News archive of December 2016

BELGRADE - Director of the Jerusalem-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, Efraim Zuroff, says the current situation regarding neo-fascism in Croatia is very bad.

Zuroff has repeatedly warned about the rise of neo-fascism in Croatia, and now say he is not optimistic that the situation could change, except with "a real leadership" in that country.

President-elect Donald Trump praised President Vladimir Putin for refraining from tit-for-tat expulsions of Americans in response to US punitive measures over alleged Russian interference in the November election.

Putin's decision came despite the foreign ministry asking him to send home 35 US diplomats after President Barack Obama had expelled the same number of Russian staff.

Fifteen thousand livestock birds will have to be mortified as a bird flu epidemic is raging in the area of Stara Zagora, authorities say.

A large number of bird flu cases have been discovered in several villages near the southern Bulgarian city.

Belgium-based KBC group has finalized the purchase of the United Bulgarian Bank (UBB) and leasing company Interlease, according to its own statement.

The deal, with a price tag of EUR 610 M, gives KBC control over 99.9% of the bank's shares and 100% of Interlease.

KBC is the owner of CIBank and insurance company DZI in Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian National Radio will only play classical music, jazz and folklore as of January 01, its Director General says.

In a statement, Aleksandar Velev has cited a dispute of the public broadcaster with Musicautor, the union managing copyright of composers and record labels.

BELGRADE - The Serbian government will assist all institutions of Montenegro's ethnic Serbs and, like it is helping Serbs elsewhere in the region, it will also help Serbs in Montenegro, PM Aleksandar Vucic said at a meeting with the leader of Montenegro's New Serb Democracy party, Andrija Mandic.

BELGRADE - Aleksandar Vucic will get Serbia into the EU, whatever political position he might occupy at the time, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said late Tuesday.

In an appearance on Prva TV with Vucic, Schroeder said he believed Serbia would join the EU by 2020.

When asked whether Vucic would be PM or president of Serbia at the time, Schroeder responded:

BELGRADE - Serbia's PM and SNS leader Aleksandar Vucic said Tuesday meetings of the party's bodies that will decide on its candidate in the 2017 presidential elections had not yet been scheduled.

Vucic said he respected the work of President Tomislav Nikolic, adding that he would like to continue as PM.

Part of Trakia motorway and a bypass route leading into Burgas will remain closed at least until the afternoon on Saturday as heavy chain-reaction crashes have left the roads jammed since Friday evening.

Travelers are advised against using Trakia motorway after the Zimnitsa junction in eastern Bulgaria.

Russian military jets have hit Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets near al-Bab after receiving intelligence from the Turkish military.

The Turkish Armed Forces said on Dec. 30 Russian aircraft had carried out three air strikes against ISIL in the area of al-Bab and south of the town in northern Syria, killing 12 of the militants.