France

PARIS - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Dassault Aviation representatives in Paris on Monday.

Vucic has announced earlier the meeting would address the defence industry and a purchase of 12 Rafale fighter jets.

After a reception at the Hotel des Invalides with full state honours, Vucic laid a wreath at a plaque commemorating Serbian soldiers.

Defense officials are worried about Turkish shipyards' growing capacity to turn out fighting vessels as well as the rising costs of keeping up with Greece's nominally allied neighbor.

This year's edition of the multinational air force exercise Iniochos will kick off on Monday.

The drill, which will run until April 18, is organized every year at Andravida Air Base in Western Greece by the Hellenic Air Force, and will be conducted in the greater area of ​​the Athens Flight Information Region.

According to the European statistical office Eurostat, housing prices, measured by the House Price Index, increased by 0.2 % in the EU during the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the same quarter of the previous year. However, in the euro area, they decreased by 1.1 %. This marks a continuation of the trend observed in the third quarter, where prices fell by 1.1 %and 2.2 %, respectively.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday the UN Security Council would hold a regular session on Kosovo-Metohija on April 22 and that he would discuss the situation in the province with French President Emmanuel Macron and at least ten other European leaders.

The tension between Russia and NATO has escalated to a level of "direct confrontation," according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. He pointed out that the US-led alliance's involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, coupled with its continued expansion toward Russia's borders, has exacerbated the situation.

French President Emmanuel Macron has initiated confidential talks with US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, advocating for a change in the West's approach to Russia's ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The inflation that has squeezed European shoppers fell more than expected in March to 2.4 percent, as cost spikes in the grocery aisle eased and overall price rises headed down in the two biggest economies, Germany and France.

Greece has approved the purchase of 35 UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters from U.S defence contractor Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), opens new tab in an effort to modernize its armed forces, two people with knowledge of the deal told Reuters.

"The deal passed by the parliament's committee is to buy 35 helicopters for 1.15 billion euros ($1.24 billion)," a government official told Reuters.

The exercise involved forces from UK, France, Greece, Spain, Italy & Canada