News
UK Foreign Office summons Georgian chargé d’affaires over ruling party crackdown
London officially condemns the Georgian Dream government’s crackdown on civil society, independent media and its political opponents.
Serbia gripped by civil unrest as road blockades continue
Thousands of demonstrators, led by student groups, have blocked key roads and intersections nationwide since June 29.
Russian forces take full control of Luhansk for the first time, advance in other new regions
Russian forces have reportedly taken full control of the region of Luhansk and a village in Ukraine’s east-central Dnipropetrovsk region, marking the first such advance in the area since the war began, reported Reuters, citing Russian media.
€220,000 Rolls-Royce owned by Russia-linked mayor of Kaunas hits pedestrian
Visvaldas Matijosaitis, mayor of Kaunas, Lithuania’s second-largest city and one of the country's richest men, struck a pedestrian with his ca €220,000 Rolls-Royce on June 30 at a pedestrian crossing in the city.
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SAS orders 45 Embraer jets worth $4bn in largest fleet deal since 1996
Scandinavian airline SAS plans to buy up to 55 E195-E2 aircraft from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer in a deal worth approximately $4bn.
Poland eyes border checks with Lithuania amid migrant pressure, but Vilnius left in the dark
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on June 30 that his government is considering reintroducing border controls with Lithuania in response to increased concerns about irregular migration.
UPDATE: Thai prime minister suspended by court over leaked audio – Cambodia regards this as Thai internal issue
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been temporarily suspended from her duties following a decision by Thailand’s Constitutional Court to accept a petition submitted by a group of senators,
Latvia eyes public spending cuts amid budget strain and MP rings alarm bells
Latvia’s government ministries have begun outlining a series of proposed cost-cutting strategies aimed at easing pressure on the national budget. More than 250 suggestions have been submitted to the Ministry of Finance.
US court orders Argentina to surrender controlling stake in YPF
A US court has ordered Argentina to surrender its 51% controlling stake in national oil company YPF as partial compensation for its controversial 2012 nationalisation of the energy giant.
Western Balkan leaders meet in Skopje to advance EU Growth Plan
Growth Plan aims to fast-track the Western Balkans' convergence with the EU through deeper market access, pre-accession funding and regional cooperation.
Turkey lifts Deutsche Welle ban
Turkey’s media watchdog RTUK has lifted a ban that was introduced to block Deutsche Welle Turkish back in 2022.
Emerging Europe growth resilient despite global risks, wiiw says
Economies across Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe are set to maintain solid growth in 2025 and 2026 but face downside risks from Middle East tensions, the war in Ukraine and US trade policy.
Trump formally ends US sanctions on Syria with July 1 executive order
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on June 30 formally ending US sanctions on Syria.
Iran MP calls Bob Vylan 'brother' after ‘death to the IDF’ chant
An Iranian MP has praised British rap-punk duo Bob Vylan following their recent highly contentious performance at the Glastonbury music festival in England, calling them a "brother."
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El Salvador’s Bukele offers to ‘ship inmates to Paris’ following fashion week controversy
El Salvador’s government has sharply criticised a Paris Fashion Week show by designer Willy Chavarría for featuring outfits resembling the prison-issue uniforms used in the country’s maximum-security Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT).
Poland ends the last of Russian oil imports
Poland’s largest energy company, state-owned Orlen, has ended its last contract for Russian crude oil and halted these imports, declaring finally that it has “freed the region from Russian crude oil”.
UPDATE: Thailand's Constitutional Court rules to suspend Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra
The court has agreed to consider her impeachment over a recent highly controversial audio clip that emerged as part of a territorial spat with neighbouring Cambodia.
Azerbaijan arrests Russian journalists as Yekaterinburg victims' bodies return home for fresh autopsy
FSB killings of two Azerbaijani brothers in Yekaterinburg triggered a strong diplomatic response from Baku.
Slovak MFA Blanár causes international outrage for his statements on forgiving Russia
Slovak Minister of Foreign Affairs Juraj Blanár has caused international outrage for his statement about the need to “find some way of cooperation and maybe also of forgiveness” to Russia.
Hungary imposes mid-year austerity on state-owned companies
The Hungarian government is introducing further measures to stabilise the 2024 budget after earlier signs that this year’s fiscal plan has gone off track.