Nordics

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 14 ISTANBUL (AP) — Just two days after agreeing to lift deal-breaking objections to Sweden and Finland’s NATO accession, Turkey’s leader warned Thursday that Ankara could still block the process if the two countries fail to fully meet his expectations. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the close of the alliance’s summit in Madrid that the 10-article agreement with the Nordic pair was a victory for Ankara and addressed all its “sensitivities.” He particularly stressed the satisfying of Turkey’s demand for Sweden and Finland to extradite terror suspects with links to outlawed Kurdish groups or the network of an exiled cleric accused of a failed 2016 coup in Turkey. But Erdogan added that if the two Nordic states renege on their promises, Turkey’s Parliament could refuse to ratify the deal reached Tuesday. NATO … [Read more...] about Erdogan: Nordic NATO bid could still be nixed if vows unkept

'Winter Night in the Mountains' by Harald Sohlberg (1914) with a sculpture by Ingebrikt Vik, titled 'The Youth' (1913), in the new National Museum, in Oslo, Norway. DAVID B. TORCH/nyt For decades, Oslo lived in the shadow of Scandinavia's two other capitals, Stockholm and Copenhagen. The Norwegian city, alongside a picturesque fjord dotted with rugged islands, has often been derided as sleepy and overpriced, or as a mere stopping-off point for tourists heading into the Norwegian mountains or boarding a cruise along the coast. In recent years, Norwegian and municipal authorities have spent hundreds of millions trying to change that view. As part of a redevelopment project known as "Fjord City", leaders have transformed the Oslo waterfront into a glossy district of high-rises and pedestrian plazas dotted with swimming spots and cultural amenities, including its now-famous opera house and the towering new home of the Munch Museum, dedicated to Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. … [Read more...] about More than just fjords

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 8 MADRID (AP) — President Joe Biden opened his three-day visit to a NATO summit Tuesday by pledging to beef up the American military presence in Europe as he denounced Russia’s Vladimir Putin for trying to “wipe out” Ukrainian culture in the ongoing war in eastern Europe. Biden, in talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, detailed plans to increase the number of Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, from four to six. Biden said the move was one of multiple announcements that he and NATO allies would make to help bolster the alliance in the region during the summit. Biden arrived in Spain for the NATO summit amid an intense barrage of Russian fire across Ukraine— including a horrific missile attack on a shopping mall in Kyiv on Monday— and growing weariness over the grinding war that is battering the global economy. “Sometimes I think Putin’s … [Read more...] about Biden, NATO to beef up force posture amid Russian aggression

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 8 MADRID (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that the U.S. will significantly increase its military presence in Europe for the long haul, including by establishing its first permanent presence in Poland, to bolster regional security after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the opening of the alliance’s annual leaders' summit in Madrid, Biden said “NATO is strong and united" and that steps to be taken during the gathering will “further augment our collective strength.” The White House said Biden's commitments mean the U.S. will maintain a presence of 100,000 troops in Europe, up 20,000 from the levels before the Ukraine war began, for the “foreseeable future.” Biden opened his participation in the summit by announcing the permanent basing of a U.S. military garrison in Poland. He also said the U.S. is … [Read more...] about US to boost military presence in Europe for Russia threat

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 23 MADRID (AP) — The Latest on the final day of the NATO summit in Madrid: Italian Premier Mario Draghi is skipping the last day of the NATO summit in Madrid amid simmering tensions in his coalition government. Draghi’s office said the premier will attend a Cabinet meeting in the Italian capital on Thursday. Measures to bring relief for high consumer energy bills and government spending top the Cabinet’s agenda. Draghi’s abrupt departure came amid tension in his wide-ranging unity coalition, assembled during the COVID-19 pandemic. His predecessor, populist 5-Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte, has been seething over issues including Draghi’s staunch support for more military aid for Ukraine. The 5-Stars are themselves in turmoil after Foreign Minister Luigi … [Read more...] about Live updates | Italian politics compel Draghi to exit summit

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 18 MADRID (AP) — NATO faced rebukes from Moscow and Beijing on Thursday after it declared Russia a “direct threat” and said China posed “serious challenges ” to global stability. The Western military alliance was wrapping up a summit in Madrid, where it issued a stark warning that the world has been plunged into a dangerous phase of big-power competition and myriad threats, from cyberattacks to climate change. NATO leaders also formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, after overcoming opposition from Turkey. If the Nordic nations’ accession is approved by the 30 member nations, it will give NATO a new 800-mile (1,300 kilometer) border with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned he would respond in kind if the Nordic pair allowed NATO troops and military infrastructure … [Read more...] about Russia and China slam NATO after alliance raises alarm

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization's Europe chief warned Friday that monkeypox cases in the region have tripled in the last two weeks and urged countries to do more to ensure the previously rare disease does not become entrenched on the continent. And African health authorities said they are treating the expanding monkeypox outbreak as an emergency, calling on rich countries to share limited supplies of vaccines to avoid equity problems seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. WHO Europe chief Dr. Hans Kluge said in a statement that increased efforts were needed despite the U.N. health agency's decision last week that the escalating outbreak did not yet warrant being declared a global health emergency. “Urgent and coordinated action is imperative if we are to turn a corner in the race to reverse the ongoing spread of this disease,” Kluge said. To date, more than 5,000 monkeypox cases have been reported from 51 countries worldwide that don't normally report the disease, … [Read more...] about Monkeypox cases triple in Europe, WHO says, Africa concerned