News archive of December 2016

A total of eight militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have been detained by the anti-terror branch of the Ankara Police on Dec. 31. The militants were detained at the end of a security operation.

Police belive the eight ISIL militants were planning to carry out a terror attack in the New Year's eve.

Romanian police discovered 48 Iraqi migrants in a truck at the border with Bulgaria, AP reports.

The truck driver was Bulgarian and showed police documents to claim he was driving a load of chocolate to Hungary and did not now migrants were inside.

Hungary was also the destination reported by the migrants, 22 men, 9 women and 17 minors.

Turkey's largest city Istanbul has been hit by power cuts for third day in a row on Dec. 31, prompting Ministry of Energy to release a statement regarding the issue. 

"We are working with the police in cooperation in order to determine the damages," the statement read, adding that the efforts to resolve the issue have been ongoing with great speed.

The Council on Electronic Media (CEM) of Bulgaria has expressed concern with the news that no contemporary music will be airead by the BNR, the country's the public radio broadcaster.

As the backlash with international creditors over the government's unilateral announcement of a Christmas bonus to low income pensioners begins to subside, the government's focus is now back on wrapping up the second review of the country's third bailout and on the terms set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to participate in the Greek program.

BELGRADE - A preliminary proceedings judge at the Department for Organised Crime of the High Court in Belgrade has scrapped a custody order and ordered a withdrawal of an 11-year-old arrest warrant for Serbian businessman Bogoljub Karic after the Office of the Prosecutor for Organised Crime on Tuesday halted an investigation against him.

BELGRADE - For the first time since WWII, Serbia's budget is set to end a year with a surplus, even without major privatisation revenues, says Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic.

BELGRADE - The Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) is ready for discussions with the Serbian Progressive Party about a joint candidate for the upcoming presidential elections, says SPS leader Ivica Dacic, noting that incumbent Tomislav Nikolic was now not a joint candidate.

BELGRADE - We will introduce tougher tax evasion fines in 2017, and as far as the state can reach, everyone will understand that fraud, theft or robbing the state do not pay off, Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic said during a visit to the Tax Administration on Wednesday.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic received the Chairman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Presidency Mladen Ivanic on Wednesday, expressing commitment to preserving regional peace and stability and noting that the Serbia-BiH ties were good.