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Prominent Azerbaijani opposition politician Tofig Yagublu has been sentenced to nine years in prison by the Baku Serious Crimes Court on charges of “fraud resulting in substantial harm”. A member of the National Council of Democrat Forces and Musavat Party, he was arrested in December 2023 and was also charged with using forged documents. During the trial, Yagublu insisted his arrest was politically motivated. His co-defendant, Elnur Mamedov, who provided incriminating testimony, was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Mali said it was suspending licenses for foreign artisanal gold mining companies after a series of fatal accidents in the West African country, one of Africa’s top three gold producers. Gen. Assimi Goita, president of Mali’s transitional government, ordered “the suspension of artisanal mining permits granted to foreigners,” according to a statement issued following a Council of Ministers meeting which was read out on the national television station ORTM.

Turkey, as one of the geopolitically significant countries, serves as a bridge between the Western and Eastern worlds. In this context, Turkey seeks to maintain normal relations with both the West and the East. However, as a NATO member country, the characteristics of the Western world are more evident in Türkiye in various aspects. In this regard, Turkey collaborates with European countries within the framework of various strategic projects. Although Turkey is not an official member of the European Union, it maintains certain relations with the bloc. There have also been negative developments between Turkey and the European Union from time to time. Despite these developments, issues related to Turkey's accession to the European Union have recently been reignited.

An organised network operating from Georgia has scammed thousands of savers from the UK, Europe and Canada out of $35m after they fell for fake celebrity adverts on Facebook and Google. According to a report in The Guardian, Deepfake videos and fictional news reports featuring the money expert Martin Lewis, the radio DJ Zoe Ball and the adventurer Ben Fogle were used to promote fraudulent cryptocurrency and other investment schemes. The scammers are understood to have still been contacting victims in recent weeks.

Chaos broke out in Romania’s capital Sunday evening as incensed supporters of the far-right populist Calin Georgescu protested the electoral body’s decision to reject his candidacy in a presidential election rerun. He won the first round of last year’s race before a top court annulled the election. The 62-year-old Georgescu filed his candidacy on Friday in the capital, Bucharest. The Central Election Bureau, also known by its Romanian acronym BEC, had 48 hours to register or reject it.

Even though many believed a second Trump presidency was unlikely or even impossible, his re-election last November demonstrated how many people prefer to favour dreams over reality, transforming fears into self-fulfilling prophecies. This is a situation that can best describe how Track II diplomacy in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict has been conducted over time. As a result, there is little to no agreement between the sides, the blatantly obvious is ignored, and meetings become performative at best or simply a continuation of the conflict at worst.

European Union leaders agreed to significantly boost defense spending to ensure Europe’s security and voiced near-unanimous support for Ukraine at an extraordinary meeting on Thursday, after the United States dramatically pulled back its assistance to the continent in a historic upending of transatlantic relations. At the summit in Brussels, 26 European leaders signed a text calling for a peace deal that respects “Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” while including Ukraine in the negotiations. Hungary abstained.

The trials of former Armenian separatist leaders in Baku mark a long-overdue moment of accountability for decades of aggression, occupation, and destruction in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. The proceedings in the Baku Military Court are more than a legal exercise – they are a public affirmation of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over its internationally recognized territory, a sovereignty that Armenia sought to undermine for over 30 years through both overt and covert support for the separatist regime. Courtroom testimonies of the former separatist leaders have reinforced what Azerbaijan has long maintained: Armenia was not a bystander but the architect of the separatist military apparatus that inflicted immense suffering on Azerbaijanis.

The European Union is prepared to take further action against the Georgian government, including sanctions, to hold those responsible for violence against protesters accountable, according to a statement by the EU press service on Wednesday. In the statement, the EU said it has taken into account the decision by the Baltic states to impose sanctions against Georgian Dream on the basis that the ruling party's actions are aimed at violating fundamental rights and freedoms and further reducing the space for civil society to operate.