Latest news with #Serbia
BBC News
17 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Speed of change has not slowed' - Kerkez's rapid rise to Liverpool
Milos Kerkez has never been big on patience. "That's always the problem," he joked midway through his breakout season at AZ Alkmaar, a teenager already agitating to play more, train harder and reach 18-year-old's would have been happy just to be there. Kerkez wanted more - and always has. From leaving AC Milan's academy to become a first-team starter in the Eredivisie, to rejecting bigger names for a chance to explode at Bournemouth, his trajectory has only ever pointed one was born in Serbia and moved to Hungary at 15, vowing immediately to represent their national team. He captained youth sides despite barely speaking the language. "He's a crazy guy," one youth coach said. "He'll make it to a top-three league or be in prison." After all, Kerkez started as a number 10. By 16, he had moved to left-back and then, at 17, he signed for Milan. The speed of change has not AZ, the club handed him a dossier thicker than a phone book, containing stats on his reaction time, pressing habits and recovery devoured it. He tackled with his head, launched touchline assaults like a man possessed and emerged as one of Europe's most relentless full-backs. Bournemouth came calling with a well-crafted pitch - and won out over bigger then, he has been a talisman in Andoni Iraola's turbo-charged system, combining ferocity in defence with electricity going the pitch he is a Twitch streamer, a Fortnite fanatic and a forest fisherman. Maximus the rottweiler waits at home and, in Serbia, so does his father's dream of a farm and training centre, which Milos now hopes to is fiery and funny, and friends with new Liverpool team-mate Dominik when the Hungary starlet rifles into a top corner or tackles a winger with his forehead, you realise the kid from Vrbas is not just rising. He is he is doing it his way.
Bloomberg
19 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Planned Belgrade Trump Tower Slammed by Europe Heritage Watchdog
Serbia must protect its monuments and defy plans by Donald Trump's son-in-law to raze downtown blocs in the nation's capital to make way for a large real estate project, said Europe's top cultural heritage organization. Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners wants to build a luxury hotel and residences on the site of the Balkan nation's former defense headquarters in Belgrade, badly damaged by NATO bombing in 1999 during the Kosovo War.
Forbes
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Milwaukee Bucks Swing For The Fences In 2025 NBA Draft
Belgrade, Serbia - November 24: Bogoljub Markovic of Serbia during the FIBA Eurobasket 2025 ... More Qualifier match between Serbia and Denmark at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on November 24, 2024 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by David Damnjanovic/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) With just one shot to make something happen in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks decided to swing for the fences. At pick No. 47, they rolled the dice on Serbian big man Bogoljub Markovic, a 19-year-old with loads of potential and a long runway ahead. Markovic was the most productive draft-eligible player from Europe, playing last season for Mega in the ABA. He put up some solid numbers: 13.9 points, 6.9 boards, and 2.6 dimes while shooting nearly 55 percent from the floor. He's got game, but he's not NBA-ready just yet—and that's fine, 'cause the Bucks knew what they were getting into. According to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, Markovic is gonna stay overseas another year to keep sharpening his tools. Honestly, that's probably for the best. At 6-foot-11 and 213 pounds, he's caught in no man's land—too skinny to bang in the paint like a true center, and not quite quick enough to hang with athletic fours just yet. But what the kid does have is a silky-smooth jumper. He splashed nearly 39 percent from deep last year and has legit stretch big potential. He's a sniper on catch-and-shoot threes and knows how to find his spots. Toss in a 76.5 percent free throw clip and a nice little floater game, and you can see why the Bucks took a flyer. He's also got soft hands and a good feel around the rim. Dude can clean up a rebound and get it right back up before the defense even blinks. He can also catch passes in traffic while around the rim and finish on the move. That said, he's still raw. His handle's loose, he dribbles too tall, and he coughed it up 2.7 times per game—more turnovers than assists, which ain't ideal. On D, he's serviceable but not exactly a rim protector. He's got decent mobility, but not enough bounce or length (he has a 9-foot-2 standing reach) to scare anyone away from driving right at him. That's why stashing him in Serbia for another year makes perfect sense. He needs to live in the weight room, pack on some muscle, strengthen his core, and tighten up his handle if he wants to hold his own in the league. This pick is all about upside. It's not a slam dunk, but it's got real 'diamond in the rough' vibes. If everything clicks, Markovic could grow into a solid rotation piece—or maybe even a starter—down the road. It'll take a minute, but for the Bucks, this was the kind of low-risk, high-reward swing you take when you're trying to hit on long-term value at the back end of the draft.
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
US postpones sanctions against Serbia's NIS oil company for fourth time, Tanjug agency reports
June 27 (Reuters) - The United States has postponed sanctions against the Russian-owned Serbian oil company NIS ( opens new tab for a fourth time, Tanjug news agency reported on Friday. NIS has so far secured three waivers, the last of which was due to expire later on Friday. NIS, which is majority-owned by Russia's Gazprom Neft ( opens new tab and Gazprom ( opens new tab, operates Serbia's only oil refinery in the town of Pancevo, just outside the capital, Belgrade. The facility has an annual capacity of 4.8 million tons and covers most of the Balkan country's needs. Sanctions could jeopardise its supplies of crude. The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control initially placed sanctions on Russia's oil sector on January 10, and gave Gazprom Neft 45 days to exit ownership of NIS. On February 26, Gazprom Neft transferred a stake of around 5.15% in NIS to Gazprom in an attempt to ward off sanctions. Gazprom Neft now owns 44.85% of NIS, while Gazprom has 11.3%. The Serbian government owns 29.87%, with the remaining shares held by small shareholders. NIS imports about 80% of its oil needs through Croatia's pipeline operator Janaf. The remainder is covered by its own crude oil production in Serbia.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Nuggets couldn't help craving Taco Bell in NBA Draft second round
By now, everyone knows Nikola Jokić's incredible story. These days, the Serbian center is a three-time regular-season MVP, the 2023 NBA Finals MVP, and a 2023 NBA champion. Jokić is one of the biggest faces of one of the most competitive eras in NBA history. The guy nicknamed "Joker" is not only the best basketball player in the world, but he's also one of the best ever. It's fitting, then, that he plays an unconventional point center/three-level scorer style that has transformed him into one of the most unique talents ever to palm an orange ball. That style of play is specifically what makes it seem like he has the easiest time dominating whenever he's on the court. Advertisement But before Jokić became the king of the hill and a remarkable all-timer, he was an overlooked second-round NBA Draft pick. Jokić was so overlooked initially, in fact, that the Denver Nuggets' selection of him during the 2014 NBA Draft famously came across the ESPN ticker during a Taco Bell commercial. It's one of those fun, quirky NBA facts that is definitely a staple at many trivia nights across the country. As the No. 41 overall pick clock ticked on Thursday night, the Nuggets decided to make light of their selection of the greatest second-round pick in NBA history. They made a string of Taco Bell jokes, first qualifying their desires for a cheesy quesarito, then following that up with a picture of the item while standing in front of a view of the Denver skyline. When you get this lucky with a prospect who turns into a generational-defining player AND his story so happens to have a funny Taco Bell segue involved, you should feel free to get away with this kind of humor: Call it a hunch, but I'm willing to bet some diehard Nuggets fans celebrate the No. 41 overall pick every year by getting some Taco Bell. When that selection turns into someone unforgettable like Nikola Jokić, it's only fair. That's the type of niche tradition worth celebrating. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Nuggets make perfect Nikola Jokic Taco Bell joke during NBA Draft second round
