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An Agreement that is bad for Europe and potentially ruinous for Bulgaria.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister will address MEPs on Wednesday in Strasbourg. Prime Minister Denkov is set to outline his views on the challenges facing Europe and its future. One issue that he could address is an extraordinary agreement made under a previous Bulgarian administration that undermines EU energy sovereignty - writes Dick RoacheThe Botas – Bulgargaz agreement which was negotiated by two state-owned enterprises without EU input, advantages Russia and Turkey, opens a gateway into the EU for rebranded Russian gas, tramples on EU principles, and significantly undermines EU ‘energy sovereignty’. The BackgroundOn 3rd January the Bulgarian state-owned Bulgargaz and its sister company Bukgartransgaz signed an agreement with their Turkish state-owned counterpart BOTAS.The agreement was signed less than a month before the fifth Bulgarian General Election in two years. The deal was praised by the then Bulgarian Energy Minister, Rosen Hristov. Minister Hrist...

The decline of Austria’s foreign policy: a view from inside

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

Being a small landlocked country in Central Europe, Austria has traditionally pursued a policy of neutrality and non-alignment in international affairs, especially between the East and the West. However, this policy has proven to be ineffective and counterproductive in the face of the recent challenges and crises that have confronted the European continent.            One of the most prominent examples of Austria’s foreign policy failure is its inability to position itself in relation to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Chancellor Karl Nehammer sought to reinforce Austria’s neutrality following the outbreak of the war: “Austria was neutral, Austria is neutral, Austria will remain neutral”. However, this continued ambiguity in international relations has been criticised by foreign affairs scholars and commentators alike. Indeed, Austria did not provide support to Ukraine’s ceasefire agreement offer in March 2022, and did ...

Dear Abby: I’m on the verge of blowing up at my boss over my unofficial duties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

DEAR ABBY: My boss, who recently separated from her husband and is getting divorced, has moved within walking distance of work. The problem is, she can’t drive, and her daughter needs to be taken to and from school.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: The bride has no room for all the gifts she wants Advice | Dear Abby: They dated for a month, and now she’s threatening to reveal his private business Advice | Dear Abby: I’m tired of my husband telling me that he doesn’t intend to change Advice | Dear Abby: Is it out of line to tell him I’ll help him leave his odious wife? Advice | Dear Abby: After decades of gaslighting me, my mother refuses to admit what she did I offered to help her out with her daughter, but now she’s asking me to take her everywhere she needs to go.I have been accommodating and have done this for a couple of months. She has never offered me any money...

Kremlin seeking to eliminate me in Operation Maidan 3, Zelenskyy says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he’s aware of Russia’s latest plot to remove him from power by the end of the year.Zelenskyy told the Sun in an interview released late Monday that he had already survived at least “five, six” attempted assassinations since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with the latest campaign to remove him codenamed Operation Maidan 3.“It means to change the president,” Zelenskyy said. “Maybe it’s not by killing, I mean it’s changing — they will use any instruments they have.” The Kremlin’s deadline is “by the end of the year,” the president added.The codename appears to be a reference to Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan Revolution, during which protesters toppled the Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych.Russia has a history of assassination attempts against its opponents, and Zelenskyy has regularly alluded to the attempt...

Healey Pledges To “Hold The Line” On Free Speech

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

Without invoking specific protests or incidents on college campuses, Gov. Maura Healey emphasized Monday the importance of differentiating between free speech and potentially criminal conduct.“Unfortunately, I think you’re seeing more and more instances where demonstrations are lending themselves to action that is simply not protected under free speech doctrine,” Healey said at a press conference when asked about hate-based incidents on college campuses.The governor added, “I do want to be clear, there is a distinction, and I know that all of us who work together with law enforcement will make sure that we’re gonna hold the line when it comes to addressing that distinction.”At the University of Massachusetts Amherst this month, a student was arrested for assaulting a Jewish student following a UMass Hillel event focused on calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, according to Western Mass News. Also at UMass Amherst, about 60 pro-...

Germany’s defense minister is the latest foreign official to visit Kyiv and vow more aid for Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Tuesday and vowed to keep supporting Kyiv’s efforts to win its war against Russia.His trip came a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled to Ukraine and pledged American support “for the long haul,” including an additional $100 million in weapons from U.S. stockpiles.The visits appeared to be part of an international political effort to keep the war in the public mind as other issues clamor for attention, including the Israel-Hamas conflict.European Council President Charles Michel reportedly was also due in Kyiv on Tuesday, which is the 10th anniversary of what Ukraine calls its Revolution of Dignity. That uprising that brought momentous change for Ukraine, pushing it closer to the West and bringing confrontation with Moscow.Ukraine’s fight to push out the Kremlin’s forces has lasted almost 21 months. A recent Ukrainian counteroffensive apparently has yielded no major...

In the news today: No Canadians cleared to leave Gaza Strip Tuesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…No Canadians included on latest list of people cleared to leave GazaNo Canadians are on today’s list of foreign nationals approved to leave the besieged Gaza Strip today and cross into Egypt via the Rafah border crossing.Global Affairs Canada said in its latest update on Monday afternoon that 90 more Canadians, permanent residents and their family members made the trip over the weekend.More than 450 people with ties to Canada have now managed to escape the Palestinian territory where Israel is waging war against Hamas. —Here’s what else we’re watching …October inflation numbers coming todayStatistics Canada is expected to publish its consumer price index for October this morning, ahead of the federal government’s fall economic statement this afternoon.The annual inflation rate was 3.8 per cent in September and economists expe...

Thailand’s Cabinet approves a marriage equality bill to grant same-sex couples equal rights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved an amendment to its civil code to allow same-sex marriage, with an expectation for the draft to be submitted to Parliament next month.Karom Polpornklang, a deputy government spokesperson, said the amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code will change the words “men and women” and “husband and wife” to “individuals” and “marriage partners” for same-sex couples to be able to receive the same rights that heterosexual couples receive.He said the law would guarantee the right to form a family in a relationship between same-sex couples, adding that the next step will be an amendment to the pension fund law to recognize same-sex couples as well.Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told reporters that the draft law is expected to be proposed to Parliament on Dec. 12. If it becomes law after Parliament’s approval and King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s endorsement, Thailand will be the third place in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, to allow same-sex mar...

Live updates | Hamas officials say hostage agreement could be reached soon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

Senior Hamas officials said Tuesday that an agreement could be reached soon in which the militant group would release hostages and Israel would free Palestinian prisoners.Israel, the United States and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas, have been negotiating for weeks over a hostage release that would be paired with a temporary cease-fire in Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid. Similar predictions of a hostage agreement in recent weeks have proven premature.Israel’s army is widening its operations across northern Gaza, where they battled Palestinian militants on Tuesday in the densely populated Jabaliya refugee camp, the territory’s largest.The military said forces are “preparing the battlefield” in the Jabaliya area, just north of Gaza City, and have killed dozens of militants in recent days. Troops discovered three tunnel shafts where fighters were hiding and destroyed rocket launchers, it said. It wasn’t possible to independently confirm details of the fig...

Canadians to get update on federal finances, new housing measures in budget update

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:49 GMT

OTTAWA — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to present the traditional fall update on Canada’s finances — a fiscal blueprint that’s expected to include measures aimed at getting more homes built. A senior government official, whom The Canadian Press is not naming because they were not authorized to share details publicly, confirmed Monday that several housing policies would be part of Tuesday’s fiscal update.The federal government is set to announce $15 billion in low-cost loans for builders as well as a $1-billion fund toward affordable housing, information previously reported by CBC News. The loans are projected to fuel the construction of 30,000 new apartments, the official said. The economic statement will also include help for local governments that are cracking down on short-term rentals. The measure, first reported by the Toronto Star, includes funding for enforcement and would prevent owners from claiming expenses-based tax deductions on their rental...