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- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
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- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
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- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
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- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
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- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
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- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
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- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
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Serbia leader plans to seal French fighter jet deal with Macron
President Aleksandar Vucic told AFP on Wednesday that Serbia expects to sign a "huge" deal for French fighter jets during a visit this week from France's leader, an agreement estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
Vucic made the comments ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's two-day visit to Serbia that kicks off on Thursday, with the duo expected to sign a range of bilateral deals during the trip.
The Serbian president did not specify the number of French Rafale jets that would be purchased or the final cost of the contract if the agreement is signed.
"It's a huge contract for this country, and it's not a small contract even for France," said Vucic during an exclusive interview with AFP, describing what is anticipated to be a multi-billion dollar agreement.
In the past, Serbia's ministry of defence has said the country was looking to buy 12 planes from Paris to replace its ageing fleet of fighter jets.
Last year, Vucic hinted Belgrade was ready to spend an estimated three billion euros for the possible purchase of the French warplanes.
"Most of our aircrafts, or all of our aircrafts, all of our interceptors and all of our fighting jets were coming from Russia, and now we need to change ourselves, our habits and everything else in order to prepare our military," Vucic added.
If signed, the deal would be the latest in a string of arms deals inked with Europe, China and Russia made possible by a surge in spending by Belgrade in the past decade.
- Lithium protests -
Macron's visit comes as Vucic continues to juggle the long-sought goal of joining the European Union, while addressing domestic concerns over what exactly that might entail.
Vucic is facing a backlash over his government's decision to re-issue licenses to Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto to develop a controversial lithium mine, after the country's top court overturned an earlier decision to halt operations.
The future of the vast mineral deposits located near the western city of Loznica has been a political flashpoint in the Balkan country for years, with critics of the project saying the mine threatens to pollute a vital water source.
Vucic remained firm on his support for the project.
"We'll remain tenacious and tough on this because we believe that's of the utmost importance for Serbia and that's for the benefit of Serbian people," the president told AFP.
Many in Serbia, however, remain opposed to the project.
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets to protest the government reversal with the mine and a subsequent deal inked with the EU to develop the supply of lithium to the bloc that is seen as a crucial building block to achieve Europe's transition to a green economy.
L.Durand--AMWN