa centro orientale presentata oggi a Trieste. Oltre 120 gli eventi in programma dal 16 al 24 gennaio, tra film, documentari, corti, masterclass e incontri con i protagonisti. Prevista una doppia apertura: si parte il 16 gennaio al Teatro…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 09 GEN - A journey through the New Europe, drawing on stories from the past and the freshest memories to reveal the faces and voices of a new continent in the making. This is the 37th edition of the Trieste Film Festival, the showcase dedicated to Central and Eastern European cinema, which was presented today in Trieste. More than 120 events are scheduled from January 16 to 24, including feature films, documentaries, shorts, masterclasses, and meetings with filmmakers. The festival…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 9 - Germany's industrial production unexpectedly increased for the third consecutive month, with the Federal Statistical Office reporting a 0.8% increase in November 2025 over the previous month. Analysts expected a 0.7% contraction. The 0.8% increase compares to the same period last year, when a 1% decline was expected. In October, production increased by 2.0% over September. (ANSA).

(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, JAN 9 - Long-distance trains were halted in northern Germany on Friday and services were also affected in other parts of the country as winter storms sweep across Europe, the rail operator said. "Long-distance rail travel in northern Germany is no longer possible," said Deutsche Bahn in a statement, adding that services from Berlin to Hamburg, and to the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia state were also impacted. (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 9 - In a letter dated December 10, US President Donald Trump wished Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán "good luck on his campaign in Hungary" and expressed gratitude for the invitation to visit the country, adding that his team would "contact him to discuss my schedule." "The relationship between the United States and Hungary is stronger than ever, based on shared patriotism. I'm excited to host him and his team in Budapest!" the Hungarian prime minister wrote on X when…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 8 - Celebrations for the National Day of January 9th began today in Republika Srpska (RS), Bosnia and Herzegovina's Serb-dominated entity. Bosnian Serbs celebrate this holiday with great pride and nationalism, despite the fact that it has been repeatedly declared unconstitutional by the High Court of BiH and harshly condemned by the High Representative of the International Union for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 8 - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico received Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis today in Bratislava. Since the division of Czechoslovakia, new prime ministers have traditionally made their first official foreign visit to their sister country. Andrej Babis, who was appointed Prime Minister in December, was greeted in his hometown of Bratislava by his counterpart Robert Fico, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, and the Speaker of Parliament. The two Prime Ministers discussed,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 8 - A cold snap with heavy snowfall is hitting the Balkans, causing significant traffic delays and power outages. In Belgrade and throughout Serbia, where the second day of Orthodox Christmas is celebrated today, hundreds of ploughs are clearing snow from city and suburban roads. Traffic is light, in part due to the timing of the winter school holidays, which began on December 31st and will last until January 19. Serbia also celebrates the Orthodox New Year on the Julian calendar,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 8 - Germany is experiencing a cold snap: Berliners awoke to a city blanketed in snow for days, with temperatures dropping to -9 degrees Celsius, and snowstorms caused chaos in Hamburg. Public transport in the Hanseatic city is severely disrupted, with buses and subways running irregularly, and all schools will be closed tomorrow due to severe weather forecasts. Bremen's classes are also expected to be suspended on Friday. Local media are reissuing a media alert, warning of…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 7 - "In Paris yesterday, the Coalition of the Willing presented yet another proposal that moves Europe closer to a direct confrontation with Russia," Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó wrote in a tweet. "Hungary," he added, "will stay out of this. We support peace talks, including high-level negotiations between the United States and Russia, and we strongly oppose this latest step towards war." (ANSA).

(ANSA-AFP) - FRANKFURT, 07 GEN - Germany's greenhouse gas emission cuts slowed sharply in 2025 as the North Sea experienced its warmest year on record, piling pressure Wednesday on the conservative-led government to boost climate protection efforts. Emissions in Europe's largest economy fell by just 1.5 percent from the previous year, according to a study by climate think tank Agora Energiewende, lower than the three-percent drop in 2024 and 10 percent the year before that. If the current trend…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 7 - Greek Agriculture Minister Kostas Tsiaras has presented a package of farmer-support measures in an effort to put an end to the nationwide protests that began last month over delayed agricultural subsidy payments and rising production costs. Tsiaras unveiled the package at a press conference at the Ministry of Agriculture, which includes, among other things, the redistribution of €160 million in previously unused funds to livestock farmers, cotton and cereal producers,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 7 - Veneto footwear and component exports fell 7% in the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, totalling €1.94 billion. The reductions affected all five major destinations, which account for 62% of the region's exports. France experienced a 2.9% decline, Germany 5.9%, Spain 8.6%, Poland 21.1%, and the United States 3.4%. This is according to the most recent report from the Confindustria Fashion Accessories Research Centre for Assocalzaturifici.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 6 - Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar issued a decree calling for parliamentary elections on March 22. The election process will begin next Monday, when signatures supporting candidate lists can be submitted. After signing, Pirc Musar called for healthy participation in the electoral process, which she described as a celebration of democracy, as well as respect for the fundamental values of civil coexistence. The president also stated that she will be vigilant against…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 6 - Germany's inflation rate is expected to be 1.8% in December 2025, according to the Federal Statistics Office. This represents a slowdown from November (+2.3%). Consumer prices are unchanged from November 2025 (0.0%). The annual average in 2025 is expected to be +2.2%. Inflation excluding food and energy, known as core inflation, is expected to reach 2.4% in December 2025. The final inflation figures for December will be released on January 16. Currently, forecasts for…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 6 - In December, private sector growth in Germany slowed to its lowest level in four months. The HCOB composite PMI dropped to 51.3 from 52.4 in November. The services sector PMI fell for the second straight month, to 52.7 from 53.1 in November. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 5 - Representatives from the Hungarian oil company MOL have arrived in Serbia to conduct an in-depth analysis of the business and operational network of NIS, the Serbian oil group in which MOL is expected to acquire a majority stake (56%) currently held by Gazprom. The Tanjug news agency reported the news, confirming recent reports that the Hungarian company would take control of NIS from the Russian energy giant, which has been sanctioned by the US since October 9th due to…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 5 - Heavy snowfall in Bosnia and Herzegovina since last Saturday evening has caused major problems, paralysing traffic in several areas of the country. The situation is especially critical in mountainous and hilly areas, where heavy vehicles are prohibited from driving on five major roads. Currently, the Tuzla Canton is experiencing the most difficult situation due to the failure of 31 power lines, with over 35,000 customers without electricity. Thousands of homes in the Zenica-Doboj…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 5 - The Slovenian branch of the Italian industrial association Confindustria Slovenia, in partnership with the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will host the business conference "Sustainability: How to Finance It. Financing the Ecological Transition" on January 13th. The event will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Pavilion C of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Dimičeva ul. 13, Ljubljana). The event was designed to encourage dialogue among businesses,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 5 - The statement issued yesterday by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas regarding the situation in Venezuela "highlights the serious crisis facing the EU's common foreign policy," János Bóka, Hungarian Minister for European Affairs, wrote on Facebook that the EU has nothing to say about the situation or the region other than expressing vague wishes. "In the new era of great-power politics," he continued, "it is unable to define its own regional interests." And, due to a…