Roads Blocked In Protest Against New Serbian Laws Decried By Environmentalists

For the second weekend in a row, several thousand demonstrators blocked roads in several locations in Belgrade on November 27, causing big traffic jams in protest against newly amended laws that lower the referendum threshold and allow for the swift expropriation of private property, if it's deemed to be in the public interest. Environmentalists claim the bills, once signed by the president, will help fast-track major business projects, such as the bid by international mining company Rio Tinto to launch a lithium mine in western Serbia, a charge denied by the Serbian government. President Aleksandar Vucic said the legislation was needed to improve infrastructure and promised a referendum on the Rio Tinto mine.