Belgrade
Associated Press
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Riot police fired tear gas at thousands of anti-government protesters in the Serbian capital on Saturday.

A major Belgrade rally against Serbian populist president Alexander Vic has been called to support the demand for an early parliamentary election.

Tens of thousands of protests have been raised after nearly eight months of sustained demonstrations led by Serbian university students rattling Vitic’s solid grip on Balkan power.

The large crowd chanted, “I want an election!” Many people were unable to reach the venue when they filled the central Surabia Square in the capital and several blocks around it.

Tension was high before and between the gatherings. Riot police were deployed around government buildings and near the Vitic loyalty camp in central Belgrade. A skirmish exploded between a riot officer and a group of protesters near the camp.

“Elections are a clear way of coming from the social crisis caused by government actions, which certainly goes against the interests of their own people,” one student said. “Today, June 28, 2025, the current authorities declared it illegal.”

At the end of the official part of the assembly, students told the crowd to “take freedom into their own hands.”

College students were the key force behind the nationwide anti-corruption demonstrations that began after the collapse of the canopy at the renovated railway station on November 1st.

Many have condemned concrete roof crashes over government corruption and negligence in the state infrastructure projects, leading to repeated mass protests.

“We can’t take any more, so we’re here today,” said Darko Kovasevic. “This has been going on for too long. We are suffering from corruption.”

Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party repeatedly rejected requests for early voting, accusing protesters of plans to promote violence with orders from overseas, but they did not designate it.

Vucic authorities have launched crackdowns on Serbia’s impressive universities and other enemies, but pressure on independent media has sought to curb the demonstrations.

Although numbers have shrunk in recent weeks, Saturday’s massive anti-Vock Rally show suggested that the resolution would continue after almost eight months of almost daily protest despite unforgiving pressure.

Serb police, firmly controlled by the Vucic government, said 36,000 people were present at the start of the protest on Saturday.

Saturday is a religious holiday, marking the date when Serbs marked the 14th century battle with the Ottoman Turks in Kosovo, the beginning of hundreds of years of Turkish rule and retains symbolic importance.

In their speech, some of the speakers at Saturday’s student meeting evoked the theme. This was also used in the 1990s to promote Serbian nationalism, leading to the inciting ethnic warfare following the dissolution of former Yugoslavia.

Hours before the student-led rally, Vucic’s party bused with scores of Belgrade supporters from other parts of the country, wearing t-shirts that many read “will not give up on Serbia.” They were attending the Vitic Loyalty Camp in central Belgrade, where they have been staying in their tents since mid-March.

As always, at a business show, Vucic handed the presidential award in the capital to worthy people, including artists and journalists.

“People don’t have to worry, the nation is protected and thugs are put to trial,” Wütchick told reporters on Saturday.

Serbia’s presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2027.

Earlier this week, police arrested several people accused of conspiring to overthrow the government, banning several people from Croatia and Montenegro theatre directors from entering the country without explanation.

The Serbian railway company has suspended train services over the bomb threat that critics said had said, and it was an obvious bid to prevent people from traveling to Belgrade for a rally.

Authorities made a similar move in March, the largest anti-government protest ever in the Balkan country.

Vucic’s loyalists set up camp in the park outside his office. The peaceful gathering on March 15 ended with a sudden panic littered with some of the crowd, causing allegations that authorities had used Sonic weapons against peaceful protesters. The accusation authorities denied it.

A former extreme nationalist, Vicch has become more and more authoritarian since coming to power over a decade ago. He says he officially hopes Serbia will join the European Union, but critics say Vic has curtailed democratic freedom as he strengthened relations between Russia and China.

CNN
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Qatar officials met with the country’s prime minister on Monday afternoon when Defense Ministry officials called for warning of Iran’s missiles, finding ways to eliminate the conflict between Iran and Israel.

The first attack on the Gulf surprised them, according to Al Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

That morning, anxiety was grabbing the Arab Gulf. The gorgeous, oil-rich capital was terrified of the worst-case scenario. After a 12-day war between Iran and Iran, Iran’s missile strikes shattered the image of stability and culminated in a series of US strikes over Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Bahrain, where the US Navy Command is located, told residents not to use the main roads and Kuwait, which host several US military bases. In nearby Dubai and Abu Dhabi, some residents booked early flights, while others kept supplies.

In Doha, nervous residents are very wary. The U.S. and British citizens in the country were told to seek shelter, and American servicemen had evacuated from Al Udeid Station in the United States.

Qatar’s most advanced early warning military radar system in the region showed that the intelligence collected had moved to Qatar earlier in the day, a spokesman said — but nothing was certain until just before the strike.

“It could have been misdirected to keep us away from actual targets. There were still many targets in the area. But in the end it was very clear, their missile system was hot and there was a very clear idea an hour before the attack.

Around 7pm local time, Qatari officials were notified by the military that Iranian missiles were in the air and were heading towards Al-Udeid Base, Al Ansari said.

According to Al-Ansari, Qatari’s military deployed 300 service members and activated multiple Qatar Patriot anti-electric missile batteries at two sites, and then activated at two sites. US President Donald Trump said 14 missiles had been fired from Iran.

Qatari forces coordinated closely with the US, but the operation was “led by Qatar,” Al Ansari told CNN.

Seven missiles were intercepted over the Persian Gulf before reaching Qatar’s soil, he said. Another 11 was intercepted through Doha without causing damage, and one person landed in an unsuppressed area of ​​the base, causing minimal damage.

According to Trump, Iran had given the US early notice before the attack. Doha received Inter from Washington, but according to Al Ansari, he did not receive direct warnings from Iranians, but authorities were well aware that US bases in the region could be targeted.

“Iranians told us a few months ago… if there is an attack in the US on Iranian soil, they will create a base that hosts US troops with legal targets in the region,” Al Ansari said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut said warnings were repeated to Gulf counterparts at an Istanbul meeting a day before the Iranian attack in Qatar.

Iran’s national security council said the strike after the intercepted attacks “has no dangerous aspect to Qatar and its noble nation of its friendly and brotherhood.”

Still, al Ansari rejects speculation that given Qatar’s working relationship with Tehran, he may have given the strike green light to create an off-ramp for regional escalation.

“We are not underestimating our country being attacked by missiles on any side. We will never do that as a political stance or part of the game in the region,” he said.

“We don’t put people in danger. I didn’t put my daughter under the missile coming out of the sky. This was a complete surprise for us,” Ansari said.

In the moment after the attack, Trump called out Qatar’s Emil Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, telling him that the Israelites are willing to agree to a ceasefire, and asked him to do the same for the Iranians, according to al-Ansari.

“As we were discussing how we could retaliate against this attack, this was when we received a call from the US that there was a possibility of a ceasefire and it paved the way for potential security in our region,” Ansari said.

Doha’s role as a mediator was quickly key in the aftermath of the strike. Qatar’s chief negotiator, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Klaifi, spoke to the Iranians, while Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, had spoken with US Vice President JD Vance. Soon, “We managed to secure a deal,” says Al Ansalis – and at Nick of Time.

“All options were on the table that night…we could quickly say that we were retaliated or pulled back and hadn’t spoken to the country that sent the 19 missiles.

Shortly afterwards, Trump declared on social media that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel had been mediated.

CNN
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After Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez tied the Venice knot on Friday, hundreds of protesters gathered at the city’s railway station on Saturday to unite with one message to the Amazon billionaire and his bride.

“Bezos, f**k off,” they chanted in Italian. “From the lagoon!”

One bearded man tots a Shrek-themed placard with the same message. “Get Out Out Our Lagoon,” “A” in the Lagoon has the Spotify link below for the theme song of the first film in the series, “Smash Mouth’s “All Star”:

“Bezos is working with President Trump (the US President), who is burning more money in the war,” said one woman who gets caught up in a microphone by the station. “We are for peace.”

“(Bezos) has a lot of power,” Austrian protester Hans Peter Martin told CNN. “And now he’s abusive as a place to show off the city. So he’s not welcome here.”

22-year-old Venetian Sofia Damato emphasized that the protest was not about Bezos’s vy wishes for wealth or power.

“We’re not jealous of the fact that he makes so much money, so he’s one of the most powerful men in the world,” Damat told CNN. “We are jealous when his wealth slams us in the face.”

Venice’s tourism ministry says the three-day wedding, which is reportedly costing $55 million, could provide a nearly 68% increase in the city’s annual tourism sales. In addition to that, Sanchez and Bezos each gave 1 million euros to three Venetian cultural institutions, according to Reuters. A total of 3 million euros worth of donations.

Their charity efforts were impressed by D’Amato.

“They say Jeff Bezos donated money to Venice,” Damat said. “It was donated after our opposition. That amount on a massive scale is a small amount.”

The protesters portrayed a harsh contrast between Bezos’ decadence the day before and the harsh reality of working for Sanchez’s wedding and the billionaire company.

“We can barely pay rent,” one woman who identified herself as an Amazon worker told the protesters’ crowd. “Many of us come from far away to arrive at our warehouse.

Some protesters joined the old left hymn as the demonstrations moved towards Ponte del Gugli. “United will never be defeated.”

At least one protester targeted the couple’s fashion sense with a sign declaring “Money cannot buy style.”

Many people kept an Aloft Amazon box with various messages engraved: “Rejected”, “No space for Bezos”.

Multiple flags were visible among the protesters. The Palestinian flag, pride flag, anti-fascist flag, and Venice’s delicate red standard were one of the common options. Several individuals waving the modified version to get a golden lion with a sword on a hoist wearing a black balaclava.

Venice City officials were fascinated by the protesters and denounced them in a press release as “silly” and “grotesque.”

“The inherent challenge to weddings (all weddings) is already ridiculous, but here it exceeds all the limits of common sense,” read the city’s statement released Saturday. “We descended on the folklore of “no to everything.” ”

CNN
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Israeli forces detained six West Bank settlers, which were occupied overnight, after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said they had attacked security forces.

The IDF says it has found an Israeli civilian driving towards a closed military zone near the Palestinian village of Kahru Malik. There, a settler a few days ago said Palestinian officials had killed three people.

When Israeli forces approach the group, the IDF says the soldiers were physically assaulted and verbally abused. Additionally, the suspect attempted to destroy security forces’ vehicles to damage them and plunge the troops.

The IDF said six suspects were arrested and transferred to police.

“The IDF and Israeli police will act firmly against attempts to condemn violence against security forces and harm security personnel who are obligated to protect Israeli citizens,” the IDF said in a statement.

Israeli politicians have condemned settlers’ attacks on Israeli security forces.

Opposition chief Yair Lapid said in a statement on social media: “The extremists attacking IDF soldiers who are protecting the security of the Israeli state in these difficult times are dangerous criminals supporting our enemy.”

Left Democrat head Yair Golan said he had called previous settlers attacks in the area “violent Jewish pogroms.” Golan referenced Maa Kahane, an extremist rabbis whose political parties were completely banned in Israel under anti-terrorism laws.

“This is not a small outbreak. It’s a dangerous current that has taken away its deep roots. Even around the government table, references to far-right ministers supporting the coalition government, including Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezarel Smotrich. Smotrich calls for a formal annexation of the West Bank settlement, but Ben-Gvir’s party is made up of followers of Kahane’s banned party.

In a statement, Israeli Defense Minister Katz asked law enforcement to stare at all those who relied on violence and act quickly to find all those who put them on trial “as it’s done everywhere.”

On Friday, Nabil Abu Rudain, a spokesman for the Palestinian authorities’ presidency, said the settlers’ attacks were part of Israel’s “radical right-wing government” plans to drag the West Bank into a bigger conflict. Abu Rudain is fully responsible for the “consequences of this bloody attack,” Wafa said.

Israel is destroying the entire community as it bolsters its military operations in the West Bank along with its attacks in Gaza, attacking Iran and its proxies, driving away thousands of Palestinians, and targeting what it says is an extremist active on its territory.

Earlier this week, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian teenager on the West Bank, Palestinian health officials said. The Israeli military said “terrorists threw explosive devices at IDF forces.”

In late May, Israel approved a massive expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank in a movement that was accused of the de facto annexation of the territory’s massive swath. Peace, an Israeli non-governmental organisation tracking the settlement, said it was the largest expansion of the settlement since the signing of the Oslo agreement more than 30 years ago.

Israel plans to establish 22 new settlements, including deep in the West Bank and areas where the country had previously withdrawn. The occupied Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the occupied Golan Heights settlements are deemed illegal under international law.