Thousands marched through Belgrade's frozen city centre on Saturday to protest against President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), demand media freedoms and an end to attacks against journalists and opposition figures.
Protesters blew whistles, waved banners that read "Stop the Treason, Defend the Constitution and Back the People", and chanted "Vucic, thief!" in the fifth such protest in as many weeks.
The protests, which have also been staged in the town of Kragujevac, were triggered by an incident in November in which opposition politician Borko Stefanovic was beaten by unknown assailants in the town of Krusevac.
Backers of the Alliance for Serbia, a group of 30 opposition parties and organisations, say Mr Vucic is an autocrat and his party is corrupt, something its leaders vehemently deny.
The demonstrators demanded more coverage of opposition groups by the public broadcaster and assurances of thorough investigations of attacks on journalists and opposition politicians.
Vucic had earlier said he would not bow to opposition demands for electoral reform and increased media freedom "even if there were five million people in the street", but suggested he was willing to test his party's popularity in a snap vote.
Opposition groups have said they would boycott any election.
According to an October poll by the Belgrade-based CESID election watchdog, the SNS alone has 53.3 percent support, far ahead of other parties.
If the opposition parties ran as an alliance, they could count on around 15 percent of the vote, according to the survey. However, there is little sign so far of such an agreement between parties united by little apart from their animosity towards Mr Vucic and his party.
The SNS-led ruling coalition has a comfortable 160 of parliament's 250 seats. The next national vote is due in 2020.
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Major opposition protests have been relatively rare in Serbia since the popular unrest that ousted Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.
Most of the current opposition leaders served in successive pro-Western coalitions that led Serbia between 2000 and 2012 – when the SNS forged a coalition with Milosevic's Socialists and came to power.
Mr Vucic was a nationalist firebrand during the violent collapse of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, but later embraced pro-European values and set membership of the European Union as Serbia's strategic goal. He also maintains close ties with Russia and China.
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Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
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Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
