Switzerland

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received a farewell visit from Swiss Ambassador to Belgrade Urs Schmid on Wednesday and said he hoped the diplomat's successor would continue to help attract Swiss investments to Serbia, given the increasingly favourable conditions for doing business and investing in the country.

NYON - Serbian side Partizan Belgrade were on Monday drawn to play Scottish football powerhouse Glasgow Rangers in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round if they knock out Ukraine's Dynamo Kyiv in the second round.

Dynamo will host the first leg of the tie in Lublin, Poland, on Tuesday and the return leg is scheduled for July 31 in Belgrade.

LONDON - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday in London at the opening of the fourth European Political Community summit.

"A cordial meeting with Olaf Scholz. We will see each other in Belgrade soon," Vucic wrote in an Instagram post.

Switzerland is expanding its sanctions against Russia to align with those adopted by the EU on June 24, as announced by the Swiss government. This measure is in response to Moscow's ongoing aggressive actions in Ukraine.

Bulgaria is unlikely to join the Eurozone in the next two years, according to economist Prof. Krasen Stanchev, founder of the Institute for Market Economy. He explained on bTV's morning program "This Sunday" that the decision is made not by the European Commission or the European Central Bank, but by a qualified majority of Eurozone member countries.

Spain (with a goal in the 119th minute against Germany) and France (after a nerve-wracking penalty shootout against Portugal) form one semifinal pairing of Euro 2024. This match will take place on Tuesday night in Munich, a repeat of the 1984 final where France defeated Spain 2-0 (Platini 57′, Bellone 90′).

Two plundered marble vases that marked ancient Athenians' graves more than 2,000 years ago, including one with an emotional family scene, have been returned to Greece from Switzerland.

Greece's Culture Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the two white marble works, which were decorated with relief sculptures, were brought back following a long legal battle.

In Switzerland, the world’s leading financial center known for its stability and reliability, discussions in banking and investment circles have recently focused on potential ownership changes at EFG International.

The organizers of the Ukraine Peace Summit, held earlier this month in Switzerland, removed the Ecumenical Patriarchate from the list of signatories of its final statement following protests from Turkey, according to reports. 

Russia has expressed readiness to halt the conflict in Ukraine on the condition that Ukraine cedes control of four regions currently under partial occupation. Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin's aide on foreign affairs, conveyed this statement, as reported by Reuters.