EU delays enforcement of sanctions: The European Union delayed putting more Ukrainian separatists and Russians on its sanctions list to give a Franco-German peace plan for Ukraine time to work. The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany will meet in Minsk on Wednesday to try to broker a new ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian government, Russia has sent 1,500 additional soldiers across the border and into eastern Ukraine. The fighting in the country continues, killing 18 people. German Chancellor Angela Merkel repeats preference for diplomatic efforts while US President Barack Obama said that sending weapons to Ukraine was an option but diplomacy and sanctions were primary considerations.
yahoonews.com, wallstreetjournal.com, telegraph.co.uk
Baltic Region prepares against Russia: Because of their common border with Russia, Latvia and Estonia have been preparing for the possibility of a so-called hybrid war. Latvian Defense Minister Raimonds Vejonis announced this on Latvian television. A hybrid war is warfare with soldiers and with military equipment but without nationality markings, supported by disinformation campaigns and cyber attacks. Latvia considers arms supplies for Kiev the next logical step, should the Franco-German peace plan for Ukraine fail.
bbc.com, telegraph.co.uk
Reactions to Tsipras’ speech: Greek financial markets sank further after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras made a speech showing little intention of sticking to the terms of the international bailout that has been keeping Greece afloat. Other European markets also felt some limited selling pressure due to concerns about Greece. British Prime Minister David Cameron chaired a meeting with officials from the finance ministry and the Bank of England to plan for a possible Greek exit from the euro zone. Germany’s Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble is maintaining an uncompromising attitude on Greece, declaring that he didn’t know how the markets would react if Greece abandoned its bailout.
nytimes.com, theguardian.com, dw.de
Swissleaks uncover large-scale tax evasion: International researchers have uncovered a new tax scandal, this time in Switzerland. The private-banking unit of HSBC Holdings Plc made significant profits for years handling secret accounts whose holders included drug cartels, arms dealers, tax evaders and fugitive diamond merchants. HSBC is among a handful of banks to face criminal prosecution for its role in a Swiss banking system that allowed depositors to conceal their identities and in many cases dodge taxes.
independent.co.uk, bloomberg.com, cbsnews.com
More refugees die in Mediterranean: At least 25 refugees have died from hypothermia while traveling from North Africa to Italy aboard a smuggler’s life raft in heavy seas. A surge of migrants are making the dangerous sea crossing despite the harsh winter conditions. The victims were among 106 people packed aboard an inflatable life raft. The Italian coast guard took on board both the survivors and the victims in seas with waves as high as 9 meters.
huffingtonpost.com, abcnews.com
OECD warns of stagnation: The leading economic thinktank OECD has said, European politicians must focus on policies to ensure that stronger economic growth goes hand in hand with fairer distribution of the financial gains if they are to stem rising inequality. The thinktank’s annual „Going for Growth“ report analyzes potentially harmful effects of some pro-growth policies on equality. The OECD noted a slowdown in the pace of structural reforms observed across a majority of OECD countries over the past two years. Implementing reforms that raise equality will unlock growth potential in EU economies.
telegraph.co.uk, theguardian.com
G20 Finance ministers debate measures to end tax evasion euobserver.com
Anti-IS coalition Ground offensive planned ibtimes.com
Thrifty Energy consumption in the EU down to its early 1990s level europa.eu
„I believe, the government in Athens will have to accept that a change of government does not mean that a country can neglect its previous commitments.“
European Parliament President Martin Schulz appeals to the Greek government to comply with contracts.
businessinsider.com„We see how external support has incited the ‚party of war‘ in Kiev and dragged Ukrainian people into the abyss of a national catastrophe.“
Russian President Vladimir Putin accuses the US and its Western allies of plotting the Ukraine crisis.
business-standard.com
Socialists win French by-election: The French socialists with their candidate Frederic Barbier reached 51.4 percent of the vote in the French by-elections, barely 800 votes ahead of the National Front candidate. The main conservative contender was knocked out in the first round. The FN’s Le Doubs candidate Sophie Montel managed in the run-off to increase her first-round score by more than 6,000 votes. The strong showing by Marine Le Pen’s National Front in the election is the latest sign of the rise of the anti-immigrant party.
financialtimes.com, reuters.com
New government for Bosnia: Bosnia’s three-member presidency has named a Prime Minister-designate in the first step towards forming a national government needed to push through economic reforms sought by the EU. The architecture professor Denis Zvizdic was nominated by the largest Muslim Bosniak party, SDA, as part of the ethnic power-sharing deal. He previously served as the Sarajevo cantonal premier and as the Federation’s parliamentary speaker.
reuters.com
Shooting in Marseille: Civil war-like scenes in Marseille just hours before a visit by Prime Minister Manuel Valls have shocked France on Monday. Hooded gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs fired on a police car in what local officials said was a drug-related incident between local gangs. Residents of the neighbourhood were told to stay indoors. Police seized seven Kalashnikovs and around 20 kilograms of drugs. 40 police officers were deployed, nobody was hurt.
reuters.com, theguardian.com
German politicians reject Greek reparations call: The German Economic Affairs Minister Sigmar Gabriel has said the demand for an extension of an international bailout renewed by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had zero probability of being met. Many Greeks blame present-day Germany for bailout austerities. Germany on the other hand does not want to be the one financing Tsipras’ election pledges. In 1960, Germany paid Greece millions as reparations for World War II and the many crimes committed by the Nazis. Athens has previously said that its receipt in 1960 was an initial payment, with the rest of its claims to be discussed after German reunification, which came in 1990. Athens has now called on Berlin to pay more World War II reparations to help offset billions of euros of current Greek debt.
dw.de
Muslims protest in London against Charlie Hebdo cartoons: Many thousands of British Muslims protested in central London against what they called insulting depictions of the Prophet Mohammad by French newspaper Charlie Hebdo. The crowds gathered near Prime Minister David Cameron’s office in London’s Whitehall government district and handed in an online petition to Cameron’s office signed by over 100,000 Muslims, denouncing those who had produced cartoons of the prophet, calling them an affront to the norms of civilized society.
reuters.com
Sweden discusses immigration: No other European country receives more refugees per inhabitant than Sweden. The country prides itself in being open and welcoming. Regardless, problems have been amassing. The accomodations are running out and workers have to deal with twice as many refugees as in the past. The far-right Sweden Democrats are now openly rejecting immigration. Other parties are starting to look at the issue critically as well.
npr.org
Hungary Oligarch warns Orban of media war abcnews.com
Great Britain Boyhood scoops best film and director prizes at BAFTAs reuters.com
50,000 Kosovo Albanians are said to have left their country since the beginning of the year on their way to Western Europe.
dw.de
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Is Greece’s Finance Minister an antisemite?: The new Greek Finance Minister Varoufakis has been grabbing people’s attention – with his clothing style, his argumentative tendencies and his career’s development: From Greek emigrant to Greek Minister. 10 years ago, Varoufakis was fired from a radio station for his antisemitic tirades. The statements he made then have now been dug up to expose Varoufakis as an antisemite. But a close look reveals what Varoufakis really said on the Australian radio show: Although Varoufakis took a stance that was very critical of Israel, the general accusation of antisemitism in this case is not appropriate.
spiegel.de