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Russian invasion The world's response
No decision on Russian billions during EU summit

No decision was made on the frozen Russian assets during Thursday's EU summit, several media outlets report.

Ukraine wants to take out a loan with the equivalent of 2,000 billion kronor as collateral. EU countries had hoped to push the plan further during the meeting and come up with concrete legal proposals on how it could be done.

In the final communiqué, the language was considerably more watered down, writes Euronews.

"The European Council asks the Commission to present proposals for financial support [...] so that the Council can return to the issue at the next meeting," it says. The next summit will take place in December.

The main reason is Belgium, where the lion's share of Russian assets are held by the financial institution Euroclear. The country is skeptical about the plan and fears damages, and has made a number of demands in order to move forward.

Middle East Crisis  Gaza War
Israeli Minister: Saudis Are Camel Riders and Palestinians a Lie

Israel should not seek normalized relations with Saudi Arabia if it is conditioned on a Palestinian state – Israel will never allow one to be formed. This is what the country's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, according to Haaretz.

– If Saudi Arabia proposes normalization in exchange for a Palestinian state – no thanks, my friends. Keep riding your camels in the desert.

The statement was made at a conference organized by the right-wing newspaper Makor Rishon. There, Smotrich also said that he hopes Israel can untie the knot surrounding relations with Arab states and "the lie called the Palestinian people, the issue and the state".

Smotrich later apologized for the camel statement, which also drew criticism domestically, including from opposition leader Yair Lapid and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
 

Russian invasion  Swedish reactions
Ukrainian Air Force: No Gripen planes in the near future

Some Jas Gripen will not be delivered to Ukraine in the foreseeable future. This is what Yuri Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, said in a television interview according to the state-run Ukrinform.

The road to that is full of technological and political difficulties, and fighter jets are complex machines that take a long time to manufacture, he continues, adding:

- These are agreements between governments, the plane is not just sold like that, and that makes it extremely complicated.

Ihnat also notes that the declaration of intent with Sweden regarding the plane is an important and positive signal, since Ukraine must renew its fleet with more modern and easy-to-maintain aircraft in the long term.

Climate Threat  Global Challenges
The use of coal power was at a record high last year

A record amount of coal was consumed in 2024, despite the world's efforts to switch to clean energy. This is shown in the annual report State of climate action according to The Guardian.

In terms of global energy production, the share of coal power fell while renewable energy sources increased, but the growing energy demand meant that overall total coal consumption still rose.

The report paints a bleak picture of the chances of meeting climate goals. Countries are still missing them, although not by as large a margin as before.

- There is no doubt that, on the whole, we are doing the right things. It's just not happening fast enough, says researcher Clea Schumer, one of the study's authors.