Speaker

 The upper house of the Russian parliament voted on Friday to set March 18 as the date of next year's presidential election, reported Reuters.

The decision was approved by the Russian senators unanimously, speaker Valentina Matvienko said after the vote.

Prosecutors with the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) took precautionary measures against Liviu Dragnea's [Speaker of the Deputies' Chamber and chairman of the Social Democratic Party] mobile and immovable assets, but also against the rest of the suspects in the "Tel Drum" case, DNA announced on Tuesday.

The Chamber of Deputies' plenary sitting adopted on Tuesday with 279 votes "in favour", one "against" and one abstention the bill on the "Ground-based Air Defence Capability" to be accomplished under the key endowment programme "Long-range surface-to-air missile system (HSAM)."

İsmail Kahraman was on Nov. 20 re-elected as parliament speaker to head parliament for a second term. 

MPs chose Tsveta Karayancheva as parliament speaker.

She took the post after Dimitar Glavchev resigned, after a scandal with the opposition reported NOVA TV. 

She became the second woman speaker of the National Assembly after Tsetska Tsacheva.

Parliament Speaker Nikos Voutsis was discharged on Wednesday from the 251 Hellenic Air Force General Hospital, where he underwent heart surgery on Monday.

Medics indicated that Voutsis, 66, is recovering well and is expected to return to his duties next week.

Parliament Speaker Nikos Voutsis said Friday he expects to see a government reshuffle after the completion of the third review of the country's current bailout.

Conservative opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday accused the left-led government of providing political cover for the Rouvikonas (Greek for Rubicon) anti-establishment group, adding that the party will request a written explanation from Parliament Speaker Nikos Voutsis about Wednesday's incident.

Parliament Speaker Nikos Voutsis said on Tuesday that Greece is working consistently for the promotion of strategic cooperation between the European Union and China for the benefits of the two sides.

BELGRADE - Parliament Speaker Maja Gojkovic met with the Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin on Monday to discuss Serbia-Russia relations, cooperation, Kosovo and the threat of terrorism.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is striving to strengthen the relations between the two countries, Volodin noted.