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Europe
France
22/01/2025 France saw 1,570 anti-Semitic acts in 2024, at levels unseen in recent years as the Israel-Hamas war raged in Gaza, the country's main Jewish organisation, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), an umbrella body of French Jewish groups said today. The figures only cover acts that have been the subject of a complaint, and therefore "this does not cover the entire phenomenon of anti-Semitism in France," CRIF president Arfi told. "Unfortunately, a large part of the phenomenon does not give rise to complaints, particularly in schools," he added. France is home to Europe's largest Jewish community and the third-largest in the world after Israel and the United States. (Source: France24 / AFP)
Poland
Jan. 24, 2025 Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk favours cutting benefits for refugees and migrants living and working in Poland, including Ukrainians - a proposal first put forward by the opposition PiS party. Tusk said the government will urgently look into the proposal, which was also put forward by his party’s presidential candidate Trzaskowski, the incumbent mayor of Warsaw. We cannot make the same mistake as some Western countries, such as Germany or Sweden, where it was advantageous to come only for social benefits, said Trzaskowski. He proposed to allow Ukrainians to receive benefits such as the 800 zloty (€190) monthly child benefit programme, but only if they work, live, and pay taxes in Poland. In the ruling coalition the Left is strongly opposing the proposal. The "800 plus" benefit is a Polish government programme which was introduced by PiS after its 2015 election victory and maintained by Tusk's coalition after it came to power in 2023. It provides financial support to families with children - currently a monthly payment of 800 zlotys (€190) for each child under the age of 18, an increase from the previous 500 zlotys. The benefit is universal, available to all eligible families, regardless of income level. The already-submitted PiS proposal limits the 800-plus programme to families who work in the country and pay taxes. Following February 2022 and the significant influx of war refugees arriving in Poland, the benefit was extended to Ukrainian children. However, the media reported on buses travelling from Ukraine to Poland solely to collect the monthly allowance. From the school year 2024/2025, the payment of the 800-plus benefit was linked to school attendance, which reduced the number of beneficiaries by 20,000. (Source: Euractiv - Headquarters Brussels, Belgium)
European Central Bank
(2025/1/24) 'We need to keep the savings at home. Maybe it is also time to import a few of the talents that would be disenchanted, for one reason or the other, from another side of the sea,' talked up the benefits of Trump’s election for the sluggish EU bloc European Central Bank president Lagarde on the final day of Davos. Most influential Democrats are non-fussed and staying in New York anyway. At the same time Lagarde admitted executives are not very upbeat about future growth this side of the pond and said the EU leaders needed to actually get their act together. Might not be a good idea to rely on upset Democrats for an entire continent’s growth… (Guido Fawkes - United Kingdom)
European Commission
(Friday), 24/01/2025 The EU is already preparing a 16th package of sanctions against Russia, with the view to approving them in late February. Since February 2022, the bloc has brought in sweeping bans on trade with Russia in energy, technology, finance, luxury goods, transport and broadcasting, among others. It's also frozen €210 billion assets held by the Russian central bank within the bloc, which have been used to back a multi-billion-euro loan for Kyiv. Those could all soon be put into question. The restrictions, designed to cripple Moscow's ability to finance its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, need to be prolonged every six months by unanimity, and the next deadline is 31 January. With a key deadline set to expire next week, Viktor Orbán and his deputies have raised the spectre of vetoing EU sanctions against Russia. If Hungary will use its veto to block the rollover, would trigger the collapse of a sanctions regime built across 15 packages, and depriving the EU of its tool against the Kremlin. The Hungarian envoy also made a number of requests concerning energy policy, and in particular Ukraine's recent decision to terminate the transit of Russian gas through Hungary. The decision, taken by President Zelenskyy has met with a furious reaction from Hungary and Slovakia, two landlocked countries that still purchase Russian fossil fuels. Earlier this month, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened to use his veto power in retaliation. The Commission has said it has no interest in extending the transit of Russian gas. It is an issue for Europe, an issue for central Europe. Foreign affairs ministers meet on Monday and Hungary's representative, Szijjártó, announces his country's position. (Source: euronews)
(23 January 2025) The EU and the United States should settle any potential transatlantic trade conflicts as quickly as possible to avoid a trade war. By March 2019 the EU began to view Beijing’s assertive economic and trade policies with greater skepticism. The Commission led by Juncker published a strategy paper describing China as the EU’s “partner, competitor, and systemic rival,” a departure from the EU’s previous approach focused on engagement and cooperation with China in almost all economic and technological areas. Throughout 2019-2020 countries like Hungary, Italy, and Germany were favoring continued economic engagement. The expectation that China would deliver on promises of reciprocal market access and adherence to WTO rules faded gradually. The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) concluded in December 2020 was the highpoint of intensive economic engagement. Its rejection by the European Parliament only a couple of months later already indicated a new, much tougher EU policy toward China, further reinforced by China’s lack of transparency and cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU had to tackle Beijing’s domestic industrial subsidies, export overcapacities, and efforts to dominate high-tech industries like solar panels and electric vehicles (EVs). The EU also confronted China’s economic support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, increasing influence in the global south, and ’efforts to drive a wedge between the EU and the United States’. Beijing also exploited the EU’s difficulties and absence of appropriate legislation to successfully counter China’s assertive economic and political actions. The Commission developed a toolkit to defend the EU against China’s policies. The publication of the European Economic Security Strategy of June 2024, highlighted the Commission’s new resolve to ‘de-risk’ from China with instruments to protect the Single Market and counter political coercion against EU members. The toolkit is consisting of seven complex legislative measures: The EU Foreign Subsidy Regulation of 2023 – to achieve a level playing field for all market participants within the Single Market; The EU Anti-Coercion Instrument of 2023 – to deter coercive actions by foreign governments against EU member state countries, such as Lithuania, with the help of the imposition of import tariffs; The International Procurement Instrument of 2022 – the possibility to exclude non-EU countries from EU public tenders if there are reciprocity problems; The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Instrument of 2022 – companies can be fined if they tolerate human-rights violations in their production lines; The Critical Raw Materials Act of 2024 – which is meant to bring about greater diversification in obtaining these materials; The Net Zero Industry Act of 2024 – which is meant to reduce pollution significantly; The European Economic Security Strategy of 2023 – reducing and de-risking/diversifying European supply chains and critical infrastructure dependence away from China. China is the EU's third-largest partner for exports and the biggest for imports. During her second term, Commission President der Leyen has set three key priorities: 1) „to modernize the EU economy, including advancing the European Green Deal’, and increase the EU’s competitiveness along the lines of the reports by Draghi and Letta; 2) ’to increase defense budgets across EU member states’; and 3) ’to pursue an even firmer de-risking approach toward China’. 'Aligning the EU's China policy more closely with that of the United States', she also intends to revamp the US-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC), in which transatlantic policy toward China is often discussed and shaped. 'To achieve these goals, der Leyen has consolidated her own political position within the Commission'. There are five Commissioners who will have major responsibility for shaping the EU’s China policy. 'They all indicated high skepticism towards China’s economic and trade policies' and a clear and close alignment with the US position on China. Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy Séjourné’s primary focus will be enhancing EU’s strategic autonomy. In his confirmation hearing he expressed strong support for EU’s tariffs on Chinese EVs and the need to tackle China’s export overcapacity that is threatening EU’s competitiveness. Šefčovič, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency announced plans to rebalance EU-China relations and take on Beijing’s unfair trade practices as well as revamp the US-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) 'to coordinate transatlantic policies toward China'. Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space, has expressed concerns about China increasing its defense budget and becoming more militarized and aggressive. 'Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy plans to increase the EU’s role in the Indo-Pacific and intensify the EU’s relations with India and the African continent. She emphasized the need to counter China’s support of Russia’s war in Ukraine and its increasing influence in the global south'. 'Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification, has been a key figure in EU’s imposition of tariffs on Chinese EVs and has vowed to continue with such an approach'. All 27 EU member states will have to agree on a ’firmer and more assertive’ EU policy toward China. The much more assertive, no-nonsense approach toward China may well lead to a deterioration of EU-China relations, though both sides remain dependent on each other for trade and technology. Neither side can afford truly bad economic relations or even a trade war with each other. After ever deteriorating relations with the United States, China can hardly afford to antagonize the EU too much. The global south and Russia cannot replace the important, if not crucial role Europe has for China’s economy and technological development. It is also difficult for Europe to truly ‘de-risk’ and diversify its trade and investment away from China. An increasingly protectionist policy pursued by US policymakers will make this even more difficult. (Source: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars - Headquarters Washington D.C., U.S.)
by Larres, Global Fellow;
Krasno, Distinguished Professor in History & International Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Russia
January 24, 2025 Multiple Russian mobile operators and internet services experienced a major outage today morning, according to monitoring sites Sboi.rf, Downradar, and Downdetector. The disruption was also reported by Russia’s telecommunications regulator, Roskomnadzor, and the country’s Main Radio Frequency Center. (Source: Meduza, Headquartered Riga, Latvia)
January 24, 2025 Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency briefly suspended operations at nine airports during the night, including Moscow’s Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports, as well as airports in Kazan, Samara, Penza, Saratov, and Ufa. Most of the restrictions were lifted by morning. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 121 Ukrainian drones overnight on January 24. These reportedly included 37 in the Bryansk region, 20 in the Ryazan region, 17 each in the Kursk and Saratov regions, seven in the Rostov region, six each in the Moscow and Belgorod regions, three in the Voronezh region, two each in the Tula, Oryol, and Lipetsk regions, and one each in Moscow and Crimea. (Source: Meduza - Headquartered Riga, Latvia)
23.01.25 Russia's $2.2 trillion economy had until recently shown remarkable endurance during the war, and Putin has praised top economic officials and business for circumventing the most stringent Western sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. After contracting in 2022, Russia's GDP grew faster than the European Union and the United States in 2023 and 2024. This year, however, the central bank and the International Monetary Fund forecast sub-1.5% growth, although the government projects a slightly rosier outlook. Inflation has edged toward double digits despite the central bank hiking the benchmark interest rate to 21% in October. Russia has hiked defence spending to a post-Soviet high of 6.3% of GDP this year, accounting for a third of budget expenditure. The spending has been inflationary. Along with wartime labour shortages, it has driven wages higher. Sustained high rates would put pressure on the balance sheets of businesses and banks. (Source: Telegraph India)
Serbia
January 23, 2025 Is Serbia heading for 'coloured revolution'? Protests started after the collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station on November 1, killing 15 people. What began as outrage over a single tragedy has snowballed into a broader movement challenging the 13-year rule of President Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The government’s attempts to placate protesters – including the arrests of officials implicated in the Novi Sad tragedy – have done little to quell the unrest. Vucic has even offered to face a referendum on his presidency, but to no avail. Vucic’s government is not standing idly by. In a bid to counter the protests, he announced the creation of a new Movement for the People and the State, aimed at rallying support for his administration. While Vucic has retained control of key institutions and enjoys significant support especially in rural areas and outside the main cities, the parallels to Otpor – the student-led movement that toppled Milošević in 2000 – are impossible to ignore. (Source: bne IntelliNews - Germany)
22. 01. 2025. Serbia is currently experiencing large-scale protests in the wake of the tragic collapse of a part of the Novi Sad railway station in November. The ruling party and the pro-government media have claimed on multiple occasions that the protests were supported from abroad. A group of people without any apparent involvement in Serbian domestic politics, was designated as a security threat and banned from entering the country. During the night of 21-22 January, a group of participants of a civil society conference organized in Belgrade were unexpectedly questioned by the police and then asked to leave Serbia within 24 hours. The conference was titled “Earned Income Strategies for Purpose-driven Organisations: How to Leverage Your Strengths and Navigate the Technical and Moral Limits of Markets” and was organized by NGO Academy, which is a joint initiative of the ERSTE Foundation and the Competence Center for Nonprofit Organizations and Social Entrepreneurship of Vienna University for Economics and Business. At least 14 participants of the conference were asked to leave Serbia for representing a “security risk”. They come from Albania, Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, and Slovenia. (Source: European Western Balcans - owned and run by the Centre for Contemporary Politics think tank based in Belgrade, Serbia)
United Kingdom
January 24, 2025 Rolls-Royce lands $11 billion nuclear submarine deal with the UK. (Source:Greek Reporter)
Asia
Saudi Arabia
1/23/2025 Yesterday Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman told President Trump he’s willing to expand investments and trade with the US in the coming four years by $600 billion, according to the kingdom’s state-run news agency SPA. The commitment is large, it amounts to around 55% of the country’s gross domestic product. Trump’s secretary of state, Rubio, also spoke by phone to the crown prince overnight. Oil prices have dropped since 2022 and, at around $80 a barrel, are roughly $10 a barrel below what’s needed for the Saudi government to balance its budget, according to the International Monetary Fund. (Source: MSN / Bloomberg = U.S.)
North America
United States
Jan 24, 2025 In a post on social media platform X, Leavitt, Trump's press secretary said: “The Trump Administration arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals including a suspected terrorist, four members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and several illegals convicted of sex crimes against minors.” She added that hundreds of “illegal immigrant criminals” had been deported via military aircraft. Framing illegal immigration as a national security crisis, Trump has also allowed for military service members to act as immigration and border enforcement officers as part of his mass deportation program. He has also ordered the suspension of the US Refugee Admission Program from January 27, 2025. (Source: Hindustan Times - India)
Thursday, 1/23/2025 President Trump addresses participants at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos today. /Video/ (Source: YouTube / CNBC = U.S.)
203 205 views
January 23, 2025 Trump said Biden received "very bad advice" to pardon five relatives - but not himself. "You know what the funny thing - maybe the sad thing - is? He didn’t give himself a pardon," Trump told Fox News’ Hannity in his first interview after assuming office. "And if you look at it, it all had to do with him - I mean, the money went to him." (Source: The Week - India)
January 23, 2025 External Affairs Minister Jaishankar has said that India was open to the US deporting undocumented Indians back to the country. Jaishankar said India was firmly opposed to illegal mobility and illegal migration. India was working with the US to deport over 1,80,000 Indians in the US who are there illegally. "We want Indian talent and Indian skills to have the maximum opportunity at the global level. At the same time, we are also very firmly opposed to illegal mobility and illegal migration." He said that was conveyed to Secretary of State Rubio. Trump on the third day of his Presidency signed more executive orders against illegal immigration. An executive order “suspends the physical entry of aliens engaged in an invasion of the United States through the southern border." The order directs the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and State to take all necessary action to immediately repel, repatriate and remove illegal aliens across the southern border of the United States. Meanwhile, the U.S. border agents have been told to deport migrants crossing into the country illegally without allowing them to request legal protection. This means that the US obligations under domestic and international law to ensure people fleeing persecution are not returned to danger no longer followed. One of the officials said Border Patrol agents were directed to swiftly deport migrant adults and families traveling with children under the president's directives, after taking their biometrics and fingerprints. Migrants who are not from Mexico are to be detained pending their deportation. Those with criminal histories are subject to prosecution in the U.S. under a long-standing practice, the official said. (Source: The Week - India)
23/1/2025 A fire has broken out north of Los Angeles, with some 50,000 people under evacuation orders or warnings. (Source: DW - Germany)
22 Jan 2025 President Trump has ordered raids on schools, churches and hospitals to enforce arrest of illegal immigrants in the United States. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. Under the policy, ICE is empowered to quickly deport undocumented individuals who cannot prove they have resided in the United States continuously for more than two years. (Source: Daily Trust - Nigeria)
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