Ansa news

(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, 12 APR - Hungarians began voting on Sunday in closely watched crunch parliamentary elections that could end nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 16-year stint in power as a self-described "thorn" in the EU's side. Polling booths opened at 6:00 am local time (0400 GMT), according to AFP journalists. They will close at 7:00 pm. Opinion polls suggest that the party of pro-European conservative Peter Magyar -- who has promised a "system change" -- is running well ahead of…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 11 APR - Damage to the 132 kV Tolmezzo-Paluzza power line on March 25 led to a temporary shutdown of the Paluzza facility while repairs were underway. There was no harm to people or property, and no significant disruption to residents. Terna itself disclosed this, explaining that it immediately informed law enforcement authorities and activated procedures to secure the asset and the affected area. The incident involved physical damage to a transmission tower, not a cyberattack.…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, APR 11 - Crowds of flag-waving Hungarians have been cheering on their candidates for an election on Sunday, as Prime Minister Viktor Orban and challenger Peter Magyar hold frantic last-minute rallies. "We came out here because we have faith in Peter Magyar, and we've had enough of the old system," Attila Jozsa told AFP at the opposition leader's rally in the city of Gyor, 120 kilometres (75 miles) west of Budapest, on Thursday. "We believe there will be some kind of change…

(ANSA) - BERLIN, 10 APR - In Germany, the inflation rate rose to 2.7% in March. This news was confirmed by Destatis, which had already announced the figure in recent days. It is the highest level since January 2024. In February, inflation stood at 1.9%. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 10 APR - The Serbian government has decided to impose a further cut in fuel excise duties, bringing them 25% below the level set by the excise law, to prevent an increase in petroleum product prices. Under the decision, the excise rate has been further reduced from 20% to 25% below the statutory level. As announced in the Official Gazette, through April 24, 2026, the excise duty on unleaded gasoline will be 54 dinars (EUR 0.45) per liter, while the excise duty on diesel will be…

(ANSA) - LJUBLJANA, 10 APR - In Slovenia, the deputies elected to the 10th legislature in the March 22 vote took their seats in parliament for the first time and formally began work. After appointing the electoral commission, which will have to confirm the mandates, the agenda includes the most overtly political task: the election of the speaker of parliament, the country's second-highest office, for which it is still unclear whether a solid majority has been secured. For this reason, intense negotiations…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, 10 APR - Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday slammed Hungary's opposition days before a key parliamentary election in which the nationalist is facing an unprecedented challenge to his 16-year rule. "Our opponents will stop at nothing to seize power," Orban said in a video posted on social media, accusing the opposition of "colluding" with foreign intelligence and threatening his supporters with violence. "This is an organised attempt to use chaos, pressure, and international…

(ANSA) - ROME, APR 10 - NATO is essential to ensuring global balance, President Sergio Mattarella said in talks with Czech parliamentary Speakers in Prague Friday. We must "recover the spirit of 2000 [when Eastern European countries joined NATO and the EU] of 'creative courage.' The transatlantic relationship must remain strong. NATO is essential to ensuring the balance of the global system. And it is useful to both sides," said Mattarella, in talks held in Prague with the presidents of the Chamber…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 9 - "When NATO was founded, the primary goal was to contain the Soviet offensive, but there was also a vision for the future. Other key players have joined, and the world is increasingly dominated by major international players. The United States and Europe are inextricably linked by shared values, and the interest extends across the Atlantic. As a result, NATO is a bilateral interest, and its historical justifications are growing, not diminishing." Sergio Mattarella, President…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, APR 9 - Hungary is purchasing crude oil worth $500 million from the United States to "diversify supply sources", a government official said on Thursday, following the visit of US Vice President JD Vance. Vance visited Budapest this week to throw his support behind nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is facing an unprecedented challenge to his 16-year rule in Sunday's parliamentary elections. Hungarian oil company MOL will be purchasing crude oil from the US in the…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 9 - The Slovenian Parliament will hold its constituent session tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., two weeks after the narrow victory of the Freedom Movement, the centre-left party of outgoing Prime Minister Robert Golob, over the conservative Democratic Party of three-time former PM Janez Janša. Golob has conducted lengthy and so far fruitless informal consultations with all the leaders of the parliamentary parties. Despite losing the election, Janša has the potential to regain prominence.…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, APR 9 - EU member Hungary will hold a closely watched general election on Sunday, the first since nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's return to power in 2010 where he is not considered the clear favourite. Surveys from independent pollsters suggest that opposition leader Peter Magyar's conservative TISZA party could be heading for a landslide victory. Pro-government institutions however forecast a win for Orban's Fidesz-KDNP coalition. Analysts expect a record turnout…

(ANSA) - ROME, APR 9 - President Sergio Mattarella is in Prague for a two-day official visit to the Czech Republic. After a visit to the Italian Cultural Institute, the Italian head of State will meet with President Petr Pavel. Mattarella will greet representatives of the Italian community at the Italian Cultural Institute in the Czech capital. In the afternoon, he will travel to Prague Castle, where he will be welcomed by Czech President Petr Pavel. The two heads of state will discuss major international…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 9 - According to the statistics institute Destatis, German industrial production fell 0.3% in February compared to January and remained unchanged from February 2025. In the same month, exports increased by 3.6% and imports by 4.7% over January. On an annual basis, exports increased by 2.9% and imports by 1.5%. The trade balance was positive by 19.8 billion euros. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 9 - The majority of Hungarians continue to support the European Union, albeit with decreasing enthusiasm. Doubts are growing—not only about membership, but also about possible entry into the eurozone—and the number of people who don't know where they stand is growing. This is according to research conducted by Centre 21 for the news outlet 24.hu. In a hypothetical referendum, 62% of Hungarians would vote to remain in the EU, with 16% voting to leave. The most notable figure…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 8 - Conflicts have increased significantly over the last 15 years, according to the IMF's World Economic Outlook chapters on defence spending, conflicts, and recovery, forcing countries to rethink their priorities and fuelling the arms race. In the 2020-24 period, 50% of countries increased their budgets, and by 2024, nearly 40% had allocated more than 2% of GDP to defence, up from 27% in 2018. NATO countries agreed in June 2025 to increase annual spending to 5% of GDP by…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 8 - Serbia intends to manufacture drones on its territory for and with Israeli arms giant Elbit Systems, despite the company's high-profile involvement in Israeli military operations in Gaza. Balkan Insight, an independent English-language news site, and the Balkan investigative journalism group BIRN, of which it is a member, reported on this in a joint investigation with Haaretz. According to Balkan Insight, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced the opening of a…

(ANSA) - ROMA, APR 8 - In Romania he was, and will remain, a legend, but Mircea Lucescu, an excellent player but above all a great coach who died at the age of 80 in Bucharest from a heart attack days ago, had also left his mark in Italy, where he coached Pisa, Brescia and Inter. And it is precisely the Milanese club among the first to remember "one of the most influential and respected coaches on the international scene, capable of leaving a deep mark wherever he coached thanks to his vision, charisma…

(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, APR 8 - Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday welcomed the ceasefire in the Middle East war and urged a definitive end to the conflict. The goal now is "to negotiate a durable end to the war in the next days," he said in a statement. "This can only be achieved by diplomacy." He said that Germany would contribute "to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz." (ANSA-AFP).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 7 - Evidence suggests that the perpetrator of the alleged attempt to detonate the TurkStream pipeline in Serbia, near the Hungarian border, is a foreigner of unknown nationality with military training and a military rank in his home country's army. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated this at a press conference, but did not provide further details. Although no arrests have been reported, Vučić stated that "the competent authorities have some clues as to who is behind…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 7 - "Donald Trump has ended the power of the global progressive elite, declaring that patriotism is not a crime but a virtue," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said during a rally at Budapest's MTK Sportpark with US Vice President Vance. Orban then praised Vance, noting that "he wrote about how harmful progressive liberalism was when it was not allowed to be discussed, unleashing previously silenced forces." (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 7 - Fuel prices at service stations outside motorways and motorways in Slovenia will rise at midnight. The price of regular petrol will rise by 3.7 cents per litre to EUR 1.653, diesel by 8.7 cents to EUR 1.894, and heating oil by 9.9 cents to EUR 1.555, according to Slovenian news agency STA. Fuel prices at service stations along motorways were fully liberalised on March 20 and are higher than on regular roads. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 7 - Viktor Orban is "Europe's most authoritative leader" in terms of energy security and independence, according to US Vice President J.D. Vance. Vance spoke at a press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest to commemorate Hungarian-American Friendship Day. "It's amusing to see prime ministers and leaders of some Western European capitals talking about the energy crisis, when they should have followed Viktor Orban's policies in Hungary," he said,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 7 - The visit of US Vice President J.D. Vance marks a new "golden age" in Budapest's relations with Washington, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said after welcoming Vance and his wife Usha to the capital. According to Szijjarto, the bilateral meeting between Viktor Orban and the US vice president will focus on key international issues such as migration, global security, and economic and energy cooperation. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 7 - The National Electoral Commission (DVK) officially certified the final results of Slovenia's general election today after dismissing a formal complaint filed by the Democratic Party (SDS). Slovenian news agency STA reports that President Nataša Pirc Musar will convene the newly elected National Assembly's inaugural session on Friday. The centre-left Freedom Movement, which was the ruling party in the 2022-2026 term, won the most mandates in the 90-member National Assembly…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 7 - The operation, which many in Budapest expected to be the final blow to the election campaign, arrived at Easter. Two backpacks containing four kilogrammes of explosives were discovered in Serbia, a few hundred metres from TurkStream, the infrastructure that brings Russian gas to Hungary, which Viktor Orban describes as "vital" for the country's security. That was enough to raise the alert "to the highest level" and reopen the accusations against rival Peter Magyar and…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 7 - "The deep state has already started to crack. Regime change has already begun. More and more people are coming forward and sharing information that, for this system, is like a bombshell: it calls into question its foundations, from national security to the operation of the secret services, to the police's independence from politics." This was stated by Viktor Orban's opponent in the April 12 elections, Peter Magyar, to 24.hu. "If we look at the trend," he stated, "the…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 6 - The Israeli and Greek defence ministries signed an agreement today in Athens for Israel to supply the Hellenic Armed Forces with Puls (Precise & Universal Launching System) missile artillery systems for approximately €650 million, according to an Israeli Defence Ministry statement. The signing was also attended by the general manager of Elbit Systems, the Israeli company that manufactures the Puls launchers. Elbit Systems will supply the system and related ammunition…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 6 - Albin Kurti, Kosovo's Prime Minister, and Lumir Abdixhiku, the leader of the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), met to discuss the country's presidency in an effort to avoid holding new elections. This meeting occurred after President Vjosa Osmani's term officially ended over the weekend. As required by the Constitution, she was replaced by Albulena Haxhiu, the Speaker of Parliament. Parliament is now expected to select a new head of state by April 28. Kurti…

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADO, APR 6 - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said yesterday that army and police found two backpacks containing explosives near a gas pipeline bound for Hungary on Sunday, prompting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to call an emergency meeting of the defense council as early as today. The backpacks, containing "two large packs of explosives with detonators," according to Vucic, were found in Kanjiza, northern Serbia, "a few hundred meters from the pipeline." The Balkan…