AnewZ Morning Brief - May 22nd, 2025
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for May 22th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Following the tragic incident at the Novi Sad railway station, student-led protests in Serbia have turned into the most serious public outcry against the government — a new prime minister has been appointed, while allegations of sound weapon use have been officially denied.
The ongoing student-led protests in Serbia have become the most significant public pressure on President Aleksandar Vučić’s administration in recent years.
On Wednesday, thousands of students and their supporters gathered in the city of Kraljevo for the latest demonstration. Protesters turned on the flashlights of their mobile phones to observe a minute of silence for the victims of the Novi Sad train station collapse, before continuing the march with music and flame effects.
The protests were sparked by the tragic incident last November, when the roof of the Novi Sad railway station collapsed, killing 16 people. The event reignited public outrage over widespread corruption and government negligence.
Political Newcomer Appointed as Prime Minister
Amid the unrest, the Serbian Parliament approved Djuro Macut, a medical professor with no political background, as the country’s new prime minister. His predecessor, Miloš Vučević, resigned under pressure from the protests.
The new cabinet will consist of 31 ministers, 22 of whom served in the previous administration. While opposition parties demanded a transitional government until the 2027 elections, the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) rejected the proposal.
Sonic Weapon Scandal and Official Denial
During the March protests in Belgrade, some demonstrators claimed the police used sonic weapons. The European Union and human rights groups called for an investigation, prompting Serbian authorities to invite Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) to examine the matter.
At a press conference on Wednesday, President Vučić shared the findings of the FSB’s investigation, which concluded that Serbian police did not use sonic weapons during the protests.
“This was all premeditated. It’s part of an ongoing information and psychological warfare against Serbia,” Vučić said.
However, Interior Minister Ivica Dačić admitted that in 2021, Serbia had acquired Long-Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs) from the United States, claiming they were intended solely for public announcements.
Expert groups stated that evidence around the use of sonic devices remains inconclusive, but did not rule out the possible use of LRADs or experimental vortex cannons.
What’s Next for the Protests?
The daily student-led demonstrations show no signs of slowing. Analysts consider the movement the most significant civic uprising during Vučić’s political career, which began in 2013. Both domestic and international observers continue to monitor the developments closely.
Tensions flare in the India-France Rafale deal as France refuses to share the fighter jet’s source code, limiting India’s ability to integrate indigenous weapons and reducing its combat autonomy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on May 15, with discussions reportedly focusing on upcoming peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Istanbul.
France has rejected India’s request to share source codes needed to integrate indigenous weapons into Rafale fighter jets. Despite repeated appeals, French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has refused to compromise on the issue
AnewZ and Kazakhstan’s Jibek Joly/Silk Way TV channel co-hosted a special AnewZ Talks in Astana at Maqsut Narikbayev University (MNU), uniting global experts and young leaders at Silk Road Media Group’s journalism school to explore the growing intersection of media and diplomacy.
The Tehran Dialogue Forum 2025, scheduled for May 18–19, will host 200 international guests, including 40 current and former European officials.
The European Union has approved a landmark €150 billion (nearly $170 billion) Defense Industrial Readiness Loan Instrument, known as SAFE, aimed at bolstering the bloc’s defense sector in the face of rising geopolitical threats.
President Donald Trump has unveiled an ambitious $175 billion missile defense initiative called the "Golden Dome," designed to protect the United States from advanced missile threats through a multi-layered shield that integrates ground, sea, and space-based components.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for May 22th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has publicly condemned a serious accident involving the launch of a new 5,000-ton destroyer as a “criminal act” rooted in “absolute carelessness,” marking a rare and unusually candid acknowledgment of failure by Pyongyang’s leadership.
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