News archive of July 2017

"My call to dialogue does not mean the recognition of Kosovo," says Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

"This is just a call to dialogue, solutions are not ready-made. Stop making things up on all sides. I will not come out with solutions before I hear the views of the whole society," Vucic said on Monday, while touring a hospital in Kragujevac.

Women's rights associations protested on July 30 in Istanbul's Maçka Democracy Park where a private security guard verbally abused a 24-year-old woman the day before, with women also protesting against the rising number of attacks they face over the way they dress. 

A group of young Polish artists on Friday brought street art to a sleepy Bulgarian village, decorating its walls of with large murals featuring world politicians, celebrities, and villagers sharing conversations, according to TRT World.

Afghan security forces battled gunmen following a suicide attack outside the Iraqi embassy in the capital, Kabul, BBC reports.
A bomber blew himself up at the gate of the embassy in the central Shar-e-Naw neighbourhood, then three other attackers entered the compound, the Afghan interior ministry said.

Although the ministry said the siege had ended, reports of gunfire continued.

Macedonia's former ruling VMRO DPMNE party has removed several indicted former ministers and senior officials from its executive committee - although with ousted PM Nikola Gruevski still leading the party, the changes appear more cosmetic than substantial, observers say.

Europe's economic recovery is strengthening with unemployment in the eurozone dropping in June to its lowest since February 2009, according to official figures released on July 31.

The jobless rate of 9.1 percent was better than predicted by analysts and will boost confidence that the 19-nation single currency area's pick-up is gathering steam after the financial crisis.

Britain does not intend to lower taxes far below the European average in order to remain competitive after Brexit but rather expects to keep a recognizably European economic and social model, finance minister Philip Hammond said.

The National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation presents "Fokion Rok: The Sculptor and His Archive," an exhibition casting light on the different aspects of the life and work of this important Greek artist (1895-1941), showcasing his contribution to the evolving Greek art scene in the early 20th century but also how he expressed the zeitgeist. Opening hours are Tuesdays to Fridays from 10 a.m.

NATO's good defense partnership, as well as the benefits of joint exercises in this area, were part of the topics that Prime Minister Boyko Borisov discussed during his meeting with a delegation from the US Congress, according to BGNES. 

Photographs, newspaper front pages, manuscripts, posters, books, magazines and audiovisual material showcase the course of the feminist movement in Greece from the period after the 1967-74 dictatorship to the end of the 20th century.