Serbia's populist president announces more arrests after a massive anti-government protest
Aleksandar Vucic , at a press conference, accused organizers of Saturday's student-led protest in the capital, Belgrade, of inciting violence and attacks on police, urging legal prosecution. He also criticized 'terrorists and those who tried to bring down the state,' singling out University of Belgrade's head dean, Vladan Djokic, who was among the protesters.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
34 minutes ago
- Forbes
Bill Marked Up Today May Be Disastrous To National Parks, Protectionist Group Says
Protesters at California's Yosemite National Park hold an inverted U.S. flag, a symbol of distress, during a national day of action against the Trump administration's mass firing of National Park Service employees. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images A bill being marked up Tuesday by a House subcommittee will impose more 'disastrous cuts' to the National Park Service, a nonprofit organization that aims to protect national parks says. The fiscal year 2026 bill making appropriations for the Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agenices would slash $176 million—more than 6%—from the Park Service's operations budget 'at a time when parks are already reeling from actions by the (Trump) administration,' according to the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks . The coalition has more than 4,100 members who are current, former, volunteer and retired employees of the National Park Service. 'The House of Representatives must reverse course and reject these devastating cuts,' said Phil Francis, the coalition chair. 'Between RIFs (reductions in force actions) and the actions of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), the safety and visitor experience at our national parks is already deteriorating, and this proposed budget would escalate that crisis. House Subcommittee Chairman Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, did not respond to requests for comment. Ranking member Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) said Tuesday that the bill cuts the National Park Service budget by $213 million. Such a reduction follows nearly $1 billion in cuts at national parks and public lands that became law July 4 when President Trump signed his so-called Big Beautiful Bill. 'Making matters worse, the majority's failure to reauthorize the Great American Outdoors Act means that the National Park Service will no longer receive an annual $1.3 billion to address deferred maintenance,' Pingree said. 'If we add them all together, these cuts have created a crisis that risks destroying the legacy of our national park system. Support for our national parks used to be bipartisan and a point of pride for this country, and I do hope we can recapture that spirit.' National parks, according to Francis, are a 'crucial economic asset' and enrich Americans' lives by connecting them to nature and the most special places in the country. 'Hundreds of millions of people visit our national parks each year—an invaluable source of income for gateway communities across the country,' Francis said. 'Congress should be working to protect this vital cultural and financial resource with full staffing and full funding. This bill would do the exact opposite. Members of Congress should reject this bill that would decimate parks.' Protestors at California's Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area object to National Park Service budget cuts. (Photo by Katie McTiernan/Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu via Getty Images
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lake County election board refers Niemeyer concerns for attorney review
The Lake County Board of Elections asked its attorneys to review information presented by Lake County Republican Party Chairman Randy Niemeyer with two concerns. Niemeyer, who is also a Lake County Councilman, presented concerns Tuesday that Democratic employees set up for the party's caucus during work hours in February, and some poll workers were paid for training they allegedly didn't attend. In regard to the caucus, Niemeyer said that at least two Democratic employees were setting up for the caucus, which was held March 1 at the Lake County Government Center, during work hours on Friday, Feb. 28. During the May special Crown Point and Hobart school referendum elections, Niemeyer previously said he was concerned about inspectors and students being paid for training, which they have to attend by law, but records indicate that some didn't receive training. Niemeyer told the election board members that Indiana Code allows the board to adopt a waiver of election training if certain circumstances are met. 'The purpose of this presentation is not to go on some sort of a witch hunt or to look for problems where they don't exist. It's where we have procedural issues, we want them corrected,' Niemeyer said. 'The goal of this is not to see punitive measures taken against individuals. It's to correct a problem.' Board member Michael Mellon asked staff if the board's policy is that employees can't walk into a political, partisan situation during work hours. Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Assistant Director Jessica Messler said the employee handbook states that is 'against the rules.' Lake County Clerk Michael Brown said the election board's attorneys should review the information Niemeyer submitted to the board to determine how the board should move forward before asking questions. 'I don't think this is an appropriate time to start questions and answers,' Brown said. 'We will make decisions based on what our attorney tells us and whatever we need to do to correct it, so it will be corrected, but it has to be done the right way. This is not the right way.' Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Director Michelle Fajman previously said employees did not set up for the caucus during business hours. The voting machines and tables were delivered that Friday, she said, but all setup was done Saturday morning. Fajman previously said some employees could've walked into the auditorium to see if the equipment was in the room, ready to be set up the next day. Employees like to walk the government campus during their breaks, so it's possible some employees could've walked by the auditorium, she said, but no setup was done. Fajman said that special elections are paid for by the entity holding the election, so all payments of election workers would be paid for by the school districts. Initially, the money comes out of the county's general fund, and then the schools reimburse the county for the elections. Under Indiana law, clerks and judges can complete election training online or in person, Fajman said. Inspectors have to do training in person, she said. Further, Indiana law dictates that students have to attend a training, Fajman said, so they can pick in person or online. Fajman said when election workers go to training, they show their driver's license and check in on a poll pad against voter registration data. Because some students aren't old enough to vote yet, Fajman said they are checked in manually. To get paid, students on Election Day sign a pay claim and mark on the claim that they attend training. Inspectors could have a discrepancy in training attendance because there could be situations where an inspector had to back out of working the election, but remains on the record, and another inspector fills in, Fajman previously said. The election office has been working toward coming up with a system to better track attendance and payments, Fajman previously said, and hopes to launch it by the next general election. 'Right now, there's no foolproof method that we have, but we're looking into it right now,' Fajman previously said. akukulka@
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Three women arrested under Terrorism Act after van driven into Edinburgh factory fence owned by defence company
Three women have been arrested under the Terrorism Act after a van was driven into an Edinburgh-based defence company's fence. Police Scotland said the three women - aged 31, 34 and 42 - were arrested after a disturbance in the Crewe Road North area of on Tuesday. The force said a van was driven into an external fence of a business premises, and that its Counter Terrorism Unit was leading the investigation. It added: "Enquiries are ongoing. We are treating this as targeted, and we do not believe there is any wider threat to the public." Direct action campaign group Shut Down Leonardo - which said it aims to target aerospace, defence and security company Leonardo's headquarters in Edinburgh - posted a photo of the van. It shows police on the roof of the vehicle, which has a Palestine flag hanging off the back. Shut Down Leonardo claims the factory makes components for Israel's F-35 fighter jets. In a separate post, the group said "we're taking action to shut down Leonardo's weapons factory in Edinburgh" and shared a video of an "action taker" explaining why the site has been targeted. Read more: A Leonardo spokesperson told the PA news agency: "Leonardo UK is subject to UK government export controls and does not supply equipment direct to Israel. "The right to peaceful protest is an important principle in our society, however, aggressive and violent activity should have no place in protest. "The intimidation of our people, who work hard to support the security and defence of the UK, is not acceptable. "Our main customer is the UK Armed Forces. We are proud to manufacture technology that supports our service personnel and helps keep them safe. Their dedication underpins the freedom on which our society is based." Palestine Action - now proscribed as a terrorist group - had also targeted Leonardo's Edinburgh site, cutting off the electricity supply to the factory in March.
