News archive of December 2015

Residents and tourists on Samoa and Kiribati islands were among the first to celebrate the New Year.

Auckland in New Zealand was the first big city to welcome 2016, whereas Fiji islands and Antarctica will also be among the first places to welcome the New Year.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has criticized a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry calling on Ankara to resolve the Kurdish issue by political means rather than by force, describing the statement as "an example of dark humor."

Serbian Police Director Milorad Veljovic has been relieved of his duties, Tanjug was told at the Interior Ministry (MUP) on Thursday.

The government later during the day confirmed this, saying Veljovic now has a new job - as the prime minister's adviser for regional and national security.

The presidential system will not be a dictatorship as argued by the opposition parties, the prime minister has said, adding that his proposed model does not contradict universal values and principles.
 

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had a brief discussion with reporters at Maximos Mansion on Thursday and stressed that social security reforms are very important “as otherwise the government could not pay pensions in five years.”

By the end of 2016, all kiosks in Belgrade's municipalities of Vracar, Savski Venac and Stari Grad will have to be black.

The cabinet of the city's chief urban planner, Milutin Folic, made the announcement, saying this is envisaged in the rulebook on the mandatory appearance of kiosks and stalls.

The Russian Tourism Agency has revoked the license of 19 Russian tour operators associated with the Turkish tourism market, Russian media outlets have reported. 

All of these tour operators are excluded from the federal registry number of legal entities, according to an official government order published on the website Rostourism. 

Russian Patriarch Kiril is due to travel to Bulgaria's capital Sofia in February of next year, Russian church officials have said.

The Bulgarian National Radio quotes him as saying that an invitation has already been extended to Kiril by his Bulgarian counterpart, Neofit.

In a few hours a lot of people will say “Happy New Year” around the world in many different languages.

In Greece we say ” Kali chronia”, in English-speaking countries “Happy New Year” and in Spanish-speaking countries ” ¡Feliz año nuevo”. But, what do people say in other countries around the world? Watch the video and learn how you can wish a Happy New Year in another language.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu will meet foreign investors in London on Jan. 17-19 in a series of meetings hosted by global investment bank Merrill Lynch. 

Davuto?lu will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet ?im?ek, several ministers, and a number of top economy officials, with sources telling Reuters that he plans to "share details of the government's reform agenda."