France

BELGRADE - The leaders of the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Canada have voiced readiness to impose sanctions against allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to the White House press service.

France's Consul General in Istanbul Bertrand Buchwalter has referred to the song "Don't Go, I Need You" (Gitme, Sana Muhtacım) by legendary Turkish singer Zeki Müren to refer to rocky Turkey-EU relations.

"Turks and Europeans should tell each other this: Don't go, I need you," Buchwalter said at a ceremony in Istanbul marking the start of his duties. 

The number of Turkish 15-year-olds who scored below average on the triennial PISA test is three times more than the number of students who scored below average in more successful countries, according to test results. 

Turkey dropped five places over the previous PISA tests in 2012, regressing from 44th to 49th place. 

Albania held a ceremony on Tuesday marking a fresh milestone in the process of getting rid of hundreds of tons of deadly chemicals stockpiled by the country's dictator, Enver Hoxha.

Actress Vanessa Redgrave was expected to attend the premiere of her directing debut in London Tuesday, a film about refugees featuring fellow stage stars Ralph Fiennes and Emma Thompson.

"Sea Sorrow" recounts the lives of refugees fleeing European war zones during the last century and aims to have an impact on viewers.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve was appointed as the new prime minister on Dec. 6 after Manuel Valls resigned to seek the Socialist nomination in the presidential election, the presidency said.

The French president, François Hollande, has named Bernard Cazeneuve to head the French government as prime minister until a presidential election next May.

Those who believe in the idea of a united Europe, the so-called pro-Europeans, were left with mixed feelings following the results of a referendum in Italy and a repeat presidential election in Austria. While the "No" victory was expected in Italy, few could imagine such a big difference between the two camps.

The insignia of Knight of the Legion of Honor was conferred upon the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Yiannis Boutaris by the ambassador of France in Greece, Christophe Chantepy, in the name of the President of the French Republic.

According to Deutsche Welle, the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung has described the heated debate between the Eurozone finance ministers over the austerity measures that will have to be imposed on Greece, saying that Berlin is pressing for a ten-year extension of the 3,5% primary surplus target that was originally set for 2018.