North Macedonia: crucial election votes
10 May 2024
On 8 May, North Macedonia held parliamentary and presidential elections. If Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, from the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party, wins the presidential election, that could complicate EU accession talks. These talks have been delayed, partly due to…
US officials have accused Russia of using chemical weapons in Ukraine, violating international laws. They claim that the choking agent chloropicrin was used to make ‘battlefield gains’. The Kremlin has yet to respond but has denied…
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has denied Nicaragua's request for emergency measures to halt Germany's arms sales to Israel, claiming that this violated the UN genocide convention. Germany is a key ally of Israel and…
A deputy defence minister, Timur Ivanov, has been detained in Moscow, accused of accepting large-scale bribes. Ivanov, who denies the charges, has been overseeing military infrastructure projects since his appointment in 2016. There have been few…
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has sanctioned a priest who conducted a memorial service for Alexei Navalny, the late opposition leader. Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, has banned Dimitry Safronov, the…
Greece: orange dust from Sahara envelops Athens
25 Apr 2024
A dense orange haze has enveloped Athens as clouds of Sahara desert dust swept across Greece, marking one of the worst episodes since 2018. Similar clouds hit Greece, Switzerland, and southern France in late March and…