September 21^st

Miroslav Dokman, from the Mountaineering Society Preslap, took the flag of the City of Nis

to the world-famous Japanese mountain Fuji and placed it at the top of the peak Kengamine (3776m), the highest point of Fuji and Japan. On returning from Japan, Miroslav Dokman met with Nis City Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur who expressed his satisfaction that the expedition was successful and the flag of the City of Nis was raised at the highest mountain peak in Japan. Mountain Fuji is a holy mountain for all Japanese, it symbolizes Japan and it represents one of the most remarkable places in the world.

September 21^st

Miroslav Dokman, from the Mountaineering Society Preslap, took the flag of the City of Nis to the world-famous Japanese mountain Fuji and placed it at the top of the peak Kengamine (3776m), the highest point of Fuji and Japan. On returning from Japan, Miroslav Dokman met with Nis City Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur who expressed his satisfaction that the expedition was successful and the flag of the City of Nis was raised at the highest mountain peak in Japan. Mountain Fuji is a holy mountain for all Japanese, it symbolizes Japan and it represents one of the most remarkable places in the world.

September 20^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and the member of Nis City Council Member for Youth and Sports Branislav Kacar handed over the certificates on complete internships in public companies, city administrations and departments, cultural and sport institutions and city municipalities, to the students of the final year of basic studies and students of the master studies of the University of Nis. U-NI Practice 2017 is conceived as the project to help young people to undergo internship for a month in the public sector after their studies. It provides students the opportunity to gain experience in various areas. Working in public sector is an excellent opportunity to develop professionally and acquire the needed skills. The aim of the practice for students is to acquire practical experience in the work, obtain the certificate of practice issued by the City of Nis and the University of Nis, the possibility of obtaining a recommendation from the institution where the student underwent the internship and the possibility of recognizing the internship as an additional activity adding3 ESPB points by the educational institutions. 34 students applied for 105 positions (or 59 different positions) within 20 institutions in Nis and 31 students started and completed the internship during August 2017. All the interns and mentors have completed the internship evaluation questionnaire in order to define the guidelines for the next year.

September 20^th

National Foundation 4 Dance and the Belgrade Dance Festival with the support of the Art Mentor Foundation from Lucerne and the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government, have begun the implementation of the Dance Caravan project. The patron of the project is Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic. The goal of the project, which begins on September 22^nd in Nis, is to present and promote the art of dance through artistic, creative and educational, and above all, interactive programs in 15 selected cities in Serbia. In the period from September to December, the attention of the widest cultural public in Serbia, especially young people and new audiences, will focus on artistic discipline recognized in the world as one of the most important in the field of creative industries and tourism, as well as benefits it brings to the local population, from work with children and young people, winning new audience, to recreational and dance therapy programs. The idea is that Dance Caravan through a three day programs in each city offer many activities, bring classic ballet and contemporary dance to all interested participants and visitors, while at the same time offering a different cultural content. In Nis and other cities, the audience of all generations will be able to attend performances, follow the film program and presentations, discover art photography from contemporary productions, listen to lectures about the history of the dances, new choreographic settings and alike. The youngest will have an opportunity to engage in practical educational workshops or master classes. Through this intensive program we will see the level of public interest, the possibility of further involving talented children in different programs. Dance Caravan should stimulate talent education and scholarships, involve new audiences in ballet and contemporary dances, and at the same time encourage local organizations to develop a production network and set the foundations of creative industries. All programs are free for the public, and the goal is to have three-day activities in each of the 15 selected cities, gathering at least 3,000 visitors and participants of all generations.

September 18^th

Nis City Mayor of Darko Bulatovic and the Member of Nis City Council for Primary Health Care Sasa Zivic met today with the renowned medical doctors from China, Japan, South Korea, India and Indonesia who are staying in Nis at the invitation of the Nis Clinical Center on the occasion of the International Symposium of Shoulder and Elbow Disease Treatment that is being held in our city. In addition to these world-renowned doctors, the symposium will also include orthopedic surgeon from Serbia and Macedonia. For the first time in Nis a few days ago a complex operation of the shoulder was performed thanks to the experience transferred from the guests from far countries. Orthopedic surgeon Ivan Micic, who was staying in Seoul for further training, had just the opportunity to further improve his knowledge from this group of physicians. According to Professor In Ho Jeon from South Korea, the goal of their stay in Nis is to discuss with their colleagues about novelties in the field of orthopedics, in particular in the treatment of shoulder and elbow injury.

September 18^th

Within the Local Economic Development Program of the City of Nis for 2017, implemented by the Office for Local Economic Development and Projects of the City of Nis, a public invitation was sent to banks interested in short-term lending to business entities from the territory of the City of Nis, with the participation of the City through subsidizing interest on loans for procurement of working capital, costs of purchasing machinery and equipment. The Commission for the allocation of funds in the framework of the realization of this program, according to the criteria from the public call, chose the most favorable bid, submitted by Banca Intesa. The City Council accepted the recommendation of the Commission and today the Business Cooperation Agreement between the City of Nis and Banca Intesa was signed. The agreement was signed by the Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic on behalf of the City, and on behalf of the bank, the Director for the sale to small business in the Regional Center Nis Milan Bogdanovic and the regional director for business with individuals and small businesses in the Regional Center Nis Violeta Marjanovic.

“For the City of Nis, it is very important that such programs are implemented in order to stimulate the development of entrepreneurship and thus contribute to the further reduction of the unemployment rate in our city. Local self-governments need reliable partners for the realization of these plans, and I am therefore pleased that we will implement this program in cooperation with Banca Intesa. The city allocates 5 000 000 dinars for interest subsidy on loans that will be allocated to business entities and I sincerely hope that they will be interested in this kind of assistance, Mihajlo Zdravkovic, the Nis City Council Member for Economy said at the signing of the Agreement on Cooperation. “The agreement that Banca Intesa today signed with the City of Nis would enable us to provide legal entities and entrepreneurs in the territory of this city, which is a very important regional business center of our bank, to provide even more favorable loan terms and thus help them to improve their business and increase their competitiveness. The development of entrepreneurship is a key factor of economic growth, increased employment and a better quality of life of citizens not only in Nis, but also throughout our country, and it is therefore important that banks support this segment of the economy, Violeta Marjanovic, Regional Director of Banca Intesa Sector for individuals and small businesses in the Regional Center Nis said. The minimum loan amount for which the interest will be subsidized is RSD 100,000 and the maximum RSD 1,500,000.

September 14^th

Last night, the 27^th Literary Colony was officially opened in the beautiful ambient of the village of Sicevo near Nis. This year, 13 Serbian writers are taking part in the colony. The colony was officially opened by this year’s Ramond Serbika Prize winner Vladimir Kopicl. Kopicl is one of the most prominent and most respected Serbian poets. He has won numerous awards. Jelena Mitrovski, the member of Nis City Council for Culture, said on the occasion of opening the colony said that it was the event of special importance which has been confirmed by the years of its existence as well as a serious approach to the organization of this colony. “Many important figures of Serbian and world literature has taken part in the work of the colony during all those years. As a local self-government, we strive to nurture literature, to encourage young people to love it, but also to develop speech culture, thanks to events such as this.

September 12^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and the Nis City Council Member for Culture Jelena Mitrovska met today with Predrag Perunovic who has traveled 16,000 km from Nis to Vladivostok city on the Russian coast of the Pacific Ocean for 43 days. Perunovic spoke about his impression while passing through Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia. On this occasion, the Mayor Bulatovic said that the City of Nis would be happy to support one of the following undertakings of this fellow citizen, and not only financially. He said that the City of Nis had good cooperation with many cities in the world and that Perunovic represented his country in the best possible way.

September 9^th

Neda Jovanovic from Nis is the 18^th child in a row who received the help from the initiative Collect Corks – Bring Smiles within which the funds were collected for the purchase of children’s wheelchair and a bathing chair for this little girl. Little Neda suffers from cerebral paralyses and microcephaly, and this aids will make everyday life easier for her. Deputy Nis City Mayor Milos Bandjur said that every responsible government had an obligation to support an action that promotes goodness, humanity and solidarity. “The value of this action is much higher than the material value. It looks at promoting goodness in society, in activating all potential, and in raising awareness that we need to help each other,” Bandjur said. Vanja Petkovic, the president of this association, pointed out that it was necessary to collect 4 tons of caps and corks for the purchase of supplies for Neda, and that the activists of this association and the citizens of Serbia have so far collected 100 tons and helped many more children in need. She emphasized that the essence of this action was to unite everyone and through ecology and environmental protection, teach children to have empathy towards others, to people with disabilities, and to learn how to help each other.

September 9^th

The hotel capacities in Nis will be increased from next year as the reconstruction of the Hotel Park and the Hotel Ambassador will be completed, as it has been announced by the owners of these facilities on the occasion of Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic visiting the construction sites. Both of these hotels were previously owned by the Company Srbijaturist, but due to the unsuccessful privatization of that company for years they were without guests and in a very bad condition. Andrija Radojicic, the new owner of the Park Hotel, announced that this hotel, which was built in 1936, would be returned to the old splendor most likely by the end of this year. He also announced new contents such as spa center, congress hall, sightseeing and panoramic elevator and this will be five-star hotel. Ivan Spasic, the owner of the company My Place Group who is the new owner of the Ambassador Hotel, emphasized that the reconstruction of this hotel would be completed next year, by the end of April, and that the opening was planned for May. It will be five-star hotel. Out of the former 140 rooms, after the reconstruction there will be 58 studios, 10 apartments and two presidential suites of 85m2. It will also have new facilities, such as a spa center, conference facilities and a billiard room, as well as a parking plot with 35 slots. According to the announcements of the owners, the renovation of both hotels will cost five million euros and will provide the opening of 200 new jobs. On the occasion of visiting the construction sites, Mayor Bulatovic said that the city needed new hotel capacities because Nis was the center of this part of Serbia. He pointed out that the local government helped with the construction permit for the Hotel Ambassador, because the usage permit was never obtained for the old building.