News archive of December 2018

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent New Year messages to world leaders on Dec. 31, stressing the need for further cooperation in politics and economy.

Turkey and Iraq will discuss all aspects of bilateral relations, as well as regional developments, during Iraqi President Barham Salih's visit to the Turkish capital this week, diplomatic sources have said.

Attacks on the Turkish economy aiming to make it a "fragile economy" in August 2018 have been successfully eliminated, the Turkish president has said, citing the inauguration of the new Istanbul Airport as the greatest achievement of the past year.

A free medical clinic run jointly by the Athens Doctors' Association (ISA) and the Greek Orthodox Church's Apostoli charity has treated more than 70,000 patients and donated over 3 million boxes of medicines in the seven years since it started, the ISA has said.

Opened in 2011, the clinic sees an average of 100 patients and dispenses between 300 and 400 medicines a day.

Greek retail sales by volume dropped 4 percent in October compared to the same month in 2017 after a downwardly revised 2.9 percent increase in September, statistics service ELSTAT said on Monday.

Retail sales were led lower by automotive fuel, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

An Israeli woman walking near ancient ruins noticed a head sticking out of the ground, leading to the uncovering of two Roman-era busts, archaeologists said Dec. 30.

Russia has arrested an American citizen on suspicion of spying in Moscow, its domestic security service (FSB) has said, quoted by Aljazeera. 

The FSB, which took the American into custody on December 28, said in a statement on Monday that a criminal case has been opened against the suspect.

Tanjug reported this on Fridy citing Miladin Kovacevic, head of the national statistical office RZS.

FDIs in Serbia will reach 3 bln euros in 2018, Miladin Kovacevic, head of the national statistical office RZS, said Friday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Germany will take on greater responsibility internationally in 2019, and keep pushing for global solutions to the challenges of climate change, migration and "terrorism", reported Aljazeera. 

 The death toll from a storm that struck the Philippines shortly after Christmas rose to 68 with the number of fatalities expected to climb even higher, civil defence officials said Monday.