live U.S. - Iran peace talks at logjam as other world leaders get involved - Wednesday 25 March
Both the United States and Iran are giving conflicting messages about trying to end the conflict in the Middle East, meanwhile Pakistan has offered...
Serbia’s parliament has adopted a 2026 budget that sets a 3 % deficit and reserves 164 billion dinars (about $1.6 billion) for a potential state takeover of oil firm NIS.
Lawmakers endorsed the spending plan in Belgrade on Wednesday, approving a fiscal deficit of 337 billion dinars (about $3.35 billion), equivalent to 3 % of GDP, according to the Finance Ministry. The vote passed comfortably, with the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and its allies holding 154 seats in the 250-seat parliament.
Total revenues are projected at 2,414.7 billion dinars (about $24 billion) and expenditure at 2,751.7 billion dinars (about $27.4 billion).
The budget earmarks 164 billion dinars (about $1.6 billion) that Serbia could use to seize control of NIS, the country’s dominant oil company, from Russian owners Gazprom Neft and Gazprom if they fail to sell their stake by mid-January. NIS has been subject to U.S. sanctions since 2022.
Capital spending is set at 602 billion dinars (about $6 billion), including 47.5 billion dinars (about $470 million) allocated for Expo 2027, which Belgrade is preparing to host.
The plan also sets aside funds for the reintroduction of mandatory military service over the next three years, alongside increases in public-sector wages and pensions, officials said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. was talking to the right people in Iran to make a deal on Tuesday (24 March), as Pakistan's Prime Minister offered to host peace talks between the two countries to bring about an end to the conflict.
Afghan authorities say Pakistani jets entered northern Afghanistan, while Pakistan insists its actions target terrorism, highlighting continued strain after a temporary Eid ceasefire ended.
Both the United States and Iran are giving conflicting messages about trying to end the conflict in the Middle East, meanwhile Pakistan has offered to be a mediator and a reported 15 point plan has been sent to Tehran. Welcome to AnewZ's coverage of the tensions in the Middle East.
As conflict continues to unsettle the Middle East, airlines are being forced to make difficult, fast-moving decisions - redrawing flight paths and searching for safe skies. Amid this uncertainty, Azerbaijan has emerged as a crucial gateway linking Europe and Asia.
Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, the Israeli military said, after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed a threat to bomb the Islamic Republic's power grid because of what he described as productive talks with Iranian officials.
Russia’s Baltic ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga, major export terminals, suspended loadings of crude oil and refined products on Wednesday after large-scale Ukrainian drone attacks triggered a blaze, sources told Reuters.
The UK government is to trial social media bans, curfews and app time limits in the homes of 300 teenagers, as part of a wider consultation on restricting under-16s’ access to platforms and improving online safety.
Hungary will gradually halt gas supplies to Ukraine until oil deliveries resume via the Druzhba pipeline, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Wednesday.
British police said they arrested two men in connection with the suspected antisemitic arson attack on four Jewish community ambulances in north London earlier this week.
A drone has flown into Estonian airspace from Russia. It happened early on Wednesday morning and slammed into a chimney at a local power station, the Baltic country's Internal Security Service told public broadcaster ERR.
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