NIAS Area Studies
PAKISTAN READER
Photo : Benjamin Girette/Bloomberg
By Fleur Elizabeth Philip
FRANCE
Jordan Bardella to run for 2027 Presidency if Marine Le Pen is barred
On 27 April, Jordan Bardella of the far-right National Rally announced that he will be running for presidency in 2027, if Marine Le Pen is barred. Le Pen is under investigation for embezzling EU funds, a ruling which she denied. Before the verdict is released, the National Rally party is preparing for the upcoming elections. Bardella said: “The party is overriding necessity, which is to be united, and insists that Le Pen is innocent.” Additionally, President Emmanuel Macron is barred from running again constitutionally, and hence, it gives an upper hand for Bardella to be in the lead for the elections. Bardella led the party in 2019 and in the 2024 European Parliament Elections, and also took part in the European coalitions Patriots of Europe that include Viktor Orban, Fidesz Party, Lega, Italy, and FPO, Austria. (Nikolaus J Kurmayer, “Jordan Bardella says he will run for French presidency if Le Pen barred,” Euractiv, 27 April 2025)
FINLAND
Government to build the first repository for permanent nuclear waste
On 24 April, Finland is set to be the first to dispose of underground nuclear waste after its successful trial runs in March. The Onkalo repository, in the west of Eurakoji, has become the first place in the world to become a deep geological repository for radioactive waste. The test had non-radioactive containers sealed above the ground before being placed in a 70-meter tunnel, 430 meters below the surface. The encapsulation process starts with the placement of fuel rods into copper canisters, surrounded by granite with bentonite clay. The purpose of the granite and bentonite combination is to insulate the waste from the geological waste and the prevention of gas leaks, which lasts for a very long time. This facility was opened in 1995 by Posive Oy, Finland’s nuclear power firms, to solve the problems of long-term storage. The repository receives fuel from the five active reactors in Olkiluoto and Loviisa. The repository project is worth more than EUR four billion. These repositories in Finland solve the global issue of permanently disposing of the fuel remains, since 70 per cent of the unused fuel remains in temporary storage, causing potential harm. According to Mika Vidlund, Finnish Center for Pensions: “Finland is very close to finding its permanent solution.” Looking at the progress made by Finland, many countries are following the same pattern. Sweden has begun the process, after taking the necessary permits, and they will store 12,000 metric tonnes that will be 500 meters deep. Apart from Finland and Sweden, Canada, France, Italy, and Switzerland are developing their projects. (“Finland leads race to build world’s first permanent nuclear waste repository,” Helsinki Times, 24 April 2025)
GERMANY
Chancellor Friedrich Merz reveals cabinet positions in the new coalition government
On 28 April, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz revealed the cabinet positions that will be filled by the Christian Democratic Union. The new foreign minister is Johann Wadephul, the Chief of Staff will be Thorsten Frei, the new Trade Minister is Katherina Reiche, CEO of Westenergie, new Digitization and Modernization Ministry is CEO Karsten Wilberger. Merz has promised gender parity, with four men and three women, to avoid any speculations. Regarding the Social Democrats Party (SPD), there is no confirmation on the roles, but the most prominent one standing is Boris Pistorius for the Defence Ministry, currently, he will continue in his role, but the SPD will officially announce their part of the cabinet on 06 May. SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch said, “The party is close to analysing the 144-page agreement ‘Responsible for Germany’ but has not detected much euphoria.” (Matt Ford, “Germany updates: Merz names CDU Cabinet ministers,” Deutsche Welle, 28 April 2025)
NORWAY
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre discusses Greenland, economy, Russia-Ukraine war during his visit to White House
On 24 April, US President Donald Trump met with Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in the White House. Joining them were US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former Secretary-General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg, who is the finance minister of Norway. Both leaders discussed Greenland, the Economy, Russia-Ukraine, and their relationship. With Greenland, Trump still looks to annex the island, for international security purposes, and rather than coercing, he is persuading the Greenlanders to join the US. The plan is to feature public relations campaigns via social media and embrace the Inuit heritage. Regarding the war in Ukraine, President Trump and Rubio condemned Russia for attacking on Kyiv, and the Americans look forward for a swift peace deal, while criticizing the actions of both the Presidents, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s response to remove Crimea as Russian territory, mentioned in the peace deal, and Russia President Vladimir Putin for his latest attacks. Støre expresses his strong commitment to helping Ukraine. On the topic of tariffs, Norway faces 15 per cent of tariffs imposed by the US. A reporter asked the US President if he would reconsider, but the response was that he was planning to increase them. President Trump also pressured the Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell, to reduce the interest rates. (Sydney Jezik, “4 takeaways from Trump’s press conference with Norwegian prime minister,” Desert News, 24 April 2025)
RUSSIA
Satellite Cosmos 2553 stabilised after a malfunction says the US
On 25 April, US Analysts believe that the secretive Russian satellite in space, connected to a nuclear anti-satellite weapon programme, appears to be spinning uncontrollably. The Cosmos 2553 appears to be malfunctioning, creating a setback for Moscow’s space weapon efforts. According to the Doppler radar data from space tracking firm LeoLabs and optical data, Slingshot Aerospace, the radar satellite was launched three years ago, before the war against Ukraine, and has had bouts of uncontrolled spinning since 2024. US officials are currently assessing the purpose of the satellite, and are relieved to know that it's not a weapon, but it is used to aid Russia of a nuclear anti-satellite weapon, and for research purposes. Slingshot Aerospace has been recording its movements since its launch in 2022, and has detected signs of malfunction in May 2024, suggesting that “The satellite shows signs of odd behaviour, and it’s no longer operational.” The latest observations show that Cosmos 2553 has stabilised and is in control. (Russian satellite linked to space weapon programme appears to malfunction in orbit,” France 24, 25 April 2025)
Russia to hold first Global Digital Forum to discuss the aspects of technology
On 25 April, the Global Digital Forum is to be held on 05 June in Nizhny Novgorod. The event will focus on Russia’s relationship with developing countries, where they will discuss the global aspects of technology, new initiatives, proposals, and creating favourable conditions for business dialogue. The Forum will have in it government representatives, businesses, academia, scientists, and international and regional organisations. Topics of discussion will be technology transfer, increasing the potential in Global South countries, international information in security, UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and many more. Furthermore, 170 countries will present their developments on technology, service demonstrations, business communications and networking opportunities. (“First Global Digital Forum to be Held in Nizhny Novgorod,” Sputnik, 25 April 2025)
North Korea confirms troop deployment in Kursk along with Russian troops
On 28 April, North Korea confirmed sending its troops to Russia to fight the war with Ukraine. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un has sent his troops under the mutual defence treaty, the Central Military Commission, between Russia and North Korea. In a press conference, Kim Jong-Un said: “They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives to honour the motherland.” This move has given Russia an upper hand in liberating Russian territory, occupied by Ukraine. Russia announced that Ukrainian troops left the Kursk region, which Russia claims it lost is claims in 2024. At the beginning of the year, the US, Ukraine, and South Korea said that North Korea supplied its troops to Russia, specifically 10,000-12,000 in number, to fight in Kursk. Moscow and Pyongyang had not responded then on the troop deployment, and emphasised that they abide by international law, indirectly admitting the presence of the North Korean forces since then. (“North Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia for first time,” Euronews, 28 April 2025)
SWITZERLAND
US investors move towards the Swiss Alps for real estate investments
On 27 April, Euronews reported that the ongoing tariffs have changed the political landscape in the US, and urged the Americans to reconsider alternative investments. Andermatt, a ski village in the Swiss Alps, has seen an incredible boost in its housing, which includes hotels, restaurants, golf course, all handled by the real estate developer Andermatt Swiss (AG). Russell Collins, Chief Commercial Officer of the AG, said: “In the past 18 months, there has been an uptick in the interest and transaction volume from US-based buyers.” What motivates Americans to Andermatt is the exemption from the rules in Switzerland that they must follow in the US. They include, foreign buyers are allowed to buy and sell houses freely, without needing any approvals or adhering to any holding periods. This encourages buyers a level of access that is rarely seen in the Swiss property market. Collins also noted that Andermatt is also viable for long-term residence, instead of just a skiing or holiday destination. (Indrabati Lahiri, “Why are American investors flocking to this Swiss Alps ski village?” Euronews, 27 April 2025)
VATICAN CITY
Cardinals prepare for the conclave to vote for the next pontiff
On 28 April, the Vatican conclave is near and around 120 cardinals are present to elect the next pope. Closed door deliberations in the Sistine Chapel will see the attendance of cardinals from all over and will caste their vote onto the successor of Pope Francis. The pontiff selection among the candidates have been a subject to speculation, political intrigue, and art interpretations. Starting with the novel ‘Conclave’ whose author Robert Harris, was inspired to create the fictional tensions between the sacred and the profane, and intrigued by the power play of the papal ballots. The book elaborates on the enigmatic process of how God is supposed to move the cardinal electors to chose their new pope, and also the politics behind the doors of the Sistine Chapel. (Stuart Braun, “Conclave': Pope's election turned into political thriller,” Deutsche Welle, 28 April 2025)
REGIONAL
Black-out in Spain and Portugal affect more than ten million people
On 28 April, Spain and Portugal were facing huge power blackouts, with no access to trains, metros, traffic lights, ATM’s phone connections, and internet access. Several people were trapped in elevators, trains, and stalled traffic led to abandoned airports. Hospitals had to postpone their appointments, but for the critical cases, doctors used generators and backup systems. Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida, insisted that people move around less and stay where they are. Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, had a crisis meeting with the national grid operator Red Eléctrica and discussed the outage. He said: “The cause of the problem is unclear, but Europe’s power grid is certainly to be blamed.” The national cybersecurity institute investigated the possibility of a cyber attack. European Council President António Costa and Vice President Teresa Ribera have confirmed that there is no threat to cybersecurity and that there is no evidence that this incident was intentional. By 10 pm GMT, around 62 per cent of the power demand was met. According to Red Electrica, it should take six to eight hours to fully restore the power. Portuguese main operator REN said: “The outage was caused by a rare phenomenon, with extreme variations in temperatures in Spain, causing anomalous oscillations, in very high voltage lines.” REN has deployed all the resources, and there is no definitive answer as to how long it would take for the electricity to return. Parts of Southern France had been briefly affected, but it was restored by midday. (Jon Henley, Ashifa Kassam, & Sam Jones, “Tens of millions across Spain and Portugal hit by huge power outage,” The Guardian, 28 April 2025)
EU and China to lift off sanctions as a step towards an investment deal
On 24 April, the EU and China are almost at the end of removing their sanctions imposed by Beijing in 2021. This motive was driven by the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, and this has led several countries to make new allies. EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola is leading negotiations with the Chinese and will confirm once the Chinese sanctions are released. Disputes between the EU and China began in 2021, when the EU members agreed to sanction the Chinese for committing human rights violations against the Uighurs in the Xinjiang region. The agreement concludes with open markets for EU investors, fair treatment for EU operators in China, and alleviating long-standing conflicts on state-owned companies and industrial subsidies. (Jorge Liboreiro, “Beijing offers to lift sanctions on MEPs, hoping to revive EU-China investment deal,” Euronews, 24 April 2025)