Serbia’s populist president has apologized for calling a reporter with the state TV broadcaster an “imbecile” after her report from a massive anti-government protest over the weekend.

In Serbia, tensions flared in parliament with smoke bombs thrown, injuring three lawmakers. The chaos erupted during a session on university funding, opposed by lawmakers calling for the Prime Minister's resignation to be confirmed first.

Opposition deputies threw smoke grenades in Serbia’s national assembly, disrupting a session confirming the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and a debate on laws designed to ease months of anti-government protests in the Balkan country.

Since December, students from 65 of the country’s 80 faculties have been on strike. Schools are also on strike, and at major demonstrations, farmers have blocked main roads with dozens of tractors.

Serbian opposition lawmakers lit flares and discharged suspected tear gas during the opening day of the spring session of parliament on Tuesday, in a sign of support for ongoing

Fireworks and flares lit up the evening sky as Serbia’s protesting students arrived in a southern city on the eve of a another big rally pressuring the populist government in the Balkan country.

Serbia's deputy prime minister followed up on a meeting with Russia's spy chief in Moscow by accusing Western intelligence agencies on Friday of trying to destabilise the country by backing months of anti-government protests.

I believe that Serbia made a mistake today. I apologize to the citizens of Serbia for that, and I take the blame for that because I was probably tired and overwhelmed,” Aleksandar

Tens of thousands of people in Serbia gathered on Saturday for a huge student-led rally that vowed to turn the troubled, populist-run Balkan country into a free nation of justice and rule of law, with many proclaiming "We deserve better.

Russia's Gazprom Neft transferred stakes of around 5.15% in Serbia's NIS oil company to Gazprom , in an attempt to ward off U.S. sanctions that could result in crude supply cuts for the Balkan country.