Author: staff
Today is a make-or-break moment for the EU’s 21st sanctions package targeting Russia. After EU countries failed to agree on the ins and outs of the agreement last week, ambassadors are meeting again today in Brussels to finally clinch the deal. But can they hash out the remaining thorny issues? Next: European Parliament is trying to reengage with China after a seven-year diplomatic freeze. But despite the defrosting of relations, it’s clear lawmakers are unsure of what their stance toward Beijing should be. And finally, as Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” hits cinemas, a Hollywood culture war hits Greece. Do you have a Hollywood…
As the United States struck Iran for an 11th consecutive night, and Tehran expanded its offensive against Gulf States, Pakistan intensified its diplomatic efforts to salvage the interim agreement between the two sides after its collapse. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed “deep concern” over the escalating conflict, urging “all sides to exercise restraint and refrain from actions that could further destabilize the region,” according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office on X. The statement comes as Sharif held close-door talks with Iran’s Interior Minister Eskander Momeni on Tuesday. Momeni also met with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal…
A deal is still broadly expected, but more concessions may be needed before ambassadors can get it over the line. Seven people working on the package told POLITICO that several measures had already been weakened or dropped altogether. The package, presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in June, is the 21st since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. After 20 previous rounds, diplomats say the EU is running out of easy targets and increasingly colliding with powerful national interests. Sanctions require the unanimous backing of all 27 EU countries. “There’s no more low-hanging fruit, with 20…
“Why now? I have no answer on this question. I can’t see any reason for it,” said Bidnyi, a former bodybuilder. “Undermining the collective pressure that the international community has been building against the aggressor … it’s not a very honorable role for this organization.” The IOC said that the reversal did not represent any change in its view of Russia’s war in Ukraine, which it still condemns. However, it said the ban was relaxed because the Russian committee removed regional sports organizations from Russia-occupied Ukrainian territories from its membership, which was the reason it was sanctioned. Bidnyi said the…
By Euronews Published on 21/07/2026 – 19:41 GMT+2 On Tuesday, staff at Russia’s penitentiary system intercepted a cat being used to smuggle drugs into Penal Colony No. 17 in Nizhny Novgorod. According to the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN), the “furry offender” was wearing two improvised fabric collars. Hidden inside them were banned substances intended for inmates. Staff at the colony spotted the feline drug courier before it entered the facility. The animal was caught and its collars removed. A dog handler with a sniffer dog quickly arrived at the scene, and the dog confirmed that the collars contained narcotics. FSIN representatives…
“We will jointly determine an updated strategy of our defense [and] steps to continue the reform of the corps system, to fulfill the supply requests of combat commanders,” Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation on Tuesday evening. He also expressed gratitude to Syrskyi for previous successful operations in 2022 in Kyiv and Kharkiv and the 2024 incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. Joint Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi will become the Ukrainian Army’s new commander-in-chief, Zelenskyy said in his speech. Drapatyi is an experienced field commander who successfully organized the protection of Kharkiv in 2024 from a Russian…
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed four-star General Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief and appointed Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi to replace him, well into the fifth year of Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine. Zelenskyy announced the decision after days of mass protests across the country, triggered by the dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov over what he said was an increasingly fiery clash with General Syrskyi. Zelenskyy said that after numerous consultations with the military command over the past few days, it has been “determined how the structure of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is to be…
Published on 21/07/2026 – 21:50 GMT+2 US President Donald Trump pledged to help Lebanon “a lot” during a White House meeting on Tuesday with his Lebanese counterpart, Joseph Aoun, who travelled to Washington seeking US support for long-term stability following months of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. “It’s been a very badly treated place and country and we’re going to have it properly treated and treated with the respect it deserves,” Trump told Aoun. “We’re gonna help it a lot,” he said, without giving concrete details. Aoun thanked the US President for his support, writing in…
Security-Update: Trumps Iran-Falle – wie kommt er aus dem Krieg? – POLITICO Skip to main content
Former Russian and German officials entered Azerbaijan in mid-July for a possible meeting to discuss Moscow’s ongoing all-out war in Ukraine, President Ilham Aliyev confirmed during a press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Tuesday. Baku was not aware of this development until after the fact, according to Aliyev. “The flights statistics provide grounds to suggest that such a secret meeting was held in Baku,” yet Azerbaijan “received no notification regarding this from either Germany or Russia,” Aliyev said. “Our territory was simply utilised without our knowledge,” he explained. “If this meeting serves to end the Ukrainian–Russian…