News
Armenia asks Moscow-led CSTO to respond to Azerbaijan’s ‘provocative troop incursions’
France’s president Macron and US congressman Schiff express support for Yerevan.
Medvedchuk reappears, denies treason charges
Ukrainian opposition leader and Russia-ally Viktor Medvedchuk reappeared at the General Prosecutor’s office on May 12 and denied charges of treason levelled again him and his allies earlier this week.
Russia expels senior US diplomat and Moscow Embassy spokeswoman as US stops issuing visas to Russians
As the tit-for-tat diplomatic clash between Russia and the US continues, the Kremlin has expelled senior diplomat and the spokeswoman for the US embassy in Moscow in the same week as the US embassy stopped issuing visas to Russians.
German retailer Penny plans €1bn investments in Romania by 2029
Penny outlines expansion plans for the rest of the decade after hiking both profit and turnover during 2020.
Azerbaijani forces 'advance 3 km into Armenia'
Armenian security council meets. Acting PM stresses there have been no exchanges of fire as Yerevan works to resolve situation peacefully.
Bulgaria’s caretaker government sets rule of law, transparent snap election as top priorities
But no change of position on North Macedonia as interim government doesn't have authority to end veto on Skopje's EU accession talks.
Ukraine’s security council lists 13 oligarchs
Ukraine’s Security Council has drawn up a list of 13 oligarchs in an effort to restrict their influence on politics and curb their ability to earn economic rents from the state.
Russia again speaks of toughening gun control laws after school shooting leaves 10 dead
Russia could toughen gun control regulations after a mass school shooting in the Tatarstan capital of Kazan on May 11, in which 19-year-old Ilnaz Glyaviev killed at least ten people with a legally acquired firearm.
EU turns down Czech request for bloc-wide expulsions over Vrbetice case
Czech government suffers diplomatic setback as Josep Borrell rules out escalating tensions with Moscow.
Hungary blocks EU joint condemnation of China’s crackdown on Hong Kong
Orban has made it a top priority to foster stronger ties with China, which is building the Budapest-Belgrade railway and a Budapest campus for Fudan University.
Putin’s ally in Ukraine Viktor Medvedchuk charged with treason
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General charged Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian opposition party leader and personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with high treason on May 11; Medvedchuk has reportedly gone into hiding.
Iran’s president hits out at vetting body’s tightening of criteria for election candidates
Guardian Council wields ultimate power in deciding who can stand. Anyone cleared to run must, for instance, be deemed sufficiently pious.
Bulgaria’s president appoints caretaker government
Former defence minister Stefan Yanev to lead interim government until July snap general election.
Romanian, Polish presidents call for stronger Nato presence on the eastern flank
Bucharest Nine virtual summit took place weeks after Russian military exercises along Ukraine’s border raised tensions in the Black Sea area.
Turkey’s ruling AKP party 'drops 8.5 points in poll amid growing food poverty’
Take away assumptions made about floating voters and its standing falls another 7 pp to just 27.1%.
North Macedonia’s PM seeks to persuade EU to unblock stalled enlargement process
Zoran Zaev visited Brussels after Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi raised the possibility of allowing Albania to move ahead of North Macedonia, whose progress is blocked by dispute with Bulgaria.
Kyrgyzstan hits Canadian gold mine operator with $3.1bn fine and unveils law on state takeovers of companies
Moves will exacerbate fears foreign investors could face rough time under country’s new populist president.
ECHR deals big blow to Polish government-dominated top court
European Human Rights Court says company could not get a fair trial because of illegal government appointments to Constitutional Tribunal.
Germany deal to buy Sputnik V dead, but India to receive 360mn doses
A deal to sell Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine to Germany is dead, with approval by the European Medicines Agency still dragging.
Lukashenko signs decree on the transfer of power in the event of his death
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree that calls for martial law and lays out the transfer of power to the Security Council dominated by his son in the event of his death on May 9.
