President Vladimir Putin accused NATO of preparing for war against Russia. In a speech at the Kremlin to graduating military officers and security officials, Putin said that Western countries have so far mainly supported Ukraine, but that there is now open talk of a conflict with Russia. According to him, NATO and EU member states are increasing their military spending and focusing on greater offensive capabilities.
On Tuesday afternoon, a delegation from the Afghan Taliban arrived in Brussels for talks with the European Union. This marks the very first time that representatives of the Taliban have been received by the EU.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov believes it is simply “not necessary to take the West seriously anymore.” But at the same press conference with foreign diplomats, he did emphasize that he actually fears Europe.
According to U.S. President Donald Trump, the deplorable condition of the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial is not his fault, but rather the result of vandalism.
Prominent Russian journalist Grigory Nekhoroshev (69), who in 2008 was the first to reveal President Vladimir Putin’s relationship with Olympic gymnast Alina Kabayeva, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Riga, the Latvian capital where he had been living in exile as a political refugee for 11 years.
Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi and eight members of her production team have been sentenced to 74 lashes, a two-year ban on leaving Iran, and a two-year ban on artistic activities. This is their punishment for holding a concert that was live-streamed on Ahmadi’s YouTube channel in 2024.
The protests in Albania have been going on for more than twenty days. Angry demonstrators have taken to the streets carrying signs featuring flamingos to oppose plans for a so-called Trump resort, but the underlying discontent extends beyond this single project. The planned luxury resorts by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the U.S. president’s daughter and son-in-law, are set to be built in a protected nature reserve known as a habitat for flamingos. The European Union is also viewing the plans with concern: according to Brussels, proceeding with construction could affect Albania’s chances of joining the EU.
Colombia is experiencing unrest in its streets following the narrow election victory of right-wing nationalist lawyer and businessman Abelardo De La Espriella.
Amid a back-and-forth exchange of threats, Iran and the United States are trying to build a constructive dialogue toward an effective peace agreement.
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his new Air Force One: last year, he received a Boeing 747-8 as a gift from Qatar, which has now been modified to serve as the U.S. president’s aircraft.