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Veselin Milic, head of Belgrade police, said the attacker had two guns and two petrol bombs and had planned everything carefully. Wednesday's shooting happened at Vladislav Ribnikar, an elementary school in Vracar, a central Belgrade district. But then I saw the security guard falling to the ground," she said, adding that she then ran away. [1/5] People react after a 14-year-old boy opened fire on other students and security guards at a school in downtown Belgrade, Serbia, May 3, 2023. (The boy) ... first shot the teacher and then he started shooting randomly," Milosevic, who had rushed to the school, told broadcaster N1.

BELGRADE, May 3 (Reuters) - Serbia, where a schoolboy opened fire on his classmates on Wednesday, has an entrenched gun culture, especially in rural areas, but also strict gun control laws. Tens of thousands of illegal firearms have since been handed over or registered in amnesties. People over the age 18 may own firearms only with a permit issued after a thorough background check with police. Gun owners are also required to pass a training course and a questionnaire about gun legislation. In the deadliest shooting in Serbia since the 1990s, Ljubisa Bogdanovic killed 14 people in the central village of Velika Ivanca in 2013 before committing suicide.

☆ Spain start World Cup defence against Brazil and Iran, U.S. draw Greece
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 29 (Reuters) - Defending champions Spain will face Brazil in the group stage of the 2023 FIBA World Cup while five-times winners United States will take on Greece, after the draw was held in Manila on Saturday. Spain, who are the top-ranked side in the world and seeking a third title, will also face Iran and Ivory Coast in Group G.The United States, ranked second in the world, were also drawn to face Jordan and New Zealand. As well as winning the tournament five times the U.S. are 12-times podium finishers -- both World Cup records -- but were eliminated in the quarter-finals in 2019 when they were chasing a third straight title. Argentina, were finalists in 2019 and ranked fourth in the world, failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 41 years. FIBA WORLD CUP DRAWGROUP A (MANILA)AngolaDominican RepublicPhilippinesItalyGROUP B (MANILA)South SudanSerbiaChinaPuerto RicoGROUP C (MANILA)United StatesJordanGreeceNew ZealandGROUP D (MANILA)EgyptMexicoMontenegroLithuaniaGROUP E (OKINAWA)GermanyFinlandAustraliaJapanGROUP F (OKINAWA)SloveniaCape VerdeGeorgiaVenezuelaGROUP G (JAKARTA)IranSpainIvory CoastBrazilGROUP H (JAKARTA)CanadaLatviaLebanonFranceReporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Do Kwon, Jailed Crypto CEO, Rejects SEC Fraud Allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Alexander Osipovich | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Do Kwon was arrested in Montenegro last month. Photo: boris pejovic/ShutterstockLawyers for crypto entrepreneur Do Kwon asked a judge to throw out a U.S. regulator’s lawsuit accusing him of fraud in connection with last year’s $40 billion collapse of the TerraUSD and Luna cryptocurrencies. In a Friday evening court filing, Mr. Kwon’s lawyers said the Securities and Exchange Commission exceeded its authority when it sued him and his company, Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd., and failed to prove that they had defrauded U.S. investors.

☆ The Latest U.S. Intelligence Leaks Are No Surprise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( James Bamford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Oleg Smolenkov knows the dangers of leaks. For nearly a decade, the Russian official was the CIA’s most valuable spy in the Kremlin. From there, the agency quietly exfiltrated Mr. Smolenkov, his wife and three young children to a safe house in the U.S. intelligence appears to have penetrated nearly every Russian military body, including the General Staff, the Defense Ministry and the GRU military intelligence agency, as well as the private mercenary group Wagner,” wrote Russia’s independent, English-language Moscow Times this week. Agents of Russia’s FSB are undoubtedly now engaged in a frantic spy hunt.

☆ A fort in Montenegro that was a concentration camp during WWII was converted into a luxury resort starting at 500 euros a night
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( James Pasley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A luxury resort in Montenegro opened to the public in April, starting at 500 euros a night. The Mamula Island Hotel used to be a former concentration camp in World War II. The new luxury hotel has angered some locals for converting the Austro-Hungarian fortress. But the remote hotel on Mamula Island has a dark history — it used to be an Italian concentration camp during World War II. But the government awarded the Swiss-Egyptian developer Orascom a 49-year lease, saying there were limited options for the future of the fort.

The chart showed that Serbia declined to provide training to Ukrainian forces, but had committed to sending lethal aid or had supplied it already. It also said Serbia had the political will and military ability to provide weapons to Ukraine in the future. The Pentagon also did not immediately respond to Reuters questions about the document's reference to Serbia and has previously declined to comment on any of the leaked documents. Vucic's government has professed neutrality in the Ukraine war, despite the country's deep historic, economic and cultural ties with Russia. "We didn't export any weapons or ammunition to Russia or Ukraine," he said during a March 5 visit to Qatar.

☆ Ether dips slightly ahead of Shanghai upgrade, and Montenegro taps Ripple for CBDC: CNBC Crypto World
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Jordan Smith | Talia Kaplan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEther dips slightly ahead of Shanghai upgrade, and Montenegro taps Ripple for CBDC: CNBC Crypto WorldCNBC Crypto World features the latest news and daily trading updates from the digital currency markets and provides viewers with a look at what's ahead with high-profile interviews, explainers, and unique stories from the ever-changing crypto industry. On today's show, Diogo Monica, co-founder and president of Anchorage Digital, explains what Ethereum's Shanghai hard fork means for institutions.

BELGRADE, April 7 (Reuters) - Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday that ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo will not participate in local elections due to be held later this month - a move likely to aggravate current disagreements over Pristina's rule. The elections for municipal bodies were postponed in December 2022 after Serbs blocked roads and border crossings. Representatives of Serbs from northern Kosovo, including the Belgrade-backed Serbian List party, want to see an association of Kosovo Serb municipalities set up before they take part in the vote. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has repeatedly called on Serbs to participate in the local vote. Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic in Belgrade and Fatos Bytyci in Kosovo; Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ World Bank says Ukraine, Russia boost eastern Europe, Central Asia growth outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - The World Bank on Thursday lifted its 2023 economic growth forecast for eastern Europe and central Asia to 1.4% from an earlier 0.1% prediction, citing improved outlooks for both Russia and Ukraine despite their ongoing war. The regional forecast, released just days before the World Bank and International Monetary Fund hold their annual spring meetings, has Ukraine's economy growing by 0.5% this year following a staggering contraction of 29.2% in 2022, the year Russia launched its invasion. Russia's economy shrank 2.1% last year, considerably less than the 3.5% contraction the World Bank forecast in January. For 2023, the World Bank forecast Russia's economy to contract by 0.2%, compared to its previous forecast of a 3.3% contraction. The World Bank's regional grouping includes Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

☆ Montenegro holds run-off presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A child plays with a ball on a street, a day before the second round of presidential elections in Podgorica, Montenegro, April 1, 2023. REUTERS/Marko DjuricaPODGORICA, April 2 (Reuters) - Montenegrins were set to vote in a run-off presidential election on Sunday, pitting long-time incumbent Milo Djukanovic against a Western-educated economist pledging to lift the nation out of a crisis marked by no-confidence votes in two governments. Djukanovic, 61, has dominated Montenegro as president or prime minister for 33 years, since the start of the collapse of the now-defunct federal Yugoslavia. Djukanovic wound up with 35.37% of the vote in the first round of the election on March 19, with Milatovic on 28.92%, necessitating a run-off as neither garnered a 50% majority, and analysts have predicted a tight race in the run-off. Although the presidential post in Montenegro is largely ceremonial, a victory in the election would bolster the chances of the winner's party in June.

☆ Montenegro's ex-Economy Minister Jakov Milatovic declares victory in run-off presidential vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PODGORICA, April 2 (Reuters) - Montenegro's former Economy Minister Jakov Milatovic declared victory in a presidential election run-off on Sunday, ahead of long-standing incumbent Milo Djukanovic. "Tonight is the night we have been waiting for over 30 years and I wish you a happy this victory of all of us," Milatovic told cheering supporters of his right-centrist Europe Now Movement in its party headquarters in Podgorica. "Within the next five years, we will lead Montenegro into the European Union," he said. Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Montenegro run-off presidential election under way
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/13] A man prepares to vote at a polling station during the run-off presidential election in Podgorica, Montenegro, April 2, 2023. REUTERS/Marko DjuricaPODGORICA, April 2 (Reuters) - Montenegrins went to the polls on Sunday in a run-off presidential election pitting incumbent Milo Djukanovic against a Western-educated economist pledging to lift the nation out of a crisis marked by no-confidence votes in two governments. He led Montenegro to independence from a state union with much larger Serbia in 2006 and to NATO membership in 2017. Although the presidential post in Montenegro is largely ceremonial, victory in the election would bolster the chances of the winner's party in June. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, Montenegro joined EU sanctions against Moscow and expelled a number of Russian diplomats.

☆ How to watch Joshua vs. Franklin: live stream boxing online
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Brendan Griffiths | Senior Commerce Director | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

No belts are on the line, but career prospects certainly are, so take a look at our global guide on how to watch a Joshua vs. Franklin live stream today. An Anthony Joshua vs. Jermaine Franklin live stream might be the biggest professional heavyweight bout we see for a while. Where to watch Joshua vs. Franklin live stream (US)You can catch a US live stream of Joshua vs. Franklin today live on DAZN. How to watch Joshua vs. Franklin live stream (UK)UK boxing fans can also catch the Joshua vs. Franklin live stream from DAZN. How to watch Joshua vs. Franklin online with a VPNSign up for a VPN if you don't have one.

[1/4] A taxi waits for pedestrians at a street crossing under a pre-election billboard of candidate Jakov Milatovic in Podgorica, Montenegro, March 30, 2023. Montenegro, whose economy relies on tourism generated by its scenic mountains and seaside, ditched a state union with much larger Serbia in 2006 and declared independence. A row between lawmakers and Djukanovic over his refusal to name a new prime minister deepened the political paralysis. "I am here to lead Montenegro to success because for too long we have been led by the unsuccessful," Milatovic told a campaign rally. After the invasion of Ukraine last year, Montenegro signed up to EU sanctions against Russia.

☆ U.S., South Korea Vie Over Extradition of Crypto Fugitive Do Kwon
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( James Fanelli | Jiyoung Sohn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Police officers escorting Do Kwon, the creator of the failed TerraUSD stablecoin, in Montenegro’s capital Podgorica on Friday. The U.S. and South Korea are both seeking to extradite captured crypto entrepreneur Do Kwon from Montenegro, authorities in the tiny European nation said this week, setting up competing bids to prosecute him over criminal charges tied to the collapse of his TerraUSD stablecoin. Legal experts said South Korea may hold the upper hand because it is party to an extradition treaty with Montenegro, but diplomacy and previous instances of the Balkan state turning over fugitives to the U.S. could also factor into where Mr. Kwon ends up.

Bankman-Fried is expected to be arraigned on the new indictment on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan federal court. The new indictment said Bankman-Fried ordered the $40 million cryptocurrency payment to a private wallet from Alameda's main trading account, to persuade Chinese government authorities to unfreeze Alameda accounts with more than $1 billion of cryptocurrency. Prosecutors said the Alameda accounts had been frozen as part of an investigation into an unnamed Alameda counterparty, and Bankman-Fried's prior efforts to lobby Chinese officials to lift the freeze were unsuccessful. They also said Bankman-Fried around November 2021 authorized a transfer of tens of millions of dollars of additional cryptocurrency to "complete" the bribe. Concerns that Bankman-Fried might tamper with witnesses prompted Kaplan to threaten jailing him unless tighter restrictions could be worked out.

☆ Germany unveils immigration reform plan to tackle labour shortages
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN, March 29 (Reuters) - Germany on Wednesday unveiled draft reforms on immigration, skills training and promoting immigration from Western Balkan countries, a bid by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to plug labour shortages in Europe's largest economy. "Securing our skilled labour base is one of Germany's biggest economic tasks for the coming decades," Labour Minister Hubertus Heil said. One of the reforms is a new immigration law that aims to address key hurdles for migrants to Germany, particularly for those coming from outside the European Union. The draft law, seen by Reuters, says the reform could increase the number of workers from countries outside the EU by 60,000 people a year. The opportunity card follows a points-based system that takes into account qualifications, language skills, professional experience, connection to Germany and age.

☆ S.Korea, US seeking extradition of crypto entrepreneur Do Kwon -Montenegro
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PODGORICA, March 29 (Reuters) - South Korea and the U.S. are seeking the extradition of Do Kwon, an international fugitive accused of a multibillion-dollar fraud, and another suspect arrested in Montenegro last week, the Montenegrin Justice Minister Marko Kovac said on Wednesday. Do Kwon, a South Korean national, is a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and former CEO of South Korea-based Terraform Labs, the company behind the stablecoin TerraUSD that collapsed in May 2022 and roiled cryptocurrency markets. A U.S. indictment announced last week charged Do Kwon, who co-founded Terraform Labs and developed the TerraUSD and Luna currencies, with two counts each of securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud and conspiracy. South Korean authorities issued an arrest warrant for him last September. Kovac said the South Korean and U.S. extradition requests also called for the handover of the computers.

☆ Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, and what to know about the financial turmoil — and how one company is working to boost the number of women on Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The program collaborates with UPenn's Wharton business school, and it teaches college women the fundamentals of markets, portfolio management, and finance. Katherine Jollon Colsher, President and CEO, Girls Who Invest Girls Who InvestKatherine Jollon Colsher is the chief executive officer and president of Girls Who Invest, a nonprofit that aims to help women enter asset management and other careers across Wall Street. Katherine Jollon Colsher: We work exclusively in the buy side, and we do focus exclusively on placing women in internships and frontline investing roles to advance more women portfolio managers. With that, our vision is for 30% of the world's investable capital to be managed by women by 2030. Shares of the German bank tumbled on Friday, as the cost of credit default swaps linked to its bonds shot higher.

☆ US prosecutors charge crypto Terra founder Do Kwon with fraud following his Montenegro arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Zinya Salfiti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US fraud prosecutors charged Terraform Labs CEO Do Kwon hours after his arrest in Montenegro. Kwon created two cryptocurrencies TerraUSD and its sister affiliate Luna that lost $40B last year. Prosecutors at the US attorney's office in New York have slapped an eight-count indictment against Kwon, including securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud and conspiracy, according to a Reuters report. The criminal case comes after the US Securities and Exchange Commission charged Kwon and Terraform Labs with alleged fraud last month. The collapse of his Singapore-based Terraform Labs and that of the TerraUSD stablecoin sparked a broader crypto sell-off and wreaked havoc in the digital asset sector.

☆ Suspected Crypto Fugitive Arrested in Montenegro
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Alexander Osipovich | Bojan Pancevski | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Do Kwon is co-founder and chief executive of Terraform Labs. A person suspected of being Do Kwon, creator of the failed TerraUSD stablecoin, has been arrested in Montenegro after months of being in hiding, the interior minister of the Balkan country said Thursday. Montenegro Interior Minister Filip Adzic said on Twitter that the suspect was detained in the airport of the country’s capital of Podgorica with false documents, and that the local authorities were awaiting official confirmation of his identity.

☆ A person suspected to be crypto developer Do Kwon arrested in Montenegro months after the collapse of TerraUSD
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A person suspected of being Do Kwon, creator of the now-collapsed TerraUSD stablecoin, has been arrested in Montenegro, a country official said Thursday. The country's interior minister said the suspect was arrested at the airport with falsified documents. Authorities have been looking for months for Kwon since the failure of his Singapore-based Terraform Labs ecosystem and the collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin wreaked havoc in the crypto market. Police in Montenegro detained a person suspected to be Do Kwon at the Podgorica airport, Montenegro Interior Minister Filip Adzic said on Twitter. South Korea, where Kwon is from, issued an arrest warrant for Kwon in September for for alleged capital markets law violations.

Depleted uranium is a dense by-product left over when uranium is enriched for use in nuclear reactors or nuclear weapons. The United States, Britain, Russia, China, France and Pakistan produce uranium weapons, which are not classified as nuclear weapons, according to the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons. Ingesting or inhaling quantities of uranium - even depleted uranium - is dangerous: it depresses renal function and raises the risk of developing a range of cancers. "It's worth making sure everyone understands that just because the word uranium is in the title of depleted uranium munitions, they are not nuclear munitions, they are purely conventional munitions," Cleverly said. A spokesperson from Britain's defence ministry said: "The British Army has used depleted uranium in its armour piercing shells for decades."

☆ Montenegro police arrest suspected former CEO of Terraform labs - interior minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PODGORICA/SEOUL, March 23 (Reuters) - Police in Montenegro have detained a person thought to be Do Kwon, an international fugitive accused of defrauding investors in a multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency scheme, the country's interior minister said on Thursday. "The person is suspected of being one of the most wanted fugitives, South Korean national Do Kwon, a co-founder and CEO of the Singapore-based Terraform Labs," Filip Adzic, the Montenegrin interior minister wrote on Twitter. loadingSouth Korean police said a suspect thought to be Do Kwon and another person thought to be an individual named Han Chang-joon had been arrested in Montenegro. In February, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil lawsuit against Kwon and Terraform Labs in Manhattan federal court, accusing them of defrauding investors in what the regulator deemed a multibillion-dollar scheme. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Justice Department was investigating the 2022 collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin and had questioned former team members of Terraform Labs, which was behind the stablecoin.

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