World
Serbian university students stage 24-hour blockade in Belgrade
Thousands of citizens joined the blockade that followed weeks of protests demanding accountability of the deadly accident in the northern city of Novi Sad that critics have blamed on rampant government corruption.
Striking university students in Serbia’s have launched a 24-hour blockade of a key traffic intersection in the capital, Belgrade, stepping up pressure on the populist authorities over a deadly canopy collapse in November that killed 15 people.
A campaign of street demonstrations has posed the biggest challenge in years to the populist government’s firm grip on power in Serbia.
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić at a joint press conference on Monday with Prime Minister Miloš Vučević and Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić, urged dialogue with the students, saying that “we need to lower the tensions and start talking to each other.”
Students in the past have refused to meet with Vučić, saying the president is not entitled by the constitution to hold talks with them.
“Any kind of a crisis poses a serious problem for our economy,” said Vučić. “Such a situation in society is not good for anyone.”
Vučić has faced accusations of curbing democratic freedoms despite formally seeking European Union membership for Serbia. He has accused the students of working for unspecified foreign powers to oust the government.
Vučić has, however, said he is willing to pardon those who want to avoid criminal prosecution.
Commenting on the demands, which include the dismissal of charges against those arrested and detained during protests, Vučić said: “We waited for the prosecutor’s office to dismiss some of the criminal charges, as there is reasonable suspicion they committed crimes. If there is no other solution, I am ready to sign a pardon for those who want it, in accordance with the law. I will do this by Wednesday at the latest.”
In a public address from the Palace of Serbia, the president said that public prosecutors’ offices have initiated criminal proceedings against 37 people for attacks on students and professors, noting that this fulfils the students’ second demand.
In addition, Vučić said that all documents related to the recent reconstruction of the Novi Sad main train station have been released.
Several incidents have marked the street demonstrations in the past weeks, including drivers ramming into the crowds, when two young women were injured.
Traffic police on Monday secured the student blockade to help avoid any similar incidents. Protesting students set up tents at the protest site, which is a key artery for the city commuters and toward the main north-south motorway.
Some students played volleyball, others sat down on blankets on the pavement or walked around on a warm day. The students also held a daily 15-minute commemoration silence at 11:52am, the exact same time when the canopy at a train station in Novi Sad crashed down on 1 November.
Many in Serbia believe the huge concrete canopy fell down because of poor reconstruction work that resulted from corruption.
Serbia’s prosecutors have filed charges against 13 people, including a government minister and several state officials. But the former construction minister Goran Vesić has been released from detention, fuelling doubts over the investigation’s independence.
ADVERTISEMENTThe main railway station in Novi Sad was renovated twice in recent years as part of a wider infrastructure deal with Chinese state companies.
new video loaded: Moscow Tanker Blast Most Likely Russian Missile, Video Shows
By James McManagan, Paul Sonne, Malachy Browne and Jackeline Luna
June 19, 2026
World
Man charged with attempted murder, released after allegedly forcing toddler into crocodile enclosure at zoo
Man FORCES child into crocodile enclosure
A British man has been arrested after allegedly forcing a 3-year-old boy into a crocodile enclosure at a zoo. The child suffered critical injuries, and authorities say the suspect did not know the boy as the investigation continues.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A man was released from custody on Friday after he was charged with attempted murder for allegedly forcing a 3-year-old boy into a crocodile enclosure at a zoo.
Cambridgeshire police said that the man, who remains unidentified, wasn’t fit to be interviewed.
The boy suffered critical injuries in the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a farm and zoo in Huntingdon, England, north of London.
The 30-year-old man will remain on bail until Sept. 30, pending further inquiries.
GEORGIA MOM’S WALMART TRIP DEVOLVES INTO ‘TUG-OF-WARRING’ IN DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO SAVE HER SON
A crocodile rests inside an enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a farm and zoo in Old Hurst, Cambridgeshire, Britain, on April 14, 2026. (Dorota Dee Trajdos/Reuters)
“The man, who is not known to the victim, was assessed as not being fit for interview,” police said in a statement.
The boy is in stable condition, after reportedly suffering a broken arm and pelvis.
He was saved from the crocodile by Tracey Johnson, the wife of the zoo’s owner.
MOTHER JUMPS INTO WATER TO SAVE 4-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WHO FELL BETWEEN CRUISE SHIP AND DOCK
“I know Tracey very well and she’s a lovely lady and it’s nothing more than I’d expect from her,” a local told BBC News. “She’d always put her own life at risk to save someone else. She’s an extraordinary lady and very brave.
The villager added that Johnson put herself in “immense danger” during the rescue.
The owners said their tropical house would remain closed until further notice.
Crocodiles rest inside an enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst farm and zoo in Old Hurst, Cambridgeshire, Britain, on April 14, 2026. (Dorota Dee Trajdos/Reuters)
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family following the incident that occurred today,” the owners wrote on social media.
Johnsons of Old Hurst is a farm and zoo north of London in Huntingdon, England. (Google Maps)
Huntingdonshire district councillor Charlotte Lowe said she couldn’t “fathom how it’s happened because they’ve got all the right protection and safety equipment, for want of a better word, in there,” The Guardian reported.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Cambridgeshire Constabulary for comment.
Published on
US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his comments on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, saying she asked him “over and over” for a photo when the pair met at the G7 summit in France earlier this week.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Following the summit, Trump told an Italian journalist that he “felt sorry for Meloni” after she “begged me to take a picture with her”.
Meloni hit back in a video posted to social media, branding Trump’s claims as “completely made up” and insisting that neither she nor Italy begs anyone for anything.
The once close pair’s relationship has grown increasingly fractious in recent months, particularly since Rome refused to provide the US support for its operations in Iran and after Meloni defended Pope Leo XIV, who was criticised by the Trump administration over his remarks on the war and the US’s immigration policies.
“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account on Saturday. “She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon”.
“Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her “numbers up.” No thanks!!!” Trump added.
-
Florida7 minutes ago11 Most Charming Towns In Florida
-
Georgia14 minutes agoDemocrats block local property tax referendums as Georgia lawmakers clash over affordability – The Current
-
Hawaii22 minutes agoOffice of Hawaiian Affairs Responds to Senate Bill Involving Pōhakuloa – Big Island Video News
-
Idaho25 minutes ago8,600-Acre Wildfire Decimates Massive Idaho Salvage Yard With 8,000 Cars
-
Illinois30 minutes agoIllinois GOP chair says Obama Center is political operation on public land | Fox News Video
-
Indiana37 minutes agoMadam Walker Legacy Fest block party celebrates Black excellence with food, music, and community
-
Iowa40 minutes agoBlocked Iowa HHS director resigns but is appointed deputy director
-
Kansas45 minutes ago1 man dies after being shot June 9 in Kansas City, Missouri; police working to identify person of interest
