LAST UPDATE: 19.21 Senior representatives from Sweden and Finland plan to travel to Turkey for talks aimed at overcoming Ankara’s objections to the two Nordic countries joining NATO, the Swedish Foreign Ministry has announced. Representatives of the two Nordic countries will meet with their Turkish counterparts in the Turkish capital, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said […]
Tag: International political news & developments
The Minister of the Interior in Latvia has resigned
Latvia’s interior minister resigned today following pressure from the ruling coalition, whose members criticized police for allowing Russian-speaking people to celebrate Soviet World War II Day earlier this month. Latvia and its neighbors, Estonia and Lithuania, say Moscow used its victory over Nazi Germany to forcibly integrate the Baltic region into the Soviet Union. Latvian […]
European foreign ministers urge Hungary to accept embargo on Russian oil
EU foreign ministers have sought to publicly press Hungary today to lift its veto on a proposed oil embargo on Russia, with Lithuania saying the bloc is “being held hostage by a member state”. The European Commission’s ban on crude imports in early May could be its toughest sanction in response to Moscow’s invasion of […]
Sweden has officially announced that it will apply to join NATO
LAST UPDATE: 17.29 Sweden’s minority government today formally decided to apply for NATO membership, following a similar move by neighboring Finland, a move that will redraw the geopolitical map of northern Europe. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson, speaking of a “new era” for the Scandinavian country. “The government has decided to […]
Ukraine: Zelensky replaces head of Territorial Defense Forces
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky replaced the head of the Territorial Defense Forces almost three months after the start of the war with Russia without explaining why, according to Reuters. The Ministry of Defense announced today that Zelensky has appointed Lieutenant General Ihor Tancyura to succeed Yuri Haluskin as commander of the forces that help the […]
Turkish media: Sweden and Finland have not approved the repatriation of 33 people to Turkey
Sweden and Finland have not approved the repatriation of 33 people Turkey has requested over alleged links to terrorist organizations, state media reported today, following Ankara’s opposition to the two countries’ accession to the country. NATO. Turkey says the men had links to Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters or to Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom […]
Lebanon’s parliamentary elections: Preliminary results show significant blow to Hezbollah
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been hit hard in Lebanon’s parliamentary elections, with preliminary results showing losses for some of its oldest allies and the Saudi-affiliated Lebanese Forces party claiming significant gains. With the vote count continuing, the final results have not yet been announced in the first elections in the midst of a severe economic […]
Austria: ‘Agreement on the 6th package of sanctions against Russia in the coming days’
Austria expects the European Union to agree to a sixth package of sanctions against Russia in the coming days, Foreign Minister Alexander Salenberg said on Monday. “I am confident that we will be able to find the sixth package of sanctions in the coming days,” Salenberg told reporters as he arrived for a meeting with […]
North Rhine-Westphalia: CDU Greens winners, SPD lost, ‘disaster’ for FDP
The center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Greens are the winners of the elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state. Big losers on the other hand are the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and especially the centrist Free Democratic Party (FDP). Polls in recent days have predicted a derby in North Rhine-Westphalia, […]
Somalia: Return to the presidency after five years for Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Five years later, he returns to power: Somalia’s federal parliament on Sunday re-elected Hassan Sheikh Mohammed, 66, as president for a second term following a meeting of draconian security forces in a country plagued by jihadists. who swears allegiance to Al Qaeda, and is once again faced with the threat of famine. Following a marathon […]
