Political situation in Georgia

New large protests in Georgia - tear gas is used

Thousands of Georgians demonstrate for the second day in a row in the capital Tbilisi. Police have used tear gas and water cannons against the crowds, according to AFP.

The protests are a reaction to Prime Minister Irakli Kobachidze's announcement that talks on EU membership will not resume until 2028.

On Thursday, over 100 diplomats signed a letter in which they claim that the government's announcement is against the constitution, according to Reuters.
 

Tear gas against protesters in Georgia after EU announcement

Large demonstrations broke out in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Thursday. This after Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobachidze said that the country will not resume the paused talks on EU membership for four years.

According to TT, the police used tear gas and water cannons against the protesters who want Georgia to get closer to the EU. According to the country's authorities, 43 protesters have been arrested.

Georgia has been ruled since 2012 by the Russian-friendly Georgian Dream. The party also won the election last month, but the result has been disputed. Critics accuse Georgian Dream of wanting to take the country further from the EU.

 

Diplomats: Paused talks are against the constitution

Over 100 serving diplomats have signed an open letter in which they believe the Georgian government's decision to pause talks on EU membership is unconstitutional. This is stated by a Georgian diplomat for the news agency Reuters.

Georgia has formal status as a candidate country for the EU, but the country's controversial agency law that was voted through earlier this year effectively stopped the membership process, writes TT.

Organizations that receive more than a fifth of their funding from abroad are registered with the authorities to operate in the affairs of foreign powers, according to the agent legislation.
 

Economy

After the ruble crash: "Must adapt the economy"

The latest US sanctions have lowered the exchange rate of the Russian ruble to the lowest level since March 2022. Now Russia's Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov says that Russia must adapt, writes Reuters.

- It is clear that adaptation to the new anti-Russian sanctions will be necessary, both in terms of banking mechanisms and currency inflows.

The ruble's exchange rate stabilizes somewhat on Friday after the country's central bank stopped buying foreign currency.

Javier Milei: "My contempt for the state is endless"

Argentina's President Javier Milei has ruled the country for a year and during that time implemented major economic reforms to fight inflation and reduce the influence of the state. In an interview with The Economist, he explains the philosophy behind his radical experiment and the magazine describes him as the mole he claims to be.

- Every day we deregulate and we still have 3,200 structural reforms going on [...] my contempt for the state is endless, says Javier Milei to The Economist.

According to Milei, even neoclassical economics ultimately leads to "favoring socialism".

Whether the project succeeds remains to be seen. So far, major cuts in the public sector and a drastic devaluation of the currency have led to a reduction in inflation to 3 percent per month from 13 percent, according to The Economist.

Food prices
Record-high coffee prices - find bargains when you can

The price of coffee has reached new record levels after rising by around 20 percent in Swedish stores in the past year, notes TT. Matpriskollen's CEO Ulf Mazur advises buying on sale before the next increase takes effect in February.

- I myself will maximize my purchases, he tells the news agency.

The reasons for the rising price include a weak krona, rising commodity prices and reduced harvests in Brazil.

Swedish growth
Sweden's GDP rose unexpectedly during the third quarter

Sweden's GDP rose unexpectedly by 0.3 percent in the third quarter of 2024, compared to the previous quarter. The analysts had expected an unchanged level, according to Infront. On an annual basis, the increase was 0.7 percent, according to Statistics Norway's figures.

The increase was mainly driven by inventory investment, while foreign trade in goods dampened growth.

- Sweden's GDP continued to develop somewhat weaker than the historical average with small movements in most of the components of the supply balance, says National Accounts section head Jessica Engdahl in a statement.

At the same time, the Statistics Authority presents new figures from the retail trade which show that the sales volume increased by 0.4 percent in October, compared to the previous month.

The election in Ireland

Dead race in public opinion as Ireland goes to the polls today

Today, the Irish go to the polls and the state of opinion indicates an even election outcome. Conservative Fianna Fáil, Christian Democrat Fine Gael and left-wing nationalist Sinn Féin all get around 20 percent in opinion polls, writes The Guardian.

Since 2020, Ireland is governed by a coalition between former rivals Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. The current Prime Minister is Fine Gael's Simon Harris, who succeeded Leo Varadkar after he left last spring.

According to The Guardian, voters' most important issues are the high cost of living, housing shortages and immigration.

Polling stations close at 10pm tonight, Irish time. Given the tight state of opinion, a coalition is inevitable, regardless of who wins, writes Sky News.

Simon Harris' limp handshake could cost him his job

A dismissive handshake with a voter could cost Ireland's sitting Prime Minister Simon Harris the victory in today's parliamentary election, writes DN.

It was on Sunday that Harris ran into voter and care worker Charlotte Fallon in a grocery store. In front of the cameras of the Irish public service company RTE, Fallon said that the government had done nothing for the country's healthcare workers. A visibly annoyed Harris replied "I sure have" before shaking hands with the woman and walking away.

The incident saw Harris' Fine Gael party drop a whopping six percentage points in opinion polls in just one day and Harris has been forced to issue a personal apology to Fallon. 

Security around the Baltic Sea

China shipping company's lawyer: "There are no charges"

The lawyer for the owner of the Chinese freighter Yi Peng 3 has spoken to Göteborgs-Posten regarding the damaged cables in the Baltic Sea.

- There are no charges, says Zhang Hongkai to the newspaper.

Yi Peng 3 is of interest in the investigation of the two underwater cables that were damaged in the Baltic Sea last week. The Chinese ship has been stationary in international waters for just over a week. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) has called on the ship to head towards Swedish waters, but the ship has so far not heeded the call.

Zhang Hongkai further says that the situation is being handled by Swedish and Chinese authorities.

The cable breaches are being investigated, among other things, by the Swedish police as sabotage.
Security around the Baltic Sea

China ready to cooperate after the cable breaches: "Has close contact with Sweden"

China says it is "ready to cooperate" regarding the suspected sabotage of the underwater cables in the Baltic Sea, writes AFP.

- Currently, China and Sweden are in close communication on this issue, says a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The announcement comes the day after Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) said that Sweden wants to review the Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3, which is of interest to the investigation.

- It is positive if China wants to cooperate. It is important to clarify what happened. We have an ongoing dialogue, says Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) in a statement.

The Middle East Crisis Israel-Hezbollah

Israel warns against returning to southern Lebanon

Israel's military, the IDF, is warning residents not to return to 60 villages in southern Lebanon, the BBC writes. Those who choose to return are putting themselves at risk, according to the IDF.

It was Wednesday morning that the truce between Israel and Hezbollah came into force. Since then, both parties have accused each other of breaking it.

On Thursday, Israel opened fire on what it called "suspects". Hezbollah, in turn, accused Israel of violating the agreement several times.

Returning to a crater: "It's heartbreaking"

After the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect, the Jawhari family has returned to their home in the town of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon. But where their house used to stand, there is instead a deep crater.

- It is heartbreaking. Our world was turned upside down in a second, says Lina Jawhari to AP.

The house had long been the gathering place for the Jawhari family but was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on November 1 this year. AP joins the family as they search for belongings among the remains of the house.

- We are sorry that we did not take mother and father's photographs with us. But it never hit us. We thought we would be back after two weeks, says Rouba Jawhari.

Hezbollah leader: "We have won a great victory"

Hezbollah has won a "great victory" against Israel with the ceasefire, says the terrorist group's leader Naim Qassem in a first statement according to AFP.

- We won because we prevented the enemy from destroying Hezbollah [...] and from crushing or weakening the resistance.

Qassem calls it a victory that overshadows the summer of 2006, when Hezbollah launched a month-long war against Israel in which both sides declared victory after the cease-fire.

Furthermore, he says that Hezbollah and the Lebanese army will work closely together to ensure that the ceasefire is maintained, according to Reuters.

The Syrian war

Rebels have captured 50 villages - fire on Aleppo

Jihadists and other rebel groups have managed to take control of more than 50 villages and towns in northern Syria. It is the biggest offensive by forces critical of the regime in years, reports the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights SOHR, according to AFP.

The offensive began earlier this week and by Friday the total death toll had risen to 240, including some 20 civilian casualties. AFP reports that the rebel groups are shelling Syria's second largest city of Aleppo and that artillery fire has hit the university campus in the city.

It is the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that leads the rebellion and the Syrian regime has responded with airstrikes. Russia has also deployed military aircraft on the side of the Syrian regime. According to SOHR, the majority of civilian victims have been killed in the Russian airstrikes.

Details: Rebels have entered Aleppo

Syrian rebel groups have entered the country's second largest city, Aleppo, according to information from the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights SOHR, AP writes.

The incursion took place after the rebels detonated two car bombs in the western outskirts of the city.

Jihadists and other rebel groups launched a large-scale offensive earlier this week and have succeeded in capturing several towns and villages in northern Syria in recent days.

The Syrian military states that it has suffered major military losses as a result of the rebels' attacks in Aleppo and Idlib, writes Reuters.

According to AFP, the Syrian army says it is repelling the rebel groups' offensive in Aleppo.

 

Expert: Turkey is apparently involved in some way

The fighting in and around Syrian Aleppo is taking place in an area that is strategically important for Turkey. That is what Aron Lund, Middle East analyst at the Total Defense Research Institute (FOI), told TT.

- It is likely that Turkey is involved in some way.

Turkish President Erdogan wants control over Kurdish-dominated areas near Aleppo in order to gain access to groups linked to the PKK, according to Lund.

He notes that Erdogan's room for action in Syria is greater now that Russia, which supports the regime, is tied up in Ukraine. Next, there could be negotiations between Turkey and Russia, and perhaps also Iran, Lund believes.

According to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), jihadists have seized five areas in Aleppo.

Russia: We are aerial bombing extremists in Syria

Russia has carried out airstrikes against the anti-regime "extremists" who launched an offensive in the Aleppo area in northwestern Syria, AFP reports.

- The Russian Air Force is carrying out aerial bombings against terrorists and their equipment, warehouses, positions and artillery, says a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense according to Russian media.

Russia has been fighting on President al-Assad's side in the Syrian war since 2015. This week, jihadists and other rebel groups launched an offensive against Aleppo, and according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), they have seized several areas of the city.
 

The Russian invasion

The outside world's response
Trump's Ukraine envoy has a peace plan ready for him

Keith Kellogg, appointed as the US ambassador to Ukraine by Donald Trump, has previously laid out his preferred peace plan in detail. CNN reports.

He believes that the conflict should be frozen at the current front lines, that a demilitarized zone be introduced, and that future American aid should be conditional on Ukraine negotiating with Russia.

All plans for Ukraine in NATO are to be paused indefinitely - instead, a peace agreement with security guarantees is to be signed, according to the plan.

Sanctions against Russia are to be eased in the event of a ceasefire, and completely lifted when a peace agreement is reached. Ukraine shall not be prevented from trying to regain occupied land, but may only attempt to do so through diplomatic channels.

The future National Security Councilor Mike Waltz is reported this week to have considered Kellogg's plan.

Russian Defense Minister travels to North Korea

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov has traveled to North Korea to hold talks with the country's military and political leaders, AP reports.

It is still unclear what will be discussed. But the visit comes just days after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to agree a response to North Korean troops being sent to Russia.

The US and its allies have said North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to support the Russians in the war, with some also taking part in the fighting.

Ukraine's response
The former foreign minister: Zelensky and Putin have the same Trump strategy

The situation is dark for Ukraine - if it continues as it is now, the war is lost. That's what the country's former foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba says in an interview with the Financial Times.

He expresses gratitude for Joe Biden's efforts for Ukraine, but is not worried about Donald Trump's return to the White House.

According to Kuleba, Zelensky and Putin share the same view of Trump – they see him as an opportunity. Both are signaling their willingness to negotiate because neither wants to be the first to say no to Trump, he says.

- The first one to do that loses the game, right? Let's say Trump gets mad at Putin - will something change in revenge, something that strengthens Ukraine?

Zelenskyj willing to give up ground against NATO invitation

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy may consider a ceasefire if the country is invited to NATO, even if Russia does not return the occupied territories, he told Sky News.

- If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, the Ukrainian territory we control must be brought under the NATO umbrella.

The condition is that the NATO invitation takes into account Ukraine's internationally recognized borders, he adds. If the free part of Ukraine is quickly covered by the NATO umbrella, Kyiv can then negotiate diplomatically on the return of the Russian-occupied part, according to the president.

It is the first time Zelenskyy has opened for a ceasefire that includes continued Russian control over the occupied territories.