20

Apr

Austria to funnel 651,000 COVID vaccine doses to Western Balkans from EU

Austria said on Tuesday it plans to funnel 651,000 doses of BioNTech and Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine to six countries of the Western Balkans by August as part of a European Union scheme to…

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19

Apr

Turkey expects double-digit GDP growth finance minister says

Turkey's economy is expected to grow at a double-digit pace in the second quarter after logging about a 5% gross domestic product (GDP) expansion in the first quarter, Finance Minister…

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19

Apr

Turkey reports record COVID-19 deaths in a day

Turkey has recorded 318 deaths from COVID-19 in the space of a day, its highest daily total so far, data from the Health Ministry showed on Sunday. Turkey's official cumulative…

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16

Apr

Turkey bans use of cryptocurrencies to purchase goods and services

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's central bank banned the use of cryptocurrencies and crypto assets to purchase goods and services, a week after Turkish authorities demanded user information from trading platforms.…

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15

Apr

Turkey says all issues with Greece to be discussed in meeting on Thursday

 Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he will discuss all disagreements between Turkey and Greece in a meeting with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Ankara on Thursday and that…

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15

Apr

Turkey’s Erdogan slams Italy’s Draghi over ‘dictator’ comment

President Tayyip Erdogan accused Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Wednesday of behaving with “impertinence and disrespect” after he called the Turkish leader a “dictator”. Last week, Draghi said Erdogan…

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14

Apr

Turkey could lose 500,000 tourists due to Russia flight restrictions

Turkish Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said flight restrictions imposed by Russia until June could cost Turkey 500,000 tourists, broadcaster NTV reported on Wednesday. Russia said it will restrict flights…

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14

Apr

UPDATED: Bulgaria’s PM Borissov says he will not lead new government

Bulgaria's long-serving Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Wednesday he would not be a candidate to lead the next government after his centre-right GERB party won most seats but fell…

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14

Apr

Erdogan says Turkey remains committed to full EU membership

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey remains committed to full membership in the European Union, for which it is a candidate country despite strains in recent years. Last…

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13

Apr

Turkey, Libya committed to eastern Mediterranean maritime accord

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday (April 12) that Turkey and Libya were committed to a 2019 maritime demarcation accord in the eastern Mediterranean, after meeting Libya's Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh in Ankara. Libya's…

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13

Apr

Russia restricts flights to Turkey as COVID-19 cases increase

MOSCOW, April 12 (Reuters) - Russia has decided to restrict flights to and from Turkey from April 15 until June 1 due to a rise in COVID-19 cases, Russian Deputy…

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13

Apr

Turkey’s coronavirus infections soar

The red letters scrolling across the front of Fikret Oluk’s bus say: “Stay Home Turkey”. But the Istanbul driver said passengers are ignoring rules and overcrowding, sometimes without masks, even…

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11

Apr

Turkish president calls for peaceful, diplomatic solution to tensions in eastern Ukraine

(REUTERS) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called for a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the "worrying developments" in eastern Ukraine between Kiev and Moscow. The goal is…

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10

Apr

Thousands protest in Belgrade, demand government action to stop pollution

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Several thousand people blocked traffic in front of the Serbian parliament on Saturday in a protest against lack of government action to prevent water, land and air…

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10

Apr

Serbia considers mandatory vaccination of health workers

Serbia could introduce mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for healthcare workers to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar said. “We cannot be in a situation where we…

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07

Apr

“Unlikely to succeed,” Bulgaria’s PM Borissov says will propose new government

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's long-serving prime minister, Boyko Borissov, announced plans on Wednesday to seek a coalition government after his party came first in Sunday's national election, but he said…

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07

Apr

UPDATED: ‘Diplomatic fiasco’ after Ursula von der Leyen relegated to sofa by Erdogan, President Michel clarifies

Turkey committed a major diplomatic faux pas on Tuesday when a visibly frustrated European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was relegated to a socially distanced sofa, while European Council…

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07

Apr

Turkey’s daily COVID-19 cases hit all time

Turkey recorded 49,584 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed on Tuesday, the highest level since the start of the pandemic. Last week President Tayyip…

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06

Apr

Bomb threat on Turkish Airlines flight while taxiing for departure from Warsaw

Reports emerged this morning of a bomb threat on board Turkish Airlines flight TK1766, from Warsaw Poland to Istanbul, Turkey on 4th April 2021 as it was taxiing for departure.…

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05

Apr

Turkish police detain 10 retired admirals

Turkey detained 10 retired admirals who signed a statement asserting the importance to Turkish security of the Montreux Convention designed to prevent the militarisation of the Black Sea, state-owned Anadolu…

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05

Apr

Vjosa Osmani elected as new president of Kosovo

Kosovo’s parliament has appointed a 38-year-old U.S.-educated female law professor and candidate of the ruling Vetevendosje party as the country’s new president, following an election in February. Vjosa Osmani took…

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05

Apr

UPDATED: Bulgarian PM’s party winning election partial official results show but protest parties surge

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borissov will have difficulty holding onto power, after a surge of votes in an election on Sunday for anti-establishment and anti-corruption parties that want him out.…

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04

Apr

Bulgaria’s GERB party of PM Borissov wins national vote, tough talks ahead – UPDATED

Bulgaria's long-serving Prime Minister Boyko Borissov won a national election on Sunday, exit polls showed, and he is now likely to face complex coalition talks to secure another four-year mandate…

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04

Apr

Bulgarians elect new parliament amid COVID fears, anger over graft

Bulgarians vote in a parliamentary election on Sunday that will decide whether long-serving Prime Minister Boyko Borissov wins a fresh four-year mandate despite persistent concerns about graft in the European…

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03

Apr

Turkey records 44,756 new coronavirus cases, highest level yet

Turkey recorded 44,756 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed on Saturday, the highest level since the beginning of the pandemic. Turkey currently ranks fifth…

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01

Apr

Bulgaria’s ruling GERB extends lead ahead of Sunday’s vote, COVID could hit turnout

Bulgaria's ruling centre-right GERB party has extended its lead over the opposition Socialists ahead of Sunday's parliamentary election but is set to fall short of a majority as smaller parties…

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01

Apr

Turkey logs highest new daily COVID-19 cases since beginning of pandemic

Turkey has recorded 39,302 new coronavirus cases in the space of 24 hours, the highest level since the beginning of the pandemic, health ministry data showed. The government eased measures…

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31

Mar

Croatia’s 2020 public debt rises to 89.1% of GDP

Croatia's public debt climbed to 89.1% of gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of last year, versus 72.8% a year before, the central bank said on Wednesday. "According to…

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31

Mar

Ryanair to open new base in Croatian capital Zagreb in September

Ryanair will open a new base in the Croatian capital Zagreb from September, the company revealed. “There will be 12 new routes and 36 weekly flights from Zagreb,” Ryanair Chief…

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30

Mar

Turkey logs highest new coronavirus cases since beginning of pandemic

Turkey has recorded 37,303 new coronavirus cases in the space of 24 hours, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic more than a year ago, health ministry data…

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27

Mar

Turkish medics call for tougher measures as COVID-19 surges

Turkey’s top medical group called on the government to reverse its course and tighten COVID-19 restrictions amid a surge in infections, including by imposing curbs on social mobility and contact.…

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27

Mar

Montenegro asks for EU help to pay Chinese loan

The European Union should help Montenegro repay a 1 billion euro ($1.18 billion) loan to the Export-Import Bank of China for the construction of a motorway linking it with the…

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26

Mar

Foreign vaccine-seekers flock to Serbia for COVID-19 shots

Elma jumped in her car with her mother and brother as soon as she heard that Serbia was offering free COVID-19 vaccines to foreigners, and made the five-hour trip from…

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25

Mar

EU leaders make good on trade promises with Turkey, but threaten sanctions

 European Union leaders made good on Thursday on a 2016 promise to deepen trade ties with Turkey, but also warned Ankara to expect sanctions if it restarts exploration over disputed hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean. "We call on Turkey to abstain…

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24

Mar

Bulgaria reports record-high 4,851 daily COVID-19 cases

Bulgaria reported 4,851 new cases of coronavirus over the past 24 hours, its highest daily tally on record, government health data showed on Wednesday. In total, the Balkan country of…

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23

Mar

Kosovo parliament backs Albin Kurti as new prime minister

Kosovo's parliament voted in Albin Kurti as the country's new prime minister on Monday (March 22), more than a month after the small Balkan country held a snap election. Kurti,…

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23

Mar

Turkey arrests 150 in military probe over Gulen links: Anadolu

Turkish police detained 150 people in raids targeting suspects in the military accused of links to a Muslim cleric who Ankara says was behind a 2016 attempted coup, state-owned Anadolu…

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22

Mar

Bulgaria COVID-19 hospitalisations jump to record high

The number of coronavirus patients in Bulgarian hospitals has risen to 8,545, the highest level since the start of the pandemic last March, official health data showed. A surge in…

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22

Mar

Turkey’s COVID-19 deaths rise above 30,000, total cases top 3 million

Turkey’s COVID-19 death toll rose above 30,000 on Sunday, while the cumulative number of cases topped 3 million, weeks after the country started easing restrictions, health ministry data showed. The…

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21

Mar

Albania donates COVID-19 vaccines to Kosovo health workers

Hundreds of health workers from Kosovo travelled to Albania over the weekend to be inoculated against COVID-19 after the neighbouring country offered to donate some of its supplies. Kosovo, where…

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21

Mar

Europe presses Turkey to rethink ditching violence-on-women pact

European leaders criticised what they called Turkey’s baffling and concerning decision to pull out of an international accord designed to protect women from violence, and urged President Tayyip Erdogan to…

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20

Mar

Turkey withdraws from Istanbul Convention on women’s rights

Turkey has withdrawn from the Istanbul Convention on women's rights, which aims to protect women against violence. The decision by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was published in the country's…

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20

Mar

Sarajevo struggles with record number of deaths from COVID-19

The Bosnian capital has been hit by record number of deaths from COVID-19 in March, prompting hospitals to warn of a lack of capacity for a rising number of patients…

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19

Mar

Erdogan, EU chiefs discuss Turkey-EU ties, East Med ahead of EU summit

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and European Union chiefs discussed eastern Mediterranean tensions and Turkey-EU ties in a video call on Friday, ahead of an EU summit due…

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19

Mar

Three migrants found dead off Turkey coast, Ankara blames Greece

ANKARA (Reuters) - Three migrants were found dead in waters off Turkey's Aegean coastal town of Cesme while three others were rescued, and a search was continuing for one more…

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19

Mar

Bulgaria’s ruling GERB keeps pre-election lead over Socialists

Bulgaria's ruling centre-right GERB party leads the opposition Socialists two weeks before an election but is on course to fall far short of a parliamentary majority, an opinion poll published…

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19

Mar

Russia warns it will ‘have to react’ if Bosnia moves to join NATO

Russia will react if Bosnia takes steps towards joining NATO because Moscow would perceive this as a hostile act, the Russian embassy in Bosnia said in a statement. Bosnia has…

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18

Mar

EU halts sanctions on Turkey oil executives as ties improve

The European Union has frozen plans to blacklist more senior executives at Turkey's state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), four diplomats said, in the clearest sign that a diplomatic offensive by…

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18

Mar

UPDATED: Bulgaria announces nationwide restrictions as COVID infections rise

Bulgaria will close schools, restaurants and shopping malls until the end of March as it battles a surge in COVID-19 infections that have stretched its hospitals, the health minister said…

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17

Mar

Greece, Turkey resume preliminary talks on maritime dispute

ATHENS, March 16 (Reuters) - Greece and Turkey began another round of exploratory talks in Athens on Tuesday, seeking common ground on a long-standing maritime boundaries dispute before a European…

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16

Mar

Dinamo coach Mamic resigns, faces prison ahead of Spurs clash

Croatia's Supreme Court on Monday confirmed a prison sentence for Dinamo Zagreb coach Zoran Mamic for fraud, ahead of the club's Europa League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, the Balkan nation's state…

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15

Mar

Legal proceedings may delay 5G rollout in Bulgaria

Bulgaria's telecoms operator said it would hold a meeting on Monday to seek ways to boost the commercial rollout of 5G wireless networks after telecoms operator Vivacom contested in court…

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15

Mar

Kosovo opens embassy in Jerusalem

Kosovo opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem on Sunday, joining the United States and Guatemala as the only countries with embassies in a city whose status is at the…

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12

Mar

Serbia plans to start manufacturing Sinopharm, Sputnik shots

Serbia announced it plans to start domestic production of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine in May and China’s Sinopharm shot by mid-October. After meeting United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed bin…

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12

Mar

UPDATED: Bulgaria suspends rollout of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

Bulgaria on Friday temporary halted inoculations with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine until the European medicine regulator produces a written statement dispelling all doubts about the vaccine's safety. "Until all doubts…

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11

Mar

New coronavirus cases in Turkey hit highest level this year

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in Turkey rose on Wednesday to the highest level this year, Health Ministry data showed, ten days after President Tayyip Erdogan announced an…

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11

Mar

Air Serbia and IATA to test COVID-19 vaccination travel pass

Air Serbia and global aviation body IATA plan to begin testing a mobile application to help travellers to store and manage certifications for COVID-19 tests or vaccines, the Serbian flag…

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