President Joe Biden heaped praise on Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob during an Oval Office meeting for his key role in a recent seven-nation prisoner swap.

Liberal rights advocate Natasa Pirc Musar has won a runoff vote to become Slovenia’s next president and the small European Union country’s first female head of state.

Early results of Slovenia's presidential election show a a right-wing politician and a centrist independent candidate heading for a runoff vote.

Slovenia’s president has appointed the leader of a liberal-green party that won last month’s election as the country's new prime minister designate.

The winner of last weekend parliamentary vote in Slovenia says he hopes to have a new government formed by mid-June.

Only months ago, Robert Golob was virtually unknown in politics, didn’t belong to any party, but had a clear goal: remove Slovenian populist Prime Minister Janez Jansa from power and stop a democratic backslide in the tiny Alpine state.

Early official results from Sunday's parliamentary election in Slovenia show that an opposition liberal party convincingly won, in a major defeat for populist Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who was accused of pushing the small European Union country to the right while in office.

When he visited Ukraine last month with two other European leaders, Prime Minister Janez Jansa of Slovenia hoped to show solidarity with the war-stricken nation and to attract support at home ahead of what is expected to be a close parliamentary election.

President Vladimir Putin’s threat to have “unfriendly” countries pay for Russian natural gas exports only in rubles from now on has got the not-so-friendly treatment from European Union nations.

The prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have safely returned to Central Europe after visiting Kyiv to show support for Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia’s military invasion.

The prime ministers of Poland, Czech Republic and Slovenia have arrived by train to Kyiv and met with President Volodymy Zelenskyy in a show of support for Ukraine.

European Union leaders are pressing Russia to enter peace talks with Ukraine.

Slovenia’s populist prime minister has blamed a rise in COVID-19 infections on protests in early October that erupted in clashes between police and thousands of opponents of vaccines and coronavirus restrictions.

Senior European Union officials say the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and the rushed airlift operation out of the country have highlighted the EU's need for its own rapid-reaction military force.

Slovenia Prime Minister Janez Janša has accused a European Union official of being a liar in the wake of the publication of an annual report on adherence to the rule of law in the bloc.

The European Union's executive Commission says democratic standards in the bloc are eroding in several member countries, particularly in Hungary and Poland where judicial independence is under threat.

Slovenia’s right-wing prime minister has brushed off opposition calls for his government's resignation in the wake of a referendum in which voters overwhelmingly rejected changes to a water management law.

The Iranian government has expressed anger over the appearance of senior European and U.S. politicians at a rally in support of an opposition group that has long sought to overthrow Iran’s theocratic rulers.

Voters in Slovenia appear to have overwhelmingly rejected changes to the country’s water management law, according to partial results released Sunday.

Central European leaders are voicing concern over what they say is a potential migration rush from Afghanistan in the wake of U.S. and NATO withdrawal.

Tiny Slovenia has taken charge of the world’s largest trading bloc, but its presidency got off to a rocky start.

Slovenia’s presidency of the European Union is off to a tense, rocky start.

Slovenia’s president Borut Pahor has rejected in an interview with the AP that the increasingly autocratic policies of the country’s government could hurt its upcoming European Union presidency, saying the small Alpine state will stay on its traditional liberal course.

Serbia and Kosovo have clashed at a summit of Western Balkan nations over border changes in the region, which is still recuperating from bloody civil wars in the 1990s.

President Emmanuel Macron says outdoor terraces of France’s cafes and restaurants will be allowed to reopen on May 19 along with museums, cinemas, theaters and concert halls under certain conditions.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Poland are currently using their EU vetos to stop a 1.8 trillion euro ($2.1 trillion) EU budget and coronavirus recovery package from taking effect. They say they will continue doing so as long as other EU nations maintain their commitment to including the rule of law mechanism in the budget — and they got strong backing from Slovenia on Wednesday. The issue is set to become a major dispute at Thursday's EU video summit of the leaders of the 27 member nations. All EU nations badly need the money as coronavirus infections and deaths surge around Europe and economies are ravaged by both increased health care demands and lockdowns to slow the pace of contamination. Orban claimed Wednesday that the dispute was linked to his restrictive views on immigration, which are unpopular in some EU circles.

Other leaders who supported Trump including President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines congratulated Biden, indicating they rejected Trump’s claim the election wasn’t over. Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia told reporters he looked forward to a “great partnership” with Washington. Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan said he looked forward to working together to end illegal tax havens and on peacemaking in Afghanistan. Others expressed hope Biden will help to heal divisions in American society and global politics. Prime Minister Janez Jansa was the only leader who congratulated Trump even before all votes were counted and showed support after Biden’s win was announced.

World leaders congratulated U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on his victory, cheering it as an opportunity to fortify global democracy and celebrating the significance of Americans having their first female vice president. Other leaders who sent congratulations included German Chancellor Angela Merkel, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Still, Iraqi President Barham Salih tweeted his congratulations to Biden, describing him as a friend and trusted partner. His rival, Juan Guaido, also thanked Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for their “firmness and determination” in confronting Maduro. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who struck up a cordial working relationship with Trump, also avoided congratulating Joe Biden.

LJUBLJANA – Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa endorsed U.S. President Donald Trump’s reelection on Friday, saying Joe Biden would be a weak leader. With a tweet, Jansa added his name to a list of regional leaders who have openly supported Trump during the election campaign. Go, win, Donald Trump,” Jansa said. Also Friday, the Serb member of Bosnia's three-member presidency, Milorad Dodik, urged Serbs living in the U.S. to vote for Trump. Right-wing conservatives in Eastern and Central Europe, like Orban, Vucic and Jansa, have sometimes copied Trump’s style of leadership.

(AP Photo/Anupam Nath)LONDON — Ireland’s government is putting the country at its highest level of coronavirus restrictions for six weeks in a bid to combat a rise in infections. The board members hail from top California top universities and medical providers, along with state and local public health officials. ___AUSTIN, Texas -- Health officials in Texas have reported 4,319 COVID-19 hospital patients, the most since Aug. 28. Khan’s remarks come amid a slight increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in recent weeks. Pakistan also reported 440 new confirmed cases, raising its total cases to 323,452 since February when Pakistan reported its first case.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, right, shakes hands with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ahead of their meeting in Bled, Slovenia, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. Pompeo is on a five-day visit to central Europe with a hefty agenda including China's role in 5G network construction. On the second leg of a four-nation tour of central and eastern Europe, Pompeo was meeting Slovenian officials in the mountain lake town of Bled on Thursday. He is to sign a joint declaration on 5G Clean Network Security that aims to keep untrusted telecoms vendors out. Besides the 5G declaration, Pompeo will be discussing energy security with Slovenia's president and prime minister.

Sebian police officers disperse protesters in front of Serbian parliament building in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, July 8, 2020. Opponents blame the autocratic Serbian leader of contributing to the spike in deaths and new cases after he lifted the previous lockdown measures. On Wednesday, Vucic appeared to backtrack on his new lockdown plans that were to take effect during the coming weekend. Kon said the protest on Tuesday evening showed how people feel about the possibility of total lockdown in Belgrade during the weekend. He said the virus' spread has to be curbed and lockdown is the easiest way.