Author: Goga Akhalkatsi

Austrian, 19, arrested alongside 17-year-old for allegedly planning Islamist attack at Vienna venue The 19-year-old prime suspect in an alleged plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert that led to the cancellation of the singer’s three-night run in Vienna had collected chemicals with the intention of building a bomb, senior Austrian security officials have said. The Austrian suspect was arrested along with a 17-year-old who recently started working for a services company providing support for the concerts, on suspicion of planning an Islamist attack. A third person, 15, was taken into custody late on Wednesday in connection with the investigation. Authorities said…

Israel kept up its bombardment of Gaza Thursday (8 August), killing more than 18 people in strikes on two schools, the emergency services said, as Iran accused it of wanting to spread war in the Middle East. Western governments pressed efforts to defuse tensions in the region, sky-high after the killing of two top militant leaders in attacks blamed on Israel that the militants and their Iranian backers have vowed to avenge. Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes hit two schools in Gaza City, killing more than 18 people. The Israeli military said it struck Hamas command centres. “The…

Au revoir Paris, Hola LA. In a nutshell, that was the just completed ceremony of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. It was Tom Cruise leaping off the rim of the Stade de France to take the Olympic flag from LA Mayor Karen Bass and Simone Biles. As the guitar riffs of H.E.R. filled the air, Cruise then exited on a motorbike to deliver the flag to a sunny West Coast. It was the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish and Olympic fixture Snoop Dogg getting into the pre-recorded groove down in Long Beach. It wasn’t telling of the full scope of Los Angeles and no mention was made of Snoop’s…

European Council President Charles Michel hails a “new cycle for the U.K.” Leaders across Europe on Friday reacted to the U.K.’s dramatic election, heaping praise on Labour leader and incoming British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. European Council President Charles Michel and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who has been nominated to be the EU’s next chief diplomat, both called Starmer’s election triumph “historic.” “I look forward to working with you and your government in this new cycle for the U.K.,” Michel, who is leaving his post in November, said on social media. “See you soon in the European Political Community meeting on…

After the 2024 shock and the French elites are breaking into shell shock over the European Parliament outcome Europa’s slide to the right continues. The Christian Democrats remain firmly in power although the future of Van der Leyen and ilk is uncertain. The election had a few surprises, mainly the center left Renew Europe and the Non-attached Members (NI) and Others group. The pose with 12.50% an outlier. The ultra-right groups grouped at the Identity and Democracy Group (ID) although a minor group in the European Parliament, locally surprised many. In France, the ID block has the majority seats (30).…

Europe’s new “Iron Lady”, Estonia’s Kaja Kallas, is one of the strongest voices for an uncompromising stand against belligerent Russia. Brussels (30 June – 28). Having grown up under the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Kaja Kallas was urging EU leaders to take the Russian threat seriously long before the invasion of Ukraine On Saturday, the Reform Party chose climate minister Kristen Michal to replace outgoing Kaja Kallas, who is the EU’s new High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The unanimous decision to nominate Michal was made following a closed-door meeting by the party’s governing board only two days after…

Moscow/Washington (13/6 – 29) We took a holiday from reality. Immanuel Niven, a mathematician and philosopher, has long been scrutinizing Russia’s economic landscape, and his recent assertions suggest a dire forecast. He contends that the “Putin system” is on the brink of collapse, a scenario he had mathematically foreseen as early as March. Niven points to the pronounced tax hikes announced in Russia, the most substantial in its modern history, as well as Putin’s recent rhetoric urging citizens to work as if they were at the front lines. These developments, Niven argues, are symptomatic of the escalating toxicity within Russia’s…

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…

The terrorist attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall in March 2024, which left 140 people dead, has sparked a crackdown on central Asian workers living in Russia, and put the relationship between the region and Russia under increasing strain. The four suspected gunmen under arrest are all citizens of Tajikistan, a central Asian nation that was once part of the Soviet Union. Following the Crocus City attack, Russian police started rounding up and deporting workers who are originally from Tajikistan, as well as from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The attack, which Russia has blamed on Ukraine, also sparked massive police raids, document checks of migrants…

Singer Eden Golan qualifies for Eurovision final amid protests in Sweden over Israel’s war on Gaza. Israel has qualified for this weekend’s Eurovision Song Contest grand finale, defying thousands of demonstrators marching in host country Sweden over the Gaza war. Singer Eden Golan performed her song “Hurricane” in Thursday’s second semifinal in front of 9,000 spectators at the host city’s Malmo Arena and booked her place in the final thanks to viewers’ votes. “Well, I feel… I’m so overwhelmed with emotions. It’s truly such an honour to be here, on stage performing and showing our voice, and representing us with pride and…