politics across the pond
Did Politics Cost Ann Widdecombe Her Life?
The former government minister Ann Widdecombe was sitting in the kitchen of her Devon cottage, eating lunch, when the man accused of murdering her entered through the front door. Within two minutes, prosecutors confirmed, she had been struck 21 times on the head with a hammer. Joshua Kerry, 28, appeared in court in London on…
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Burnham Prepares to Scrap Digital ID and Shift North Sea Policy
Andy Burnham has one weekend left before Downing Street becomes his new address, and he is already tearing up Starmer’s playbook. His digital ID and North Sea policy will offer the first clues to the government he intends to build when he enters Downing Street on Monday. Across Westminster, the usual guessing game has already…
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Andy Burnham Signals Break With Starmer After Taking Labour Leadership
Andy Burnham promised a new path for Britain in his first speech since being officially named leader of the Labour Party. The former Greater Manchester mayor, who takes over as prime minister on Monday, pledged that his government will have the courage to fix the big things politics has neglected. Flanked by senior party figures,…
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No. 10 to Argentina: The Falkland Islands Are British
Downing Street has reignited Britain’s sovereignty claim over the Falkland Islands after Argentina’s players displayed a provocative banner during celebrations following their World Cup semifinal victory over England. The handmade sign repeated Argentina’s long-standing claim to the British Overseas Territory, known in Argentina as the Malvinas — bringing one of the countries’ most sensitive diplomatic…
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Ann Widdecombe Killed in ‘Targeted Attack,’ Counterterrorism Police Confirm
The killing of Ann Widdecombe was, in the words of Britain’s top counterterrorism officer, a clearly targeted attack. Counterterrorism officers are now leading the investigation. It has not, at this stage, been declared a terrorist incident. The timeline, as police have laid it out, is a short and brutal one. Last Wednesday, Widdecombe gave an…
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U.K. Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Plane Near Royal Navy Carrier in Norwegian Sea
British fighter jets intercepted a Russian maritime patrol aircraft after it repeatedly flew near a Royal Navy aircraft carrier operating in the Norwegian Sea, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said, in the latest sign of rising tensions between Russia and NATO in the North Atlantic. The HMS Prince of Wales was sailing as part of…
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Inside the U.S.-Serbia ‘New Era’: How Friday’s Closed-Door Agreements Came Together
The inaugural talks in Washington marked what the State Department described to The Pavlovic Today as a “new era” in relations between the United States and Serbia. Behind the diplomatic language was a package of agreements intended to give that new era practical form. Energy security,…
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Exclusive Interview: Milorad Dodik Says Biden Allies Want to Remove Him ‘Before I Can Speak to Trump’
While all eyes are on Trump trying to broker peace between Putin and Zelenskyy, an unelected bureaucracy is moving against a sitting president in Bosnia and Herzegovina. President Milorad Dodik of Republika Srpska — one of Donald Trump’s earliest staunch supporters and a fixture in…
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EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Calls for Restraint Following Removal of President Dodik in Bosnia and Herzegovina
“The United States remains committed to BiH’s stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and calls on all sides to avoid any action to further escalate the situation,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson told The Pavlovic Today in an exclusive statement on Thursday, amid growing political tensions surrounding…
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Confirmed: Serbian Oil Giant NIS Hit With Sanctions In Biden’s Latest Crackdown In Russia’s Energy Sector
With just ten days left until President-elect Trump takes office, President Biden has imposed today the most significant sanctions to date on Russia’s energy sector, targeting key players in the Kremlin’s oil revenues. The eleventh-hour move is expected to disrupt funding for Russia’s war…
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State Department Declines To Confirm Sanctions Against Serbian Oil Giant
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced Saturday that U.S. Under Secretary of State José W. Fernandez had informed him of imminent U.S. sanctions targeting the Serbian oil company NIS, which is majority-owned by Russian interests. The sanctions, according to Vučić, are expected to be unveiled…
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State Department On NIS Sanctions: “We Don’t Preview Actions” But Pledges To Disrupt Russia’s Financial Networks
The U.S. State Department has declined to confirm whether sanctions are being considered against Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), Serbia’s largest oil company, which is majority-owned by Russia’s Gazprom. In a response to The Pavlovic Today on Monday, a State Department spokesperson said, “The U.S. does not…
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‘Kurti Hates The United Nations,’ Declares President Vucic In Exclusive Interview With The Pavlovic Today
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was sitting on the rooftop of the iconic New York hotel amidst the steel and glass expanse that delineates Manhattan’s skyline. Dressed in a navy blue suit complemented by a crisp white shirt and a blue tie, he sipped on mint tea, a fleeting interlude after his meeting with the UN…
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The Pavlovic Today Interview: DAS Gabriel Escobar Condemns Albin Kurti’s ‘Unjustified’ Attacks On Lajcak And Borrell
Deputy Assistant State Secretary Gabriel Escobar, in the midst of the bustling United Nations General Assembly in the heart of New York City, sat down for an interview with The Pavlovic Today. The focal point of discussion inevitably centered on the United States’ stance toward the Western Balkans, a matter of paramount importance following the…
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EXCLUSIVE— Serbian President Vucic: Albin Kurti is not interested in peace or what the United States thinks of him
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has little faith that the politics of Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti are going to change. Only a few months ago, in March 2023, the stage was set for a momentous breakthrough during the high-level discussions between President Vucic and Prime Minister Kurti in Ohrid, led by the EU. “We have…
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Exclusive: The organized crime “horror movie” will not stop “the wheel of democracy” Montenegro’s PM Dritan Abazovic tells Pavlovic Today
A foreign sojourn to the United States by the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abazovic, has taken place yet again during a historic juncture. With the country bracing itself for the second round of the Presidential election, which according to the Prime Minister,”passed smoothly and without any hint of tensions,” Abazovic has taken upon himself…
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: EU’s Miroslav Lajcak reveals insider details of French-German Agreement ahead of historic Brussels talks. Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti expected to endorse the European proposal
The fate of the entire Western Balkans hangs in the balance as the Serbia-Kosovo Talks prepare to reconvene in Brussels on February 27. Tension crackles in the air, and the stakes are high. The consequences for failure by the parties involved, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic, to agree on the…
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Gabriel Escobar Exclusive Interview: The view of the Western Balkans from inside the State Department
History must be careful not to miss out on the current affairs in the Western Balkans. Against the backdrop of Russia’s raging war in Ukraine, the EU and US are marching in lockstep to normalize Serbia-Kosovo relations. While the French-German proposal, designed under the auspices of the European Union, is being debated in the Serbian Assembly,…
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EXCLUSIVE: Montenegro’s PM Dritan Abazovic On How President Biden Can “Save” Western Balkans From Russian And Chinese Influence
I met Montenegro’s Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic at the Dupont Circle Hotel, a swanky establishment frequented by the Washington political elite. Our historic interview was to happen against a backdrop of political uncertainty in Montenegro where negotiations for the formation of the new government is taking place. The stakes are high as is the uncertainty,…
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Richard Grenell: Kosovo Situation Under Biden Entered Crisis Mode
Speaking exclusively to The Pavlovic Today, Richard Grenell, former Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations, slams President Biden for ignoring the Kosovo crisis.
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Richard Grenell Exclusive Interview: The Serbia-Kosovo Agreement Was Not Just For Christmas
Richard Grenell’s insight into moving the Western Balkans forward and closer to the US is indispensable. Former Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Talks, Grenell played a key part in enabling the 2020 Serbia-Kosovo Economic Normalization Agreement in Washington, DC. “By focusing on job creation and economic growth, the two countries were able…
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Makerfield and the Unsettling of Britain’s Political Map
A seismic shift is taking place in Britain with the victory of Andy Burnham of the Labour Party in the Makerfield by-election. The shift is twofold. First, it opens a path to a leadership challenge against Keir Starmer, and consequently to a general election conducted under new and unstable conditions. Second, it has produced a…
Has Britain Avoided the Worst—but Failed to Secure the Best in the U.S.-U.K. Trade Deal?
President Donald Trump made the kind of announcement the British government had been hoping for. “I’m thrilled to announce that we have reached a breakthrough trade deal with the United Kingdom,” he declared on early Thursday morning—an end, at least in part, to a transatlantic tariff standoff that had left key British industries on edge.…
No Deal with Biden, Breakthrough with Trump: Starmer Seals the U.S.-U.K. Trade Deal
At long last, a “full and comprehensive” U.S.-U.K. trade agreement has been secured—and President Donald Trump is calling it just that. “A breakthrough trade deal,” Trump declared from behind the Resolute Desk on Thursday morning, as he dialed in British Prime Minister Keir Starmer from the White House. “This is now turning out to be…
Zelenskyy Says Kyiv Ready for Peace Talks Anywhere Except Russia and Belarus
President Zelenskyy said Ukraine is prepared to enter peace talks to end the war but ruled out holding them in Russia or Belarus, signaling that any diplomatic effort must take place on neutral ground and without preconditions. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said Kyiv will not comply with Moscow’s insistence that Ukrainian forces withdraw…
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All About Netanyahu’s DC Blitz
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday, according to sources familiar with the planning. The time and location have not been disclosed by the White House. What is confirmed: On Wednesday, Netanyahu is set to meet with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon. Later that evening, a private reception will bring together Netanyahu and his inner circle, alongside Trump…
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Inside the High-Stakes Talks Between Trump and Zelenskyy
The morning after Donald Trump spent two hours on the phone with Vladimir Putin, securing a partial ceasefire agreement, it was Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s turn to speak with the American president. The call, the first direct conversation between the two leaders since the diplomatic fireworks at the White House—which ended with Senators Marco Rubio and Michael…
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