Serbia is gearing up for a massive anti-government protest today , as thousands of students and citizens prepare to rally against the Serbian administration.

Many residents describe the capital as feeling under siege’, with the authorities implementing extreme measures that critics argue are designed to intimidate and prevent people from attending the demonstration.

Western diplomats are urging Serbia ’s leadership to ensure the protest remains peaceful.

Serbia ’s relationship with Moscow may be viewed as part of efforts to balance its historic ties to Russia with aspirations for EU and Nato membership, but it also raises questions about the leadership's true priorities.

Many people in Belgrade are hopeful that the day will unfold peacefully, defying predictions of violence.

Treasury Secretary Howard Lutnick says U.S. should buy 60 percent of aluminum from Canada .

Julian Zelizer : What happened to the days when Republicans believed businesses should be free from interference from Washington ? Zelizer says there is no "royal we" in the marketplace.

He says there's no reason to think about those transactions in a nationalist way at all; the economy is not a World Cup match.

Hamas claims it plans to release 21-year-old Edan Alexander of New Jersey alongside the bodies of four other Americans who died while being held captive by Hamas .

The terror group did not say when the release would take place.

There are 59 hostages still held in Gaza ; fewer than half are believed to be alive.

Chuck Schumer went against his own caucus to support a government funding bill that gives Donald Trump and Elon Musk leeway to shift around money.

Meanwhile, in Canada , fighting back has led its Liberal government back from the brink of losing power.

This week on our live show, David Dayen and Gabrielle Gurley discuss the implications of Schumer ’s action on the future of the Democratic Party and the country.

Labour productivity growth the very foundation for growth in the GDP has been on the wane in the UK since the mid 1960s .

It’s been hovering around zero for most of the last decade .

To all intents and purposes, we are already living in a post-growth world.

We dismantle our net-zero ambitions, renege on our legal commitment to overseas aid.

We hand over the provision of basic services to equity financiers who suppress wages, offshore profits, pollute our environment and undermine quality.

The New Statesman is hosting Igniting Growth , a Westminster -based conference that seeks to answer one simple but seemingly intractable question: how can the UK foster growth? Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are not short of advice.

Remedies span from regionally led initiatives to an overhaul of training and apprenticeships.

Donald Trump held a press availability with the NATO Secretary, former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte , on Thursday .

Ruben Navarrette : Rutte was deferential to Trump , laughing excitedly at his "jokes" and making sure to let him know how much he appreciated him.

He called the EU "nasty" and again made it clear that he is dead serious about annexing Canada : He seemed, as he often does lately, more than a little bit off his rocker.

Patrimonialism is distinguished by running the state as if it were the leader’s personal property or family business.

It can be found not just in states but also among tribes, street gangs, and criminal organizations.

Trump and Musk are in the process of creating a pre-modern patrimonial government where everything is decided through them on a personal basis.

Cornell hosted a panel of former Middle East leaders and U.S. ambassadors who shared historical perspectives and unique insight for achieving a peaceful future.

Protestors called former Israeli Foreign Minister Tziporah Livni a war criminal.

The event featured Livni , former Palestinian Authority leader and prime minister Salam Fayyad .

Labour grandee has waltzed into another publicly funded non-job.

She has a terrible track record when it comes to the oppressed and the victimised.

In the 1970s , a civil-liberties campaign group where she worked as a legal officer allowed the Paedophile Information Exchange (the clue’s in the name) to become an affiliate member.

She allegedly suggested that a pornographic photo or film of a child should not be considered indecent unless it could be shown that the subject had suffered.

Not long before she was handed the envoy job, she was granted a peerage.

Her colleague, Patricia Hewitt , general secretary of the NCCL from 1974 to 1983, at least had the belated decency to say in 2014 that she got it wrong on PIE .

Nicola Sturgeon will not seek re-election as a MSP at next May ’s Holyrood elections.

Her departure seems a good time to consider what she did and the imprint she has left on the recent history and future trajectory of her country.

An introvert with down-to-earth charm, she was and still is among many in the SNP and the wider Scottish public adored, a progressive ally and advocate.

Sturgeon proved it was possible to govern in an entirely different tone of voice from the Tory bombast at Westminster .

Her legacy is as much in what she made visible and normal in Scotland .

For now, Sturgeon’s Instagram followers can see her enjoying the ordinary stuff that most people take for granted’.