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Europe
Poland
(Friday), May 16, 2025 Presidential elections: Thirteen candidates of all stripes are vying to be the next president of the Central European country of 38 million people. The electoral campaign in the European Union and NATO member largely revolved around foreign policy, showcasing a clash of philosophies over Poland's attitude towards the European Union, towards migration, towards the United States. It was a kind of identity campaign. And there was Ukraine. The job of Polish president comes with some real power. That has often stymied Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a former European Council chief whose ’centrist’ Civic Coalition (KO) has clashed on multiple fronts with conservative President Duda since coming to power in 2023. Tusk's KO is supporting Warsaw mayor Trzaskowski for president. Duda, who cannot run again, is allied with historian Nawrocki, endorsed by the main opposition Law and Justice party (PiS). Trzaskowski is the front-runner, with 33% of the vote in the latest opinion polls, compared with 26% for Nawrocki. With neither on track to win more than 50%, they will likely meet again in a runoff on June 1. Mentzen, the ’far-right’ Confederation party candidate is polling in third with 11%. The three candidates of the fragmented left have no more than 11% together. The governing coalition is hopeful a victory by Trzaskowski, 53, would enable it to fulfill its hitherto undelivered campaign pledges. Tusk's administration e.g. has been blocked from easing Poland's stringent abortion laws. Unfulfilled pledges - or ones carried out only partially or later than hoped for - have left some voters disappointed in the government. The difficult cohabitation would only be reinforced if Nawrocki, 42, becomes president. Poland's president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, steers foreign policy and can introduce and veto legislation. "With Nawrocki as president, the government would be paralyzed, and that could eventually lead to the fall of the ruling coalition," said political scientist Materska-Sosnowska of the University of Warsaw. The vote is also crucial for security, said Przybylski, head of the Res Publica foundation. Under Tusk, Poland ’has grown more important’ on the continent and reinforced its position as a ’key voice’ on NATO's eastern flank. Depending on the outcome of Romania's presidential election, Poland risks becoming the only large country with strategic security importance there. Tusk's government meanwhile is beginning to operate in a new paradigm where security is not uniquely based on transatlantic ties, Przybylski said. Last week, Tusk signed a treaty with France, committing both sides to mutual assistance in case of an attack by an aggressor. Nawrocki's politics are clearly linked to the mindset and approach of U.S. President Trump whose country the candidate touts as the sole guarantor of security. Nawrocki admires Trump, whom he met at the White House this month. The Pole claimed Trump told him: "You will win." ’Some lawmakers from the governing coalition have accused Trump of election interference. Days before the vote, Nawrocki received an endorsement from Romania's ’far-right’ presidential candidate Simion, who faces a run-off on Sunday. The two Trump fans vowed to work together. (Source: The Japan Times / AFP-JIJI)
16.05.2025 Poland will hold the first round of the presidential elections on May 18, Sunday. Only two days before the Polish elections a group of Russian hackers active on Telegram have attacked the Civic Platform internet sites, Polish premier Donald Tusk said on X. He added that websites of the other coalition partners, center-right Poland 2050 and conservative Polish People’s Party, have also come under attack. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Portugal
16/05/2025 Ahead of Sunday's vote Portugal prepares for its third early general election in three years. Polls suggest a fragmented outcome, with no clear majority expected. The ruling centre-right Democratic Alliance is set to lead, but questions remain about forming a stable government amid growing support for the 'far-right' Chega party. (Source: France 24)
Romania
(Friday), 16/05/2025 Romania's election campaign closes. Invited to a live talk show yesterday in Paris, Simion proclaimed his love for France and then bluntly accused Macron of dictatorial tendencies and stated that France interfered in the Romanian elections. The leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), Simion chose France as the finish line for his election campaign, reaching out to the decisive votes of the Romanian diaspora, also declaring his aversion to Macron. I don’t like Macron’s dictatorial tendencies, Simion said, to which the host replied that If you already call your counterpart a dictator, this is promising for Romania’s relations with France. Today, the hard-right candidate chose to continue the charge when he met the French media in an event organised by ’far-right’ French MEP Marechal, who endorsed Simion. With just hours before the end of Romania’s fiery presidential election campaign, the AUR leader Simion continued his attack, saying that Macron is not just dictatorial, but if things go in this rhythm, in 20-50 years we won’t be able to talk of the France that we know.’ It can become anything, maybe a caliphate or something else, Simion said. Simion accused French President Macron of interference. ’We don’t respect Macron who is trying to interfere in our election. He did it in December. He is doing it again now, through the French embassy,’ he added. „My message is very clear: this is none of your business. Nor that of Putin. It’s none of Zelenskyy’s business. It’s not Trump’s business. This is the decision of the free and sovereign Romanian people. You are not an emperor. You don’t even really love the French people.” While Simion was raging against Macron in the French capital today, his contender Dan, who studied mathematics at the Sorbonne in Paris, released a video of a warm conversation between him and Macron. In his social media post, Dan says that ’while my contender was insulting the French people right at their home, I had a dialogue with Monsieur Macron, while thanking him for his support. The video starts with Macron speaking in English to which Dan replies that they can talk in French, “because I spent few years in Paris long time ago”, in contrast to Simion’s talk-show performance in which he displayed an approximate French, ultimately switching to Romanian. During the call, Macron praises France and Romania's profound relations and legacy, concluding that what is at stake in these elections is ’of course the key to not only Romania’s destiny, but also ours. ’Therefore, the French president said, it is essential to have a pro-European partner involved in the collective security and economic modernity. Dan replied that security is without a doubt Europe’s main concern and this is the first thing that must be developed if he become the president of Romania. We must pass this Sunday for Romania’s direction to be clearly towards Europe, Dan concluded. The hard-right candidate Simion and the independent centrist Dan are neck and neck in the latest opinion polls before the vote on Sunday. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)
European Parliament
16/05/2025 Last month the Hungarian parliament passed an amendment to the constitution codifying the law banning public events that are considered to be in breach of the Child Protection Act, which heavily restricted depictions of homosexuality and gender reassignment. Events held by the LGBTQ+ community, such as the yearly Pride parade in Budapest were prohibited under the new law. A group of Members of the European Parliament is preparing to travel to Hungary to protest 'the government’s decision' to ban this year’s Budapest Pride. A delegation of MEPs from The Left to the European People Party is expected to join Pride march in Budapest next month. By banning Pride, 'the Hungarian government' 'wants to silence opposition', said Angel, S&D MEP and co-chair of the LGBTIQ+ Intergroup. Next Tuesday in LIBE committee, there will be a vote on this year's rule of law report and the European People Party (EPP) group has requested separate votes on all paragraphs that include the LGBTQI+ rights, he said, referring to language on same-sex marriage, gender recognition and conversion practices. Activists from Romania, Bulgaria and Italy warned that the situation is not limited to Hungary, citing rising violence, legal crackdowns and public hostility against LGBTIQ+ people across the region. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)
Albania
16 May 2025 European leaders gathered in Albania for a Political Community Summit. In an opening video clip, the heads of states were portrayed as babies. /Video/ (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)
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Ukraine
May 16, 2025 One of the F-16 fighter jets provided to Ukraine by its Western allies was lost today. Ukraine received its first F-16s in early August 2024. On August 26 it lost the first fighter jet. (Source: Meduza - based in Latvia)
Asia
Gaza
16.05.2025 More than 100 Palestinians were killed in several attacks carried out by the Israeli army in northern Gaza at daybreak today. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Turkey
Friday 16 May 2025 13:40 BST Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years today, gathering in Istanbul for Turkish-brokered negotiations. Officials and observers expected them to yield little immediate progress on stopping the more than three-year war. A senior Ukrainian official at the peace talks in Istanbul said that Kyiv’s delegation was prepared ’to achieve a lot’ today. He accused Moscow of introducing unacceptable demands that had not been previously discussed, including calls for Kyiv’s forces to withdraw from large swaths of territory they control so a complete ceas efire to be implemented. He said it seemed as if the Russian delegation deliberately wants to throw nonstarters on the table ’in order to walk away from today’s meeting without any results’. The Ukrainian side reiterated it remained focused on an immediate ceasefire and a pathway to substantive diplomacy, ’just like the U.S., European partners, and other countries proposed’, the official added. Ukrainian officials held an early-morning meeting with national security advisers from the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom to coordinate positions, a senior Ukrainian official told. The U.S. team was led by retired Lt. Gen. Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, while Umerov and presidential office chief Yermak represented Ukraine. A three-way meeting between Turkey, the U.S. and Ukraine also took place, Turkish Foreign Ministry officials said. The U.S. side included Secretary of State Rubio as well as Kellogg. Rubio yesterday said he didn't foresee major developments in Istanbul. ”Frankly, at this point, I think it’s abundantly clear that the only way we’re going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin,” Rubio told. Zelenskyy, meantime, flew to Albania to attend a meeting today of the leaders of 47 European countries. Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Umerov sat down with a Russian team headed by presidential aide Medinsky. The two sides are far apart in their conditions for ending the war, and Trump said yesterday during a trip to the Middle East that a meeting between himself and Putin was crucial to breaking the deadlock. Kremlin spokesperson Peskov told top-level talks were “certainly needed.” He noted that preparing a summit would take time. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)
16.05.2025 Turkey-Russia-Ukraine Trilateral Meeting. Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan said Ukrainian and Russian officials agreed in principle to meet again for negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire. The intense diplomatic talks, held under Türkiye’s facilitation, resulted in an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners from each side as a confidence-building measure. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
North America
United States
May 16, 2025 Trump administration working on plan to permanently relocate up to 1 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya. No final agreement has been reached, but the administration has discussed it with Libyan leadership. In exchange for the resettling of Palestinians, the administration would potentially release to Libya billions of dollars of funds that the U.S. froze more than a decade ago. Israel has been kept informed of the administration’s discussions. After publication of this article, a spokesperson told “these reports are untrue.” Such a plan was not discussed and makes no sense, the spokesperson said. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)
Fri, May 16 2025 Moody’s Ratings cut the United States’ sovereign credit rating down one notch to Aa1 from Aaa, the highest possible, citing the growing burden of financing the federal government’s budget deficit and the rising cost of rolling over existing debt amid high interest rates. The decision to lower the United States credit profile would be expected, at the margin, to lift the yield that investors demand in order to buy U.S. Treasury debt to reflect more risk, and could dampen sentiment toward owning U.S. assets, including stocks. That said, all the major credit rating agencies continue to give the United States their second-highest available rating. Standard & Poor’s downgraded the U.S. to AA+ from AAA in August 2011, and Fitch Ratings also cut the U.S. rating to AA+ from AAA, in August 2023. The U.S. is running a massive budget deficit as interest costs for Treasury debt continued to rise due to a combination of higher rates and more principal debt to finance. The fiscal deficit in the year that began October 1 is already running at $1.05 trillion, 13% higher than a year ago. Revenue from tariffs helped shave some of the imbalance last month. In early April, Treasury yields rose and the dollar weakened against its global counterparts in reaction to Trump imposing high tariffs on imported goods coming into the U.S., a sign that investors could be starting to move away from the U.S. as the safest place in the world to invest. (Source: CNBC - U.S.)
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