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☆ 8 Dead in Shooting in Serbia, Day After School Massacre That Killed 9
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( John Yoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Eight people were killed and 13 others wounded late Thursday near Belgrade, Serbia, in the nation’s second mass shooting in as many days, according to Serbian media. The police were looking for a 21-year-old male suspect, according to RTS, Serbia’s public broadcaster. The shooting took place at 11 p.m. local time, Serbia’s Interior Ministry told CNN. The gunman used an automatic weapon from a moving vehicle near Mladenovac, a town south of the capital, and fled the scene after the attack, RTS said. Serbia’s interior minister, Bratislav Gasic, called the shooting “a terrorist act,” RTS reported.

☆ Serbia takes steps to prevent school violence after shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BELGRADE, May 4 (Reuters) - 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 a guard in a Belgrade elementary school. Because of his age the boy cannot be criminally prosecuted under Serbian law but he will be placed in a psychiatric institution, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said. The government said in the statement that it had decided to halt issuing of licences to weapon holders. The justice ministry will prepare changes to the criminal law to prosecute those who enable access to weapons to children. The government will also change a legislation within one month to enable schools to test students for drugs and alcohol, the statement added.

☆ The President, the Soccer Hooligans and an Underworld ‘House of Horrors’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Robert F. Worth | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

direction, and he chose not to.” Serwer speculated that Vucic has concluded the reforms required to join the E.U. The notion that Serbia can “balance” the West against Russia is largely a mirage, Bassuener said. One afternoon in Belgrade, I spent an hour talking to Boris Tadic, who served as Serbia’s president from 2004 until 2012, when he lost to Vucic’s party. Vucic, he said, had “helped put criminals in power” with the belief that he could control them. “What is the final outcome of your power if you’re going to destroy the foundations of society with hooligans and criminals?” he asked.

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.

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 shooting: What we know about the attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A 13-year-old boy opened fire on his classmates at a school in the Serbian capital Belgrade on Wednesday, rocking the Balkan country. The shooting left at least eight children dead, along with a security guard. He took their lives.”The suspect then walked towards a history classroom, shooting as he moved down the corridor, before entering the room and shooting the teacher and his fellow students from the doorway, Milić said. Gasic said it was known that the father had previously gone to a shooting range with his son. I saw the school psychologist, I saw the school staff, the teachers who were in shock,” the father told N1.

CNN —A boy was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly opening fire in an elementary school in the Serbian capital Belgrade, authorities said. Five children were wounded in the incident, CNN affiliate N1 reported, before a seventh-grade student – typically aged 12 or 13 – was placed under arrest. The Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement on Facebook that it was informed at 8.40 a.m. local time (2.40 a.m. ET) that a school shooting had occurred at the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School in Vračar, an upscale area of the Serbian capital. It will be updated…

BELGRADE, May 3 (Reuters) - A 14-year-old boy shot his teacher in a Belgrade classroom on Wednesday morning before opening fire on other students and security guards, killing at least one person and wounding five, police and witnesses said. Milan Milosevic, the father of one of the pupils at the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school, said his daughter was in the classroom when the shooting began. (The boy) ...first shot the teacher and then he started shooting randomly," Milosevic told broadcaster N1. Police said a security guard was killed and five students were wounded, and that a seventh-grade student had been arrested. Later I heard three shots," a girl who attends a high school adjacent to Vladislav Ribnikar told state TV RTS.

☆ A downed US jet, a bombed embassy, and 25 years of rumors about how China built its first stealth fighter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

China continues to expand its fleet of J-20 stealth jets and to operate them farther from home. On March 24, 1999, NATO began airstrikes against Serbian military targets in response to Serbian atrocities in Kosovo. On May 7, 1999, US B-2 stealth bombers hit the Chinese embassy in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, killing three Chinese citizens. ReutersUnder the circumstances, there would seem to be little connection between the destruction of an American warplane and the bombing of the Chinese embassy. The US detected signals from the debris and bombed the embassy but failed to destroy the F-117 wreckage there, the articles claimed.

☆ Serbs in north Kosovo boycott local elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A Kosovo Albanian man prepares to vote at a polling station in the village of Qabra, Kosovo, April 23, 2023. REUTERS/Valdrin XhemajZUBIN POTOK, Kosovo, April 23 (Reuters) - Serbs in northern Kosovo boycotted local elections on Sunday in protest that their demands for more autonomy have not been met, in another sign that a peace deal signed between Kosovo and Serbia last month is not working. The main political party in Serb-dominated northern Kosovo, Serbian List, called on Friday on the Serb community not to vote on Sunday. Serbia and the Kosovo Serbs are demanding the creation of an association of Kosovo Serb municipalities, in line with a decade-old EU-brokered deal with the Kosovo government in Pristina, before they take part in the vote. On Tuesday Kosovo's elected prime minister Albin Kurti said Belgrade was intimidating Serbs from the north not to participate in the elections.

☆ Djokovic hoping to hit top gear on clay after Banja Luka exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The loss is Djokovic's second early exit from a tournament in as many weeks, following his third-round defeat to Lorenzo Musetti at the Monte Carlo Masters last week. On the other hand, I played much worse than I wanted to," Djokovic told reporters after the defeat in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The French Open, the second Grand Slam of the season, begins on May 28. I want to play my best tennis there," said Djokovic, who has also been struggling with an elbow injury. "The conditions are totally different there in comparison with Monte Carlo and Banja Luka.

☆ Bosnia Serb leader Dodik threatens to declare indepdendence
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BELGRADE, April 14 (Reuters) - Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik on Friday told his ally Serbia he was seriously considering declaring the autonomous Serb Republic independent from the rest of Bosnia unless a row over a property law is resolved. Dodik's hardline Serb nationalism and pro-Russian stance have raised concern that Bosnia might fracture again along ethnic lines, a generation after its devastating war. According to constitution, the national parliament must adopt a property law that would be valid across Bosnia, but Dodik, who is president of the Serb Republic, says that deprives the Serb region in Bosnia of the right to its land, rivers and forests. During his 25 years in power either as the region's president or premier, Dodik has acted to strengthen the autonomy of the Serb region. Last month, Dodik ordered that Serb officials should halt all contacts and communication with US and UK ambassadors in Bosnia, after they had criticised his inflammatory rhetoric.

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.

☆ Djokovic needs time to adapt after 'ugly' start on clay
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MONTE CARLO, April 12 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic returned to the ATP Tour with an "ugly" straight-sets win over Ivan Gakhov at Monte Carlo and while the world number one has had extended preparation on clay this year he said he needs more time to adapt to the surface. "Throughout my career I needed one, two weeks of tournaments to really start to play the way I want to. It's the case again this year, though I trained for three weeks and felt good playing practice points," Djokovic told reporters. "All these things play a factor in the way you feel on the court. I'm really glad I overcome the first step, because I hope things will be better and easier from this point."

☆ Djokovic recovers from stuttering start to reach Monte Carlo round three
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte-Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 11, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning his second round match against Russia's Ivan Gakhov REUTERS/Eric GaillardApril 11 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic briefly ran into a spot of bother as he fought his way into the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters with a 7-6(5) 6-2 victory against Russian qualifier Ivan Gakhov on Tuesday. The world number one, who had not played since early March when he reached the final in Dubai after being forced to skip Indian Wells and Miami because of his COVID unvaccinated status, struggled to find his range on the Monte Carlo clay before prevailing on a sunlit centre court. Djokovic was then business like in the second set, leaving no chance of a comeback for his opponent, who suddenly felt the court was too big for him. The double French Open champion, who suffered an opening-round exit here last year, will next face Lorenzo Musetti or the 16th seed's Italian compatriot Luca Nardi. Spain's Nadal, who triumphed a record 11 times at the Monte Carlo Country Club, is absent after failing to recover from a hip injury that has kept him away from the courts since the Australian Open.

☆ Djokovic returns to Tour seeking strong start to clay swing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I've done more training on clay, which is positive if you think about the clay season," said Djokovic, the 2013 and 2015 champion who meets Mackenzie McDonald or a qualifier first. "I've not had much success in Monte Carlo in the past two seasons. I haven't played great tennis here, so I'm hoping this year I can start the clay season better than previous years and build my form." Djokovic, who trains at Monaco, said home comforts could prove helpful is his quest for a record-extending 39th Masters 1000 crown at Monte Carlo. Quite a few top players reside in Monaco and use this club as a training base, Djokovic said.

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.

☆ 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 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.

☆ Kosovo war crimes court begins trial of ex-guerrilla chief and president Thaci
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

THE HAGUE, April 3 (Reuters) - Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci stands trial at a special court in The Hague on Monday for alleged war crimes during the 1998-99 insurgency that eventually brought independence from Serbia and made him a hero among compatriots. Thaci was indicted in 2020 by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers on 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including persecution, murder, torture and forced disappearance of people, including after fighting ended. Thaci and three co-defendants, all former close associates in the guerrilla Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and later in peacetime politics, have pleaded not guilty to all 10 counts. The trial, conducted by international judges and prosecutors, will begin with opening statements by the prosecution followed by defence lawyers and a representative of Kosovo's war Victims Council over the ensuing three days. Thaci, 54, resigned as president shortly after his indictment and was transferred to detention in The Hague.

[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.

A special Kosovo court set up in The Hague indicted Thaci in November 2020 on 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including persecution, murder, torture and enforced disappearance of people among other things during the uprising. Thaci, 54, resigned as president shortly afterward and was transferred to detention in The Hague. As the fighting abated and Serbian forces withdrew under NATO bombardment from Kosovo, Thaci traded in his green uniform for a blue suit and tie. Milosevic went on trial before a separate U.N. tribunal in The Hague for war crimes against Kosovo Albanians in the conflict, but he died in 2006 before a verdict was reached. Some senior Serbian officials including then-army chief Nebojsa Pavkovic and deputy prime minister Nikola Sainovic were sentenced to long prison terms over war crimes in Kosovo.

☆ Alcaraz dominates Lajovic, Andreescu breezes past Kenin in Miami
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Mar 26, 2023; Miami, Florida, US; Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) hits a forehand against Dusan Lajovic (SRB) (not pictured) on day seven of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsMarch 26 (Reuters) - Carlos Alcaraz swatted aside Serbian Dusan Lajovic 6-0 7-6(5)to keep his title defense on track at the Miami Open on Sunday, as Canadian Bianca Andreescu cruised past American Sofia Kenin in straight sets. "Everything was under control," said Alcaraz, who greeted the Miami Heat's six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler courtside after the match. Former U.S. Open champion Andreescu harnessed her mighty serve to topple Kenin 6-4 6-4, sending over seven aces as the 2020 Australian Open winner failed to mount much of a defense after an early exit from Indian Wells. Later on Sunday, second-seeded Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka plays 31st seed Marie Bouzkova and last year's twice Grand Slam runner-up Casper Ruud, seeded third, plays the Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp.

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."

☆ Alcaraz routs Medvedev in Indian Wells final, reclaims No. 1 ranking
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Mar 18, 2023; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) hits a shot in the semi final match defeating Jannik Sinner (ITA) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY SportsMarch 19 (Reuters) - Top seed Carlos Alcaraz snapped Daniil Medvedev's 19-match win streak with a 6-3 6-2 rout in the Indian Wells final on Sunday that will see him leapfrog Novak Djokovic and return to world number one in the rankings. Alcaraz did not drop a set across six matches in the tournament and his performance in the California desert gives him an added boost of confidence ahead of his Miami Open title defence. Djokovic withdrew from the draw for the Indian Wells event in an indication that his application for a COVID-19 vaccine waiver to enter the U.S. might have failed. The Serbian has also withdrawn from the Miami Open.

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