Politics

High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas answered questions by Emmanouil Fragkos, Member of European Parliament on EU- Azerbaijan relations, human rights situation in Azerbaijan and Kallas’s recent meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. The EP press office handout reads:     “Answer given by High…

Reuters. Satellite imagery showed the extent of damage at Iran’s largest port after a powerful explosion on Saturday (April 26).   The death toll from the explosion in Iran’s most important container port of Bandar Abbas rose to at least 70, with over 1,200 injured, state media said on Monday (April 28).   Saturday’s blast…

During a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, Chinese foreign minister said China is closely following developments after the Pahalgam attack.   China on Sunday backed its close ally Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty and security interests, with foreign minister Wang Yi calling on New Delhi and Islamabad to exercise restrain in the…

Spain and Portugal experienced a widespread power outage on Monday, leaving millions without electricity in a snap blackout, Euronews reports.   In Portugal, official sources told domestic media that the outage, which hit around late morning local time, was nationwide, while similar reports emerged from Spain.   Madrid’s Barajas International Airport and Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado…

Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in the Republic of Estonia on an official visit.   The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia was welcomed at Tallinn International Airport by representatives of the Estonian government and diplomatic corps.   During the visit, Prime Minister Pashinyan is scheduled to meet…

The Kremlin announced Saturday that Russian forces have completely ousted Ukrainian troops from Russia’s Kursk region.   The Kremlin press service released a video showing Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov briefing President Vladimir Putin on the completion of the military operation.   “Comrade Supreme Commander, the last settlement in the territory of…

U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin for three hours in Moscow on Friday (April 25) to discuss the U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine, and Trump said the two sides were “very close to a deal,” despite apparent differences in their positions, Reuters reports.   Trump said…

Reuters has seen the text of a set of proposals to end Russia’s war in Ukraine that were presented to European officials by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff at talks in Paris on April 17.   The text of the document is published in full with no changes.    These terms represent the final offer from…

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted a post on his X page on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. “The Armenian genocide will forever be one of the darkest chapters in human history. 1.5 million Armenian people were murdered in these senseless atrocities, systematically planned and carried out by the Ottoman…

EU Mission in Armenia visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, to commemorate the 110th anniversary.   “Today, on April 24, we pay our tribute to the memory of the Armenian victims of 1915-1923. This day is a reminder, that we must do all within our power to prevent such atrocities…

Commission Against Racism And Discrimination of the Human Rights Association of Turkey issued a statement on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.    The statement reads:   The crime that has not been punished continues to be committed. Ignorance make the genocide permanent. Denial is the exoneration of the perpetrator and…

Residents and authorities in Istanbul are in recovery mode after a series of earthquakes shook the city Wednesday.   No casualties have been reported, but officials said 151 people were injured after having jumped from heights in fear and have asked people to avoid potentially compromised sites as buildings are checked for damage.   Three…

Reuters. Russian President Vladimir Putin told Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on Tuesday (April 22) that Russian energy companies are showing interest in developing relations with Oman.   The two leaders were speaking during a televised meeting during a visit by the Omani ruler to Russia.

Moscow is concerned about Yerevan’s EU aspirations, because Armenia stands to lose the benefits of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) if “the West draws it into its geopolitical games”, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told reporters, TASS reports.   “Naturally, Armenia’s aspiration to join the EU is a concern for us, because such an…

Iran is prepared to reach a nuclear agreement in the indirect talks with the United States provided the negotiations are conducted on equal terms and the national interests of the Islamic Republic are respected. “In negotiations with the United States, we are ready to reach an agreement within the established framework while preserving national interests,”…

The Nordic countries are pooling their military resources to counter Russia, writes The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).   According to the newspaper, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark recently joined forces “to confront both Russian aggression and the uncertain security guarantees of the White House.”   In 2024, these states outlined a common defense concept until…

Russia and Ukraine blamed each other on Sunday for breaking a one-day Easter ceasefire declared by President Vladimir Putin, with each side accusing the other of hundreds of attacks and the Kremlin saying there was no order for a ceasefire extension, NBC News reports.   Putin, who sent thousands of Russian troops into Ukraine in…

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a unilateral Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, ordering his forces to end hostilities at 6 p.m. Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday until the end of Sunday, Reuters reports.   There was no immediate reaction from Ukraine.   “Based on humanitarian considerations … the Russian side announces an Easter truce. I…

China’s foreign ministry has dismissed as “groundless” the accusation by Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the country had been supplying weapons to Russia, The Guardian reports.   The comments, made at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Friday, came a day after the Ukrainian president said China was supplying weapons to Russia, including gunpowder and artillery,…

Iran believes reaching an agreement on its nuclear programme with the United States is possible as long as Washington is realistic, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday (April 18) on the eve of a second round of talks with the Trump administration, Reuters reports.   “If they demonstrate seriousness of intent and do not…

A deputy sheriff’s son killed two people and wounded four others at Florida State University on Thursday before he was shot by officers and hospitalized, authorities said, Reuters reports.   Police believe the gunman – the son of a Leon County sheriff’s deputy – acted alone and a motive was not known. The suspect had…

China’s commerce ministry on Thursday urged the United States to stop putting “extreme pressure” on the world’s second-largest economy and demanded respect in any trade talks, but the two sides remained at an impasse over who should start those talks, Reuters reports.   The Donald Trump administration has been ramping up pressure on China by…

The White House issued a fresh clarification on Wednesday following assertions that some US imports from China were now facing a 245% tariff. The Donald Trump-led administration had imposed a 145% tariff against the other country last week amid a series of tit-for-tat measures. This will be in addition to tariffs between 7.5% and 100%…

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy tasked with ending the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, are expected to travel to Paris later this week, according to two people familiar with preparations for the trip, Politico reports.   Witkoff is set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron while…

The US Department of State has cancelled 139 “wasteful grants” across the world worth $215 million, the Department of Government Efficiency informs.   Axed grants include a $14.6 million program that supported “expanded newsroom sustainability and engagement” in Moldova; a $5.2 million “media diversity” grant that funded an “anti-disinformation program in the United Kingdom”; a…

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on Monday to discuss bilateral ties and the recently started indirect Iran-US talks, Mehr news agency reports.   Under Oman’s mediation, Iran and the US held talks on Saturday on Iran’s nuclear program in Omani capital Muscat.   During the…

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke with his US counterpart Marco Rubio by phone on Monday and discussed the latest developments in Syria and the humanitarian situation in Gaza, diplomatic sources said, Anadolu reports.   Fidan and Rubio discussed efforts to establish a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, the sources added.   Fidan and Rubio…

Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar vowed on Sunday to unlock billions of euros of suspended European Union funding to revive the economy if elected next year, and to hold a referendum on whether Ukraine should join the 27-member bloc, Reuters reports.   Standard & Poor’s cut Hungary’s credit rating outlook to negative from stable late…

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that extends a package of anti-Russian sanctions introduced by his predecessor Joe Biden for a year, according to the US Federal Register, TASS reports.   On April 15, 2021, the Biden administration introduced executive order 14024, imposing sanctions on Russian individuals and entities that may have…

Iran and the U.S. held “productive” talks in Oman on Saturday (April 12) and agreed to reconvene next week, Tehran said, a dialogue meant to address Tehran’s escalating nuclear program with President Donald Trump threatening military action if there is no deal, Reuters reports.   Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the talks – a…