Serbia

Serbia is seeking an extension of 180 days from the United States for a waiver of sanctions for NIS, a Russian-owned Serbian Oil Company. In a press release, Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic stated that "we have always maintained our position, and we will continue to do so, that sanctions are bad for energy security in Serbia and the surrounding region." She said that continued sanctions against NIS, which is owned by Russia's Gazprom and Gazprom in majority, would also harm Serbia's economic situation. NIS has been granted a fourth reprieve that expires on July 29, but the Office of Foreign Assets...

Zlatko Kokoanovic, a Serbian farmer in the Jadar region of Serbia, is determined not to allow Rio Tinto to develop a lithium project. The European Commission has identified it as a strategic project this week, as its goal is to reduce dependency on China's mineral resources. Lithium is an important component of batteries used in electric vehicles and mobile phones. If the mine in Jadar valley is built, it would meet 90% of Europe’s lithium requirements. Kokanovic, like many protesters and farmers who have tried to stop the development of this project over the past few years, is concerned about...

According to a GAP Institute report, Kosovo has been denied more than 600 millions of euros in external funding for environmental protection projects and energy projects, among others, ever since the European Union implemented sanctions in 2023. Kosovo's Government disputes the amount, but a report by a local organization gives one of first independent assessments on the impact of sanctions on one of Europe’s poorest country for its role in inflaming ethnic tensions in the north of its Serb majority. The GAP Institute reported that "the measures... have had significant financial and development consequences, costing Kosovo approximately 613.4 millions euros...

The World Bank's bi-annual report, released on Monday, said that the weakening external demand and the global economic uncertainty will moderately slow the growth of the six Western Balkans nations in 2025. The report stated that Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro North Macedonia, Serbia, will all grow by 3.2% in 2025. This is 0.5 percentage points lower than the previous bank projections. The growth rate in the region is expected to reach 3.5% by 2026. The World Bank's division director for Western Balkans, Xiaoqing Yu said, "We see some positive economic trends that demonstrate the region’s resilience and should...

For 30 years, Shemsi Gara ran a huge digger in a Kosovo coal mine, churning up poisonous dust that covered his face and entered his air passages. Home life wasn't much better: the power plants that the mine materials constantly gush fumes over his village. Gara died on Sunday aged 55 after 3 years of treatment stopped working to include his lung cancer. In his last days, unable to walk, he lay on a sofa in the house, gaunt and in discomfort, as a machine pumped oxygen into his dying body. I kept informing him I wished to assist, but...

A surge on Friday night harmed a canal in northern Kosovo providing water to 2 coalfired power plants that create nearly all of the country's electrical energy, authorities said, blaming what they called a terrorist act. There were no instant reports of injuries and the cause of the blast was unclear. Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla told local media from the scene that the explosion, which took place before 7 p.m. ( 1800 GMT), was a terrorist act and that part of the canal was damaged. Previously on Friday, Kosovo cops announced increased security measures after two current attacks where...

R astislav Pucovski held a fistful of soy beans shriveled to the size of peppercorns on his farmland in northern Serbia where the soil, dried to dust by dry spell, swirled in the wind. A brief shower, the very first in over 40 days, used no relief. The surrounding fields, near the town of Backi Petrovac, stayed parched, the corn and soy crops withered. Whatever is bone dry, said Pucovski, 48, as he surveilled his land this week. I do not know how we will offer it. Serbia, like much of the Balkans, experienced its hottest summer season on record,...

It could take Rio Tinto 2 years to obtain the authorizations it needs to begin building on its Jadar lithium job in Serbia, the nation's energy minister stated on Friday, as ecologists strategy fresh protests over the mine. Last month, Serbia renewed Rio's licence to establish what would be Europe's biggest lithium mine in the western Jadar region, two years after the previous government halted the licensing process due to mad protests by ecological groups. In order to move towards production at the site, the Australian mining group now needs to secure approvals which will hinge on its ecological impact...

Zlatko Kokanovic, a 48yearold Serbian farmer, and fellow villagers have actually stimulated nationwide protests to stop the structure of Rio Tinto's first European lithium mine, alerting it would pollute their land and threaten public health. Last month, Serbia restored Rio Tinto'a license to develop what would be Europe's most significant lithium mine in the Jadar area of western Serbia, 2 years after it was annulled due to protests by ecological groups. Cautions about the destructive impact of mining by Kokanovic and his neighbours in the town of Gornje Nedeljice inspired thousands of people to object versus the Rio Tinto project...

Firefighters in North Macedonia fought a dozen wildfires fanned by heavy winds for a 3rd day on Wednesday, and hot temperature levels and dry weather likewise sustained smaller blazes throughout Greece and the Balkans, authorities said. One fire was spreading out in the municipality of Negrevo near the Bulgarian border and another around Kumanovo near Serbia, said Goran Stojanovski at North Macedonia's centre for crisis management. Since of the heats, the plant life is dry and the soil is really hot, which is making our work more difficult, he stated. North Macedonia's southerly neighbour Greece has long fought with wildfires...

Individuals braving scorching temperature levels sought relief in Belgrade's Ada Ciganlija lake, fountains and cafes on Thursday while the Serbian government purchased employers to protect outside employees from the heatwave. Meteorologists anticipate temperature levels of around 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) throughout Serbia today as winds from North Africa pushed a hot and dry front throughout the Balkans. Health authorities and meteorologists stated a red. weather alert and encouraged people not to venture outside. Belgrade's emergency situation service said its physicians stepped in more. than 100 times overnight, mainly dealing with people with heart and. chronic conditions. The Ministry of...

AngloAustralian miner Rio Tinto said on Thursday freshly published environmental research studies showed that its Serbia lithium task, which was stopped in 2022 after enormous demonstrations, would be safe for the environment. If executed, the $2.4 billion Jadar lithium task in Western Serbia might cover 90% of Europe's current lithium needs and assist to make the company a leading lithium producer. Lithium, mainly used in batteries for electrical cars ( EV) and mobile devices, is considered a crucial product by numerous major economies. On Thursday, Rio's Serbian unit revealed numerous environmental research studies performed over the past six and a...

AngloAustralian miner Rio Tinto stated on Thursday recently published environmental studies showed that its Serbia lithium job, which was stopped in 2022 after massive protests, would be safe for the environment. If executed, the $2.4 billion Jadar lithium task in Western Serbia might cover 90% of Europe's existing lithium requirements and assist to make the company a leading lithium producer. Lithium, mainly utilized in batteries for electrical vehicles ( EV) and mobile phones, is considered a crucial product by lots of significant economies. On Thursday, Rio's Serbian unit made public a number of environmental studies carried out over the previous...