News archive of September 2016

BRUSSELS - Work on telecommunications is continuing as part of the technical dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, European Commission spokesperson Maja Kocijancic said Monday.

SARAJEVO - Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik has been summoned for questioning as a suspect over the holding of Sunday's Republika Srpska Day referendum, the Fena news agency reported Monday.

The Prosecutor's Office confirmed to Fena Dodik had been summoned to testify in a case of non-execution of a decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

NEW YORK - Former Serbian FM Vuk Jeremic, Belgrade's candidate for the new UN secretary general, has moved up to second place after the fifth round of the vote on Monday, with former Portuguese PM Antonio Guterres still in pole position.

Guterres received 12 encourage, 2 discourage and one no opinion votes, while Jeremic had eight encourage, six discourage and one no opinion votes.

A commuter train from New York barreled into a New Jersey rail station during the Thursday morning rush hour, causing serious damage to both the train and station, injuring more than 100 people and killing at least one, officials said.
TV footage and photos from the scene show damage to the rail car and extensive structural damage to the Hoboken station.

Israeli archeologists have discovered a stone toilet while  excavating a Jewish shrine at an ancient city gate, they said Sept. 28, in evidence a biblical king tried to stamp out worship there. King Hezekiah deliberately defiled the eighth century B.C.

Greece, Greek Cyprus and Israel said on Sept. 28 they would pursue ways of channeling east Mediterranean gas to Europe via a pipeline to Greece.With significant finds reported in the past decade, Israel and to a lesser extent Greek Cyprus are thought to be sitting on vast quantities of natural gas wealth, but have yet to come up with concrete plans on how to export it.

Tony Hayward, the former BP boss, is set to step down next year as chairman of Genel Energy, which he founded in 2011 and became the biggest oil and gas producer in Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), three sources close to the company said.

Today, Genel is struggling with a drop in oil prices, regional conflict and a large reserves downgrade.

Turkey has dropped four places to 55th from among 138 countries in the World Bank's latest Global Competitiveness Index.

Ian Anderson, the frontman of British prog-rock band Jethro Tull, performs a career-spanning set at the Technopolis cultural complex in Athens on Saturday, October 1. Admission ranges from 30 to 45 euros. Tickets can be purchased at Public, Seven Spots, Reload Stores, Media Markt and Evripidis book stores, as well as online at www.viva.gr.

Seven Greek swing groups join forces on Saturday, October 1 in "Swing for Hope 2016," a music and dance event at the Athens Concert Hall. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Hamogelo tou Paidiou (Smile of the Child) charity and NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres.