According to the provisions of the Berlin Congress agreement (1878), Serbia was obliged to build a railway to the Turkish and the Bulgarian border. The commissioning of the railway Belgrade - Niš, in 1884, marked the beginning of the development of railway traffic in Serbia and its links with other European countries.

Awards
The prize of SANU (the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts) for science

Near the end of lest year, SANU established its award for extraordinary achievements in exact sciences. The first prizes were awarded for physics and bio-chemical sciences, and the laureates were Professor Milutin Blagojević, Ph.D., scientific advisor of the Institute for Physics Zemun, and Dr Igor Pašti, docent at the Faculty for Physical Chemistry of the University of Belgrade . In terms of their nature and level, these are the most advanced Serbian awards for these fields of science.

Medicine
Treating Presbyopia

In recent years, thanks to advancement in the use of lasers, the treatment of numerous changes in the eye, including Presbyopia, has become easier and more efficient – and this is the topic discussed by a distinguished ophthalmologist Professor Bojan Pajić, Ph.D., an expert in refractive cornea surgery working at the Orasis Eye Clinic in Geneva . The article presents the development of the disorders in the eye function and the treatments used to cure them, with focus on the LASIK treatment (Laser Assisted in Situ Keratomilensis) and details related to the use of this procedure.

Use of anaesthesia

It is possible to use all types of anaesthesia in all patients, but some types – spinal and epidural, primarily, are more adequate in some circumstances, as they maintain the stability of the cardiovascular system and ensure lesser intra-operative bleeding. These are the topics discussed by Dr Vukašin Kariklić, anaesthesiologist of the general hospital Bel Medic in Belgrade . He presents how these methods are used, their advantages and disadvantages, and the relevant techniques in their implementation. These types are especially used in gynaecology, during delivery. The article also presents the selection of procedure and by-effects.

Fairs
Treatment in the near future

MEDICA 2012, an exhibition of medical equipment and devices held in Dusseldorf from 20 to 23 November, was visited by more than 130,000 visitors from more than 120 countries, mostly experts in medical treatment and those in charge of ensuring preconditions for treatment. In parallel to this exhibition presenting new and improved equipment, the World Forum for Medicine was held, as well as the international fair for sales of the most advanced medical technologies, and a number of professional gatherings: Forum for Medicine – the most recent research and diagnostic technologies, the Physio-Forum, Treatment in the Future (new technologies and procedures), the Diagnostic Week, etc. The exhibition presented products by 4554 manufacturers from 64 countries of the world, including until recently not much known exhibitors from Asia, Africa and South America . Among the visitors were also a considerable number of medical workers from Serbia .

Architecture
Fluid under Kalemegdan fortress

The renowned architect Zaha Hadid has designed a multi - purpose centre of unusual form intended to be located in Belgrade , near the banks of the Danube , under the old Kalemegdan fortress. If the intentions of the investor materialise, Belgrade will be the first city in this part of Europe to have a structure designed by Zaha Hadid. According to the design, the complex would include residential, commercial and business areas and a high category hotel. It is designed to meet the highest standards of green design, and would cover an area of 3.3 hectares. The world famous architect Patrick Schumacher was engaged as associate working on this design.

History
Serbian family holy saint day

The family cult among the Serbs, known as family holy saint day, is a tradition whose nature and origin has not yet been fully studied and explained. It can be said with certainty that it is of pre-Christian origin and that its contemporary Christianised form is a result of symbiosis of pagan and Christian elements. This cult is widespread among Serbs, who see it as their national characteristic feature. Although it is beyond doubt that the holy saint day is deeply embedded in the Serbian culture in a form not known elsewhere, the sources available do not support the belief that this cult, in its origins, is not uniquely known only here.

Cosmology
Settling Venus

Planet Venus, in terms of its size and mass is the planet most closely resembling the Earth. However, due to high temperatures and the composition of its atmosphere, life is not possible on that planet. There are yet no plans for humans to land on this planet and no habitat, even the most resistant batiskaf could survive there. But, some 50-70 km above the surface of Venus, in the cloudy layer, survival is possible since pressure and temperature are bearable: except for the earth, this is the only place in the Solar system where physical conditions for life are satisfactory.
Visions of futurists are such that life would be happening above this very hot planet, in cabins suspended on balloons, zeppelins, or dirigibles filled with helium or hydrogen. Such an idea existed briefly in the USSR, and the American scientist and visionary Geoffrey Lendis, in his work „Top Cloud Colonization“, looks into the advantages and disadvantages of life in aerostat cabins compared to habitats envisioned for life on the Mars, Moon, or in modules of orbit station.
For decades before the humans are to depart to Venus, there will be probe robots and huge balloon probes sent there because it is believed that there are bacteria in the clouds around Venus.