Ansa news

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 19 - According to Greek Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos, a new "major maritime hub" will be built in the industrial area of Eleusis (or Elefsina), west of Athens, with US support. The announcement comes after the minister met with Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US Ambassador to Greece, last Tuesday. Greek media sees the project as part of Washington's strategy to limit Beijing's regional influence. In 2016, the Chinese state-owned company COSCO acquired a significant stake…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 19 - To facilitate the "rapid and seamless movement of troops, equipment, and military resources across Europe," the European Commission and the High Representative are "strengthening defence readiness" with a military mobility package that aims to establish a "military Schengen" as soon as possible (as anticipated by ANSA). The Commission also intends to promote "disruptive innovation" in the military sector and strengthen the European defence industry by developing a roadmap…

(ANSA-AFP) - BUCHAREST, NOV 19 - NATO members Romania and Poland scrambled fighter jets on Wednesday after Russian attacks in neighbouring Ukraine, with Bucharest saying a drone breached the country's airspace. Moldova, which lies between Romania and Ukraine, also reported a drone breach, summoning the Russian ambassador. Romania and Moldova have repeatedly seen violations of their airspaces, including drone fragments falling onto their soil, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. On Wednesday…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 19 - "This time it was not only an act of sabotage, as in the past, but also an act of state terrorism, with the clear intent to cause human casualties." He added, "Our response will be more than diplomatic." This was stated by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in an address to the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish Parliament, in response to the sabotage incidents on the Warsaw-Lublin railway. He explained that "a foreign state sent well-trained saboteurs. They miraculously…

(ANSA) - CHISINAU, NOV 19 - "EU accession negotiations began in June 2024. Recently the European Union's Enlargement Package recognized freedom of expression, media freedom and pluralism in Moldova, pillars for a democratic society in the accession process." This was said by Alexandru Codreanu, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Czech Republic and to the Holy See, and Ince's coordinator for relations with Moldova, speaking at the two-day 19th South East Europe Media Forum organized by…

(ANSA) - ROME, 18 NOV - Thirty years after the Srebrenica genocide, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains a land divided by political, identity and cultural rifts. This unresolved legacy is brought into focus in "Zemlja - Divided Memory. The Land That Remembers, The Land That Forgets", an independent documentary by journalists Tatjana Đorđević and Joshua Evangelista, with photography by Nicolino Sapio. The 40-minute film will be screened for the first time in Italy on 19 November at 10 a.m. in the "Vittorio…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 18 - The European Union intends to establish a "military Schengen" so that vehicles and soldiers can move quickly across its borders, bypassing the current bureaucracy. Ansa has seen a draft of the proposal, which will take shape tomorrow with a regulation and a joint communication. The EU is thus requesting that the 27 countries extend the maximum time for issuing transit permits to "three days," with a single set of rules at the EU level. Among the new features is the "Solidarity…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 18 - Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that authorities investigating the weekend's rail sabotage incidents have identified two suspects, both Ukrainians, who arrived in Poland from Belarus this autumn and are suspected of working with Russian intelligence services, according to international media. One of the suspects had previously been convicted of sabotage by a court in Lviv. After the incidents, they fled to Belarus. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 18 - A massive fire engulfed several floors of the Vjesnik high-rise in Zagreb, Croatia, destroying several floors while operations to extinguish it continue. The building, a 1970s modernist tower, used to house major Croatian newspapers. A fire broke out late Tuesday, around 23, prompting the deployment of 93 firefighters and 30 vehicles. There were no injuries reported, and the cause of the fire is unknown. The fire destroyed a now-abandoned well-known office tower in the…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 18 - Last night, tens of thousands of people participated in civil and opposition protests against Prime Minister Robert Fico's government in numerous cities across Slovakia. This year, the 36th anniversary of the fall of communism was mostly ignored and spent at work, as the government abolished the holiday to "consolidate public finances." Despite this, and despite the bad weather, last night's squares in many cities across the country were packed with outraged citizens.…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 18 - "Let us emphasise the historical ties, not only of the Romance language" spoken in Romania, where "the Emperor Trajan is mentioned in the national anthem," said Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on the sidelines of the first conference on Italian-speaking countries, alongside his Romanian counterpart Oana Toiu. "There is a historical bond between our countries, which has been strengthened by positive collaboration," as well as "because of our shared interest in defending…

(ANSA) - CHISINAU, NOV 18 - The 2025 edition of the Award for High Merit in Investigative Journalism, sponsored by the Central European Initiative (CEI) and South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO), confirms the essential value of investigative journalism in bringing to light human rights violations, social discrimination, corruption, gender inequality and environmental issues. In the "Professional Journalists" section, the prize was awarded ex aequo to Bulgarian journalist Bogdana Lazarova…

(ANSA) - CHISINAU, NOV 18 - "Our goal is 2028: by the end of 2028 to be ready and able to declare that we can close all 6 chapters. We have not worked on the chapters yet but we are ready for Chapter 1 and two others." This was announced by Moldovan Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu on the sidelines of the 19th South East Europe Media Forum organized by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Central European Initiative (Cei/Ince) and South East Europe Media Organization (Seemo). "We are waiting for political decisions,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 17 - Alice and Ellen Kessler, twins, have died, according to dpa. They were both 89 years old and died in Gruenwald, near Munich. Police are said to have intervened, but no further details have been provided. According to the German newspaper Bild, twins Ellen and Alice Kessler chose assisted suicide, which is legal in Germany under certain conditions. The police were reportedly informed today, after both women had died. When they arrived, they could only confirm the death…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 17 - "Ukraine has a significant financial deficit. According to preliminary IMF estimates, Ukraine will still have a sizable deficit that cannot be closed without more funding, even if the war ends by the end of 2026 and all of the promised aid is taken into account." In her letter to the 27 about the Reparation Loans to Kiev and the three options the Commission had, including using Russian assets, Ursula von der Leyen stated as much. Von der Leyen states in the letter, which…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 17 - On X, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that intelligence services believe the Sunday accident on the Polish railway between Warsaw and Lublin was deliberate sabotage. "Unfortunately, the worst-case scenario was confirmed. Sabotage occurred on the Warsaw-Lublin line (in the village of Mika). An explosive device exploded, destroying the railway tracks. On-site operations include intelligence services and the prosecutor's office. Damage was also discovered along…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, NOV 17 - The Central European Initiative's (CEI) Secretary General, Franco Dal Mas, will visit Ukraine in the coming days, the organisation announced today. During the mission, Dal Mas will meet with Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, and the Italian Ambassador to Kyiv, Carlo Formosa, as well as attend an international food security conference on November 19. According to CEI, the visit is part of the organization's commitment to supporting Ukraine on its path to resilience,…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 17 - The Czech Republic is marking the 37th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, which overthrew the communist regime in 1989, with a series of events, commemorations, concerts, and rallies in the capital and other parts of the country. This time, the celebrations will be centred on Narodni Street in Prague, where the first demonstrations that led to the fall of the communist regime in the former Czechoslovakia occurred on November 17, 1989. Today's visit to the square will…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 17 - Tirana has met Prime Minister Edi Rama's goal of opening all accession negotiations by 2025. During the seventh EU-Albania intergovernmental conference in Brussels, the fifth of six negotiating clusters, covering agriculture and fisheries, food security, and cohesion policies, was launched. "Today is a special day, not only for Albania, which has opened all of the clusters, but also for the European Union," EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said during a press conference.…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, NOV 16 - "The enemies of the media and how to deal with them." That is the theme of the 19th South East Europe Media Forum organized by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Central European Initiative (Cei/Ince) and South East Europe Media Organization (Seemo) and taking place this year in Chisinau, Moldova, from tomorrow to Nov. 18. Divided into several panels, the Forum is attended by journalism and communication experts from various Eastern and Central European countries, the Balkans and…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, NOV 16 - Long lines at the entrance right from the opening with the 150 tattoo and piercing artists who came from all over the world forced to get right to work for the large audience and clients who came from all over the Northeast but also from Slovenia, Croatia and Austria. This is the context in which the XV International Tattoo Expo was inaugurated today at the Generali Convention Center. The kermesse, which takes place every two years, will close tonight and is divided between…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 14 - "Law 482/99 is a significant step forward for Italy in recognising how much the minority languages spoken by some of our communities contribute to our country's history and roots. Languages, as expressions of identity, provide added value and demonstrate the significance that linguistic minorities have and will continue to have in our country." This was stated by Gorizia's mayor, Rodolfo Ziberna, while speaking at the conference "Past, present, and future 25 years after…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 14 - "We must join forces for a Europe of Defence," Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto stated at a press conference in Berlin following the E5 Defence Summit, which included Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom. "Growth in German defence investment is a guarantee for European citizens," he said, emphasising that each European country's efforts in the sector benefit the others. (ANSA).

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 14 - In the third quarter of 2025, seasonally adjusted GDP increased by 0.2% in the eurozone and 0.3% in the EU, compared to the previous quarter, according to a flash estimate published by Eurostat, the European Union's statistical office. In the second quarter of 2025, GDP increased by 0.1% in the eurozone and 0.2% in the European Union. Italy remained stable (0%). Sweden had the greatest increase (+1.1%), followed by Poland, Portugal, and Slovenia, all of which increased…

(ANSA) - UDINE, 14 NOV - Promoting a better understanding of social security records accumulated between Italy and Serbia and strengthening cooperation between the respective social security institutions: this is the goal of the International Social Security and Pension Information Days to be held in Trieste on December 10 and 11. The initiative, aimed at Serbian workers and Patronato institutions, is the first organized by INPS with a non-EU country under a bilateral agreement and is therefore…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 14 - The death toll from last week's fire at a retirement home in Tuzla, northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, has risen to 15, with two seriously injured people dying in the hospital in recent hours. The fire started on the night of November 4th in a ward of the facility that houses patients with dementia and limited mobility. Eleven people died instantly, with four more dying in recent days as a result of serious injuries. An autopsy revealed that all victims died from suffocation…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 14 - "Trieste is a natural hub for Central Europe, connecting the Mediterranean, Balkans, and the heart of the Union," said the CEI Secretary General, Franco Dal Mas, during a visit to Warsaw, where he met with Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Henryka Mościcka-Dendys and the Italian Ambassador to Poland, Luca Franchetti Pardo. Dal Mas' official visit to Poland revolved around the Three Seas Initiative, in which Poland is a key player, as well as the Trieste-Ljubljana-Zagreb-Belgrade…

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 14 - A Turkish firefighting plane crashed near the Croatian coastal town of Senj, killing the pilot and leaving only one person on board. Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli confirmed the crash. According to the Turkish newspaper Sabah, the AT-802 single-rotor turboprop air tractor vanished from radar yesterday afternoon and was later discovered on fire near Senj. On Wednesday morning, two Turkish Forestry Corps planes flew to Zagreb for maintenance, but due…

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 13 NOV - In 2022, the European Union recorded 1.29 million cancer deaths, accounting for almost a quarter of all deaths that year. Cancer mortality rates vary significantly between member countries: from 331 per 100,000 inhabitants in Poland to 209 in Malta, a difference of 1.6 times. The data, presented at the EUnetCCC Annual Meeting 2025, which brought together over 160 partners from 31 countries, was compiled by Diego Serraino, epidemiologist and senior consultant at Alleanza…

(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, NOV 13 - Berlin expects Ukraine to do far more to fight graft, Chancellor Friedrich Merz told President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday after a major corruption scandal rocked Zelensky's government. Germany expects Ukraine to "energetically advance anti-corruption measures and further reforms, particularly in the area of the rule of law," Merz told Zelensky in a telephone call, a statement from the chancellery said. (ANSA-AFP).