STARA PAZOVA

A BIRN investigation has identified serious delays on all three sections of the line, as well as mistakes that have cost Serbia almost $35 million in penalties; it also turned up documents showing that almost $720,000 of an $800 million Russian loan for the railway line was spent on the lease of six cars from a Russian contractor.

Years behind schedule

A group of companies that has signed most recent contracts to refurbish street lighting in Serbia with LED lighting - whose close links to the Hungarian and Serbian authorities was the subject of a BIRN investigation in June - has won three more contracts worth over 8 million euros.

The works will therefore start only in 2020, a year later than planned, Beta reported on Wednesday citing MTI.

The projected modernization cost of 152 kilometers between Budapest and the border with Serbia amounted to 578 billion Hungarian forints (EUR 1.79 billion) in May 2018.

A Chinese company plans to invest almost $1 billion to build a tyre factory in Serbia's Zrenjanin Free Trade Zone, SeeNews reported on Monday, citing a filing by the Shandong Linglong company on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Works to modernize and reconstruct the Belgrade-Budapest rail line started on Tuesday on the 34.5km stretch between Belgrade and Stara Pazova.

The job, worth USD 350 million, went to Chinese companies China Railways International and China Construction Company.

BELGRADE - China, Hungary and Serbia on Friday held a fifth trilateral meeting on a project to modernise and reconstruct the rail line from Belgrade to Budapest.

BELGRADE - China, Hungary and Serbia on Friday held a fifth trilateral meeting on a project to modernise and reconstruct the rail line from Belgrade to Budapest.

Police seize 20 tons of tobacco leaves

BELGRADE -- The Serbian police have confiscated about 20 tons of whole leaf tobacco in the town of Stara Pazova, northwest of the capital Belgrade.

The value of the seized goods in about EUR 100,000, the Interior Ministry (MUP) announced on Friday.

Serbian police increased security measures around the Albanian embassy in Belgrade ahead of tonight's football match between two major clubs, Partizan and Crvena Zvezda.

The derby is expected to start at 7pm on Saturday evening.

STARA PAZOVA - First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said that the most important task for Serbia is to solve its economic issues.

Vucic stressed late on Tuesday that good results will be achieved in economy if the same dedication is shown as in the fight against corruption and crime.