Politics by country

North Korea said it would not surrender to US sanctions and blamed Washington for trying to put it on its knees, the Associated Press reported.

A war of words erupted on Tuesday between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Ergodan over hydrocarbon rights in the Eastern Mediterranean and the southeastern Aegean, with the former warning Ankara of serious consequences if it continues to violate international law. 

By George Gilson

As it enters the last stretch of the campaign in a general election that all polls indicate it will lose, SYRIZA's main strategy is to depict New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his party as a force that will bring a restoration of neo-liberal austerity policies.

The government closes the subject of a reduction in value added tax (VAT). The talks are being terminated because they contradict one of the points in the coalition agreement between GERB and the United Patriots, namely that within the mandate of this government tax laws should not change. This was announced by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov after today's Coalition Council.

Amidst fears that many New Democracy voters may abstain from the 7 July general election due to the conviction that ND will win anyway (as it defeated SYRIZA by nine percentage points in the 26 May European Parliament election), main opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis has upped the ante and is warning that if his party fails to clinch a comfortable parliamentary majority there will be a seco

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on June 25 approved a new law cutting the military service period in half.     

The renewed Istanbul elections of June 23 sent a message to the world, restoring trust in Turkey's democracy, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said on June 25.

US President Donald Trump wants to hold talks with Iran about eliminating its nuclear weapons program, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said in Jerusalem on Tuesday morning.

Turkey is set accept delivery of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system in July, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on June 25.

Iran on June 25 slammed the Trump administration over new U.S. sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic's supreme leader and other top officials, with the Foreign Ministry saying the measures spell "permanent closure" of diplomacy between Tehran and Washington.