Turkey has carried out naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, the defence ministry said Sunday, against a backdrop of tensions with its neighbours over energy exploration in the region.
The defence ministry said on its Twitter account that "elements of our navy command" conducted the exercises, without specifying the location other than "eastern Mediterranean".
However it posted photos showing a naval vessel firing a cannon.
Turkey is at loggerheads with EU members Greece and Cyprus over energy resources in disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean. 
The exercises follow an announcement by the European Union on December 10th of plans to impose sanctions on Turkey over its "illegal and aggressive" actions in the zone.
On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a videoconference call that Turkey wants to turn over a new leaf with the European Union.
He insisted that Turkey's attitude was "constructive" while accusing Greece of running away from talks.

Turkey is at loggerheads with EU members Greece and Cyprus over energy resources

A Turkish navy submarine cruises on September 20, 2017, off the Turkish Naval base of Aksaz in Marmaris

Turkey conducts exercises in eastern Mediterranean

Ljubo Bešlić, the mayor of Mostar, who has rarely appeared in the media due to his health condition in recent months, said in a statement for "Avaz" that this morning, together with his family members, he performed his civic duty at the polling station in the Medical School.
Bešlić also called, as he said, wholeheartedly for the citizens of Mostar to use their democratic right and fulfill their civic duty in as many numbers as possible.
- We are all witnesses of what it means not to have a City Council and what is the brake on the entire work process. I wish the future mayor and the new convocation of the Council great success - said Bešlić.

The mayor of Mostar called on the citizens to perform their duty

Bešlić: I wish the future mayor success

Longtime mayor of Mostar Ljubo Bešlić for "Avaz": We are all witnesses of what it means not to have a City Council

The local 2020. elections for the City Council of the City of Mostar are held today, on December 20th.
Polling stations are open from 7 AM to 7 PM.
According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), 38,692 voters, or 40.32 percent, voted at the regular polling stations by 4 pm.
They stressed that the response after the closing of polling stations will be announced at 9 PM.

They stressed that the response after the closing of polling stations will be announced at 9 PM

In Mostar, 40.32 percent of voters voted by 4 PM

The Ambassador of the United States of America to B&amp;H, Eric Nelson, visited the Mostar's City Election Commission today.
The embassy said the visit was an indicator of "support for their work in organizing today's elections in difficult circumstances".
They stressed that they will continue to advocate for reforms that will make the election process more accountable and transparent.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USAmbBiH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USAmbBiH</a> visited Mostar's City Election Commission to show support for their work organizing today's elections under difficult circumstances. We will continue advocating for reforms to make the electoral process more accountable and transparent. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mostar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Mostar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BirajMo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BirajMo</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y4JuL6Rrzg">pic.twitter.com/Y4JuL6Rrzg</a>— US Embassy Sarajevo (@USEmbassySJJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/USEmbassySJJ/status/1340672976333758465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

They stressed that they will continue to advocate for reforms that will make the election process more accountable and transparent

Support in the organization of elections in Mostar

Ambassador Nelson visited the Mostar's City Election Commission

The United States supports the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the equality of all peoples under the Dayton Peace Agreement, and encourages the B&amp;H authorities to continue their efforts for membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), according to the US Senate resolution, exclusively „Dnevni avaz“ finds out.
The highest U.S. legislature passed a resolution marking the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Accords proposed by Ohio Senator Sharrod Brown.

The resolution comes at a time when increased US engagement in the region, especially in B&amp;H, is expected, after Joe Biden won the presidential election.
The resolution states that the agreement "ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and brought peace." It was pointed out, among other things, that "ethnic cleansing and concentration camps were used as a means of war against Bosniak men, women and children, culminating in the July 1995 genocide in Srebrenica, where 8,000 young men and men were detained and killed."
"Since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the government and people of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been working in partnership with the international community to build a peaceful and democratic society based on the rule of law, respect for human rights and the free market - it is stated in the resolution which also recognizes NATO, whose air campaign enabled the signing of the Peace Agreement.

The US Senate very precisely emphasizes the priorities for B&amp;H:
- We urge the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement the constitutional reforms needed for reconciliation in order to seek empathy and respect as a basis for building a common future, and encourages the United States to work closely with the governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina - especially those - to support the full implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement between the EU and the Balkan states, which requires regional cooperation - the resolution states, among other things.

Also, the resolution recognizes the special role of American diplomats in reaching the Peace Agreement and mentions all its signatories. However, the resolution provides guidelines for further US engagement in B&amp;H.
We reaffirm the shared commitment of the United States and the EU to the promotion and protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law throughout the world. It welcomes the commitment of the government and people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to peace and cooperation 25 years after the Dayton Peace Agreement, and urges the B&amp;H government to continue to make progress in resolving its constitutional issues and improving its economic policy as it advances towards NATO and EU membership.

The resolution comes at a time when increased US engagement in the region, especially in B&H, is expected, after Joe Biden won the presidential election

The Senate seeks constitutional reform and a path to the EU and NATO

US Ambassador to BiH Eric Nelson and Head of the EU Delegation to B&amp;H Johann Sattler addressed on a press conference in Mostar today on the occasion of holding local elections in this city.
Nelson pointed out that it is very clear what are the priorities that B&amp;H needs to do on the road to the EU. He added that leaders need to hear what citizens want.
- There is a lot of tension and discussion regarding irregularities, but that is the case with every election process and I think that is a positive thing. The US Embassy is pleased to support the Coalition "Pod lupom", which provided observers at all polling stations. This will help to report any irregularities. I hope that the citizens, like all political leaders, will provide their support and use the next year for all the necessary reforms. Thanks to all the citizens who came out and will go out to vote. Thanks to all the representatives of civil society who will enable us to have transparent elections - said Nelson.

Sattler said that one of the most famous human rights fighters, Nelson Mandela, said that things always seem impossible until someone does them for the first time.
- Mostar also seemed impossible, but we are here today and I am honored to witness a very important day. That's my first message. The second message is that just as today is important, so is tomorrow, the days to come. To show that the opportunity has come to turn a new leaf, a new chapter - said Sattler.
He appealed to 35 future councilors in the City Council of the City of Mostar to take concrete action, to form the City Council as soon as possible and elect a mayor.

- These people were elected in front of the parties, but the citizens entrusted them with a mandate to solve problems. My third message is that we certainly use Mostar and draw inspiration from it for all other problems, for the rest of the country. To take advantage of these opportunities to address issues left in the next non-election year, opportunities open up to address a range of issues including the implementation of international judgments. I call on politicians to respond to the demands of citizens, 80 percent of them want to see B&amp;H in the EU. A clear call on my part to domestic politicians for concrete action - said Sattler.
They thanked all the citizens who went to the polls or will go out by 7 PM.

Nelson pointed out that it is very clear what are the priorities that B&H needs to do on the road to the EU

Sattler and Nelson: They thanked all the citizens who went to the polls

Nelson and Sattler on the election: The opportunity has come to turn a new leaf, a new chapter

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the foreign intelligence service was exceptionally important for protecting the country, in comments made soon after it was accused by some of being behind a major hack on U.S. government departments.Speaking at an event commemorating 100 years since the founding of the SVR foreign intelligence service, Putin said the agency and other security services were a crucial guarantee of Russia’s “sovereign, democratic, independent development.”
Some international cyber researchers have suggested that Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service may have been behind an unprecedented attack on U.S. government computer systems first reported by Reuters last week.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that Russia was responsible for the attack. The Kremlin has always denied Moscow’s involvement in cyber attacks against the West. It has said that Russia had nothing to do with this latest assault.
Putin told attendees of the event, which also marked the Day of the Security Services Worker, that it was important to continue developing the work of counterintelligence agencies.
-I know what I’m talking about here- Putin, a former KGB agent, said, in comments shared on the Kremlin website. -And I rate very highly the difficult professional operations that have been conducted.-
-The most serious attention must be paid to information security, to the fight against extremism and against corruption- he added.
He also told members of the agency to pay particular attention to risks posed by conflicts “simmering” near the country’s borders.
Clashes have again been reported between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave despite a Russian-brokered ceasefire. Weekly anti-government protests continue in Belarus.
-I expect that the Foreign Intelligence Service will continue to respond flexibly to the highly changeable international context, actively participating in identifying and neutralising potential threats to Russia, and improving the quality of its analytical materials- Putin said.

Putin said the agency and other security services were a crucial guarantee of Russia’s “sovereign, democratic, independent development”

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the Security Agencies Worker's Day at the headquarters of the Foreign Intelligence Service in Moscow, Russia December 20, 2020.

Keep up the good work, Putin tells spy agency staff

As the "Avaz" portal finds out, the health condition of the famous writer and academician Abdulah Sidran has started to improve.
He does not use artificial ventilation anymore, he is fully aware and the work of his lungs is getting better
Currently, from time to time, he is given a certain amount of oxygen and doctors hope that, with the efforts of experts from the General Hospital "Prim. Dr. Abdulah Nakaš" and his famous enthusiasm, Sidran will successfully defeat Covid-19.

The academic does not use artificial ventilation anymore, he is fully aware and the work of his lungs is getting better

Abdulah Sidran's health is improving

Austrian prosecutors said Sunday that another two suspects have been arrested for alleged involvement in the November 2 terrorist attack in Vienna. 
The two men -- one of whom is a 26-year-old Austrian of Afghan origin -- were arrested on Friday, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors' office told AFP.
She declined to reveal the nationality of the other suspect. 
A request would be made later on Sunday for them to be held until trial, the spokeswoman added. 
Last month, an Islamic State supporter who had been convicted and imprisoned for trying to join the IS group in Syria went on a shooting rampage in central Vienna, killing four people, aged between 21 and 44. 
The 20-year-old gunman, a dual Austrian-Macedonian national, was shot dead by police. 
Eighteen people have since been detained in Austria and Switzerland in connection with the attack and the government also ordered the closure of two mosques in Vienna frequented by the attacker. 
Until the deadly shooting, the country of 8.9 million people had in recent decades been spared the shock and mayhem wreaked by major terrorist attacks.&nbsp;

The two men,one of whom is a 26-year-old Austrian of Afghan origin,were arrested on Friday

Police officers guard the scene in Vienna, Austria on November 3, 2020.

Two more arrests in Austria over Vienna attack

In the last 24 hours, 482 cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 27 people have died from the consequences caused by the coronavirus.
In the past 24 hours, 1,855 samples were reported to the Public Health Institute of the Federation of B&amp;H, of which 344 were positive for SARS-CoV-2.
New cases have been registered in all cantons in the entity of the Federation of B&amp;H. As of today, 48,630 patients have been cured in the Federation of B&amp;H, and in the past 24 hours, 20 patients recovered. There are currently 17,807 SARS-CoV-2 positive cases active.
In the past 24 hours, nine new deaths were reported to the Public Health Institute of the Federation of B&amp;H.
As of today, the total number of deaths in the Federation of B&amp;H is 1,973.

In Republic of Srpska, 476 laboratory samples were tested in the last 24 hours, and 125 people tested positive.
In the last 24 hours, 18 deaths have been reported to the RS Institute of Public Health in which the presence of coronavirus has been confirmed.
So far, 35,133 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in RS, and a total of 1,565 people have died who tested positive for coronavirus.
They noted that one death that had occurred in the previous few days was subsequently reported on Saturday.
In RS, a total of 21,004 people have recovered from the new coronavirus so far, and a total of 154,044 people have been tested. In RS, 11,858 people are currently under health supervision, and 109,905 people have completed their supervision.
In the Brčko District, 13 new cases of infection were registered, and five people recovered in the past 24 hours.

New cases of infection have been registered in all cantons of the Federation of B&H

There are currently 17,807 active cases in FB&H

In B&H, 27 people died as a result of the coronavirus, while 482 new cases of infection have been confirmed

SDP Presidency member Irfan Čengić drew attention on social networks to the fact that Dragan Čović directly violated the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina by coming to the polls with the HDZ mask. Čengić, who is also an observer at the elections, stated that no one reacted to that.
-This morning, a member of the Polling Station Committee asked me to remove the red badge from my lapel, which I immediately removed because I forgot I had it. Of course, the law is not the same for everyone. Dragan Čović violates the Election Law and comes with a party mask. None of the members of the Polling Station Committee warns him - wrote Čengić.

Čengić stated that, according to Article 5.6 of the Election Law, it is not allowed to bring signs and symbols with a political connotation to the polling station and its surroundings.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Jutros me član Birackog odbora zamolio da skinem crvenu značku sa revera koju sam odmah skinuo jer sam i zaboravio da je imam. Ali naravno zakon nije jednak za sve, Dragan Čović krši izborni zakon i dolazi sa stranačkom maskom, niko od članova Biračkog odbora ga ne upozorava. <a href="https://t.co/NaHRV1mupk">pic.twitter.com/NaHRV1mupk</a>— Irfan Čengić (@IrfanCengic) <a href="https://twitter.com/IrfanCengic/status/1340581862612365312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It is not allowed to bring signs and symbols with a political connotation, stated Čengić

Čengić: Čović came to the polls with a party mask, he broke the law!

Dr. Zlatko Guzin, the holder of the list of the "Coalition for Mostar 2020", used his right to vote, after 12 years, at the polling station in the Cultural Center.
As he told reporters after the vote, he is happy that these, in many ways, historic elections are being held in Mostar today.

He sent a short message to voters:
- Choose those candidates who you think are ready and able not to rule, but to serve the citizens of Mostar and this city.

As he told reporters after the vote, he is happy that these, in many ways, historic elections are being held in Mostar today

Dr. Zlatko Guzin is happy for the historic elections in Mostar

The Ambassador of the United States of America to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eric Nelson, and the Head of the European Union Delegation to B&amp;H, Johann Sattler, will visit the Call Center of the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections "Pod lupom" in Mostar today.
Statements for the media are planned at 2.50 PM in the Princess Hall at the Mepas Hotel, it was announced from the Coalition "Pod lupom".

They will visit the Call Center of the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections "Pod lupom"

Nelson and Sattler are coming to Mostar

Representatives of the Coalition "Pod lupom" said at today's press conference that 142 out of 150 polling stations in Mostar had a different number of voters compared to the lists submitted by the CEC.
Dario Jovanović from the "Pod lupom" coalition pointed out that their focus is on the number of voters from the CEC lists.
- We received an excerpt with lists. According to current information from the field, according to the number from the Central Election Commission, there are 142 seats out of 150 in total where there is a difference. The number of voters today is less than the number provided to us by the CEC by about 4,000. It is symptomatic that there is such a difference - said, among other things, Jovanović.

Dario Jovanović from the "Pod lupom" coalition pointed out that their focus is on the number of voters from the CEC lists

Jovanović: We received an excerpt with lists

In 142 out of 150 polling stations, the difference in the number of voters was determined

Greek police on Saturday said they had cracked one of the country's leading tobacco smuggling organisations, raiding a factory capable of producing over a billion cigarettes a year.
Nearly 40 people were arrested during the operation in over 20 locations across the capital and near Athens earlier this week, the police said in a statement.&nbsp;Eight more people are sought in connection with the case.
The bust yielded a haul of nearly 92 million cigarettes, over 112 kilos of processed and unprocessed tobacco and 75 million cigarette pack labels.
A fleet of over 40 trucks, haulers and trailer trucks was also seized, most of them carrying Bulgarian number plates.
Lost tax revenue from the activities of the network, which was active since 2016, are estimated at around 20 million euros ($24 million), the police said.

Nearly 40 people were arrested during the operation in over 20 locations

The bust yielded a haul of nearly 92 million cigarettes

Greek police crack top tobacco smuggling network

The accused Osman Mehmedagić, Director of the Intelligence and Security Agency (ISA), illegally presented the information he needed for private purposes as a threat to the security of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This is stated, among other things, in the indictment of the Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H against Mehmedagić and Mumamed Pekić, ISA employees, who were tried in the Court of BiH yesterday for abuse of official position.

In the introduction of the indictment, state prosecutor Oleg Čavka said that Mehmedagic privatized ISA and abused his position in order to determine for private purposes, and not in the interest of the service, who the anonymous applicant of the criminal charges against him was.
The Prosecution alleges that Mehmedagić illegally misrepresented the information he needed for private purposes as a threat to state security, and that this was a textbook example of abuse of office and use of the service for private interests.
Prosecutor Čavka said that the accused Mehmedagić, after learning about the existence of an anonymous report against him, contacted the director of "BH Post" Mirsad Mujić, and asked for the exclusion of surveillance camera footage from the "BH Post" office, stating that it was a matter of state security.
The indictment alleges that Pekić and Mehmedagić, after learning of the report, obtained a photograph of the envelope of the incoming shipment with the sticker of the "BH Post", with the exact recorded post office number and time of receipt of the shipment.
It was emphasized that, taking these actions, they did not inform the Chief Inspector Damir Bevanda at all, so Pekić contacted the General Director of "BH Post" Mirsad Mujić by phone.
- Pekić sent him a photo of the "BH Post" sticker via the WhatsApp application and demanded that he provide video surveillance footage from the post office in Alipašino Polje for August 27th, explaining the need to obtain such video surveillance footage to the interests of the service and state secret - said Čavka.
The prosecutor claims that Mujić believed these allegations and acted on the ISA's requests and delivered the requested material to Pekić via USB on the same day.
However, although Mehmedagić knew that, according to the ISA Law, the intelligence obtained did not contain a threat to the security of B&amp;H, he illegally classified the information he needed for private purposes as a threat to the security of B&amp;H and classified it as "Internal".

- It is imperatively determined that the data that are collected, and are not a threat to the security of B&amp;H, are immediately destroyed. This was not done this time, but abused. It is high time that such cases start to be clarified and the perpetrators punished - stated Čavka.
Mehmedagic's lawyer Senka Nožica said that this was a politically mounted indictment with the aim of removing Mehmedagic from the position of ISA director. But Čavka asked how this is possible for a person who by law must be a professional, without political influence.

<h2>Čampara, Korman, Selimović will testify</h2>

As proposed witnesses Aljoša Čampara, Federal Minister of Police, Nusret Selimović, Commissioner of Police of Sarajevo Canton, Ensad Korman, Deputy Director of FPA, Damir Bevanda, Trifko Buha, Sakib Vukovćc, ISA employees, but also Mirsad Mujić, director of "BH Post", as well as several employees of that state institution, will appear.

<h2>Bought an apartment for 300,000 KM</h2>

Yesterday, the second accused Pekić requested that his ex-officio lawyer be paid, which the Court accepted. In translation, the state will pay his lawyer for this trial from the people's money and budget.
But, as Čavka discovered, Pekić bought an apartment worth 300,000 KM in neighbourhood Marin Dvor in Sarajevo from the former coach of Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team of Mehmed Baždarević.
In addition, he added, the financial investigation established that Pekić did not withdraw his salary from his account for a full year.

It is imperative that the data collected, which are not a threat to the security of B&H, to be destroyed immediately, but this time it was not done, said prosecutor Čavka

Turkey conducts exercises in eastern Mediterranean

Longtime mayor of Mostar Ljubo Bešlić for "Avaz": We are all witnesses of what it means not to have a City Council

In Mostar, 40.32 percent of voters voted by 4 PM

Ambassador Nelson visited the Mostar's City Election Commission

The Senate seeks constitutional reform and a path to the EU and NATO

Nelson and Sattler on the election: The opportunity has come to turn a new leaf, a new chapter

Keep up the good work, Putin tells spy agency staff

Abdulah Sidran's health is improving

Two more arrests in Austria over Vienna attack

In B&H, 27 people died as a result of the coronavirus, while 482 new cases of infection have been confirmed

Čengić: Čović came to the polls with a party mask, he broke the law!

Dr. Zlatko Guzin is happy for the historic elections in Mostar

Nelson and Sattler are coming to Mostar

In 142 out of 150 polling stations, the difference in the number of voters was determined

Greek police crack top tobacco smuggling network

Mehmedagić declared private data a security threat

News

Turkey conducts exercises in eastern Mediterranean

Longtime mayor of Mostar Ljubo Bešlić for "Avaz": We are all witnesses of what it means not to have a City Council

In Mostar, 40.32 percent of voters voted by 4 PM

Ambassador Nelson visited the Mostar's City Election Commission

The Senate seeks constitutional reform and a path to the EU and NATO

Nelson and Sattler on the election: The opportunity has come to turn a new leaf, a new chapter

Keep up the good work, Putin tells spy agency staff

Abdulah Sidran's health is improving

Two more arrests in Austria over Vienna attack

In B&H, 27 people died as a result of the coronavirus, while 482 new cases of infection have been confirmed

Čengić: Čović came to the polls with a party mask, he broke the law!

Dr. Zlatko Guzin is happy for the historic elections in Mostar

Nelson and Sattler are coming to Mostar

In 142 out of 150 polling stations, the difference in the number of voters was determined

Greek police crack top tobacco smuggling network

Mehmedagić declared private data a security threat