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…
Ukraine has shown great strategic boldness by launching attacks inside Russian territory, the European High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said, Josep Borrell, upon his arrival at the informal Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, at a press point together with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, Nova News reports. “The Kursk operation…
Britain and Germany’s leaders agreed in Berlin on Wednesday to work on an ambitious treaty covering issues from defence to trade that would be part of a reset of British relations with the European Union, France 24 reports. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s trip to the EU’s top powers, Germany and France, aims to help…
During the weekly briefing, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, commented on the destruction of the monuments of Armenian heroes and participants of the Great Patriotic War in Stepanakert. “We called and we call and confirm that we will continue to work with both sides in the direction of including…
Ukraine carried out a successful test of the first domestic-made ballistic missile, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 27, The Kyiv Independent reports. “It may be too early to talk about it but I want to share it with you,” the president said at the Ukraine 2024 Independence forum in Kyiv. …
A Ukraine drone attack sparked a fire at an oil depot in the Kamensky district of Russia’s southern region of Rostov, its governor said on Wednesday, confirming media reports that several tanks were on fire, Reuters reports. “There are no casualties,” the governor, Vasily Golubev, said on the Telegram messaging app. “Firefighters are extinguishing…
Georgian President, Salome Zourabichvili, on Thursday, signed a decree declaring October 26 as the date for the 2024 parliamentary elections, Georgia’s Public Broadcaster reports. “The day of decision, choice, and salvation is near. Today, we are not dealing with ordinary elections in which citizens vote for the political party that best represents their viewpoint,…
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reacted on another massive drone and missile attack from Russia. “This morning, Russia launched a massive missile and drone strike on 15 Ukrainian regions, primarily targeting critical civilian infrastructure and our energy system. There have been civilian deaths and injuries, as well as damage to energy facilities. Russia…
PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos has reacted to the announcement by the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan that certain members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will be considered as personae non gratae in the country. The press handout from PACE press office reads Rousopoulos as saying: “This is a more…
The arrest of Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, on suspicion of allowing criminal activity on his platform has nothing to do with the company’s obligations under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a spokesperson for the European Commission told Euronews on Monday, Euronews reports. “Criminal prosecution is not…
Ukraine is preparing a response to today’s massive Russian shelling, which killed and injured civilians, says Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov on Facebook. “Russia struck our cities again overnight. Civilians were injured, homes were destroyed, and critical infrastructure was damaged,” he said. The minister adds this is another proof of Ukraine’s…
Ahead of the COP29 climate summit, Azerbaijan has banned several dozen PACE deputies from entering the country. Baku explained that those deputies voted in favor of limiting the powers of the Azerbaijani delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan announced that 76 politicians from…
On August 19-22, Lilit Makunts, Ambassador of Armenia to the US, attended the National Convention of the US Democratic Party held in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to participating in the main program of the Convention, Ambassador Makunts attended the discussions on the domestic and external political priorities of the Democratic Party, organized for representatives…
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday (August 24) that the perpetrator of a stabbing rampage in the western town of Solingen must be punished to fullest extent of the law, Reuters reports. “One thing is very clear: such acts must be harshly punished,” Scholz said. “We must never accept this in our society…
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday (August 24) held a meeting with top military officials ‘on countering the enemy forces that invaded the territory of the Kursk Region and the measures taken to destroy them,’ the Kremlin press-service said, Reuters reports. In a video released by the Kremlin, Putin was seen receiving reports from…
The Ukrainian parliament on Aug. 20 passed a bill banning activities of religious organizations connected to Russia, The Kyiv Independent reports. The legislation, supported by 265 lawmakers in its second and final reading, could effectively prohibit the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). The UOC-MP’s clergy has been…
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Ukraine, officials said Monday, weeks after he made his first trip to Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, CNN reports. His forthcoming visit to Ukraine – also his first since the start of the war – comes at a crucial moment, as Kyiv’s troops push…
