More than 30,000 protesters gathered in South Korea’s capital in broiling heat on Saturday (September 7), demanding more aggressive action by the government to combat global warming, Reuters reports.   With temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), protesters young and old marched in the country’s biggest demonstration so far this year, snarling traffic…

North Korea launched around 190 trash-filled balloons toward South Korea as it resumed its months-long campaign, the latter’s military officials said on Saturday, Yonhap news agency reported.   North Korea floated the balloons from late Friday to early Saturday morning, and at least 100 landed in the capital and its surrounding Gyeonggi province, the Joint…

The Israeli army said Friday that its preparing to take offensive actions inside the Lebanese territories.   “The IDF (army) is very focused on combat with Hezbollah, and preparing for offensive moves within the arena (Lebanon),” Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said during a situational assessment and tour in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights….

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday urged China to cease its support for Russia in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, warning that continued backing would harm Beijing’s interests and reputation.   Speaking in Oslo, Stoltenberg called on NATO allies to maintain their military support for Ukraine, emphasizing that providing Ukraine with the necessary assistance…

Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced additional security assistance to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs. This announcement is the Biden Administration’s sixty-fifth tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021, US Department of Defense reports.    This Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package, which has an estimated…

Patrick Prior, U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency Chief of the Europe Eurasia Regional Center, arrived in Baku for consultations, the US Embassy to Azerbaijan informed. “A warm welcome to U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency Chief of the Europe Eurasia Regional Center, Mr. Patrick Prior, who is visiting Baku for consultations with the Azerbaijani government on ways to…

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan congratulated Andrii Sybiha on his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.   “Congratulating Andrii Sybiha on appointment as the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, I look forward to our engagement and cooperation in further developing relations between Armenia and Ukraine.   I also thank Dmytro Kuleba for years of constructive cooperation and…

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi referred to the regional security.    “Regional peace, security and stability is not merely a preference, but a pillar of our national security.     Any threat from North, South, East, or West to territorial integrity of our neighbors or redrawing of boundaries is totally unacceptable and a red line…

Reuters. Ukrainian parliament on Thursday (September 5) appointed first deputy foreign minister Andrii Sybiha as Ukraine’s new foreign minister, lawmakers said.   The nomination of Sybiha is part of the largest reshuffle of Ukraine’s government since the start of the war in February 2022, with Zelenskiy saying the country needs “new energy.”   Sybiha, a…

The US has charged Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and several other prominent figures in the Palestinian group in connection with its deadly attack in Israel on 7 October last year, BBC reports.   The justice department said it was indicting six Hamas members with seven charges, including the murder of dozens of US citizens, conspiracy…

Ukraine’s parliament on Wednesday voted to remove multiple officials from their posts amid a mass resignation a day earlier, marking the largest government reshuffle since the start of the country’s war with Russia.   Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on Telegram that the Verkhovna Rada approved the resignations of Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin, Deputy…

French nationals, including dual citizens, are now advised against traveling to Azerbaijan unless for imperative reasons, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.   According to the Ministry, French nationals, including dual citizens, whether residents or visitors, are at risk of arrest, arbitrary detention, and unfair trial in Azerbaijan.   “This risk can affect…

The IDF will warn the government that it believes any expansion of the military operation in Gaza risks the lives of the hostages, The Times of Israel reports referring to Channel 13.   The warning of the risk to hostages would be passed to political leaders if they ask for further maneuvers in Gaza, Channel…

Western assessments of Azerbaijan’s elections are biased and do not reflect reality, said Russia’s Foreign Ministry.   “Once again, Western actors and their affiliated international organizations have offered biased and subjective evaluations that do not accurately represent the true nature of the democratic process in the republic. The observers sent by Russia through the OSCE…

The EU’s foreign affairs spokesperson commented on the recent parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, in which the ruling “New Azerbaijan” party once again claimed victory.   Peter Stano cited the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission report, which stated that the elections were held in an environment of political and legal restrictions, excluding pluralism and genuine competition.   “Early…

Reuters. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday (September 3) that Russia and Mongolia have potential of gas and energy cooperation.   Putin, who is conducting a two-day state visit to Mongolia, said that Russia is considering supplying Mongolian consumers with gas as part of Souyz Vostok pipeline construction. Souyz Vostok is part of the…

Türkiye officially applied to join the BRICS group of emerging-market nations, which reflects Türkiye’s desire to develop new relationships beyond its traditional Western allies as the country remains a NATO member, according to Bloomberg.   BRICS is an acronym for an association of five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. They…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the results of two regional elections that saw big wins for the far-right AfD and losses for his coalition “bitter” and urged mainstream parties to form governments without “right-wing extremists.”   The Alternative for Germany (AfD) became the first far-right party to win a state legislature election in Germany since…

Аzerbaijan’s ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) led by President Ilham Aliyev won majority in in a snap parliamentary election on Sunday, Azerbaijani media reported.    According to preliminary results, the ruling party will hold about 68 seats in a 125-seat Parliament. A total of 44 independent candidates have been elected. In a nation with approximately…

Azerbaijani authorities have arrested a researcher and political analyst, Bahruz Samadov, on spurious treason charges, in the government’s escalating crackdown against its critics, Human Rights Watch said today. A Ph.D. candidate at Prague’s Charles University, Samadov is the latest scholar targeted ahead of COP29, the global United Nations climate summit, to be hosted by Azerbaijan…

Azerbaijan is taking the necessary steps to align its army with the Turkish model, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov announced during an event organized in Baku on the occasion of the Turkish National Day.   He noted that the joint activities of Azerbaijan and Turkey serve to protect peace and stability in the region. Hasanov…

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that five civilians were killed and 46 others injured in what it described as a Ukrainian attack on the Belgorod region, using cluster munitions.   The ministry condemned the attack, labeling it a “barbaric strike” that resulted in significant civilian casualties, including seven minors. One child is reported…

Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is legitimate and covered by Kyiv’s right to self-defense, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told German weekly Welt am Sonntag in his first reaction to the advance into Russian territory.   “Ukraine has a right to defend itself. And according to international law, this right does not stop at the…

Typhoon Shanshan continued to pound Japan with heavy rain on Saturday (August 31), triggering landslides and prompting weather officials to issue warnings for flooding hundreds of miles from the storm’s centre, Reuters reports.   At least six people have been killed and 125 injured in storm-related incidents such as mudslides in recent days, according to…

Russian troops recently opened fire on Kharkiv. In the Industrialnyi district, a Russian guided aerial bomb hit an entry section of a 12-story building, reported the head of the Kharkiv regional state administration Oleg Synegubov and Mayor Ihor Terekhov.   So far, four people have been confirmed dead, including a 14-year-old girl. Another 28 people…

On International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, we honor those unjustly taken and denied their rights, the statement on Armenia’s Foreign Ministry’s X reads. “Armenia knows the deep pain of enforced disappearances and remains committed to seeking justice for all victims and their families,” Foreign Ministry states.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to award President of the Republic of Belarus, Chairman of the Supreme State Council of the Union State Aleksandr Lukashenko the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, reads the official website of the Kremlin, BelTA reports.   “The Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle the…

Reuters. Ukrainian air defences shot down about 15 drones launched by Russia in its third attack on the Ukrainian capital in four days, Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on Thursday (August 29) and air sirens rung across the capital in the early hours of the morning.   Drone debris damaged the windows…

The European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, has proposed imposing sanctions on Israeli government members to the 27 EU member states, dpa reports.   The proposed sanctions target Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, dpa learned from EU officials shortly before an EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Thursday.   …

A meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Budapest next month could be canceled over mounting anger at Hungary’s love-in with Russia, POLITICO reports.   The head of the gathering, Irish Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, will decide by next week whether or not it will go ahead, two EU officials granted anonymity to discuss ongoing…