Editorial & Advertiser disclosure

Global Banking and Finance Review is an online platform offering news, analysis, and opinion on the latest trends, developments, and innovations in the banking and finance industry worldwide. The platform covers a diverse range of topics, including banking, insurance, investment, wealth management, fintech, and regulatory issues. The website publishes news, press releases, opinion and advertorials on various financial organizations, products and services which are commissioned from various Companies, Organizations, PR agencies, Bloggers etc. These commissioned articles are commercial in nature. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. It does not reflect the views or opinion of our website and is not to be considered an endorsement or a recommendation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third-party websites, affiliate sales networks, and to our advertising partners websites. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish advertised or sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a commercial article placement. We will not be responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of any omission or inaccuracy on the website.

Headlines

Posted By Global Banking and Finance Review

Posted on February 1, 2025

Protesters block bridges in Serbia's Novi Sad over November train disaster

BELGRADE(Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people blockaded three bridges on the Danube River in Serbia's second city of Novi Sad on Saturday in the latest anti-government protest over a railway station disaster that killed 15 people in November.

Protests over the deaths caused by a roof collapsing at a station in Novi Sad quickly ballooned and spread across the Balkan country, triggering a political crisis.

Prosecutors have so far charged 13 people over the disaster, but protesters, opposition parties and many Serbians blame the tragedy on corruption within President Aleksandar Vucic's government and mismanagement.

Students from Belgrade - some of whom had covered the 80 km distance on foot - merged on Saturday with residents and university students of Novi Sad, the capital of the Vojvodina province in Serbia's north.

After rallying for a few hours on two of the bridges, they planned to remain until Sunday on Freedom Bridge, the largest of the three.

Some of the protesters held banners reading "Your hands are bloodied!” and "Corruption kills!"

Milos Vucevic resigned as prime minister this week, the highest-ranking official to step down over the disaster. Before him, two other ministers had stepped down.

Vucevic's resignation has rocked the government and Vucic, a centre-right populist and former Serb nationalist firebrand who has held a grip on power since he became prime minister in 2014 and president in 2017.

Although his role is meant to be largely ceremonial, he is viewed as wielding huge influence over the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and the government.

Critics have accused Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of bribing voters, violence against opponents, stifling media freedoms and ties with organised crime - charges he and the SNS deny.

"Our goal is to have all our demands fulfilled so that we can finally start to live in a state of law," said protester Ana Hasinbegovic.

Vucic, who said he would decide next week whether to nominate a new prime minister or trigger snap elections in April, said on Saturday that he will not step down because of popular discontent.

(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic and Branko Filipovic; Editing by Renee Maltezou and Jan Harvey)

Recommended for you

  • Baltic states switch to European power grid, ending Russia ties

  • Brookfield to invest 20 billion euros in AI projects in France, Tribune reports

  • Hamas says Israeli military withdraws from Gaza's Netzarim Corridor