News archive of June 2017

Criminal Albanian gangs ready to resort to “serious violence” have “considerable control” over the drug trafficking market in the UK, a National Crime Agency (NCA) report has revealed.

The gangs, which use London as their primary hub but are established across the whole of the UK, have been found to have a particular influence on the cocaine market.

Deputy PM and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic received on Friday in Belgrade a delegation of the IMF mission.

The delegation was led by mission head James Roaf, the Serbian government announced, adding that reforms of the road and rail sector, implementation of infrastructure projects and cadastre reforms were on the agenda.

A correspondent and filmmaker for BBC World was detained by police at Istanbul's Atatürk Airport for five hours and then deported on June 29. 

"Yesterday, I was detained in Istanbul airport, searched, interrogated then deported, reasons my reports for the BBC," wrote Jiyar Gol on his Twitter account on June 30.

Echemishka tunnel on Hemus motorway in the direction to Varna was re-opened for traffic on 30th of June, reported BNT.  At the moment, there is a traffic jam of TIR lorriess in the direction to Sofia, as the tunnel is being washed.

A serious crash between two buses closed the road from Burgas to the Southern Black Sea coast, bTV announced. 

The incident is at the end of the "Moriaci" stop before Sozopol.

Shortly after 9 am, a bus with a Burgas registration, carrying Czech tourists, has hit another bus with passengers.

Qatari Minister of Defense Khaled al-Attiyah has described a blockade imposed by several Arab states on his country as a "declaration of war."

"This is a bloodless declaration of war," al-Attiyah said in an interview with the London-based Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper published on June 30, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Qatar's defense minister is visiting Ankara on June 30 for discussions on Turkey's military and defense support to the Gulf country amid the ongoing rift between Doha and four Arab states. 

Qatari Defense Minister Khaled bin Mohammed al-Attiyah was due to meet with his Turkish counterpart Fikri Işık in the late afternoon, after the Hürriyet Daily News went press. 

Long-time member of the Serb Radical Party (SRS) Jovo Ostojic has died, the party announced on Friday.

According to the SRS website, Ostojic passed away last night after a short illness.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Tuesday that, as the leader of the largest political party in the country, he had had no objections to the composition of PM-Designate Ana Brnabic's government.

"I had no objections, but even if I had had any, maybe I would not have said anything," Vucic told reporters at the Belgrade Fair.

Vucic: MiG jets to arrive soon

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday met with Belgian Deputy PM and FM Didier Reynders to discuss bilateral relations, ways of strengthening economic cooperation and Serbia's European integration.

Vucic expressed the hope more Belgian companies would be interested in investing in Serbia, in particular in infrastructure, agriculture and the energy sector.