🧵1/6 Battered by mismanagement, sanctions, and war, Iran’s economy is in deep trouble. The cost-of-living crisis is forcing people to change what they eat, how they socialize, and what they can afford to do. Here’s what it costs to cook five everyday Iranian dishes for a family of four, compared with a year ago. Note: Prices are shown in toman. On Iran’s open market, the US dollar averaged about 111,000 toman from late September to late October 2025, compared with about 259,000 toman over the same period in 2026. It now costs nearly twice as much to make chicken and barberry at home as it did a year ago. ⬇️ By @RadioFarda_

Officials from the so-called Mecca Defense Alliance have gathered for a snap meeting in Tehran as they look to settle conflicts in the Middle East that have left the region reeling and are impacting global flows of oil and other cargo. @DaudKhattak1 rferl.org/a/tensions-mecca-a…

Here are some of the people in Serbia's victorious Students' List political grouping. rferl.org/a/serbia-student-l…

Car horns and sirens fill the streets of Belgrade as celebrations continue after Aleksandar Vucic's election defeat. RFE/RL's Nevena Bogdanovic explains what comes next for Serbia’s student-led movement and the country’s ties with the EU, Russia, and China. By @RSE_Balkan ⬇️

Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia's former president and dominant political figure for more than a decade, conceded defeat to the student-led protest movement in the country's parliamentary elections. While the final election results were yet to be announced, independent observers reported that voter turnout could reach its highest level in decades, approaching 70 percent after a day of long lines at polling stations. By @RSE_Balkan ⬇️

Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia's former president and dominant political figure for more than a decade, has conceded defeat to the student-led protest movement in the country's pivotal parliamentary elections. Once an ultranationalist, Vucic has dominated Serbian politics for more than 14 years, during which he has consolidated his grip on power by reinventing himself as a reformer committed to Serbia's drive toward EU membership, while maintaining close ties with Russia and China. 🔗: rferl.org/a/33883844.html

The properties come with relatively small price tags, but big commitments. rferl.org/a/soviet-sanatoriu…

Russia wants a million drone operators by 2030 and schools are adapting fast to fill the quota. By the time students are 16, many will be taught how to fly multiple drones and how to use them in combat. The authorities are using games and competitions to draw millions of young people into the field. By @CurrentTimeTv ⬇️

After 14 years of dominating Serbian politics, Aleksandar Vucic faces the biggest challenge to his rule. Opinion polls point to a tight race between Vucic’s ruling party and reform-minded challengers running on the Students’ List, which comprises 250 largely unknown candidates. rferl.org/a/serbia-vote-elec…

As Russian forces intensify attacks on Ukraine’s Donetsk region, evacuations are accelerating in Kramatorsk, a key city still held by Kyiv. As Moscow seeks to seize all of the Donetsk region, Ukraine has issued a mandatory evacuation order for families with children in Kramatorsk and Slovyansk. By @radiosvoboda ⬇️

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on October 24 that the Starshield and Starlink satellite systems were back to normal operations. Disruptions in the communications systems, developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX company, had limited Ukraine's defensive operations for over a week, leaving it more vulnerable to Russian attacks.⬇️

The restive and desolate border region between Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran is now “rapidly becoming a global center for opium and methamphetamine production,” said one expert. ⬇️ By @DaudKhattak1 and @FrudBezhan rferl.org/a/opium-taliban-af…