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☆ Why founders of some small luxury brands are eyeing exits
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementIndependent luxury brands face pressure to sell or seek investment amid the market downturn. It's a decision some independent luxury brands are confronting amid an industry-wide downturn. Even the biggest and most successful independent brands with cult followings are under pressure. Seize the moment or risk failureEscribano said there's been an uptick of independent brands seeking investors as a survival strategy. For independent brands, Escribano said, the thought process is "either we make it today or we're not here tomorrow."

Persons: It's, Simon Porte Jacquemus, Figaro, Gigi Hadid, Stephane Cardinale, Corbis, Jacqumeus, Blanca Zugaza Escribano, Escribano, there's, Kate Middleton, Dion Lee, Taylor Swift, Mara Hoffman, Roksanda, Chris Jackson, Milton Pedraza, Le Figaro, Jaquemus, Montaigne, Pedraza, Jacquemus, Kering, Valentino, Marc Piasecki Organizations: Fashion, Business, The Brand Group, Luxury Institute, Olympics, Burberry, Brands Locations: Soho , New York City, French, Serbian, Paris

☆ Miami man charged with killing wife Ana Knezevich Henao in Spain
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Carlos Suarez | Denise Royal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —David Knezevich, the South Florida businessman accused in the February disappearance of his estranged wife in Spain, is now charged with her murder. A federal grand jury in Miami indicted Knezevich, 36, Wednesday on charges of kidnapping resulting in death, foreign domestic violence resulting in death, and foreign murder of a US national. If convicted of the newest charges, Knezevich could face the death penalty. Prosecutors said Knezevich traveled from Miami to Turkey and later to his native home of Serbia, where he rented a car and drove to Spain in late January. The complaint said the vehicle’s license plates were stolen from another vehicle on the street in Madrid where Henao was living.

Persons: David Knezevich, Knezevich, Ana Maria Henao, ” Knezevich “, Henao, “, aforethought, ” Henao, Henao’s, ”, Diego Henao, Aura Henao, Jayne Weintraub, Sanna Rameau, Prosecutors Organizations: CNN, South, Miami, Miami “, Miami International Airport, FBI, Peugeot Locations: South Florida, Spain, Madrid, Europe, Miami, Turkey, Serbia

☆ Opinion | Don’t Doubt NATO. It Saved My People.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Albin Kurti | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Many European partners worry that after the U.S. presidential election in November, the American commitment to the alliance will wane. Who among my people could forget the sight of NATO soldiers being cheered as they arrived? Over the past 25 years, as NATO helped liberate Kosovo and maintained the peace, we in return built democracy to foster this peace from within. We declared our independence in 2008, an idea that will resonate with Americans who have just celebrated their Independence Day. There was little doubt to us, given the fresh memories of genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia, that the situation in Kosovo would have deteriorated rapidly without NATO.

Persons: Slobodan Milosevic Organizations: NATO, U.S, Kosovar Locations: United States, Washington, Europe, Kosovo, Serbian, Kosova, Rwanda, Bosnia

☆ Opinion | Do We Still Understand How Wars Are Won?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the past 50 years, the United States has gotten good at losing wars. We won limited victories against Saddam Hussein in 1991 and Muammar el-Qaddafi in 2011, only to fumble the endgames. If you’re on the left, you’d probably say that most if not all these wars were unnecessary, unwinnable or unworthy. Life in America would not have materially changed if, say, Kosovo were still a part of Serbia. We know how America fought such wars.

Persons: Saddam Hussein, Muammar el, What’s, you’d, “, ” Ron Chernow, Ulysses Grant Organizations: ISIS Locations: United States, Saigon, Beirut, Mogadishu, Kabul, Baghdad, Iraq, Grenada, Panama, Kosovo, America, Serbia, Vicksburg, ”

☆ Serbia Approves Contract With Jared Kushner for Hotel Complex
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Eric Lipton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Serbian government has approved a contract with Jared Kushner on plans to build a luxury hotel on the site of the former defense ministry in Belgrade, putting him directly into business with a European state as his father-in-law, Donald J. Trump, vies to return to the White House. Mr. Kushner is pursuing the $500 million hotel project in partnership with Richard Grenell. A former Trump administration aide, Mr. Grenell first proposed that U.S. investors attempt to redevelop the long-vacant bombed-out site of the former Yugoslav Ministry of Defense while Mr. Grenell was still a diplomat, serving as a special envoy to the Balkans. The deal, which provoked protests in Belgrade on Thursday, is with an affiliate of Mr. Kushner’s Affinity Partners, the three-year-old, $3 billion investment fund backed by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. “The government of Serbia has chosen a reputable American company as a partner in this venture, which will invest in the revitalization of the former Federal Secretariat for National Defense complex,” a Serbian government official said in a statement released on Wednesday.

Persons: Jared Kushner, Donald J, Trump, vies, Kushner, Richard Grenell, Grenell Organizations: Serbian, Yugoslav Ministry of Defense, Mr, Kushner’s Affinity Partners, Federal Secretariat, National Defense Locations: Belgrade, Balkans, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, American

☆ China’s Xi Jinping highlights Europe’s divisions ahead of expected Putin visit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chinese state media played up the warm diplomacy, with headlines proclaiming China’s “ironclad” bond with Serbia and “golden friendship” with Hungary. Both are sure to closely watch any summit between Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in China, expected to happen soon. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is welcomed at the airport in Belgrade on May 7 for his two-day state visit. Xi also marketed a shared worldview during his meeting with Orban in Hungary, which is a member of both the EU and NATO. Chinese leader Xi Jinping talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on May 9.

Persons: Xi, Peng Liyuan, Aleksandar Vucic, Viktor Orban, China’s, Vucic, Orban –, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der, Vladimir Putin, Orban, Hungary “, ’ ”, Philippe Le Corre, ”, Putin, Le Corre, Xi Jinping, Dimitrije Goll, Xi’s, Serbia’s Vucic, ” Vucic, Bruno Le Maire, BYD, Liu Dongshu, Vivien Cher Benko, Tamas Matura, Mark Rutte, Olaf Scholz, Matura, Von der, “ Orban, Gabor Scheiring Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Russia, Ukraine, China, Europe …, Asia Society, Center for, Forum, Anadolu, Getty, EU, NATO, ”, Xi, Hong Kong’s City University ., Hungarian, Central, Dutch, Georgetown University Locations: Hong Kong, France, Ukraine, China, Belgrade, Budapest, Paris, Serbian, Hungarian, Serbia, Hungary, Europe, Russia, Russian, ”, Europe … Hungary, Center for China, Beijing, United States, EU, Hong, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, Moscow, Qatar, “ Hungary

☆ In Serbia, Xi Underlines Close Ties With Ally That Shares Wariness of U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China and Serbia on Wednesday proclaimed an “ironclad friendship” during a visit to Belgrade by the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, underlining the close political and economic ties between two countries that share a wariness of the United States. Mr. Xi arrived in Serbia late Tuesday — the 25th anniversary of a mistaken 1999 airstrike involving the U.S. Air Force during the Kosovo war that destroyed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, the Serbian capital. Three Chinese journalists were killed in the strike. “This we should never forget,” Mr. Xi said in a statement published on Tuesday by Politika, a Serbian newspaper, recalling that “25 years ago today, NATO flagrantly bombed the Chinese Embassy.” He said that China’s friendship with Serbia had been “forged with the blood of our compatriots” and “will stay in the shared memory of the Chinese and Serbian peoples.”Mr. Xi appeared briefly on Wednesday morning with the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, before a cheering crowd gathered in front of the Palace of Serbia, the former headquarters of the now defunct government of Yugoslavia that now houses Serbian government offices.

Persons: Xi, Mr, ”, “, Aleksandar Vucic Organizations: Wednesday, U.S . Air Force, Embassy, Politika, NATO flagrantly, Serbian Locations: China, Serbia, Belgrade, United States, Kosovo, Serbian, Yugoslavia

☆ Serbia's Vucic Nominates Ally Vucevic as Prime Minister Designate
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Saturday nominated his close ally Milos Vucevic to be prime minister and to lead a new government through a time of war in Europe and tensions with Kosovo. The nomination comes more than three months after their party, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), won the most votes in a national election on Dec. 17. Vucevic took over leadership of the party after Vucic stepped down last year. "I propose to parliament Milos Vucevic as candidate for prime minister of Serbia," Vucic wrote on Instagram. A lawyer by profession, Vucevic was deputy prime minister and defence minister in the government of his predecessor Ana Brnabic.

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic, Milos Vucevic, Vucevic, Vucic, Ana Brnabic, Ivana Sekularac, Giles Elgood Organizations: BELGRADE, Reuters, Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, Socialists, Hungarians, European Union, EU, United Nations, Moscow Locations: Serbian, Europe, Kosovo, Serbia, Russia, China, Ukraine

☆ Pro-Trump attorney arrested after court hearing about leaked Dominion emails
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A pro-Trump lawyer who tried to overturn the 2020 election was arrested Monday after a court hearing about her recent leak of internal emails belonging to Dominion Voting Systems. In the last 24 hours, Leaf has posted more than 2,000 internal Dominion documents on his social media account. The marshals declined to say whether they arrested her, and she didn’t answer messages seeking comment after the hearing. During the at-times testy hearing Monday, Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya peppered Lambert with sharp questions about the disputed Dominion materials. Dominion wants Lambert removed from the case and suggested in court Monday that she might have committed a crime by disseminating the files to Leaf.

Persons: Stefanie Lambert, Lambert, Dar Leaf, Donald Trump, Leaf, Patrick Byrne, “, Judge Moxila Upadhyaya, ” Upadhyaya, Byrne, ”, ” Lambert, Davida Brook, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, CNN’s Holmes Lybrand Organizations: CNN, Trump, Voting Systems, Dar, US Marshals Service, U.S . Marshals, Dominion, Leaf, meddled, US Intelligence, America, . Dominion, Fox News Locations: Michigan, Barry, Dominion, Washington ,, Serbia

Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Donald J. Trump, confirmed on Friday that he was closing in on major real estate deals in Albania and Serbia, the latest example of the former president’s family doing business abroad even as Mr. Trump seeks to return to the White House. Mr. Kushner’s plans in the Balkans appear to have come about in part through relationships built while Mr. Trump was in office. Mr. Kushner, who was a senior White House official, said he had been working on the deals with Richard Grenell, who served briefly as acting director of national intelligence under Mr. Trump and also as ambassador to Germany and special envoy to the Balkans. One of the proposed projects would be the development of an island off the coast of Albania into a luxury tourist destination. A second — with a planned luxury hotel and 1,500 residential units and a museum — is in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, at the site of the long-vacant former headquarters of the Yugoslav Army destroyed in 1999 by the NATO bombings, according to a member of Parliament in Serbia and Mr. Kushner’s company.

Persons: Jared Kushner, Donald J, Trump, Kushner’s, Kushner, Richard Grenell Organizations: Mr, White House, Yugoslav, NATO Locations: Albania, Serbia, Germany, Balkans, Belgrade

☆ Saudi sovereign wealth fund to partner with men's tennis tour
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Ryan Anastasio | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund will become the official naming partner of the ATP Rankings and will partner with ATP Tour tennis events, including Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Beijing and the Nitto ATP Finals under a multi-year partnership announced Wednesday. "Our strategic partnership with PIF marks a major moment for tennis. It's a shared commitment to propel the future of the sport," ATP CEO Massimo Calvelli said in a press release. A deal to merge the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV tour is still in negotiations and there is no deadline for the talks to end. The PIF launched the LIV tour in 2022, luring away top stars from the PGA Tour, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka, with hundreds of millions in signing bonuses.

Persons: Hamad Medjedovic, Arthur Fils of, Massimo Calvelli, LIV, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Mohamed AlSayyad Organizations: King Abdullah Sports City, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, ATP, ATP Tour, PGA Tour, PIF, LIV, PGA, Saudi, Crown, U.S Locations: Serbia, Arthur Fils of France, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Beijing

Then, she vanished — two weeks ago, shortly after a man wearing a motorcycle helmet disabled the security cameras at her Madrid apartment building by spray painting the lenses. Records show they also own a home and two other Fort Lauderdale properties, one of those currently under foreclosure. Like I never had.”The Spanish friend got similar texts, the ones that appeared to have been translated by computer. Rameau and the Spanish friend then went to her building on Feb. 8, and learned from a clerk about the helmeted man painting the cameras. "I’m just desperate to find a reason for who could have done this.”___Spencer reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Persons: — Ana Maria Knezevic, ”, Sanna Rameau, Rameau, “, Joaquin Amills, David, Ana Knezevic, Ana’s, Juan Henao, David Knezevic's, Henao, Ana, Henao texted David, “ Let’s, David Knezevic, Neighbors, Firefighters, didn't, “ I’m, I’m, ” ___ Spencer Organizations: MADRID, Google, Associated Press, Police, American, Technology Solutions Inc, Records, Fort Locations: South Florida, Spain, American, Colombia, Madrid, Spanish, Fort Lauderdale, Serbia, Salamanca, Austria, Barcelona, Fort Lauderdale , Florida

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo sparred at the United Nations over the latter's ban of the use of the Serbian currency in areas where minority Serbs live, the latest crisis between the two governments. The dinar was widely used in ethnic Serbian-dominated areas, especially in Kosovo's north, to pay pensions and salaries to staff in Serbian parallel institutions, including schools and hospitals. In 1999, a 78-day NATO bombing campaign ended a war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo. Serbian forces were pushed out but Belgrade never recognized Kosovo’s independence and still considers it a Serbian province. The European Union and the United States expressed concern that Kosovo’s ban of the dinar could raise tensions in an already volatile region and called for consultations and a delay in the ban.

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic, ”, Albin Kurti, ” Kurti, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Dmitry Polyansky, Kurti Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Kosovo sparred, United Nations, . Security, NATO, Albanian, European Union, Center for Peace Locations: Serbia, Kosovo, Serbian, Kosovo's, Belgrade, Western Europe, United States, Pristina

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers called on Thursday for an independent investigation into allegations of vote-rigging in Serbia and demanded that EU funds be cut off if the authorities in Belgrade fail to cooperate with the inquiry or are found to be implicated in election irregularities. The governing Serbian Progressive party of populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić won the Dec. 17 parliamentary and municipal elections, securing 129 seats in the 250-seat assembly. The opposition Serbia Against Violence coalition finished a distant second with 65 seats. The resolution has angered Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić. Vučić’s ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his failure to enforce EU sanctions on Moscow have dismayed many.

Persons: Aleksandar Vučić, watchdogs, “, ”, Ana Brnabić, ” Brnabić, Vladimir Putin, ___ Dusan Stojanovic Organizations: —, Union, Serbian Progressive, Serbian, Violence, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Parliamentary, of Europe, Serbia’s National Assembly Locations: BRUSSELS, Serbia, Belgrade, Europe, Strasbourg, France, Moscow

☆ Serbian Journalists Protest Acquittal of Suspects in 1999 Killing of Colleague
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Dozens of Serbian journalists and rights activists protested peacefully in Belgrade on Monday against the acquittal of four men who had previously been sentenced over the 1999 killing of opposition journalist and newspaper publisher Slavko Curuvija. The Belgrade-based Appellate Court announced the acquittal last week of four State Security operatives, including Radomir Markovic, the former head of the agency. The protesters carried a banner reading "You killed justice, but truth lives on," which they left in front of the building housing the Appellate Court in downtown Belgrade. Dusko Milenkovic, the head of the Appellate Court, said the court had concluded that the prosecution "did not provide enough evidence to prove the indictment." The Supreme Court has the power to overturn the Appellate Court's decision and order a retrial.

Persons: Slavko Curuvija, Radomir Markovic, Curuvija, Slobodan Milosevic's, Markovic, Dusko Milenkovic, Ivan Stambolic, Vuk Draskovic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Timothy Heritage Organizations: BELGRADE, Reuters, State Security, Journalists ' Association of Serbia, Milosevic, NATO, Serbia Locations: Belgrade, Curuvija, Kosovo

In the past week, Kosovo police searched the premises of Serbia-administered institutions and of an ethnic Serb non-governmental organization, confiscating papers and computers believed to hold documentation contrary to the country’s laws. Most of Kosovo uses the euro, even though the country isn’t part of the EU. “The EU urges Kosovo to avoid unilateral actions that could raise tensions, and to address these issues through the EU-facilitated dialogue,” the EU statement said. Serbian forces fought a 1998-99 war with ethnic Albanian separatists in what was then the province of Kosovo. About 13,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, died until a 78-day NATO bombing campaign pushed Serbian forces away.

Persons: Jeffrey Hovenier, ”, Besnik Bislimi, Aleksandar Vučić, Albin Kurti, Josep Borrell Organizations: European Union, Kosovo, Police, Ambassador, EU, Serbian, Kosovo police, NATO, Belgrade doesn’t Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, United States, Serbia, Serbian, Belgrade, Kosovo’s, Serbs, Kosovo Serb, EU, Hovenier

Most of Kosovo uses the euro, even though the country isn't part of the EU. But parts of Kosovo's north, populated mostly by ethnic Serbs, continue to use the dinar. The Central Bank reported on Wednesday that Serbian bank Komercijalna Banka AD Beograd closed its branches in Kosovo. Serbian forces fought a 1998-99 war with ethnic Albanian separatists in what was then the province of Kosovo. Kosovo eventually declared independence in 2008, but the government in Belgrade doesn't recognize its neighbor as a separate country.

Persons: Kosovo's, Aleksandar Vučić, Alexander, Botsan, ” Vucic, ”, Besnik Bislimi, Albin Kurti, Miroslav Lajčák, Josep Borrell, ___ Llazar Semini Organizations: Union, Serbian, Kosovo’s Central Bank, Western, The Central Bank, NATO, Belgrade doesn't, European Union, Kosovo, Kosovo police, EU Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbian, Kosovo's, Serbs, Serbia, Russia, Russian, Belgrade, Pristina, Metohija, Kosovo Serbs, ” Kosovo, Komercijalna Banka, Beograd, Brussels, EU, United States, Vučić, Balkans, Kosovo’s, Tirana, Albania

☆ NATO's Stoltenberg concerned by secessionist rhetoric in Bosnia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Daria Sito-Sucic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shakes hands with Bosnian Prime Minister Borjana Kristo during his visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, November 20, 2023. Bosnia emerged from a 1992-1995 war with a federal structure uniting a Serb-dominated republic with a federation of Croats and Bosniak Muslims. "We are concerned by secessionist and divisive rhetoric as well as .. foreign interference including Russia," Stoltenberg told reporters in Sarajevo, his first stop during a tour of the Western Balkans region. NATO has warned about risks for Bosnia from foreign interference, particularly from Russia, and agreed to help to shore up its ability to defend itself. Every country has the right to choose its security arrangements without foreign interference," Stoltenberg said after meeting the chairwoman of Bosnia's Council of Ministers, Borjana Kristo.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Borjana Kristo, Amel, Milorad Dodik, Stoltenberg, Christian Schmidt, " Stoltenberg, Borjana, Daria Sito, Toby Chopra, Peter Graff Organizations: NATO, Bosnian, REUTERS, Rights, Representative, UN Security Council, Bosnia's, Ministers, Thomson Locations: Sarajevo, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Rights SARAJEVO, Serbia, Russia, Western Balkans, Yugoslavia, masse, EU, Ukraine, Balkans, Bosnian, Russian Bosnian Serbs

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said that Vulin used his public authority to help a U.S.-sanctioned Serbian arms dealer move illegal arms shipments across Serbia’s borders. The close associate of populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić had previously served as both the army and police chief. “The U.S. and the EU are looking for my head as a precondition for not imposing sanctions on Serbia," Vulin said in a statement. “I will not allow myself to be the cause of blackmail and pressure on Serbia and the Serbian world. The trip underscored Belgrade’s refusal to join Western sanctions against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Aleksandar Vulin, Vulin, Aleksandar Vučić, ”, Vladimir Putin —, Vučić, “, ” Vulin, Sergey Lavrov, Vulin’s Organizations: U.S . Treasury Department’s, Foreign, Control, BIA, Serbian, USA, Russia, Russian, European Union, EU Locations: BELGRADE, Serbia, Russia, United States, Balkan, U.S, Serbian, Vulin, EU, Moscow, Ukraine, Europe, Kosovo

☆ Serbia's Vucic dissolves parliament, sets snap vote for Dec 17
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The parliamentary election will coincide with local votes in 65 municipalities, including the capital Belgrade. Experts say the vote and an absence of a working parliament, will allow Vucic to buy time and delay decisions over ties with independent and predominantly Albanian Kosovo, which Serbia still sees as its southern province. Opposition parties and rights groups accuse Vucic, the SNS and its allies of autocracy, oppressing media freedoms, election fraud, violence against political opponents, corruption and ties with organised crime. After signing the decree, Vucic said it was important for Serbia to "preserve peace, stability, and internal cohesion and (to) show democracy". "This campaign is an opportunity to present different ideas, programs, policies ... , but which must never threaten vital interests of Serbia," he said.

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic, Vucic, Ursula von der Leyen, Stata, Aleksandar Vasovic, Andrew Cawthorne, Alison Williams Organizations: EU, Russia, Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, Thomson Locations: BELGRADE, Serbian, Kosovo, Belgrade, Albanian Kosovo, Serbia, Ukraine

☆ European leaders urge Serbia to 'de facto' recognise Kosovo
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Much of the tension has focused on northern Kosovo, where ethnic Serbs form a majority. Serbia and Kosovo have spent years talks mediated by the European Union to normalise their relations. While the EU has previously shied away from the politically sensitive question of de facto recognition of Kosovo, the three leaders made clear that was what they expected from Serbia, putting pressure on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. "We call on Kosovo to launch the procedure to establish the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities in Kosovo as prescribed in the draft Statute, and on Serbia to deliver on de-facto recognition," the statement said. "Without progress in normalising relations, both sides risk missing important opportunities," the three leaders said.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Giorgia Meloni, Macron, Scholz, Meloni, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Vucic, Andrew Gray, Angelo Amante, Alistair Bell Organizations: Italian, Kosovo, European Union, EU, Serbian, of Serb, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, France, Germany, Italy, Serbia, Kosovo, Belgrade, EU

☆ Nikola Jokić leads Denver Nuggets to victory over LA Lakers as title defense begins on NBA Opening Night
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Nikola Jokić led the Denver Nuggets to a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night of the 2023-24 season as the NBA champions began their campaign to secure a second successive ring. Two-time NBA MVP Jokić finished with a triple-double – 29 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists – as the Nuggets won 119-107 at Ball Arena in Colorado. But it was the defending NBA champion which got its season off to the perfect start, with clear aspirations of repeat success. Who wants another?” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said during the team’s ring ceremony. On one side, there are the words “WORLD CHAMPIONS” with the Denver Nuggets retro logo and the team’s regular season record.

Persons: Nikola Jokić, Jokić, –, LeBron James, “, Michael Malone, James dribbles, Justin Tafoya, Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell, Pope, ” Jokić, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant –, Booker, Steph Curry Organizations: CNN, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Nuggets, Ball Arena, Ball, Miami Heat, Western, Lakers, Denver, Suns, Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors Locations: Colorado, Los Angeles, Serbia

☆ The NBA is back and expanding its global reach. Here's how
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Laya Neelakandan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As the National Basketball Association's new season tips off this week, the league is seeing more international interest than ever. The NBA said it expects fans from more than 200 countries to tune in to games in more than 50 languages this season, with interest across international markets increasing significantly from last season. Global business accounts for about 10% of total team and league revenue, according to a person familiar with the matter. A significant factor driving the surge in international interest is the number of international players taking part in the league this season, according to Samantha Engelhardt, the NBA's senior vice president of global strategy and innovation. This season, all 30 NBA teams feature at least one international player, and 15 international players on opening-night rosters have been NBA All-Stars.

Persons: Nikola Jokic, Bones Hyland, Norman Powell, wasn't, Matt Brabants, Samantha Engelhardt, Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, " Engelhardt, it's, Jokić Organizations: Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Crypto.com Arena, Basketball, NBA, Global, Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs, Nuggets Locations: Los Angeles, India, Serbia, Greece, France

☆ Serbia highlights importance of Chinese defence equipment
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Zorana Jevtic/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Chinese military equipment has strengthened the Serbian armed forces significantly, its deputy prime minister told Chinese state media, in particular an air-defence system and drones. Vucevic said China's FK-3 medium-range anti-aircraft missile system and its CH-95 and CH-92A UAVs had "undoubtedly" been among the most important defence system Serbia had acquired. Serbia bought the FK-3 surface-to-air defence system, similar to Russia's S-300 or the U.S. Patriot system, in 2019. Both the United States, and Russia, which traditionally supports Serbia, have said they are monitoring the situation. Vucevic said Serbia would enhance its capabilities to protect its independence but did not spell out whether it would acquire more Chinese military equipment.

Persons: Milenko Pavlovic, Zorana, Milos Vucevic, Vucevic, Xi Jinping, Aleksandar Vucic, China's, Liz Lee, Robert Birsel Organizations: Serbian Army, REUTERS, Rights, Global Times, China's, China's FK, West, FK, U.S ., NATO, Thomson Locations: Serbian, Batajnica, Belgrade, Serbia, Rights BEIJING, China, Beijing, Russia, Kosovo, United States

☆ EU Envoy Tells Kosovo and Serbia to Return to Dialogue
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

PRISTINA (Reuters) - The European Union Special Envoy Miroslav Lajcak urged Serbia and Kosovo to return to dialogue on normalising ties to avoid a repeat of last month's violence in northern Kosovo. Police recaptured the monastery after a shootout in which three attackers and a Kosovo police officer were killed. They have often clashed with Kosovo police and international peacekeepers, but last month's violence was the worst in years. Lajcak urged Pristina to start working on establishing an association of Serb municipalities to allow greater autonomy for Serb majority areas. Lajcak urged Belgrade to investigate the events and punish any perpetrators in its territory.

Persons: Miroslav Lajcak, Lajcak, Albin Kurti, gunbattle, Gabriel Escobar, Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Fatos Bytyci, Ivana Sekularac, Ros Russell Organizations: Union, Serbs, Police, Kosovo, United States, Serbian, Kosovo police Locations: PRISTINA, Serbia, Kosovo, Belgrade, Pristina, Banjska, Kosovo's, Serbian, NATO, Balkans, France, Germany, Italy

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