https://www.scmp.com/rss/523087/feed The latest news and top stories on Aleksandar Vučić, Serbia’s head of state since 2017, re-elected in 2022. He held significant roles including Prime Minister, First Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Information. He was a co-founder of the Serbian Progressive Party. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com dpa dpa Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Sunday appeared to suggest Ukraine was involved in planning an act of sabotage after Serbia reported finding explosives on a gas pipeline used to transport Russian natural gas to the two countries. Earlier on Sunday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said explosives “of devastating force” were found on the Balkan Stream pipeline near the village of Velebit on the Hungarian border. The pipeline transports Russian natural gas from Turkey via Bulgaria,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349104/orban-appears-blame-kyiv-serbian-gas-pipeline-explosives-find?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349104/orban-appears-blame-kyiv-serbian-gas-pipeline-explosives-find?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 18:46:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Serbia’s president confirmed late on Thursday that his country possesses Chinese supersonic surface-attack cruise missiles, after photos of the weapons attached to Serbian fighter jets leaked online. Photos, which began circulating on social media and defence blogs earlier this week, showed missiles believed to be Chinese-made CM-400AKG cruise missiles attached to Serbia’s Russian-made MiG-29 planes. “We have things we do not show,” President Aleksandar Vucic told Serbia’s national broadcaster... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346420/serbian-president-confirms-his-country-owns-chinese-supersonic-missiles-after-photo-leak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346420/serbian-president-confirms-his-country-owns-chinese-supersonic-missiles-after-photo-leak?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 22:47:46 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Hundreds of riot police separated opponents and loyalists of Serbia’s autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic in central Belgrade on Sunday as political tensions boiled after a year of persistent anti-government protests. Several thousand people faced off on both sides of the police cordons with officers in full gear standing in several rows between the shouting crowds who threw bottles, flares and stun grenades. Tensions in Belgrade soared a day after tens of thousands of people joined a huge... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331258/riot-police-separate-opponents-and-loyalists-serbias-president-tensions-soar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331258/riot-police-separate-opponents-and-loyalists-serbias-president-tensions-soar?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Nov 2025 21:29:39 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim Brilliant. Pivotal. Very well held. That is how some countries described the massive military parade in the heart of the Chinese capital on Wednesday. But these countries are either some of China’s closest neighbours or part of the developing world – a group that Beijing has long sought to influence. Elsewhere, particularly in the West, the reaction was more critical. The parade had a dual effect – it marked 80 years since the end of World War II and showcased China’s growing military might and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324194/reviews-are-chinas-allies-give-top-marks-parade-west-not-won-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324194/reviews-are-chinas-allies-give-top-marks-parade-west-not-won-over?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 12:00:07 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim China hosted two dozen world leaders for a huge military parade in Tiananmen Square on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. It was only the second time Beijing has held a Victory Day parade, the first taking place a decade ago. The parade – which started at 9am and lasted nearly 90 minutes – was viewed by many as a showcase of China’s growing military strength. But it was also an attempt by Beijing to cement its global leadership status and to show its rising... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324135/5-key-takeaways-chinas-victory-day-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324135/5-key-takeaways-chinas-victory-day-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 04:24:00 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim America’s envoy to Beijing is expected to skip China’s military parade next week, joining what appears to be a concerted effort by Western missions to opt out of the grand event despite Chinese pressure. The South China Morning Post has learned from multiple sources that US ambassador David Perdue is unlikely to attend the parade that China is holding in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Wednesday to commemorate the end of World War II. It is unclear if the US embassy would instead dispatch another... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323677/us-ambassador-china-expected-skip-beijing-military-parade-sources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323677/us-ambassador-china-expected-skip-beijing-military-parade-sources?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:00:09 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has confirmed he will attend China’s World War II commemorations next month, making him the first EU leader to publicly announce his plans to be at the event, which will feature a military parade in Tiananmen Square. “Apparently, I will visit China again on the occasion of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II,” Fico said in a video posted on his private social media account on Sunday. “I would like to use this visit to confirm joint... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320676/slovak-pm-robert-fico-attend-chinas-wwii-commemorations-amid-eu-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320676/slovak-pm-robert-fico-attend-chinas-wwii-commemorations-amid-eu-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Aug 2025 09:55:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A hugely popular right-wing Croatian singer and hundreds of thousands of his fans performed a pro-Nazi World War II salute at a massive concert in Zagreb, drawing criticism. One of Marko Perkovic’s most popular songs, played in the late Saturday concert, starts with the dreaded “For the homeland – Ready!” salute, used by Croatia’s Nazi-era puppet Ustasha regime that ran concentration camps at the time. Perkovic, whose stage name is Thompson after a US-made machine gun, had previously said both... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3317155/right-wing-croatian-singer-performs-pro-nazi-salute-fans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3317155/right-wing-croatian-singer-performs-pro-nazi-salute-fans?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Jul 2025 13:31:45 +0000