—☦️❗️ 🇧🇬/🇪🇺/🇷🇺 WATCH: PM Rumen Radev announced that Sofia will block the next European Union sanctions package if it includes the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

➡️ The veto threat comes eight years after Patriarch Kirill publicly reprimanded Radev inside the Bulgarian presidency for acknowledging the contributions of other nations, including Poles, Finns, and Romanians, to Bulgaria's liberation.

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—🇷🇸 WATCH: Large crowds of protesters, led by students and young people, rallied in Serbia’s second city of Novi Sad on Saturday to demand early elections and the resignation of President Aleksandar Vučić over corruption allegations.

➡️ The demonstration is the latest in a series of mass protests initially sparked by the November 2024 railway station roof collapse, which left 16 people dead.

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—🇷🇸/🇨🇳 NEW: Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić attended a Xinhua News Agency photo exhibition at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Belgrade to mark the 10th anniversary of the Serbia–China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

➡️ During the event, Vučić reaffirmed Serbia's position as a "sincere and loyal friend" to Beijing and thanked China for its ongoing support and partnership.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—❗️🪖🇹🇷 WATCH: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced an aggressive expansion plan to grow the country's naval fleet by nearly 20%, highlighting Türkiye's advanced military-industrial capabilities.

➡️ Erdoğan stated that the country is currently constructing more than 50 warships simultaneously, with over 15 of those vessels destined for export to friendly and allied nations.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇺🇸 POLYMARKET: The NSA confirms Mythos “broke into almost all of our classified systems, not in weeks, but in hours”

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇺🇸/🇽🇰 NEW: NATO's commitment to the security and stability of Kosovo "remains unwavering," newly appointed Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska stated during a regional security update.

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—🇧🇬/🇮🇱 POLITICO: "Bulgaria has licensed Circles, a Sofia-based surveillance technology company to Azerbaijan, Serbia, Malaysia and Mexico."

➡️ "Circles is an affiliate of the NSO Group, the Israeli firm behind the notorious Pegasus spyware", according to the newspaper.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—❗️🇨🇭/🇵🇱 Swiss Federal Government: "In view of the deteriorating security situation in Europe, Switzerland is expanding its military-diplomatic presence. A new defence attaché will be stationed in Warsaw, Poland, in the first half of 2027."

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—🇬🇷/🇹🇷 The Jerusalem Post: "Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy revealed that Greece recently returned 1,055 ancient coins that were illegally removed from Turkey."

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇷🇴/🇪🇺 WATCH: The infrastructure jacket for the Neptun Deep gas project has officially departed Saipem’s shipyard in Sardinia, Italy, bound for its installation site in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea.

➡️ Upon completion, Neptun Deep will stand as the largest offshore natural gas development in the European Union, significantly enhancing regional energy security.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

🇮🇱🤝🇧🇦 — Israeli Prime-Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the Bosnian Serb president Siniša Karan today

🇧🇦 The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina was not displayed

🇧🇦 Instead only the flag of the Republika Srpska was visible.

🗿 The leaders agreed to deepen cooperation between Israel and Republika Srpska

🤝 Israeli foreign minister also met with the Bosnian Serb president, saying that "Serbs are true friends of Israel" and discussing the need to protect Bosnia's Christian minorities.

—❗️🇸🇮 WATCH: Slovenian PM Janez Janša has stated that recent arrivals along the Balkan route are "not refugees," clarifying that the vast majority are young economic migrants aged 20 to 35 originating from Morocco, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

➡️ Janša has now joined a coalition of 19 EU leaders demanding stricter border controls and accelerated repatriation procedures to counter the ongoing migration influx.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—❗️🇷🇴/🇲🇩 Romania’s Chamber of Deputies tacitly adopts proposal for union with Moldova

➡️ The legislative proposal, initiated by the SOS Romania party, authorizes the government to immediately commence reunification negotiations with Chișinău, invoking the Helsinki Final Act which allows for peaceful border modifications.

➡️ The bill will now advance to the Senate, which acts as the decisive chamber on the matter.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇷🇸/🇺🇸 WATCH: A digital billboard promoting investment opportunities in Republika Srpska has been displayed on the iconic screens of Times Square in New York City.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇺🇸/🇪🇺/🇷🇺 NEW: The United States aims to purchase the European section of the "Nord Stream" pipeline in order to resell Russian gas, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English