New ceasefire deal in Minsk: After 16 hours of negotiations in Minsk, Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko negotiated a 13-point agreement to end the war in Ukraine. Under the deal, both sides must stop firing on each other at midnight on Saturday. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is to monitor the cease-fire, but it cannot enforce it. Donetsk rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko called the treaty a major victory for the Luhansk and Donetsk people’s republics. The O.S.C.E. will also monitor the new local elections to be held in rebel territory before the end of the year. The United States said continued fighting ran counter to the spirit of the accord.
nytimes.com, theguardian.com, reuters.com
Meeting of finance ministers without results: The first Eurogroup meeting with the focus on Greece brought no new results. According to a report, a statement was within minutes of being agreed upon before it was torpedoed by Athens. The new Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis vetoed the deal because he was unhappy with it. Athens does not want to explore the possibility of extending its current bailout agreement. Tsipras and Varoufakis have repeatedly said the bailout agreement is over. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was prepared for a compromise. Finance ministers have a few more days to consider Greece’s proposals before next Monday’s meeting.
reuters.com, businessinsider.com, bbc.com
IMF aid for Ukraine: The International Monetary Fund agreed to a 15 billion euro loan to war-torn Ukraine as part of a new economic reform program. The fresh resources are meant to help get the country on its feet again and push through crucial reforms. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said, the additional resources offered by the IMF would be part of an international financing package.
cnn.com, bbc.com, dw.de
Security Council wants trade embargo against IS: The UN Security Council has passed a resolution to stop the terrorist militia Islamic State from raising funds through oil, antiquities and hostages. The Council banned all trade in antiquities from war-torn Syria, threatened sanctions on anyone buying oil from IS and al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front militants and urged countries to stop kidnap ransom payments. The 15-nation council unanimously adopted the Russian-drafted resolution.
dw.de, reuters.com, yahoonews.com
Stronger controls of EU borders: The European Union is set to call for systematic checks on travelers entering or leaving the passport-free Schengen zone without undermining the right to free movement, as part of a counter-terrorism strategy. EU governments have been searching for ways to stop Europeans going to fight with terrorist militants in Syria and Iraq. The 28 heads of state or government will also urge the European Parliament urgently to adopt a plan for countries to share airline passenger data.
reuters.com, euractiv.com
Military spending rises globally: The worldwide defense expenditures rose in 2014 after years of decline. The investments for military and security increased by 1.7 percent, according to the Military-Balance-Report of the International Institut for Strategic Studies in London. With 70 billion dollars per year, Russia has Europe’s biggest defense budget. Expenditures in Scandinavia rose by nearly five percent. The Balkans and the economically tormented Southern European states recorded declines in arms spending between 15 and 25 percent.
washingtonpost.com, faz.net
Reporters without Borders Decline of media freedom on all fronts rsf.org
WHO New Ebola cases show rise bbc.com
Fair taxation Parliament sets up a special committee on tax rulings europa.eu
„Vladimir Putin is winning the war of words.“
The former US diplomat in Berlin, John Kornblum, believes that the West’s diplomacy will not be able to match Russia’s propaganda.
wallstreetjournal.com„I am definitely worried. Time is running out. We need a deal on Monday.“
Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb is increasing the pressure on the Greek government to tackle its debt problems.
reuters.com
Sweden’s central bank follows ECB’s course: Sweden’s central bank followed the strategy of the European Central Bank and unexpectedly cut its main interest rate below zero. The country also launched a small stimulus program of money printing, or quantitative easing, to buy government bonds, in order to counteract deflation. Sweden’s economy is growing at a solid pace but even with that expansion, inflation is still under the central bank’s two percent target. Headline consumer prices fell or were flat for every month except one last year.
euronews.com
Former secret service chief to run for Turkish parliament: Four months until the parliamentary elections in Turkey. The head of Turkey’s powerful intelligence agency, Hakan Fidan has decided to enter politics in the run-up to elections on June 7. Fidan resigned from his post in order to run for a seat in parliament. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu praised Fidan’s decision to run, saying he’d served his country well. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opposes Fidan’s desire to run for Parliament. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc also criticised Fidan’s decision, saying he was far more important at the helm of the intelligence agency.
taz.de
Poland in conflict with coal miners union: The European Union’s biggest coal producer, Jastrzebska Spolka Weglowa SA, will resume talks with unions to end a two-week strike and avoid a possible collapse. A mediator is going to the Polish region of Silesia where five JSW mines are based to help with negotiations over a cost-cutting plan. Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz warned of the company’s collapse as production halted and almost 5,400 workers staged a sit-in strike. State-controlled JSW is seeking ways to cut costs after a global slump in coal prices worsened earnings.
bloomberg.com
Possible islamic terrorist arrested in Vienna: A Chechen living in Austria was arrested under suspicion of participation in a terrorist organization and the financing of terrorism. According to spokeswoman Nina Bussek, the arrest took place on Monday. The 36-year-old is being accused of collecting funds for the „Emirate Caucasus“, a terrorist organization which fights for Islamic rule in Caucasus.
derstandard.at
Kosovo women fight for right of succession: Many people in the Kosovo and the Balkans still believe that property should be inherited within the male line of descendants. Women are excluded, even though they have a legal right to an inheritance. Many officials and activits are attempting to change this thinking with different promotional campaigns. Women have been fighting for their rights in front of Courts but are still met with strong resistance from traditionalists.
nzz.ch
Netherlands No Amnesty for MH17 attackers nltimes.nl
Great Britain Markets hope for turnaround in 2016 reuters.com
Spain Toxic orange cloud spreads after chemical blast near Barcelona reuters.com
10,451 offenses were committed by right-wing extremists in Germany in the year 2014. Extreme right attacks have left 431 people injured, according to a report of the German Ministry of the Interior.
tagesspiegel.de, telegraph.co.uk
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Australia to compete in song contest: This year’s theme of the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna is „Building Bridges“, and the bridges are being built far. Australia is invited to compete in the Grand Finale in Austria, bringing the total amount of represented nations to 40. Although the country is nowhere near Europe, Australia has a huge fanbase for the European talent contest, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The show plans to lift itself to a new global level by issuing a one-off invitation to Australia.
bbc.com, npr.org