Lithium is Coming to Town

Reviewing the week of 15-21 July (#29) and previewing the week of 22-28 July (#30) of 2024.

News Roundup

Jadar Valley Lithium Mine Will Go Ahead, After All

“Berlin inks lithium deal with Belgrade despite environmental concerns,” Politico, July 19, 2024

“German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič locked down a series of deals on Friday granting the EU and European carmakers exclusive access to Serbian lithium and paving the way for the construction of one of the largest lithium mines on the Continent.”

“European Union Agrees Controversial Lithium Mining Project with Serbia,” Balkan Insight, July 19, 2024

“Serbia and EU signed a memorandum of understanding on critical raw materials that will enable a major lithium-mining project, which has
sparked major protests, to go ahead despite environmental concerns.“

“Vucic May Win his ‘Lithium Gambit’ But Serbia Won’t Benefit,” Balkan Insight, July 19, 2024

“Vucic has awoken the Jadar Valley lithium mine project from its false coma – but his apparent victory over the project’s opponents is no victory for Serbia.”

Today in History

Events

• 22 July
  • 1941 – An uprising against the German occupation begins in Slovenia.
  • Insurrection Day in Slovenia
• 23 July 2004 – Old Bridge in Mostar reopens after a reconstruction.
• 26 July 1963 – A 6.1 magnitude earthquake devastates Skopje.
• 27 July
  • 1941 – Uprising against the Independent State of Croatia begins.
  • 1950 – The first segment of the Brotherhood and Unity Highway, between Zagreb and Belgrade, opens.
• 28 July 1991 – YUTEL for Peace concert takes place in Sarajevo.

Birthdays

• 23 July
  • 1915 – Tihomir Miloševski, Macedonian Partisan and JNA officer; People’s Hero of Yugoslavia
  • 1932 – Lojze Slak, Slovenian accordionist
  • 1960 – Fadil Vokrri, Kosovar/Yugoslav footballer
  • 1963 – Slobodan Boba Živojinović, Serbian tennis player, husband of Lepa Brena
• 24 July
  • 1897 – Frano Kršinić, Croatian/Yugoslav sculptor
  • 1928 – Ivan Štraus, Bosnian/Yugoslav architect (Holiday Inn, Unis Towers, and Elektroprivreda building in Sarajevo)
  • 1928 – Branko Horvat, Croatian economist
  • 1937 – Meho Puzić, Bosnian singer
  • 1947 – Predrag Ejdus, Serbian/Yugoslav actor
  • 1950 – Jadranka Stojaković, Serbian/Yugoslav singer and composer
• 25 July
  • 1895 – Gavrilo Princip
  • 1914 – Miroslav Zei, Slovenian/Yugoslav biologist
  • 1946 – Ljupka Dimitrovska, Macedonian/Yugoslav singer
  • 1947 – Zoran Miljković, Serbian/Yugoslav actor
• 26 July
  • 1933 – Albin Rudan, Slovenian musician
  • 1945 – Marko Marković, Serbian/Yugoslav sports journalist
  • 1945 – Staniša Stošić, Serbian folk singer
• 27 July
  • 1907 – Petar Lubarda, Serbian/Yugoslav painter
  • 1935 – Đorđe Nenadović, Serbian actor
  • 1946 – Rade Šerbedžija, Croatian/Serbian/Yugoslav actor
  • 1963 – Goran Maksimović, Serbian/Yugoslav shooter and Olympian
  • 1970 – Dejan Udovičić, Serbian water poloist
• 28 July
  • 1899 – Velibor Gligorić, Serbian/Yugoslav literature and theater critic and professor
  • 1910 – Dušan Anđelković, Serbian/Yugoslav author
  • 1921 – Voislav Kuševski, Macedonian historian
  • 1924 – Aleksandar Đorđević, Serbian/Yugoslav film, TV, and theater director
  • 1926 – Vlasta Velisavljević, Serbian/Yugoslav actor
  • 1938 – Arsen Dedić, Croatian/Yugoslav singer and composer

Deaths

• 22 July
  • 1964 – Dragan Aleksić, Serbian poet
• 23 July
  • 1983 – Lazar Trifunović, Serbian art historian and critic
  • 1986 – Marko Čelebonović, Serbian painter
  • 2002 – Đorđe Lobačev (Jurij Pavlovič Lobačev), Russian/Yugoslav graphic artist (Mika Miš) and cartoonist
• 24 July 2011 – Milan Delčić Delča, Serbian musician, theater dramatist, and film director
• 25 July 1999 – Bogoljub Arsić, Serbian/Macedonian Partisan and epidemiologist
• 26 July 1963 (Skopje Earthquake) – Dimitar Pandilov, Macedonian painter & Danica Ručigaj, Macedonian pot
• 27 July
  • 1967 – Veljko Petrović, Serbian writer
  • 1982 – Zagorka Mićić, Serbian philosopher and professor
  • 1998 – Zlatko Čajkovski, Croatian/Yugoslav footballer
  • 2006 – Vojislav Đurić, Serbian historian
  • 2010 – Dimitar Ciev, Macedonian volleyball player and coach
• 28 July
  • 1972 – Severin Bijelić, Serbian/Yugoslav actor
  • 1978 – Božo Vodušek, Slovenian poet and translator
  • 1996 – Ivan V. Lalić, Serbian poet and essayist
  • 2007 – Dušan Prelević Prele, Serbian musician
  • 2016 – Vladica Kovačević, Serbian/Yugoslav football player and coach