BLOGONITY

KYIV, UKRAINE — Russian President Vladimir Putin approved budget plans, raising 2025 military spending to record levels as Moscow seeks to prevail in the war in Ukraine. Around 32.5% of the budget posted on a government website Sunday has been allocated for national defense, amounting to 13.5 trillion rubles (more than $145 billion), up from a reported 28.3% this year. Lawmakers in both houses of the Russian parliament, the State Duma and Federation Council had already approved the plans in the past 10 days. Russia’s war on Ukraine, which started in February 2022, is Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II and has drained the resources of both sides. Kyiv has been getting billions of dollars in help from its Western allies, but Russia’s forces are bigger and better equipped, and in recent months the Russian army has gradually been pushing Ukrainian troops backward in eastern areas. On the ground in Ukraine, three people died in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson when a Russian drone struck a minibus on Sunday morning, Kherson regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. Seven others were wounded in the attack. Meanwhile, the number of wounded in Saturday’s missile strike in Dnipro in central Ukraine rose to 24, with seven in serious condition, Dnipropetrovsk regional Gov. Serhiy Lysak said. Four people were killed in the attack. Moscow sent 78 drones into Ukraine overnight into Sunday, Ukrainian officials said. According to Ukraine’s air force, 32 drones were destroyed during the overnight attacks. A further 45 drones were “lost” over various areas, likely having been electronically jammed. In Russia, a child was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, according to regional Gov. Alexander Bogomaz. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that 29 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight into Sunday in four regions of western Russia: 20 over the Bryansk region, seven over the Kaluga region, and one each over the Smolensk and Kursk regions. …

KYIV, UKRAINE — The EU’s new top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, arrived in Kyiv on Sunday in a symbolic show of support for Ukraine on their first day in office. “We came to give a clear message that we stand with Ukraine, and we continue to give our full support,” Costa told media outlets including AFP accompanying them on the trip. The European Union’s new leadership team is keen to demonstrate it remains firm on backing Kyiv at a perilous moment for Ukraine nearly three years into its fight against Russia’s all-out invasion. Questions are swirling around the future of U.S. support once Donald Trump assumes office in January and there are fears he could force Kyiv to make painful concessions in pursuit of a quick peace deal. Meanwhile, tensions have escalated as Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to strike government buildings in Kyiv with his new Oreshnik missile after firing it at Ukraine for the first time last month. The Kremlin leader said the move is a response to Kyiv getting the green light to strike inside Russia with American and British missiles, and he has threatened to hit back against the countries supplying the weaponry. As winter begins, Russia has also unleashed devastating barrages against Ukraine’s power grid and on the frontline Kyiv’s fatigued forces are losing ground to Moscow’s grinding offensive. “The situation in Ukraine is very, very grave,” Kallas, a former prime minister of Estonia, said. “But it’s clear that it comes at a very high cost for Russia as well.” Ceasefire? The new EU leaders — the bloc’s top officials along with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen — were set to hold talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy on Friday appeared to begin staking out his position ahead of any potential peace talks. He called on NATO to offer guaranteed protections to parts of Ukraine controlled by Kyiv in order to “stop the hot stage of the war,” and implied he would then be willing to wait to regain other territory seized by Russia. “If we speak ceasefire, [we need] guarantees that Putin will not come back,” Zelenskyy told Britain’s Sky News. Kallas said that “the strongest security guarantee is NATO membership.” “We need to definitely discuss this — if Ukraine decides to draw the line somewhere then how can we secure peace so that … “New EU chiefs visit Kyiv on first day of mandate” →

BERLIN — The smells of mulled wine, roasted almonds and hot bratwurst are wafting through the air across the German capital again, as the city’s more than 100 Christmas markets are opening their doors this week. But the annual tradition that Germans have cherished since the Middle Ages — and successfully exported to much of the Western world — has become a pretty diverse affair, at least in Berlin. The city of 3.8 million, which takes pride in its tolerance and diversity, offers Christmas markets for pretty much every taste these days. Nowadays, almost 40% of Berliners have immigrant roots, and the city’s LGBTQ+ community is considered one of the biggest in the country. So it comes as no surprise that popular Christmas markets include a LGBTQ+ one offering rainbow pierogi and entertainment by drag queens, a Scandinavian market selling moose goulash and reindeer salami and a market tempting revelers with naughty gift ideas, along with a historical market that takes visitors back to medieval times. “It’s a lovely atmosphere,” Paul Middleton said of the LGBTQ+ market Christmas Avenue, which is illuminated in the colors of the rainbow. “It’s great to do something for the LGBTQ+ community and offer something positive in a safe environment where everyone’s welcome, no matter what background,” said Middleton, who moved to Berlin from London three years ago “for love.” Middleton was busy selling gay-themed Christmas shirts next to stalls offering suggestive candles and soaps in neon colors. The market also attracts heterosexual couples, neighborhood residents and groups of moms with baby strollers, said Sebastian Ahlefeld, a spokesperson for Christmas Avenue. “You can meet lots of friends, relax, enjoy a mulled wine and simply kick off the Christmas season,” said Marco Klingberg, who visited the market with friends on Monday night. Klingberg, a police officer and member of the LGBTQ+ police organization in Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, pointed out that despite the city’s reputation as a gay-friendly city, attacks on members of the community are a concern, and it was great to have a protected environment for celebrating. “First and foremost, it’s a safe space,” he said. Security is an issue not only at the LGBTQ+ market, where all visitors undergo a bag check before entering. Groups of police officers were patrolling most markets on Monday night, as memories of a deadly terror attack on a Christmas market eight years ago are still fresh for … “Berlin’s traditional Christmas markets reflect city’s growing diversity” →

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA — Still reeling from this week’s shock developments, Romanians returned to the polls Sunday to elect their Parliament, with the far right tipped to win, potentially heralding a shift in the NATO country’s foreign policy. Romania was thrown into turmoil after a top court ordered a recount of the first round of last week’s presidential election won by Calin Georgescu, a little-known far-right admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin. A runoff in that poll is slated for December 8. Despite accusations of Russian influence and alleged interference via TikTok, Sunday’s parliamentary elections went ahead as planned. While the recounting of more than 9 million ballots appeared to proceed quickly, people on the streets of Bucharest expressed worries about the recent twists and turns. “What’s going on now doesn’t seem very democratic,” Gina Visan told AFP at a Christmas market in Bucharest. “They should respect our vote. We’re disappointed, but we’re used to this kind of behavior,” said the 40-year-old nurse, echoing voter’s distrust in traditional parties. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and will close at 9 p.m., with an exit poll due to be published shortly afterward. The first official results are expected later in the evening. Confusion, anger and fear Amid allegations of irregularities and possible interference in the election, concerns over the transparency of the electoral process have emerged, with independent observers being denied access to the recount. According to Septimius Parvu of the Expert Forum think tank, the recount order by Romania’s Constitutional Court had “many negative effects,” including undermining confidence in institutions. “We’ve already recounted votes in Romania in the past, but not millions of votes, with parliamentary elections in the middle of it all,” said Parvu. “No decision made during this crucial period should limit the right of Romanians to vote freely nor further put at risk the credibility of the election process,” the U.S. Embassy in Romania stressed. But the top court’s decision is likely to boost the far right, Parvu said. The NATO member of 19 million people has so far resisted rising nationalism in the region, but experts say it faces an unprecedented situation as anger over soaring inflation and fears of being dragged into Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine have mounted. George Sorin in Bucharest said he hopes the far right will score well, claiming the current Parliament had mostly served the interests of “Brussels and Ukraine” … “Turmoil overshadows Romania vote as far right hopes to gain ground” →

BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA — France on Sunday accused a handful of countries of obstructing negotiations in South Korea to reach the world’s first treaty to curb plastic pollution. “We also are worried by the continuing obstruction by the so-called like-minded countries,” Olga Givernet, France’s minister delegate for energy, told reporters, referring to a group of mostly oil-producing nations. Nearly 200 countries are in the port city of Busan for negotiations on a deal to curb plastic pollution, with only a few hours left on the clock. “Finding an agreement for us on (an) ambitious treaty that reduces plastic pollution remains an absolute priority for France,” Givernet said. “We are planning on pushing it, pushing it again.” More than 90% of plastic is not recycled, while plastic production is expected to triple by 2060. Efforts to reach the landmark agreement have been locked over several key sticking points, particularly reducing production and phasing out chemicals believed or known to harm human health. More than 100 countries back those measures and insist a treaty without them will fail to solve the pollution crisis. But around a dozen nations — mostly producers of plastic precursors derived from fossil fuels — are strongly opposed. “We still have a few hours left in these negotiations, there is time to find common ground, but Rwanda cannot accept a toothless treaty,” said Juliet Kabera, director general of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority. The latest draft text remains full of opposing views and contradictory language, and a promised new version after long hours of negotiations into Saturday night has not yet been published.  …

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has held multiple phone conversations with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban since winning the November 5 presidential election, according to sources who spoke to RFE/RL’s Hungarian Service. Hungarian government sources said Trump has sought Orban’s opinion on ending the Ukraine war, which has continued to drag on since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022. On the campaign trail, Trump criticized the billions of dollars that the United States has poured into Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion. He has also said he could end the war within 24 hours of retaking the White House, a statement that some have interpreted as meaning that Ukraine would have to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. Orban, who has maintained friendly ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, has been critical of EU aid for Ukraine and has obstructed the bloc’s sanctions regime against Moscow. Preparations reportedly are under way for Orban to take a second crack at a peace mission in December to bookend Hungary’s rotating EU presidency after his first attempt in July when Budapest’s tenure started. In a move criticized by several EU leaders, Orban traveled to Moscow to meet Putin in July after a trip to Kyiv with a mystery ceasefire proposal for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He then traveled to China and finally the United States to meet Trump, who was then on the presidential campaign trail. Details of a potential peace mission in December are not clear, but sources suggested to RFE/RL’s Hungarian Service that it may involve delivering Trump’s messages to Zelenskyy, Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.  …

TBILISI, GEORGIA — Violent clashes erupted on Saturday outside Georgia’s parliament between police and demonstrators protesting the government’s decision to delay European Union membership talks amid a post-election crisis, Agence France-Presse reporters witnessed.  Thousands of people gathered in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, on Saturday for a third night of protests that saw dozens of protesters arrested.  The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in an October 26 parliamentary election that the pro-European opposition said was fraudulent.  Masked police in riot gear fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons as they moved in to disperse protesters hurling fireworks, while flames were seen coming from a window of the parliament building.  Demonstrators erected barricades on Tbilisi’s main avenue.  “I am afraid — I won’t hide it — that many people will get injured, but I am not afraid to stand here,” 39-year-old Tamar Gelashvili told AFP near the parliament building earlier in the day.  Protests were also reported in numerous cities across Georgia.  “The actions of some individuals present at the protest became violent shortly after the demonstration began,” said the interior ministry. “Police will respond appropriately and in accordance with the law to every violation.” More than 100 people have been arrested over the last two days, when law enforcement cracked down on protesters, firing water cannon and tear gas at demonstrators.  Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement on Thursday that Georgia would not seek accession talks with the EU until 2028 ignited a furious reaction from the opposition.  Critics accuse Georgian Dream, in power for more than a decade, of having steered the country away from the EU in recent years and of moving closer to Russia, an accusation it denies.  Hundreds of public servants, including from the ministries of foreign affairs, defense and education, as well as a number of judges, issued joint statements protesting Kobakhidze’s decision.  Some 160 Georgian diplomats criticized the move as contradicting the constitution and leading the country “into international isolation.”  A number of Georgia’s ambassadors resigned in protest.  On Friday, AFP reporters saw riot police fire water cannon and tear gas at pro-EU protesters gathered outside parliament who tossed eggs and fireworks.  Clashes broke out later between protesters and police, who moved in to clear the area, beating demonstrators — some of whom threw objects — and journalists, deliberately targeting those  identified as members of the media.  … “Clashes erupt outside Georgia parliament between police, pro-EU protesters” →

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA — President-elect Donald Trump threatened 100% tariffs Saturday against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar.  His threat was directed at countries in the so-called BRICS alliance, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.  Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have applied to become members of the alliance, and several other countries have expressed interest in joining.  While the U.S. dollar is by far the most-used currency in global business and has survived past challenges to its preeminence, members of the alliance and other developing nations say they are fed up with America’s dominance of the global financial system.  Trump, in a Truth Social post, said, “We require a commitment from these Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy.”  At a summit of BRICS nations in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the U.S. of “weaponizing” the dollar and described it as a “big mistake.”  “It’s not us who refuse to use the dollar,” Putin said at the time. “But if they don’t let us work, what can we do? We are forced to search for alternatives.”  Russia has specifically pushed for the creation of a new payment system that would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network, SWIFT, and allow Moscow to dodge Western sanctions and trade with partners.  Trump said there is “no chance” BRICS will replace the U.S. dollar in global trade and any country that tries to make that happen “should wave goodbye to America.”  …

PRISTINA, KOSOVO — Kosovo’s Interior minister Xhelal Svecla said Saturday that police had arrested eight people after an explosion hit a canal that sends water to its two main power plants, an incident Pristina labeled a “terrorist act” by neighboring Serbia.  “Somehow we managed to fix the damage, arrest the suspects and confiscate a huge arsenal of weapons,” Svecla said during a live-streamed news conference. Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic denied what he said were “baseless accusations” about Belgrade’s involvement in the incident, which occurred Friday around 7 p.m. (1800 GMT).   Police commander Gazmend Hoxha said those arrested “are suspected of inciting, organizing and even executing these recent terrorist acts and in particular the one in the canal of Iber Lepenc.”  Hoxha said an initial investigation had shown that between 15 and 20 kilos of explosives were used in the attack.  Police raided 10 locations, confiscating more than 200 military uniforms, six shoulder-fired rocket launchers, long weapons, pistols and ammunition, he said.  Police said most of the people arrested belong to the local Serb organization Civilna Zastita (Civil Protection), which the government in Kosovo has declared as a terrorist organization.  Reuters was unable to contact the group.  Tensions with Serbia  The explosion has increased tensions between the two Balkan countries. Ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 almost a decade after a guerrilla uprising against its rule, but Serbia has not recognized Kosovo as an independent state.  Relations remain especially frayed in the north of the country where the blast occurred, and where the Serb minority refuses to recognize Kosovo’s statehood and still sees Belgrade as their capital.  Kosovo’s Security Council, which held emergency talks early Saturday, said it had activated armed forces to prevent similar attacks.   Security was already heightened after two recent attacks where hand grenades were hurled at a police station and municipality building in northern Kosovo where ethnic Serbians live.   “The Security Council has approved additional measures to strengthen security around critical facilities and services such as bridges, transformer stations, antennas, lakes, canals,” the council said in a statement Saturday.   NATO, which has maintained a peacekeeping force in Kosovo since 1999, condemned the attack in a statement Saturday. Its personnel have provided security to the canal and the surrounding area since the blast, it said.   A Reuters reporter visited the site Saturday, where silt had poured through a hole in the … “Kosovo arrests 8 linked to canal explosion, tensions with Serbia rise” →

MOSCOW — Russian police raided several bars and nightclubs across Moscow on Saturday as part of the government’s crackdown on “LGBTQ+ propaganda,” state media reported.  Smartphones, laptops and video cameras were seized, while clubgoers had their documents inspected by officers, Russia’s Tass news agency said, citing sources in law enforcement.  The raids come exactly a year since Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that the “LGBTQ+ movement should be banned as an “extremist organization.” Its decision followed a decadeslong crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has touted “traditional family values” as a cornerstone of his quarter-century in power.  Footage shared on social media appeared to show police ordering partygoers to lie on the floor as officers moved through Moscow’s Arma nightclub.  The capital’s Mono bar was also targeted, Russian media reported. In a post on Telegram on Saturday, the club’s management didn’t directly reference an incident with law enforcement, but wrote, “Friends, we’re so sorry that what happened, happened. They didn’t find anything forbidden. We live in such times, but life must go on.”  Police also detained the head of the “Men Travel” tour agency Saturday under anti-LGBT laws, Tass reported. The news agency said that the 48-year-old was suspected of preparing a trip for “the supporters of nontraditional sexual values” to visit Egypt over Russia’s New Year’s holidays.  The raids mirror the concerns of Russian activists who warned that Moscow’s designation of the “LGBTQ+ movement” as “extremist” — despite it not being an official entity — could see Russian authorities crack down at will on groups or individuals.  Other recent laws have also served to put pressure on those that the Russian government believes aren’t in line with the country’s “traditional values.” On November 23, Putin signed into law a bill banning the adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender-affirming care is legal.  The Kremlin leader also approved legislation that outlaws the spread of material that encourages people not to have children.  …

KYIV, UKRAINE — Fifteen of Ukraine’s civilian airports have been damaged since Russia invaded the country in February 2022, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal was quoted as saying by local media on Saturday. Ukraine, which the state aviation service says has 20 civilian airports, has been exploring avenues to partially open its airspace. It has been closed since the start of the war. Ukrainians who want to fly abroad currently must go via road or rail to neighboring countries to catch flights. For those living in the east, the journey out of Ukraine can take a day in itself. “We conducted a risk assessment and determined the needs of the air defense forces to partially open the airspace,” local news agency Ukrinform quoted Shmyhal as saying at a transportation conference. “Security issues and the military situation remain key to this decision,” he said. Shmyhal said that Russia attacked Ukraine’s port infrastructure nearly 60 times in the last three months, damaging or destroying nearly 300 facilities and 22 civilian vessels. A senior partner at insurance broker Marsh McLennan told Reuters earlier this month that Ukraine could reopen the airport in the western city of Lviv in 2025 if regulators deem it safe and a political decision is made. …

TBILISI, GEORGIA — Georgia on Saturday said authorities arrested 107 people during a second day of protests sparked by the government’s decision to delay European Union membership talks. The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in an October 26 parliamentary election that the pro-EU opposition said was fraudulent. The Interior Ministry said 107 people were detained for “disobedience to lawful police orders and petty hooliganism.” “Throughout the night … protesters threw various objects, including stones, pyrotechnics, glass bottles and metal items, at law enforcement officers,” it said, adding that “10 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were injured.” The ministry earlier said 32 police officers were wounded and 43 protestors detained on Thursday. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement Thursday that Georgia will not seek to open accession talks with the European Union until 2028 ignited a furious reaction from the opposition and two days of protests. He later accused the opposition and the EU ambassador to Georgia of distorting his words. He insisted membership in the bloc “by 2030” remains his “top priority.” ‘Resistance movement’ On Friday, AFP reporters saw riot police fire water cannons and tear gas at pro-EU protesters gathered outside the parliament in Tbilisi, who tossed eggs and fireworks. Clashes broke out later between protesters and police, who moved in to clear the area outside parliament, beating demonstrators, some of whom threw objects. Independent TV station Pirveli said one of its journalists was hospitalized with serious injuries. Protests were also held in other cities across Georgia on Friday, independent TV station Mtavari reported. Pro-Western opposition parties are boycotting the new parliament, while President Salome Zurabishvili has sought to annul the election results through the country’s constitutional court. In a televised address to the nation on Friday evening, the pro-Western president — who is at loggerheads with the ruling party — said: “The resistance movement has begun. … I stand in solidarity with it. We will remain united until Georgia achieves its goals: to return to its European path, secure new elections.” ‘Brutal repression’ After the October vote, a group of Georgia’s leading election monitors said they had evidence of a complex scheme of large-scale electoral fraud. Brussels has demanded an investigation into what it said were “serious irregularities” reported by election monitors. Georgian Dream MPs voted unanimously Thursday for Kobakhidze to continue as prime minister, even as … “Georgia arrests 107 more people as pro-EU protests continue” →

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says being admitted into NATO could end what he described as the “hot phase of the war” waged by Russia. In an interview with Sky News aired on November 29, Zelenskyy suggested that he would be willing to consider a ceasefire if Ukraine’s unoccupied territories fell under NATO’s protection and the invitation to join the alliance recognized Ukraine’s international borders. Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and has been occupying 20% of Ukrainian territory since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022.  “If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we need to take under the NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control,” Zelenskyy said, adding that the occupied eastern parts of the country could then be taken back “in a diplomatic way.” This comes as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has criticized the billions of dollars that the United States has poured into Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion. Trump has also said he could end the war within 24 hours of retaking the White House, a statement that has been interpreted as meaning that Ukraine would have to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. Earlier this week, Trump named Keith Kellogg, a retired army lieutenant general who has long served as a top adviser to Trump on defense issues, as his nominee to be special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg has advocated telling the Ukrainians that if they don’t come to the negotiating table, U.S. support would dry up, while telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that if he doesn’t come to the table, the United States would give the Ukrainians “everything they need to kill you in the field.” For the past several months, Russia has been battering Ukrainian cities with increasingly heavy drone, missile and glide-bomb strikes, causing casualties and damaging energy infrastructure as the cold season settles in. Earlier this month, a senior United Nations official, Rosemary DiCarlo, warned that Moscow’s targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure could make this winter the “harshest since the start of the war” nearly three years ago. Ukraine has launched several counterattacks since the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, the top foreign supporter of Ukraine in its battle against Russia’s invasion, and Kyiv’s European allies authorized the use of long-range missiles against targets inside Russia. …

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND — Icelanders will elect a new parliament Saturday after disagreements over immigration, energy policy and the economy forced Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to pull the plug on his coalition government and call early elections. This is Iceland’s sixth general election since the 2008 financial crisis devastated the economy of the North Atlantic island nation and ushered in a new era of political instability. Opinion polls suggest the country may be in for another upheaval, with support for the three governing parties plunging. Benediktsson, who was named prime minister in April following the resignation of his predecessor, struggled to hold together the unlikely coalition of his conservative Independence Party with the centrist Progressive Party and the Left-Green Movement. Iceland, a nation of about 400,000 people, is proud of its democratic traditions, describing itself as arguably the world’s oldest parliamentary democracy. The island’s parliament, the Althingi, was founded in 930 by the Norsemen who settled the country. Here’s what to look for in the contest. How does the election work? Voters will choose 63 members of the Althingi in an election that will allocate seats both by regional constituencies and proportional representation. Parties need at least 5% of the vote to win seats in parliament. Eight parties were represented in the outgoing parliament, and 10 parties are contesting this election. Turnout is traditionally high by international standards, with 80% of registered voters casting ballots in the 2021 parliamentary election. Why now? A windswept island near the Arctic Circle, Iceland normally holds elections during the warmer months of the year. But on Oct. 13 Benediktsson decided his coalition couldn’t last any longer, and he asked President Halla Tómasdóttir to dissolve the Althingi. “The weakness of this society is that we have no very strong party and we have no very strong leader of any party,’” said Vilhjálmur Bjarnson, a former member of parliament. “We have no charming person with a vision … That is very difficult for us.” Why is Iceland’s politics so fractured? The splintering of Iceland’s political landscape came after the 2008 financial crisis, which prompted years of economic upheaval after its debt-swollen banks collapsed. The crisis led to anger and distrust of the parties that had traditionally traded power back and forth, and prompted the creation of new parties ranging from the environment focused Left-Green Alliance to the Pirate Party, which advocates direct democracy and individual freedoms. “This is … “Iceland votes for new parliament amid disagreements on immigration, economy” →

HALIFAX, CANADA — With the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding this month, the United States, Canada and Finland are moving ahead on what military analysts see as a belated but much-needed answer to a mounting Russian and Chinese threat in the Arctic Ocean.  Under the arrangement whimsically labeled the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or ICE Pact, the three nations have agreed to share research, knowledge and capabilities in building a still unspecified number of icebreakers capable of enforcing each nation’s sovereignty in an ocean that has become increasingly navigable because of climate change.  While the retreat of the polar icecap is steadily opening the region for commercial traffic and mineral exploration, the ICE Pact is largely driven by concerns over the Arctic capabilities of an increasingly hostile Russia and the rapidly growing presence of China.  “Up until this past summer, you would expect one Chinese research vessel in the Arctic. This past summer, there were five,” said U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan at a security forum in the Canadian city of Halifax this month.  “This summer they were operating in tandem surface action groups with both China and Russia, 60 to 70 miles off the coast of Alaska,” Fagan added. “If we were to see that same pattern of behavior off the East or the West Coast of the [contiguous] United States, it would have the attention of the United States.”  Speaking at the same forum, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said his country has been watching “the activities of two particular adversaries, China and Russia, in the area, which are deeply concerning to us and, frankly, their aggression and assertions in the region are somewhat different.”  Blair said that in passages through the Arctic, the Russians “have not demonstrated respect to the international rules-based order and respect for other countries sovereignty and economic interests.”  China, he said, approaches the Arctic in two ways, the first being significant investment in critical and other infrastructure.  “And the second one is through what they term scientific research. And we’ve seen a huge increase in their presence in the Arctic. And it’s not just scientific research. They’re mapping the sea floor. They’re gathering intelligence,” he said.  Experts say Russia is far ahead of the United States and its NATO allies in icebreaker capability, largely because it has for years been developing a commercial shipping route across its Arctic coast known as the … “Icebreaker deal would challenge Russian supremacy in Arctic” →