Author: Michaella Pauloti

NATO countries understand the need to spend more than 2% of GDP on defense, but the new spending target will only become clear next year after discussions among Alliance members. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated this on Sunday in Finland, as reported by Politico. According to Mitsotakis, NATO nations recognize the necessity of allocating more funds for defense. “Once we have discussions with the new U.S. president, it will become clear what figure we will agree upon within NATO,” Mitsotakis said. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, wants NATO allies to more than double their defense…

Wars are fought in many ways. In trenches, behind the wheel of tank, at the trigger of an artillery piece, in the rear supporting the troops. But the war in the Ukraine also fights with guile and disguise, deceit, surprise and humor. No intelligence, cold warriors, or secrecy but the unmistaken conviction of bringing the fight to the Russian regime. The team is led by a quirky former academic, a housewife, a gifted arty-farty guy, an editor, some journalists and a few volunteers. There is a cat-lady, a Thor of thunder, a bunch of nerds working out the quirks, and…

Brussels/London (16/6 – 33.33) The defeat of the Russian Federation is a foregone conclusion. It is a reality. It is a must. Victory for Ukraine is non-negotiable. It is an absolute necessity. As ironclad as Brussels, London, Berlin or Washington. As ironclad as the Normandy battlefield, Waterloo, Verdun, or many other spots on the planet. We, the ones living in this generation that saw the war erupted right in front of our eyes, owe it to the young men and women in the Ukraine who gave their lives for this conviction. An excessive number of sceptics advocate for surrender. We…

Sri Lanka has told hundreds of thousands of Russians and some Ukrainians staying in the country to escape the war that they must leave in the next two weeks, immigration officers said. The immigration controller issued a notice to the tourism ministry asking Russian and Ukrainian people staying on extended tourist visas to leave Sri Lanka within two weeks from 23 February. Just over 288,000 Russians and nearly 20,000 Ukrainians have traveled to Sri Lanka in the last two years since the war began, according to official data. Commissioner-General of Immigration said the “government is not granting further visa extensions” as the “flight situation has…

Following Türkiye’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership in the Turkish Parliament, the U.S. State Department notified Congress of a $23 billion (TL 698.52 billion) sale of fighter jets to Türkiye and an $8.6 billion sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Greece, another ally in the NATO. The sale to Türkiye includes 40 Lockheed Martin F-16s and equipment to modernize the existing fleet of 79 F-16s. Greece will receive 40 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters and related equipment. If the U.S. Congress does not object to selling F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye within the next 10 days, a long-standing dispute between…

US approval of the sale to Greece of up to 40 F-35 fighters as a counterweight to the procurement of F-16 aircraft and upgrade kits to Turkey rekindles the debate about the balance of forces in the Aegean. Kathimerini presents the Greek-Turkish balance of power in some crucial weapons systems – fighters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), frigates and submarines – as it currently stands and as it is projected to be in 2030, a year set by the Defense Ministry’s current civilian leadership as a milestone for achieving some medium-term goals for the Hellenic Armed Forces. Fighters The data we…

Copenhagen (13/11 – 37.5) When Ranil Wickremesinghe took over as Sri Lanka’s president in July after a popular uprising ousted his predecessor, the South Asian island nation was engulfed in its worst economic meltdown in 75 years. Since then, President Wickremesinghe has managed to a keep a lid on mass protests, improve supplies of essentials and on Monday, secured a nearly $3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that opens the door to restructuring about $58 billion of debt and receive funding from other lenders. He has done that despite a deeply unpopular government, his own party commanding just one…

Economy and Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis urged more investors from the USA to invest in Greece, in his speech on Monday at the 25th Invest in Greece forum organised by Capital Link in New York. The minister outlined the good prospects of the Greek economy, noting the spectacular increase in exports and direct foreign investments and the higher growth in comparison with the rest of the eurozone, at a rate that is expected to continue in the coming years.According to Hatzidakis, “in Greece today ….we have a unique opportunity; on one hand we have the right blend of economic policy…

Valencia, Turin, Madrid (28/11 – 25) Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia retained his MotoGP world title with many records; there are nevertheless signs that the Ducati rider will face sterner competition next season. The Italian rider won the 2023 season-ending MotoGP Grand Prix in Valencia on Sunday to clinch his second world title in a row. The protege of Valentino Rossi becomes the third rider to take back-to-back MotoGP titles since the introduction of the class in 2002. Only Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez previously managed to do that. Bagnaia is the first rider to successfully race and defend #1 in the…

British electricals retailer Currys (CURY.L) said it will exit Greece after agreeing to sell its Kotsovolos unit to Greek power utility Public Power Corporation (DEHr.AT) for an enterprise value of 175 million pounds ($214 million). Shares in Currys were up 5.4% in morning trading Friday, paring losses over the last year to 24.3%, after it said it will use the proceeds, expected to be about 156 million pounds after costs, to cut debt and reduce its pension fund’s accounting net deficit. The group said the disposal will simplify its structure enabling it to focus on its larger markets of the UK and Ireland and…