Newsletter
Newsletter
EUROPE
NATO condemns Russian-held sham referendums in Ukraine: The US and NATO condemned Kremlin-staged referendums in eastern Ukraine as voting concluded. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and told him that the military alliance is unwavering in its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and right to self-defence. Stoltenberg reiterated that the sham referenda held by Russia have no legitimacy and are a blatant violation of international law. dw.com
- EU plans sanctions on organisers of illegal referendums in Ukraine. rferl.org
- US asks UN Security Council to condemn Russia for referendums in Ukraine. reuters.com
- German opposition leader sorry for Ukraine welfare tourism jibe. dw.com
Tens of thousands of Russians have fled since Moscow announced mobilisation: Russian men, some with families, started crossing the border with Kazakhstan en masse after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the mobilisation of reservists last week amid a stalled military campaign in Ukraine. The sudden influx of Russians – the government says almost 100,000 have crossed the border since the mobilisation announcement – has stretched the infrastructure of the vast but sparsely populated nation. Meanwhile, the number of Russians arriving in Georgia has nearly doubled. reuters.com, euronews.com
- Number of Russians entering EU jumps 30% in a week, border agency says. reuters.com
- Latvia imposes state of emergency in border region. orf.at
CIA warned Berlin about possible attacks on gas pipelines: Denmark’s military has issued an image of gas bubbling at the surface of the Baltic Sea after unprecedented damage to the Nord Stream pipelines, which has seen three offshore lines of the system damaged in one day. German magazine „Spiegel“ reported that the CIA had warned Germany weeks ago about possible attacks on gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has already called the leaks an act of sabotage which he said related to the next step of escalation of the situation in Ukraine. theguardian.com, reuters.com
- Sweden and Denmark set up crisis teams. reuters.com
- Norway to strengthen security at oil, gas installations. reuters.com
- EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen warned of strongest possible response to attacks on European energy infrastructure. theguardian.com
- Baltic Pipe: Norway-Poland gas pipeline opens in key move to cut dependency on Russia. euronews.com
- European gas prices jumps. bloomberg.com
Germany delays exit from nuclear power: The country’s planned exit from nuclear power by the end of this year has been officially delayed in order to shore up energy supplies during an expected shortfall this winter, Economic Minister Robert Habeck announced on Tuesday. The decision follows a shortage in supplies of electricity coming from France due to the fact that more than half of its nuclear power stations are offline. theguardian.com
Meta takes down influence operations run by China and Russia: These operations aimed to sway views on the US elections and the war in Ukraine and targeted audiences across Europe and the UK. They incorporated a sprawling network of websites impersonating news sites including the „Guardian“, according to Facebook’s parent company Meta. China’s operation in the US targeted people on both sides of the political spectrum: one wing posted memes attacking Joe Biden and the US left, while another did the same but hit out at the Republican party. theguardian.com
Protests in Iran continue: The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody after being detained by Iranian morality police launched unrest across Iran’s provinces and the capital of Tehran. Protests over Amini’s death have spread across at least 46 cities, towns and villages in Iran. State TV has suggested that at least 41 protesters and police have been killed since the protests began. Running clashes between demonstrators and security forces have continued to erupt. npr.org
- EU and US consider further sanctions on Iran over protest crackdown. theguardian.com
ECB boss Lagarde under fire from EU Parliament: Amid increasing inflation and a quickly tightening monetary policy, members of the European Parliament criticised the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde, for the bank’s role in the fight against inflation, which some lawmakers called misguided and behind the curve. euractiv.com
Hungary submits new anti-graft bills to avoid loss of EU funds. reuters.com
Monkeypox: EU Commission purchases treatment courses to meet immediate needs. ec.europa.eu
Eurovision Song Contest 2023 to be hosted in Liverpool or Glasgow. theguardian.com
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
As a state negotiating EU membership, Serbia cannot strengthen ties with Russia, European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said. euractiv.com
NATION
First conflicts in Meloni’s right-wing alliance in Italy: Italian far-right leader Giorgia Meloni and her allies began Tuesday what is likely to be a weeks-long process of forming a new government, with crises looming on several fronts. Meloni is hoping to be the first woman to lead Italy as prime minister, but needs her allies, Matteo Salvini’s far-right League party and former Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, for a majority in parliament. Meloni’s allies have been pitching for heavy-weight positions, Salvini wanting his old job as interior minister back, and Berlusconi eyeing president of the Senate. france24.com
UK’s Labour party surges to largest poll lead over Conservatives: The Labour party is 17 points ahead of the Conservatives, a level of support not seen since 2001 when Labour’s Tony Blair was prime minister, The Times reported on Monday, citing YouGov poll. Last week, Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng unleashed historic tax cuts, ditched the cap on bankers‘ bonuses and announced huge increases in borrowing in a fiscal statement which sent markets into a tailspin. In a speech to his party’s annual conference in Liverpool, Labour leader Keir Starmer said Labour wants Briton’s to thrive rather than survive as he accused Prime Minister Liz Truss’s Tories of stoking inflation and pushing up interest rates with their economic strategy. reuters.com, bloomberg.com
France says inflation control is the main priority for 2023 budget: „The most important and most urgent challenge for France and other European nations is to bring down the inflation pressure,“ Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told journalists as he presented the 2023 budget bill. Le Maire said that uncertainty had never been greater about the economic outlook for next year as the war in Ukraine continues to rage and Russia’s moves remained unpredictable. reuters.com
French Greens party boss Bayou steps down over abuse allegations: The head of France’s Greens party stepped down Monday after his former partner reportedly accused him of psychological abuse, amid pressure from his party and broader efforts to take action over misconduct towards women in French politics and society at large. france24.com
Terrorist attack foiled in Iceland: An unprecedented investigation into an alleged terrorist plot in Iceland has led to the arrest of four men suspected of targeting various institutions of society and citizens of the state. theguardian.com
Dutch nationals arrested after threat to Belgian justice minister: Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne has been placed under increased police protection after a suspected plot to kidnap him was uncovered. Four suspects were arrested in the Netherlands following a „threat“ against the official, the federal prosecutor’s office announced on Saturday. euronews.com
Erdogan accuses Athens of provocations: Turkey on Monday summoned the Greek ambassador to protest the alleged deployment of dozens of US-made armored vehicles to Greek islands which Ankara says should remain demilitarised in line with international treaties. Turkey and Greece have decades-old disputes over an array of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea and disputes over the airspace there. apnews.com
Turkey summons German envoy after top lawmaker insults Erdogan: Turkey’s foreign ministry summoned the German ambassador to Ankara on Tuesday after the Bundestag’s vice president compared Recep Tayyip Erdogan to a sewer rat. “We condemn in the strongest terms the insulting statements made by Mr. Wolfgang Kubicki, the Vice President of the Federal Parliament of Germany, about our President,” the Turkish ministry said in a statement. politico.eu
Swiss pave way to pension reform: The Swiss have voted by an extremely narrow margin In a referendum to raise the retirement age for women from 64 to 65. Much like in other western nations, Switzerland is under stress as a bulge of baby boomers reach retirement age. This is the main factor for the change, according to Interior Minister Alain Berset. euronews.com
Czechia imposes border controls with Slovakia to prevent irregular migration. euractiv.com
Netherlands: More suspects arrested over murder of Dutch crime reporter. euronews.com
Norway: Two more suspects arrested over Oslo gay bar shooting. reuters.com
Portugal’s TAP says hackers stole, published passengers‘ personal data. reuters.com
Paris: Fire breaks out at world’s biggest produce market. washingtonpost.com
NUMBERS
The euro sank to a two-decade low of $0.9810 last Thursday. dw.com
AT LAST
English duke who organised Queen’s funeral gets driving ban: England’s most senior duke, who organised the Queen’s funeral, has been banned from driving despite saying he needed his licence to arrange King Charles III’s coronation. Edward Fitzalan-Howard, a 65-year-old aristocrat, was caught using his mobile phone and running a red light while driving his BMW in south-west London in April. euronews.com