Author: Karlee Beste

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…

WASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) – Newly elected U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said on Thursday that funding to support Ukraine and Israel should be handled separately, suggesting he will not back President Joe Biden’s $106 billion aid package for both countries. Johnson, speaking in an interview on Fox News, has concerns about Ukraine funding in general, and believes any money for Israel will need to be funded by cuts elsewhere. He met Biden on Thursday and said he told White House staff “our consensus among House Republicans is we need to bifurcate those issues.” Biden wants Congress to provide…

The star of Daniel Craig’s Knives Out sequel is on the Greek island of Spetses, which with its glamorous mansions, hiking trails, and secluded beaches provides the setting of the Netflix movie. Spetses is an upscale affluent island of the Saronic Islands, where production for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery took place in the summer of 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The Greek island that has escaped mass tourism is the perfect place to enjoy a wonderful walk, as the distinctive architecture, cobble streets, and fragrant gardens packed to the brim with jasmine and bougainvillaea, make it a…

The Greek government on Thursday tabled in Parliament a draft law seeking to further reduce non-performing loans in banks’ portfolios by expanding the “Hercules” program. The draft legislation envisages measures to introduce greater transparency, more information and respect of debtors’ rights for servicers, modernize an out-of-court mechanism and expand protection for vulnerable debtors, improving the operating framework of a sale and leaseback agency, introducing measures to boost competition, such as loan offering from non-banking agencies, and expanding transactions through the IRIS system. National Economy and Finance Minister Costis Hatzidakis said that the government’s intervention for banks and loans combined the…