Serbia

A financing system adapted from primary and secondary schools is proving less effective at the university level. Nine months after its implementation, deans report that the SPIRI system has slowed operations and hampered international projects; academia suggests that what works for classrooms does not necessarily work for research labs.

The interior minister, Ivica Dačić, says he has not been told whether the police director initiated disciplinary proceedings against a senior official, Veselin Milić. It is a quiet admission of a disconnect within the ministry: the man in charge of the police does not know if his subordinate is being disciplined by the man who runs the force.

Election preparations are moving into a more litigious phase. The electoral commission has approved overseas polling stations that synchronize with domestic time to allow nighttime voting, while observers warn that the line between state and party is being erased. Critics also allege a railway line was opened prematurely for electoral gain, noting that systemic poor construction practices later contributed to a canopy collapse.