Finland

Day 629 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

A parliamentary panel will start deliberations on Sweden's accession to NATO on Nov. 16, the Turkish media has reported.

Bulgaria, part of the EU for nearly two decades, showcases a unique work-rest balance. Despite working more than the EU average, Bulgarians enjoy an average of 36 days off when national holidays are factored in, akin to Austria and Finland.

President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Nov. 8 offering a way for Russian investors to "swap" their frozen assets abroad with the frozen assets of foreign companies in Russia.

Since the conflict in Ukraine, Western countries have introduced a barrage of sanctions against Moscow, blocking its banks from making international payments and freezing Russian assets abroad.

According to Professor Grtner, Finland is now changing its position as a neutral country and buffer zone to a NATO country.
On the other hand, as he adds, Serbia and Moldova have a self-proclaimed neutrality based on decisions at the state level, and that neutrality can be changed more easily and quickly.

NATO has strongly condemned Russia's withdrawal from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), a historic document that played a crucial role in balancing arms control between NATO and former Warsaw Pact states after the Cold War. The treaty, signed in 1990, aimed to maintain stability and limit the deployment of conventional military equipment in Europe.

The Islamist movement Hamas has granted permission for foreigners from Bulgaria, as well as seven other countries, to depart the Gaza Strip. This information was made public through an official document, complete with names and passport numbers, which was shared on the Facebook page of the Border Traffic Service.

An agreement was reached to allow foreign nationals and some seriously injured civilians in the Gaza Strip to leave the area, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed source.
The agency adds that there is no time frame for how long the Rafah crossing, on the border with Egypt, will be open.

Bulgaria has the highest social risk in the European Union, according to the Social Resilience Index. It tracks 12 economic, social and political parametres in 185 countries around the world, said Allianz Trade, which produces the ranking.

The results of the study covered the period from early 2022 to September 2023.

A group of masked assailants attacked the Turkish Embassy in Finland on Oct. 25 using a smoke grenade and paint, the Turkish diplomatic sources and the Helsinki police have announced.

The sources from the embassy said the attackers arrived on Wednesday at the scene in the Finnish capital Helsinki on rental bicycles.