Thousands protest Serbia's deal with the European Union to excavate lithium

Thousands of people have rallied in several towns in Serbia to protest a lithium excavation project the Balkan country’s government recently signed with the European Union. The protests were held simultaneously in the western town of Sabac and the central towns of Kraljevo, Arandjelovac, Ljig and Barajevo. The deal reached earlier this month could reduce Europe’s dependency on China and push Serbia, which has close ties to Russia and China, closer to the EU. The deal, however, has been criticized by environmentalists and opposition groups in Serbia who argue it would cause irreversible damage to the country’s nature while bringing little benefit to its citizens.