Serbia

Highlights from Von der Leyen’s State of the Union: Pushes Security Pact, AI Caution and Closer Canada Ties

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Wednesday for EU states to form a new partnership with Canada and tackle climate change, competition from China and other major…

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Von der Leyen Pitches Canada as First “Associate Member” of EU, Unveils Security and AI Plans

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her sixth State of the Union address in Strasbourg on Wednesday, calling for a stronger and more independent Europe as the bloc…

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Serbian war criminal Ratko Mladic to be buried with ‘state honours’

Serbia's Justice Minister Nenad Vujic said Friday that former Bosnian Serb military leader and convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic "will receive all the military and state honours to which he…

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Serbia to hold snap elections on Oct 18 or 25

Serbia will hold snap parliamentary elections on October 18 or 25, President Aleksandar Vucic said, more than a month after he pledged at his party rally to schedule them. “The…

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German and Serbian authorities launch joint strike against Syrian migrant smuggling group

A coordinated international operation has dealt a significant blow to two international migrant smuggling networks with close links to Libya and the Western Balkans, leading to the arrest of three…

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EU reconsidering funds for Serbia as justice laws ‘eroding trust’

The European Union could withhold funds from a 1.6 billion euro allocation of loans and grants to Serbia, after Belgrade passed laws that are "eroding trust" in its commitment to…

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Opponents and loyalists of Serbia’s autocratic president clash in Belgrade

Hundreds of riot police separated opponents and loyalists of Serbia’s autocratic president, Aleksandar Vučić,in central Belgrade on Sunday as political tensions boiled after a year of anti-government protests. Several thousand…

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UPDATED: Shots fired outside Serbian parliament, one detained

Shots were fired outside Serbia's parliament building in Belgrade on Wednesday and one person was injured, local media reported. A video posted on the NOVA media outlet, the location of…

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EU chief tells Serbia to act on reforms

The European Union’s top official on Wednesday told Serbia’s populist leader to “get concrete” about its proclaimed goal of joining the 27-nation bloc, including implementing sanctions against traditional ally Russia.…

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Serbia to raise minimum wage by 10% starting January

Serbia’s government said it will increase the country’s minimum monthly net wage by 10.1% to 64,554 dinars ($647/551 euros) starting Jan. 1, after failing to reach an agreement with employers…

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Serbia’s Vucic says he wants to join EU

Serbia remains committed to its plan to join the European Union and wants to speed up its membership bid, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday after his recent trip to…

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Politically inexperienced medical professor appointed as Serbia’s prime minister

Serbia's parliament on Wednesday approved politically inexperienced medical professor Djuro Macut as Prime Minister of the Balkan country, following months of anti-corruption protests that led his predecessor to resign. The…

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Mystery sound at Serbia protest sparks sonic weapon allegations

Tamara Bojanovski was in a crowd of anti-government protesters in Belgrade on March 15 when she heard a sound "like some powerful machine hurtling up from behind". Thousands of others…

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Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević resigns after months of protests

Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević resigned on Tuesday following months of protests over a deadly awning collapse in November that killed 15 people. Vučević's resignation came just a day after…

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Belgrade rocked once more by anti-government protests

Tens of thousands of people gathered in central Belgrade on Sunday to protest against President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), whom they blame for a railway…

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People in Serbia, Montenegro advised to shelter indoors from heatwave

People braving scorching temperatures sought relief in Belgrade's Ada Ciganlija lake, fountains and cafes on Thursday while the Serbian government ordered employers to protect outdoor workers from the heatwave. Meteorologists…

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Serbia’s ruling SNS party wins elections in capital Belgrade

Serbia's ruling party defeated the opposition on Sunday in a vote for Belgrade city council and partial local elections across the country, marked by scuffles between opposition supporters and those…

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UN approves resolution to commemorate the 1995 Srebrenica genocide annually over Serb opposition

The United Nations approved a resolution Thursday establishing an annual day to commemorate the 1995 genocide of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims by Bosnian Serbs, a move vehemently opposed by…

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High winds and flash floods bring chaos to Serbia

Strong winds, hail and flash floods caused havoc across Serbia on Tuesday, with one person killed when a tree toppled on to her car. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said the…

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Mladic defence seeks his release to Serbia on health grounds

Defence lawyers for Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, who is serving a life sentence for his role in the bloody 1992-95 war in Bosnia, are seeking his urgent release to…

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Orban says Serbia should join EU before Ukraine

The EU “will lose” Serbia to China unless it lets the country join the bloc soon, and should do so before admitting Ukraine, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in…

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Kosovo Serbs carry on using dinars as government allows transitional phase

Kosovo Serbs in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica carried on using Serbian dinars this week after the government allowed a transitional phase before the currency is fully outlawed under…

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West urges Kosovo to reverse decision to ban Serbian dinar

PRISTINA, (Reuters) - Four European countries and the United States urged Kosovo to suspend a decision banning Kosovo's Serb minority from using the Serbian dinar, a move which could fuel…

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US fighter jets to fly over Bosnia in warning to ‘secessionist’ Serbs

SARAJEVO, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Two F-16 fighter jets will fly over Bosnia on Monday to underline U.S. support for its territorial integrity against "secessionist activity" by Serbs at odds…

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Serbian ruling party faces snap Sunday vote after outrage over shootings

By Ivana Sekularac and Aleksandar Vasovic Poll sees President Vucic's SNS party as frontrunners He conducts folksy campaign after mass shootings shake grip on power Opposition accuses SNS of pressuring,…

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Serbia buys Cypriot helicopter gunships to bolster air force

BELGRADE, (Reuters) - Serbia has acquired 11 Russian-made Mi-35 helicopter gunships from Cyprus as it seeks to bolster its air force and maintain regional military supremacy, country's President Aleksandar Vucic…

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Serbia’s police detain over 4,500 migrants, seize weapons

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbian police have detained thousands of migrants in two weeks of daily raids in northern and eastern areas of the Balkan country, as part of a nationwide…

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Serbian police round up hundreds of migrants in north and southeast

BELGRADE, (Reuters) - Serbian police have rounded up a total of 738 migrants in several raids this week in northern and eastern areas of the Balkan country, part of a…

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UPDATED: Serbia’s Vucic dissolves parliament, sets snap vote for Dec 17

BELGRADE, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic dissolved parliament on Wednesday and called an early election on Dec. 17, aiming to cement his authority as he works out…

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France, Germany and Italy urge Serbia to ‘de facto’ recognise Kosovo

The leaders of France, Germany and Italy called on Serbia to "deliver on de-facto recognition" of Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008 but which Belgrade has continued to regard as…

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Serb leader’s secession policy threatens Bosnia settlement, says peace envoy

The secessionist policy of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik is a key challenge to the political settlement that ended Bosnia's 1992-1995 ethnic war, international peace envoy Christian Schmidt said in…

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Kosovo leader calls on Spain to join EU countries in measures against Serbia

GRANADA, Spain, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Kosovo's president on Thursday said she hoped Spain would join other European countries in adopting measures against Serbia for what she described as a…

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Kosovo says Serbia’s behaviour same as Russia’s before Ukraine invasion

BERLIN, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Serbia's troop deployment on Kosovo's border recalls Russia's behaviour towards Ukraine before its invasion, the Kosovar foreign minister said, urging the European Union to take…

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Kosovo demands Serbia withdraw troops from border

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo demanded that Serbia withdraw its troops from their common border, saying it was ready to protect its territorial integrity. Tensions between the two countries have been…

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EU blames Kosovo over stalled normalisation pact with Serbia

BRUSSELS, (Reuters) - European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell blamed Kosovo this week for a failure to implement a deal with Serbia on normalising relations between the two former…

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Serbian police step up migration patrols on border with Hungary

SUBOTICA, Serbia, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Serbia has sent special forces to the border with Hungary as hundreds of migrants a day try to reach the European Union. With Serbia…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Sava River, Belgrade, Serbia

A woman cleans a river house on the Sava river in Belgrade, Serbia. Via EPA-EFE/ANDREJ CUKIC

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Serbia beat Canada, return to FIBA World Cup final

By Neil Jerome Morales MANILA, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Serbia will return to the FIBA Basketball World Cup final after defeating Canada 95-86 by imposing their will in the paint…

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Germany ends Bosnian Serb projects over secessionist moves

The German government has shut down four infrastructure projects in Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic over the secessionist aims of its President Milorad Dodik, the German embassy in Bosnia said in…

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Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia fight African swine fever, ask for help

BELGRADE/SARAJEVO, (Reuters) - An outbreak of the African swine fever has forced pig breeders in Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia to cull thousands of pigs since June and is putting pressure…

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Bill Clinton tells Kosovo: stop ‘foolishness’ in Serb-majority north

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, largely credited for ending the Kosovo war more than two decades ago told Kosovo's government to stop its actions in the Serb majority north, where…

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No breakthrough as EU’s Borrell holds crisis talks with Kosovo, Serbia leaders

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell proposed steps to end weeks of violence in predominantly Serb areas of northern Kosovo to the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia on Thursday, but…

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Flooding in Serbia and Bosnia; torrential rains trigger evacuations

BELGRADE/SARAJEVO, (Reuters) - Days of torrential downpours have caused flooding in Serbia and Bosnia, forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency in many areas, with the rain not expected…

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Kosovo must grant Serbs more autonomy to join EU and NATO, US envoy says

BELGRADE, June 7 (Reuters) - Kosovo must give greater autonomy to Serb-majority municipalities in the north of the country if it wants to move closer to joining NATO and the…

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NATO member Turkey to send troops to Kosovo amid unrest in the north

ISTANBUL, June 3 (Reuters) - Turkey plans to send commandos to Kosovo on Sunday and Monday in response to a NATO request to join the alliance's KFOR peacekeeping force following…

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Kosovo, Serbia presidents meet under EU pressure to defuse crisis

By Andrew Gray and John Irish BULBOACA, Moldova, (Reuters) - The presidents of Kosovo and Serbia held talks on Thursday on resolving a political crisis that has spiralled into violence,…

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NATO urges Kosovo to de-escalate tension with Serbia

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO urged Kosovo to dial down tensions with Serbia, a day after its government forcibly accessed municipal buildings to install mayors in ethnic Serb areas in the…

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Tens of thousands gather in Serbia in Vucic’s show of power

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Tens of thousands gathered in the center of Belgrade on Friday in support of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in a show of power following big anti-government protests…

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Photo story: Red Star Belgrade win the Serbian soccer Cup Final

Players of Red Star celebrate after winning the Serbian soccer Cup Final match between Red Star Belgrade and FK Cukaricki in Belgrade, Serbia, on Thursday evening. Red Star staged a…

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Serbians surrender over 3,000 pieces of weapons after mass shootings

BELGRADE, (Reuters) - Serbians have surrendered more than 3,000 illegal weapons and parts in the first two days of a gun amnesty introduced after two mass shootings in which 17…

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Serbia takes steps to prevent school violence after shooting

The Serbian government said it had introduced a set of measures on Thursday to prevent potential violence in schools a day after a 13-year-old boy shot and killed eight students and…

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Serbia takes steps to prevent school violence after shooting

BELGRADE (Reuters) - The Serbian government said it had introduced a set of measures to prevent potential violence in schools a day after a 13-year-old boy shot and killed eight…

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Girl and guard wounded in Serbia school shooting still in critical condition

BELGRADE, May 6 (Reuters) - A girl who was shot in head in a school shooting in Serbia that killed eight pupils and a guard is still in critical condition,…

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Serbia recent mass shootings: what are the country’s gun laws?

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia, where within a few days suffered two rare mass shootings, has an entrenched gun culture, especially in rural areas, but also strict gun control laws. The…

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UPDATED: Serbian police arrest suspect in second mass shooting

By Antonio Bronic and Aleksandar Vasovic BELGRADE, May 4 (Reuters) - Serbian police arrested on Friday a gunman suspected of killing eight people and wounding 14 others in a village…

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Serbia school shooting and other major killings of children

(Reuters) - A 14-year-old boy shot his teacher in a Belgrade classroom on Wednesday before opening fire on other students and security guards, killing eight pupils and a security guard.…

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UPDATED: Two pupils wounded in Serbia school shooting in critical condition

By Aleksandar Vasovic BELGRADE, May 4 (Reuters) - Two pupils wounded in Serbia's first mass school shooting were in critical condition on Thursday, health officials said, as the country prepared…

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