Italy to Fund NATO Battlegroup Base in Bulgaria, Hosting Over 3,000 Troops
Italy will fund the construction of temporary infrastructure for a NATO battlegroup base in Bulgaria, after Bulgaria’s parliamentary defence committee approved the agreement
Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Photo by EPA/BGNES
Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been expelled from parliament with immediate effect over his conviction for tax fraud.
The vote in the Italian Senate on Wednesday was 192 to 113, with two abstentions, CNN infroms.
The 77-year-old, who has dominated Italian politics for two decades, could now face arrest over other criminal cases as he has lost his immunity from prosecution.
Berlusconi was convicted of tax fraud in October 2012 over deals his firm Mediaset made to purchase TV rights to US films. The verdict was upheld in August 2013.
He will have to serve a one-year sentence, probably under house arrest or by doing community service because of his age.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Europe’s “easiest path to victory” would be to stop providing financial assistance to Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky is not preparing to announce presidential elections or a referendum on a potential peace agreement with Russia on Feb. 24, the fourth anniversary of the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion
Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko delivered sharp criticism of Bulgaria, highlighting its EU membership as a complicating factor in the delivery of Russian gas to Serbia
The European Parliament has approved a €90 billion support package for Ukraine, aimed at addressing the country’s urgent financial and defense needs as Russia’s war of aggression enters its fifth year
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has claimed that both the European Union and Ukraine have effectively “declared war” on Hungary following a Politico article outlining plans for Ukraine’s potential early accession to the EU and strategies to bypass H
Nearly 6,000 Syrians applied last year to return voluntarily to Syria under a program financed by Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF)
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