BELGRADE, March 24./TASS/. Members and supporters of the Serbian Radical Party staged a rally in Belgrade on Sunday, March 24, the day that marks 20 years since NATO launched its military operation against Yugoslavia. Party leader Vojislav Seselj burned flags of NATO and the European Union during the Sunday rally, Tanjug news agency reported.

25 Mar 2019; DW: Crowds at a far-right rock concert in eastern Germany threw cups of beer at police and journalists and sprayed them with a fire extinguisher, police said on Sunday.

The journalists wanted to report on the event in the town of Ostritz and had initially been refused access. When they returned with a group of police officers, they were attacked by some of the concertgoers. 

25 Mar 2019; DW: Two planes loaded with Russian soldiers and military equipment landed in Venezuela at the weekend, officials said.

The delivery is part of ongoing cooperation between the two nations.

What we know so far

24 Mar 2019; DW: A pre-dawn attack on ethnic villages in central Mali left 134 victims dead and 55 injured, including pregnant women, children and the elderly. Violence has spread down from the north.

A deadly raid on the mainly-Muslim Peulh-Fulani villages of Ogossagou and Welingara in central Mali on Saturday shocked a population already targeted by attacks and reprisals.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s business economists foresee a sharp slowdown in U.S. economic growth over the next two years, in sharp contrast to the Trump administration’s predictions that growth will accelerate this year and next.

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Outside pressure in the form of sanctions has become an incentive to resolve various issues of Russia’s economy, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev stated in an interview with the Izvestiya daily.

He noted that through introducing sanctions against Russia, "the West aims to destabilize Russia’s economy and to create social and political tensions in society."

25 Mar 2019; AFP: Uber is set to buy its Middle Eastern rival Careem for $3.1 billion, financial news agency Bloomberg reported Sunday.

The deal, expected to be announced Tuesday, will see Uber pay $1.4 billion in cash and the rest in notes convertible to Uber shares, Bloomberg reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

25 Mar 2019; DW: The EU's budget commissioner, Günther Oettinger, proposed on Sunday giving the bloc the right to deny Chinese-funded infrastructure deals in Europe if they don't serve the EU's common interests.

The call came a day after Italy signed on to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an ambitious infrastructure project that has raised concerns in many EU capitals.

What are Oettinger's concerns?

Oettinger told Germany's Funke Media group:

Wellington, Mar 25 (AFP) New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday that a long-awaited trip to China will take place next week, but had been shortened in the wake of the Christchurch mosque killings.

Ardern said she would travel to Beijing on Sunday then hold a full day of meetings Monday with the leaders of New Zealand's largest trading partner, including President Xi Jinping, before returning home the next day.

24 Mar 2019; DW: Theresa May was battling to convince lawmakers within her Conservative Party to back her Brexit withdrawal deal on Sunday amid reports that senior ministers in her Cabinet were planning to force her resignation.

May met with senior party officials and pro-Brexit lawmakers who oppose her deal at her Chequers country retreat after inviting them to discuss a way forward. Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Ian Duncan Smith were reportedly present at the meeting.

MONACO, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Prince Albert II, head of state of the Principality of Monaco, here Sunday on strengthening China-Monaco relations.

Xi was paying a state visit to Monaco, the first by a Chinese president to the European country.

Noting the affinity between the two peoples, Xi said that since China and Monaco established diplomatic relations more than 20 years ago, the two sides have always treated each other as equals with sincerity and friendship.

Dhaka, 25 Mar 2019; AA: Turkish appliance giant Arcelik has signed an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Singer Bangladesh for $75 million, an official announcement said on Sunday.

Under the agreement, Ardutch BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arcelik, would acquire a 57 percent stake in Singer Bangladesh's majority shareholder Retail Holdings Bhold BV.