Politicians

Ljubljana – After last week’s blockade of a plenary session, parliament was back to business on Monday as the college of deputy group leaders set this week’s agenda. MPs will set a referendum date on Tuesday, the impeachment motion against PM Janez Janša is scheduled for Wednesday and a motion to dismiss Speaker Igor Zorčič might be debated on Friday.

Ljubljana – Senior Slovenian officials have condemned actions by Belarus after a Rynair flight was forced to land in Minsk. Prime Minister Janez Janša voiced support for sanctions, while President Borut Pahor and the Foreign Ministry called for an independent investigation.

President Klaus Iohannis, speaking today before the Special European Council meeting in Brussels, said that the fight against climate change must be fair for every EU member state, so that it is bearable both for the national economies and for each and every citizen. "A very important topic on the agenda of the debates at this Council meeting is related to climate change.

Police officers detain journalist Roman Protasevich attempting to cover a rally in Minsk, Belarus, 26 March 2017. Photo: EPA-EFE/STRINGER

Belarus has been accused of "hijacking" a civilian airliner by forcing a Ryanair passenger flight to land in the country using a fake bomb threat so that authorities could arrest a prominent critic of its authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said last night that Serbia has excellent results, not only in the field of vaccination but also in the economy, that it represents a role model for many, even when it comes to digital passports, which, as she said, everyone aknowledges.

Belarus forced a passenger plane carrying a wanted opposition activist to divert and land in its capital, provoking a furious outcry from world leaders who described it as an "act of state terrorism" ahead of an EU summit on May 24 expected to toughen sanctions on Minsk.

Romania's President Klaus Iohannis will attend an extraordinary European Council meeting on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels to call for a swift and uniform implementation of digital green certificates at European level, reiterating the idea that they should not impinge on the exercise of the fundamental right of citizens to free movement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to discuss with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky Crimea in the context of border cooperation between the two countries' regions, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Republican lawmakers have rejected a new White House infrastructure proposal that lowers the overall price tag in a bid to gain the opposition party's support, potentially raising the likelihood President Joe Biden's Democrats pass the measure on their own.