Author: Karlee Beste

Greece is facing a nationwide strike as workers from both public and private sectors protest soaring living costs. Unions are demanding “dignified wages” amid rising inflation and high housing costs. The 24-hour strike is expected to disrupt government services, schools, hospitals, and public transport across the country. Union leaders accuse the government of failing to tackle the cost of living crisis, which has left many Greeks struggling. With wages stagnating, low-income workers are forced to survive on a minimum wage of under €900 a month, despite high costs for basic necessities like housing. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has pledged to…

Greece is reissuing government bonds with a 3.375% fixed interest rate, maturing on June 15, 2034, to meet investor demand and support the secondary bond market. The Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) announced that up to €250 million will be auctioned on November 20, with settlement scheduled for November 27, 2024. Participation is restricted to primary dealers (PDs), who can submit competitive bids via the HDAT trading platform. Accepted bids will be satisfied at the cut-off price, with no commission provided for the bonds. Auction results will influence PD evaluations. Additionally, Greece is preparing to repay approximately €8 billion in…

Kiev (6/6 – 33.33) The air was thick with tension as the elite Ukrainian special forces team, known as the “Steel Wolves,” huddled in a makeshift command post on the outskirts of a war-torn city. Outside, the sound of distant gunfire echoed through the night, a grim reminder of the relentless advance of Vladimir Putin’s troops. Colonel Yuri Ivanov, the commanding officer of the Steel Wolves, surveyed his men with steely determination. These were the best of the best, handpicked for their courage, skill, and unwavering loyalty to Ukraine. They had been fighting tooth and nail to slow the Russian…

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…

After more than a year of delays, the Turkish parliament voted Tuesday in favor of Sweden’s entry into NATO. Sweden’s accession protocol was ratified with 287 votes in favor, 55 against and four abstentions. The decision comes after the Turkish Foreign Affairs Commission approved the country’s bid for membership last month. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson welcomed the vote. “We are one step closer to becoming a full member of NATO,” he said. Only one country, Hungary, still must ratify Sweden’s bid for membership before it can join the alliance. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan echoed the Swedish leader,…

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Taiwan’s Defense Ministry says a Chinese military surveillance balloon was spotted in the Taiwan Strait, as well as a large-scale movement of military aircraft and ships. The ministry said the balloon passed southwest of the northern port city of Keelung on Thursday night, then continued east before disappearing, possibly into the Pacific Ocean. However, there seemed to some uncertainty about whether the balloon was operated directly by the People’s Liberation Army, the military branch of China’s ruling Communist Party. The ministry referred to it both as a “PLA surveillance balloon” and as “1 PRC’s balloon,” using the acronym…

One summit in San Francisco and the announcement of the resumption of another with dates yet to be worked out, both with apparently one goal in mind: bringing down tensions with China. While the Biden-Xi Jinping chin wag last month on the side lines of the APEC summit, appeared to have gone some way in that direction, the buzz is China’s president didn’t get what he wanted the most, an end to Washington’s technology sanctions. Nevertheless, the readout from Beijing was largely positive, indicating that both sides are depending on each other and the relationship has much to offer. The…

Ankara has warned Israel that it will face “serious consequences” if it tries to assassinate Hamas members on Turkish soil, reports said Monday, a day after recordings were revealed of the head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency saying Jerusalem is determined to kill leaders of the Palestinian terror group “in every location” around the world. “In Gaza, in the West Bank, in Lebanon, in Turkey, in Qatar, everyone,” Ronen Bar said in recordings aired by Kan news Sunday evening. “It will take a few years, but we will be there in order to do it. “The cabinet set a goal for…

Defence dialogues between Beijing and Washington have been restored following a rare meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden near San Francisco on Wednesday. However, analysts were less optimistic that these lines of communication could resolve deep-seated disagreements between China and the US on security in the Asia-Pacific. Disagreements over Taiwan and US sanctions against Beijing’s former defence minister have suspended these lines of communication for more than a year. Beijing halted telephone calls between theatre commanders as well as meetings to coordinate defence policy and discuss maritime safety after then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi led a US delegation to…

Turkey’s central bank pledged not to compromise from its current policy mix aimed at reining in runaway inflation, indicating that its actions are endorsed by the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The bank, which has raised its key interest rate to 35% from 8.5% since June, said in a biannual report that it’s seeing eye-to-eye with Turkey’s “decision makers” on the need to slow price growth, which surged past 60% last month. Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan’s remarks in the Financial Stability Report on Thursday highlight her efforts to convince investors that she won’t be forced by the government to…