MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Friday extending Moscow's retaliatory measures in response to a Western price cap on Russia's oil until June 30, 2025, according to a document published Friday.
The original decree, issued on Dec. 27, 2022, banned the export of Russian oil and petroleum products under contracts that included the price ceiling set by the Group of Seven (G7) countries, the EU, and Australia. (Russia-Oil)
- - - -
WASHINGTON -- The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden announced Thursday that it will send Ukraine another tranche of weapons worth 500 million U.S. dollars.
According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Defense, the latest military assistance to Ukraine is the 72nd time Biden has used his executive authority to approve the fund since August 2021. (U.S.-Ukraine-Military Assistance)
- - - -
PARIS -- French President Emmanuel Macron has nominated Francois Bayrou as France's new prime minister, the Elysee announced in a press release on Friday.
"The President of the Republic has nominated Mr. Francois Bayrou as Prime Minister and tasked him with forming a government," Macron's office said. (France-PM-Nomination)
- - - -
SEOUL -- A South Korean court on Friday issued arrest warrants for heads of national and Seoul police agencies for their roles in President Yoon Suk-yeol's brief imposition of martial law last week.
The Seoul Central District Court said that it has issued arrest warrants for Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, and Kim Bong-sik, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, considering the possibility that the two might destroy evidence. (South Korea-Police Offiers-Arrest Warrants)
- - - -
ANKARA -- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting Friday on combating terrorism and achieving stability in Syria, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
"Our priorities include ensuring stability in Syria and preventing the dominance of terrorist organizations such as IS (Islamic State) and the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party)," Fidan said at a joint press conference with Blinken in the capital Ankara. (Türkiye-U.S.-Blinken) ■
