Author: Kalomira Dimidi

Berlin (29/2 – 30). Ukrainian officials are concerned that Russian advances could gain significant momentum by the summer unless their allies can increase the supply of ammunition, according to a person familiar with their analysis. Internal assessments of the situation on the battlefield from Kyiv are growing increasingly bleak as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold off Russian attacks while rationing the number of shells they can fire. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Thursday that mistakes by frontline commanders had compounded the problems facing Ukraine’s defense around Avdiivka, which was captured by Russian forces this month. Syrskyi said he’d sent in more…

Ankara (17/12 – 60). Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said on December 15 that Turkey is willing to provide military training for Syria’s army if requested by the country’s new authorities. “[Turkey] is ready to provide the necessary support if the new administration requests it,” Guler said. Despite Ankara denying that it provided support for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — a designated terrorist group that led the overthrow of former dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime earlier this month — President-elect Donald Trump characterized the post-Assad situation as an “unfriendly takeover” by Turkey during a news conference on December 16. In a…

Women’s clothes are high on the government’s agenda once again in Tajikistan, where authorities and Islamic leaders are working on new guidelines on what women should wear to work and during their leisure time. The new dress code — the second of its kind in six years — is expected to be made public in the coming days, and a special event is reportedly being planned for the capital, Dushanbe, in August to showcase compliant clothes. Sulaimon Davlatzoda, the head of the state Committee for Religious Affairs and the Regulation of Traditions, told a press briefing in the capital this week that…

Sanjiva Weerawarana is a Sri Lankan success story. He founded enterprise software firm WSO2 in 2005, got it close to $100 million in ARR as its CEO, then sold it to private equity firm EQT for $600 million in May. He sometimes drives for Uber, too. Sri Lanka isn’t renowned for its startup ecosystem, but one company has been something of an outlier in the South Asian island nation these past two decades. WSO2, an open source enterprise software provider with customers such as Samsung, Axa, and AT&T, recently agreed to be acquired by private equity giant EQT, at a valuation TechCrunch reported at the time…

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu has unveiled plans to expedite the construction of a second highway bridge at the İpsala border crossing with Greece. In a written statement on Dec. 10, Uraloğlu said the project spans around 1,500 meters, commencing from the exit of İpsala customs facilities to the entrance of Kipoi town’s (Bahçeköy in Turkish) checkpoint. Notably, the existing Meriç (Evros in Greek) River bridge, dating back to 1958, has been deemed insufficient to handle the escalating heavy vehicle traffic and the surge in tourist activity. Highlighting the collaborative efforts between Türkiye and Greece, Uraloğlu recalled the memorandum of understanding signed in Athens in 2004, marking…

The Ukrainian counteroffensive has stalled. For the first time since the outbreak of the war, the feeling that Russia may actually be winning is taking root. The long-applauded western resolve in support of Ukraine is waning. The western Balkans are broiling. And next year’s presidential election in the US does not bode well for Europe. In this context, the timing of the summit of EU leaders on 14-15 December could make it the most consequential in the bloc’s recent history. For EU leaders, there is pressure to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and agree a €50bn package of financial help for Kyiv –…

Combient Foundry CEO Lauri Lehtovuori explores how generative AI can revolutionise Europe’s heavy industries, driving economic growth, enhancing sustainability, and boosting labor productivity. Three-quarters of the world’s €94 trillion in gross domestic product is made up of heavy industries, such as manufacturing, material production and extraction, and logistics. At the same time, generative AI is still a largely untapped opportunity for these traditional sectors. An economic imperative A recent McKinsey report highlights the substantial potential of generative AI in creating additional value for the global economy. With total economic benefits ranging from approximately €5.7 trillion to €7.4 trillion, generative AI…

This year is expected to be the best since Fraport Greece took over the management of the 14 regional airports. As estimated by the company’s general director of development, George Vilos, the number of passengers this year will reach 33.8 million and will be 8.3% higher than in 2022. Already, between January and October, the largest airports in the region served by 3.5% more visitors compared to the whole of last year. Also, on average, during this November passenger traffic at the 14 airports of Fraport Greece is 15% higher than the same month of 2022. Despite these best performances…

Dealing with inflation, especially greedflation, is primarily issue of social responsibility, says development minister Greece fined two giant multinational companies for excessive profit margins, announced the development ministry on Thursday. The maximum fine of €1 million ($1.07 million) for each was imposed on subsidiaries of Procter and Gamble and Unilever after inspections by Interagency for Market Control (DIMEA) units revealed that they had violated recent laws on curbing phenomena of unfair profit-taking, a statement by the ministry read. The Development Minister Kostas Skrekas said, “We have made clear in all tones and in all directions that nobody is above the…

Canada is using Greece to help its citizens escape Israel-Hamas war A bomb scare unfolded at Athens International Airport on Thursday evening on an airplane shuttling Canadian citizens from Israel to Greece, when an alleged Canadian journalist orchestrated a prank. Media report that the individual approached an information kiosk at the airport and falsely claimed that there was a bomb on the plane arriving from Tel Aviv. Security and trained dogs conducted an inspection of the plane but found no bomb. The 27-year-old said he was a journalist assigned to report on the Canadian Air Force evacuation of Canadians from…