Serbia

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Thousands Protest Vucic's Reign in Serbia

Movement demands accountability in fatal collapse at railway station

(Newser) - Tens of thousands streamed into a central square in Serbia's capital on Sunday for a rally against populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government, whose tight grip on power has been challenged by weeks of street protests led by university students. The rally at Belgrade's Slavija Square, one...

After Explosion, Kosovo Blames 'Terrorist Act' on Serbia

Blast at canal temporarily cuts power to cities

(Newser) - Kosovo accused neighboring Serbia of a "terrorist act" on Saturday after an explosion at a canal that carries water to two main power plants, temporarily cutting electricity in its cities. Serbia denied the accusation, per Politico Europe , which reports the episode has escalated tensions between the Balkan nations. Serbia'...

Pride March Demands Rights 'Like All Other People Have'

Demonstrators in Belgrade call for same-sex partnerships to be legal

(Newser) - A Pride march on Saturday in Serbia's capital pressed for the demand that the populist government improve the rights of LGBTQ+ community members who often face harassment and discrimination in the highly conservative Balkan country. The march in central Belgrade was held under heavy police protection because of fear...

Xi's Trip to Europe Mostly Centers on Strategic Partners

After France, Chinese leader goes to Hungary and Serbia

(Newser) - Chinese leader Xi Jinping will spend most of his five-day tour in Europe this week in two small countries in the continent's eastern half, a region that Beijing has used as a foothold for its expanding economic ambitions in Europe. Following his stop in Paris on Monday to kick...

Serbia Fights Election Protesters
Election Protests Take a Turn
Dec 25, 2023 2:10 PM CST

Election Protests Take a Turn

US ambassador denounces violence in Serbia as demonstrators oppose populist victory

(Newser) - Serbian police said Monday they detained at least 38 people who took part in a protest against reported widespread irregularities during a recent general ballot that declared the governing populists as winners of parliamentary and local elections . Opposition group Serbia Against Violence has been staging protests since the Dec. 17...

Populists Seek 'Convincing' Win to Cement Rule in Serbia

Observers report election irregularities, including violence and payoffs

(Newser) - President Aleksandar Vucic is looking to further tighten his grip on power in Serbia in an election on Sunday that has been marred by reports of major irregularities both during a tense campaign and on voting day. The main contest in the parliamentary and local elections was expected to be...

Police Circle Village After Gunmen Storm Monastery

Gunbattles flare near Kosovo's border with Serbia

(Newser) - At least 30 gunmen killed a Kosovar Albanian police officer, then stormed an Orthodox monastery in Kosovo near its border with Serbia, setting off ongoing gunbattles that have left three assailants dead and raised tensions between the two former wartime foes as they seek to normalize ties. Police have surrounded...

At French Open, a New Controversy for Djokovic

'Kosovo is the heart of Serbia,' he wrote on camera lens at French Open

(Newser) - Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has once again found himself in the middle of a controversy—and this time, it involves his father's hometown in Kosovo, which used to be a Serbian province. Srdjan Djokovic grew up in Zvecan, where 30 NATO peacekeepers were injured in clashes with ethnic...

After Shootings, Protesters Demand State Media Changes

Demonstrations began in response to two mass shootings

(Newser) - Huge crowds of anti-government protesters on Saturday encircled the Serbian state television building in downtown Belgrade to press their demand for autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic to ease his tight grip on the mainstream media and allow alternative voices. Tens of thousands of opposition supporters, some chanting slogans urging Vucic's...

Serbia Shows Scores of Guns Turned In After Mass Shootings

President asks, 'What does anyone need an automatic weapon for?'

(Newser) - Authorities in Serbia on Sunday displayed stacks of guns and cartons of hand grenades from the thousands of weapons, including anti-tank rocket launchers, that they said people handed over since back-to-back mass shootings stunned the Balkan nation. The government declared a one-month amnesty period for citizens to surrender unregistered weapons...

Serbia Sees 2nd Mass Shooting in 2 Days

8 fatally shot in drive-by attack day after school shooting

(Newser) - A shooter killed at least eight people and wounded 13 in a drive-by attack late Thursday in Serbia's second such mass killing in two days, state television reported. The attacker shot randomly at people near the town of Mladenovac, some 30 miles south of the capital, RTS reported early...

Police: Serbia School Shooter Had List of Names

The suspect's father has also been arrested

(Newser) - A 13-year-old who opened fire Wednesday at his school in Serbia's capital drew sketches of classrooms and wrote a list of people he intended to "liquidate" in a meticulously planned attack, police said. He killed eight fellow students and a school guard before being arrested. The shooter first...

A 'Complete Tragedy' in Serbia Leaves 9 Dead

8 children, security guard dead after teen allegedly opens fire in Belgrade with dad's gun

(Newser) - School shootings have become a sad new reality in America, but now, news of a deadly one has arrived from overseas. Officials in the Serbian capital of Belgrade report that eight children are dead, as is a security guard, after a seventh-grader opened fire at his own school, per CNN...

That's an Appliance Floating in This River

Sections of one Balkan river have become a floating garbage dump

(Newser) - Tons of waste dumped in poorly regulated riverside landfills or directly into waterways that flow across three countries end up turning a section of one Balkan river into a floating garbage dump. Bosnia's Drina River runs 215 miles from the mountains of northwestern Montenegro through Serbia and Bosnia. Some...

Both Sides Step Back From Brink of War in Kosovo

'Diplomacy prevailed in de-escalating tensions,' EU official says

(Newser) - Serbia on Thursday revoked combat readiness of its troops on the border with Kosovo as local Serbs started removing more than a dozen of the roadblocks they had set up in the north of the state, in a sign of easing of tensions that have sparked fears of a renewed...

In Tense Region, License Plates Threaten to Unleash Violence

Kosovo wants ethnic Serbs to stop using ones issued by Belgrade

(Newser) - The history of ethnic tension between Kosovo and Serbia may be enormously complicated, but in this case it's playing out in a surprisingly simple way: through license plates. And as the BBC explains, it's no trivial matter, as the dispute threatens to erupt into real violence in the...

This Nation Just Nixed a Huge LGBTQ Event in Europe

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says his nation can't host EuroPride due to extremist threats

(Newser) - Serbia won't allow a pan-European LGBTQ Pride event to take place in Belgrade next month, the president said Saturday, citing threats from right-wing extremists and fears of clashes. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced the decision to cancel the Sept. 12-18 EuroPride celebration during a news conference, in which he...

Protests Pressure Serbia on Environment

Weekend actions demand cleaner air, end to mining project

(Newser) - Thousands of people rallied in Belgrade on Sunday to demand an end to Serbia's alarming levels of air pollution. The rally came a day after another environmental protest in which demonstrators blocked bridges and roads in different parts of the country and scuffled with riot police, the AP reports....

Havana Syndrome Attack Reported in New Country

Sources say intelligence officer evacuated from Serbia by CIA

(Newser) - 'Havana Syndrome' has apparently reached Serbia. Current and former US officials tell the Wall Street Journal an intelligence officer serving there was recently evacuated by the CIA after suffering serious symptoms consistent with the attacks. The attacks by unknown assailants using still-unclear methods have expanded of late after originating...

Volleyball Player Sits Out After Gesture Toward Thai Team

Serbian player and foundation apologize

(Newser) - A player on Serbia's national women's volleyball team will sit out her next two matches after making a racist gesture last week when playing Thailand. Sanja Djurdjevic will sit out when her team takes on Belgium and Canada as it prepares for the Tokyo Olympics, the BBC reports....

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