News archive of November 2016

A Hungarian court has sentenced a migrant to ten years in jail for participating in rioting at the country's southern border with Serbia last year.

According to media reports, the court declared 40-year-old Ahmed Hamad, of Syrian origin, guilty for throwing rocks at the police in an attempt to force them to open the border.

Up to 500,000 civilians in Mosul face a "catastrophic" drinking water shortage as Iraqi forces advance on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the city, the United Nations warned on Nov. 30.

Outgoing Vice President of the EC Kristalina Georgieva has announced in a statement published by the press centre of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria that there is no conflict of interest with respect to her current and her future job.

The government's goal is to take economic growth to four percent in 2017, "which will prove that Serbia is becoming a successful country."

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said this on Wednesday, at the opening of a new Hemofarm pharmaceutical company's plant in Vrsac, northeastern Serbia.

Two Israeli television news programs were briefly hacked, with images promoting Islam and a message suggesting a recent wave of fires was divine retribution shown in their place, reports said on Nov. 30.

The Colombian Senate has approved a revised peace accord between the government and the FARC rebel group, taking a first step toward ratifying an agreement that was rejected by voters.

The text, which was renegotiated after an earlier version was given a thumbs down in the Oct. 2 national referendum, now must be approved by the lower house of the Colombian Congress.

A meeting of foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany intended to shore up a shaky peace process in eastern Ukraine ended Nov. 29 without any visible progress.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters after the talks that "there were no breakthroughs," adding that sharp disagreements on security and other issues remain, The Associated Press reported.

The formation of a new government by Yemen's armed Houthi movement and its political allies will hinder peace efforts in the country, the U.N. special envoy to Yemen said on Nov. 29. 

The move, reported by the Houthi-run state news agency on Nov. 28, has been seen as a blow to U.N.-backed efforts to end 20 months of war in Yemen. 

The Hungarian government is expecting another migrant wave in the spring. In this relation, the cabinet of Viktor Orban announced that it will spend up to USD 340 M for the training, equipment and remuneration of 3,000 "border hunters".

They will be hired in order to secure the fences erected last year against the entry of illegal migrants, reported Associated Press.

With the slogan “Santorini — the all-year island,” Santorini is attempting to extend its hospitality season and attract tourism throughout the year, with over 100 hotel units keeping their doors open this winter.