Europe
Romania: pro-European wins presidential election
Nicusor Dan, the liberal and pro-European mayor of Bucharest, has defeated far-right nationalist George Simion in Romania’s presidential run-off, securing 54% of the vote. His victory followed months of political upheaval, including a…
Ukraine / Russia: delegations arrive in Istanbul, but not Putin
Peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine took a cautious step forward as Russian delegates arrived in Istanbul on 15 May for proposed negotiations. Volodymyr Zelensky had invited Vladimir Putin to meet in person,…
EU: court rules against EC refusal to release text messages to Pfizer
The EU General Court has ruled that the European Commission failed to justify its refusal to release text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla regarding Covid-19 vaccine contracts.…
Vatican: a new pope is elected
On 8 May Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago in 1955, was elected as the new head of the Catholic Church, becoming the first North American, American, and Peruvian pope.…
Ukraine: Putin announces three-day ceasefire
Vladimir Putin has announced a new three-day unilateral ceasefire, to run from 8 to 10 May, coinciding with Russia’s World War II commemorations. It follows a previous thirty-hour Easter ceasefire, which critics say…
Spain / Portugal: cause of massive power cut still not known
A widespread power cut on 28 April disrupted millions across Spain and Portugal, prompting investigations and huge public concern. Portugal’s national grid operator, REN, attributed the blackout to a rare atmospheric phenomenon which…
Türkiye: ‘treat Istanbul quake as a serious warning’
The recent 6.2 magnitude earthquake which struck Istanbul on 23 April is being seen as a serious warning rather than a release of seismic energy, according to Japanese earthquake expert Yoshinori Moriwaki. While…
Ukraine: Trump’s one-sided peace proposal
The USA has presented Ukraine with a controversial one-page peace framework, described as Donald Trump’s ‘final offer’, which would grant significant concessions to Russia, including recognition of its occupation of Crimea and of…
EU imposes fines on two US firms
The EU has fined Apple €500 million and Meta €200 million under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), its first enforcement action against Big Tech under the new law. Apple was penalised for limiting…
UK bans EU cheese and meat imports
The Government has introduced a temporary ban on travellers bringing cheese, meat, and dairy products from the EU, aiming to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. The new rules prohibit items such as…
