Tensions are rising in Serbia. A new anti-corruption demonstration is expected to bring tens of thousands of protesters onto the streets of Belgrade on Saturday 15 March. President Aleksandar Vucic urged counter-protesting students, who have set up tents in Pioneer Park near the presidential building, to go home to their parents on Saturday. In addition to students, Pioneer Park is also home to many citizens, some from Kosovo and Bosnia, who have set up tents. Tents have also been set up by veterans of the Serbian Interior Ministry's special forces, known as the Red Berets, which were disbanded in 2003, BTA reports.

The US Embassy in Serbia has issued a security alert saying that "large protests, possibly numbering in the hundreds of thousands, are expected to begin in Belgrade on Saturday, March 15, with some demonstrators arriving as early as Friday, March 14". 

Demonstrations demanding political accountability for the collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad train station, which killed 15 people, have been taking place across the country since 1 March.

Greece and North Macedonia prepare to open Markova Noga border crossing at Prespa

On 12 March, North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski inaugurated the construction works for the re-opening of the border crossing "Markova Noga" between North Macedonia and Greece, which has been closed for more than 50 years since Yugoslav times, MIA reports. The construction of the checkpoint is part of the "EU for Prespa" project. The checkpoint will shorten the route from the Prespa Lakes region directly to Bitola and Resen, as the longer route via Lerin-Florina and the Medžitlija-Niki checkpoint is currently used. The restoration of the crossing point was announced with the signing of the Prespa Agreement in 2018. Half a century ago, people in the border area could only pass through Markova Noga - Lemos with an identity card, MIA recalls.

Turkiye to build another high-speed railway in Anatolia 

Turkiye's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, has announced plans to build a high-speed railway between the capital Ankara and the Aegean metropolis of Izmir, CNN Turk reported. "We will connect Ankara and Izmir with a high-speed train, reducing the travel time between the two cities from 14 hours to just three and a half hours," Uraloglu said, recalling the importance of the already established high-speed lines between Istanbul, Eskisehir, Konya, Karaman and Yozgat. Stressing the importance of connectivity between cities in Turkiye, Uraloglu thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and noted that the ministry is working tirelessly to ensure convenient land, air and sea connections for all regions of the country.

The winners of the Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Documentary Film will automatically qualify for Oscar nominations, as decided by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This was announced by the organisers of the Sarajevo Film Festival, reports HINA. Since 2019, the winners of the short film category at the Sarajevo Film Festival have automatically qualified for Oscar consideration. This privilege has now been extended to the winners of the Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Feature Documentary. This recognition underscores the high quality of the award-winning films at the Sarajevo Film Festival and gives them a chance to secure an Oscar nomination if they meet the Academy's additional criteria.

The Sarajevo Film Festival 2025 will take place from 15 to 22 August.