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Russian Invasion|Russian Reactions  

Russian economy unexpectedly strong - war addiction behind  

 

Despite harsh sanctions from the West, the Russian economy is unexpectedly strong, according to a forecast from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The growth rate in the country was three percent in 2023, which is better than any G7 country, and the strong growth is predicted to continue in 2024, reports the Financial Times.  

 

- They will not succeed. Our economy is growing, unlike theirs, President Putin said during a speech on Friday, adding that Russia has won over the sanctions.  

 

The growth is partly explained by the fact that Moscow's huge spending on the military has stimulated the economy. The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies warns that the economy is too dependent on military production and that a crash could come when the war in Ukraine ends.  

 

"The longer the war lasts, the more dependent the country's economy becomes on military investments," writes the institute. 

 

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The turmoil in Northern 

Ireland Historic day in Northern Ireland as Sinn Fein takes over  

 

Sinn Fein's vice president Michelle O'Neill became the first minister of Northern Ireland today. After more than two years of deadlock in parliament, O'Neill was voted into parliament on Saturday. She thus becomes the first from the Nationalist Party to lead Northern Ireland.  

 

After the 2022 election, in which Sinn Fein became the largest party, the pro-British DUP chose to boycott parliamentary work.  

 

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace after decades of unrest, stipulates that unionists and republicans will govern together and that the prime minister and deputy prime minister will have equal power. The difference between the two items is thus largely symbolic, writes AFP.  

 

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After US attacks: Security Council meeting this week  

 

The UN Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss US airstrikes against targets in Syria and Iraq, several media reports. 

 

The meeting is to be held on Monday evening and it is taking place at the Russian request. 

 

"We request an urgent meeting of the Security Council on the threat to peace and security posed by the US attack in Syria and Iraq," writes Russia's deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky on X.  

 

Russia is one of the countries that on Saturday has condemned the US attacks. The US states that the attacks were partly a revenge for last week's deadly attack on a US military base in Jordan and partly a way to stop attacks by Iran-backed militia groups in the region.

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Political situation in Senegal 

Senegal's president postpones planned election  

 

Senegalese President Macky Sall announces that the elections that were to be held in the country on February 25 have been postponed indefinitely, reports AFP.  

 

Sall's announcement came just hours before the election campaign was officially due to start and in a speech to the nation he referred to the impeachment of two judges in the country's Constitutional Council. It is the first time in the country's history that an election has been postponed. 

 

Sall, who has been president since 2012, announced last year that he did not intend to stand in the election and said then that he intended to hand over power to the winner of the election. About 20 candidates have been allowed to stand in the election, but about ten have been banned, something that has created great dissatisfaction in the country.