With such high stakes, voting kicked off in a tense environment. Election observers, such as ISFED, have reported three alleged cases of vote-buying, and local media outlets have reported an incident involving a physical confrontation at one of the polling stations. According to local publication Publika, an opposition activist was beaten. A video circulating online … Read more
While saying “I understand the strength of feeling,” the prime minister continued to insist he wanted to be “looking forward, not back.” He added that he wanted to “move forward together on climate resilience, on education, on trade and on growth to better enable us to address the inequalities of today.” Several nations raised the … Read more
Charles, too, has mellowed his well-known views on issues such as climate change and housing, at least in public, as part of the strict convention of neutrality that comes with being king. His style in the past was far from laid back. One former minister recalled Charles, as prince of Wales, inviting them for tea … Read more
Joe Biden took office nearly four years ago with a promise to mend America’s relationship with Europe after years of strained ties during the Trump administration. Trump frequently targeted Germany in particular for its lagging defense spending, calling the country “delinquent.” In a campaign rally earlier this year, Trump said he would not protect “delinquent” … Read more
That follows three consecutive annual summits where the Indo-Pacific leaders attended as guests. “It’s extremely positive that these four countries are participating more and more with NATO allies,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters Thursday, “because of the simple fact that security threats in the Indo-Pacific, of course, have a link to what is happening … Read more
By radically changing the rules, the Commission wants to address “strategic dependencies” on foreign countries and boost the kind of pan-European industrial revival championed by former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in his landmark competitiveness report. The third and fourth pillars focus on enlargement and funding to foreign countries, and personnel costs, but there are … Read more
“Most allies were against that, pre-invasion … they were very afraid of the consequences,” he said. “I’m proud of what we have done, but it would have been a great advantage if it started earlier. “It maybe could even have prevented the invasion, or at least made it much harder for [Russia] to do what … Read more
A rich talent pool China is looking to further exploit Russia’s extensive spy network in Europe to advance its own goals, namely splitting EU countries and weakening their relationship with Washington, according to security experts. “These are basically people who for a long time have been coopted by the Russians and then, of late, the … Read more
The Iranian missiles, equipped with 150-kilogram warheads, pose a much greater threat to Ukraine than the Shahed drones Iran has previously been selling to Russia. While less accurate than cruise missiles, the Iranian missiles approach their targets at speeds of up to 3,200 kilometers per hour and are difficult to shoot down. Blinken, on the … Read more
However, “calls for increased military cooperation with NATO and the EU will very likely stir lots of debate within Switzerland,” he added, agreeing with assessments that the report is potentially “explosive” domestically. The experts stop short of suggesting that Switzerland entirely scrap its neutrality and join NATO, but they do urge deeper ties with the … Read more
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