30 December 2021 Skopje – Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi has extended New Year’s greetings, saying he expects 2022 with dose of optimism. “Unfortunately, we cannot say this was an easy or successful year. It was difficult, filled with challenges, obstacles, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing health, economic and mental consequences in global terms,” says Speaker Xhaferi in the video-message. Skopje – Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski wished all citizens a Happy New Year and urged them to celebrate responsibly in order to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. “Let’s not drive if we drink alcohol, not make our absence from our home public, thus making it more attractive for burglars, report any suspicious activities to the nearest police station. Let’s leave fireworks to professionals because it is better to celebrate with loved ones than in hospitals. The police will be active but let’s refrain from incidents, because they only ruin the holiday spirit,” says Minister Spasovski in the New Year’s address. Skopje – As of January 1, the price of electricity in North Macedonia will increase by 9.48%, Energy Regulatory Commission president Marko Bislimovski said on Thursday. Moreover, he added that the lower electricity rate at off-peak hours during the day will no longer be valid as of January 1. Skopje – North Macedonia registered 373 new COVID-19 infections after 5,489 tests were conducted in labs across the country in the past 24 hours. In the same period, 12 deaths and 320 recoveries were reported, the Ministry of Health said on Thursday. Skopje – Minister of Health Venko Filipche held a working meeting on Thursday with the union associations of health workers and signed an annex to the collective agreement according to which health workers’ salaries are set to increase by 5% in 2022. A total of Mden 600 million have been allocated for this purpose, the Ministry of Health said in a press release. Skopje – Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, at a special ceremony within the program to mark the country’s 30^th independence anniversary, presented plaques of gratitude to members of the first composition of the multiparty Assembly from 1991 to 1994 as an expression of deep respect for their exceptional contribution in the creation and development of the independent and sovereign state. Skopje – Your support for the start of our EU negotiations and holding the first intergovernmental conference as soon as possible is crucial. This is the only way to restore the country’s trust in the EU, SDSM leader Dimitar Kovachevski told Dutch Ambassador to North Macedonia Dirk Jan Kop on Thursday. Skopje – Industrial production in November rose by 4.7 percent compared to the same month in 2020, and by 2.1 percent in period January-November, said the State Statistical Office on Thursday. Skopje – According to the State Statistical Office (SSO) data, the index of the number of employees in industry in November 2021, in comparison with November 2020, was 96.4. Tehran – Iran on Thursday said it has successfully launched satellites into space. The Simorgh, or “Phoenix,” rocket transported satellite research instruments to a height of 470 kilometres, a spokesperson for the Defence Ministry said. Hong Kong – Hong Kong authorities on Thursday charged two news editors with conspiracy to publish seditious material, as pressure grows on the media in the semi-autonomous city.