News archive of May 2017

Ivica Dacic - Photo: mfa.gov.rs

Foreign Minister and SPS leader Ivica Dacic says his chances of succeeding Aleksandar Vucic as prime minister are "slim."

Speaking for Beta at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, he said this was the case because he was "not liked" by the West.

Montenegrin PM Dusko Markovic, Assembly President Ivan Brajovic, and ruling DPS leader Milo Djukanovic are among the officials on Kremlin's "black list."

Podgorica-based daily Pobjeda writes that they are banned from entering Russia.

Citing diplomatic sources, the newspaper said that the list includes government ministers and MPs who supported Montenegro's membership in NATO.

France has deployed anti-terrorist measures within a state of emergency to curb peaceful protests, Amnesty International says. It adds that emergency laws were used not to protect civilians after the 2015 Paris attacks, but to restrict their human rights.

French central banker Benoit Coeure delivered his speech during a conference organised by The Economist titled “Greece: a comeback to the financial markets? A glimpse into Europe’s financial landscape”, Frankfurt, on May 31, 2017.

Greek retail sales by volume fell 1.0 percent in March compared to the same month a year ago after an upwardly revised 9.9 percent increase in February, statistics service ELSTAT said on Wednesday.

Retail sales were led lower by foods, beverage, tobacco, lubricants, fuels, department stores and supermarkets, the data showed.

Four Turkish F-16 fighter jets entered into Greek airspace between the islands of Lesvos and Limnos at midday, Wednesday. The jets flew over the islands of Kalogirous at an altitude of 29,000 feet at 11.56am after violating the Athens FIR at 11.40am. Two of the jest left the Athens FIR at 12.13pm while the other two departed from the islands area between Lesvos and Limnos at 12.l16pm.

Greece's massive debt pile is undermining confidence so European officials need to reach a deal on June 15 to cut it and kick-start the only economy in the eurozone still contracting, European Central Bank board member Benoit Coeure has said.

Greece's massive debt pile is undermining confidence so European officials need to reach a deal on June 15 to cut it and kick-start the only economy in the eurozone still contracting, European Central Bank board member Benoit Coeure has said.

An Afghan health official has raised the death toll from the massive suicide car bombing in Kabul earlier on May 31, saying the attack killed 80 people.

A powerful explosion burst in Kabul's diplomatic area near the Bulgarian embassy around 8.30 am local time, reported BNR.

No  personal of the embassy have been injured but the building and the ones around suffered damages, the foreign ministry reports.

Local authorities have secured the area, while an investigation is going on.