Geopolitics

The Arab Joint Military Command, which should include all pro-US Arab states, will be supplied by the U.S. under a special dispensation granted by Congress, to facilitate the sale of sophisticated weapons.

The European Parliament has adopted a symbolic resolution opposing the South Stream gas pipeline and recommending a search for alternative sources of gas supplies for the EU.

Europe will have trouble weaning itself off Russian natural gas, analysts say, as it faces declining production at home and Asian competition for supplies. Even before the current flare up of tensions with Russia over its possible annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, Europe has been trying to reduce its dependence on Russian supplies.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have recalled their ambassadors from Doha in protest at Qatar's interference in their internal affairs, they have announced in a joint statement.

The economic and financial affairs council of the European Union (Ecofin) passed on July 9 a decision allowing Latvia to adopt the euro as its currency as of January 1 2014.

Unprecedented in the history of international relations, the governments of four European countries - France, Spain, Italy and Portugal - have closed off their airspace this week to the Bolivian president’s airplane. Is this a case of strict compliance with international laws or further proof of the servility of European ’powers’ towards Washington? To better answer this simple question, French pundit Salim Lamrani sets out a list of 25 facts.

The ‘biggest bilateral trade deal in history’, reached at the G8 Summit, is possibly at risk as rapport between the US and EU quickly degenerates over leaks which reveal the US allegedly spied on EU diplomats.

USA out of control: America's NSA intelligence service allegedly targeted the European Union with its spying activities. According to German media Der Spiegel, the US placed bugs in the EU representation in Washington and infiltrated its computer network. Cyber attacks were also perpetrated against Brussels in New York and Washington.

Malta set to lose €11 million over 30 years following €50.6 million loan to Greece, finance minister says.

Croatia is set to become the 28th member state of the European Union on 1 July 2013. Croatians plan to celebrate their EU accession by communicating with astronauts at the International Space Station.

Following the raids on the London office of the lead oil price publisher Platts over suspicions of manipulating oil prices in the market, the European Union has decided to introduce tough new rules that would effectively prevent price reporting agencies from operating.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the second meeting on May 29 with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the expanded CELAC troika (Cuba, Chile, Costa Rica and Haiti), chaired this year by Cuba, the Russian Foreign Office confirmed today.