Serbia

OSIJEK - World vice champions Serbia failed to qualify for the second phase of the 2014 European Women's Handball Championship after losing to Slovakia 23-21 (6-11) in their last group D match of the Preliminary Round in Osijek (Croatia) last night.

The team coached by Sasa Boskovic lost all the three matches it played in the group, from Montenegro, France and Slovakia.

NEW YORK - Famous U.S. tennis player John McEnroe has said that Novak Djokovic deserves a place among the top ten tennis players of all time.

Serbia's best ever tennis player has won 48 career titles, including seven Grand Slam trophies, and sealed the world's top spot three times in four seasons (in 2011, 2012 and 2014).

BELGRADE - Ambassador of the UK to Serbia Denis Keefe handed a British honorary award to historian and professor Slobodan Markovic for his long-time contribution to the improvement of research and scientific cooperation and wider social relations between Serbia and the UK.

BELGRADE - Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic stated on Friday that Serbia will try to round off the amendments to the action plan for Chapter 24 in the EU accession talks in January and February so that it would be ready for the beginning of negotiations in March.

BELGRADE - European Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova expressed the belief on Friday that Serbia would find a solution to the issue of lawyers' strike on a national level.

BELGRADE - The government is implementing economic measures in extremely difficult conditions, but the Serbian citizens have understanding for these measures because they are crucial to the economic recovery of the country, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said during a government meeting discussing savings measures in the budget for the coming year on Friday.

BELGRADE - Serbia's inflation in November stood at 2.4 percent, and in 11 months, since December 2013, its growth reached 2.2 percent, the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia released in a statement on Friday.

BRUSSELS - Germany appreciates the importance of Serbia and it sees it as a leader in the European integration process in the Western Balkans, European Parliament (EP) rapporteur for Serbia David McAllister said in an exclusive interview for Tanjug.

BELGRADE - In Friday's conversation with Luigi Maccotta, Inspector General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic thanked Italy for its continued support to the process of Serbia's European integration.

GRACANICA - The Pristina National Theatre was pened at Gracanica Kultural Centre on Friday and its first play will be Hotel Kosovo by Nenad Todorovic, the theatre's director, which is scheduled for later in the day.