Ministers to mark 75 years of NATO, discuss more support for Ukraine
Brussels, Belgium Reuters NATO foreign ministers meet on Thursday to celebrate the 75th anniversary of their alliance, having agreed to start planning for a greater role in coordinating military aid to Ukraine. On the second day of a meeting in Brussels, the ministers will mark the signing in Washington on 4th April, 1949, of the […]
One child killed, two wounded in Finland school shooting, 12-year-old boy held
Helsinki, Finland Reuters One child was killed and two seriously wounded in a shooting at a school outside the Finnish capital on Tuesday, police said, with a 12-year-old fellow pupil suspected of the attack taken into custody. The arrest of the boy was made without further violence in the Helsinki suburb of Siltamaki, four kilometres […]
EU members call for revision of anti-deforestation law
Brussels, Belgium Reuters A group of EU countries led by Austria is calling for urgent revisions to the bloc’s anti-deforestation law set to go into effect at the end of the year, saying it could hurt European farmers, according to a document reviewed by Reuters on Monday. The EU law aims to root deforestation out […]
Gloomy youth pull US and western Europe down global happiness ranking
London, UK Reuters Rising unhappiness among younger people has caused the United States and some large western European countries to fall down a global wellbeing index, while Nordic nations retain their grip on the top spots. The annual World Happiness Report, launched in 2012 to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, is based on […]
Arctic foxes: Norway gives a helping hand amid climate woes
GLORIA DICKIE and LISI NIESNER, of Reuters, report on a state-sponsored program to restore Arctic foxes…
Sweden clears final hurdle to join NATO as Hungary approves accession
Budapest, Hungary/Stockholm, Sweden Reuters Hungary’s parliament approved Sweden’s NATO accession on Monday, clearing the last hurdle before the historic step by the Nordic country whose neutrality lasted through two world wars and the simmering conflict of the Cold War. Hungary’s vote ended months of delays to complete Sweden’s security policy shift and followed a visit […]
Finland should stay calm amid Trump NATO rhetoric, President-elect says
Helsinki, Finland Reuters Finland’s President-elect Alexander Stubb said on Monday his country should remain calm and focus on its NATO membership despite former US President Donald Trump’s recent critical comments on the military alliance. Trump, the front-runner to become the Republican candidate in November’s US presidential election, said last week he would not want to […]
Centre-right’s Stubb wins close-fought Finnish presidential election
Helsinki, Finland Reuters Alexander Stubb of the centre-right National Coalition Party narrowly won Finland’s presidential election on Sunday, defeating liberal Green Party member Pekka Haavisto, who conceded defeat. Stubb is pro-European and a strong supporter of Ukraine who has taken a tough stance towards Russia. National Coalition Party presidential candidate Alexander Stubb reacts to the […]
Countries pause funds for UN Palestinian agency; Israel wants it replaced
London, UK Reuters Six European countries paused funding for the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) on Saturday, following allegations that some of its staff were involved in the 7th October Hamas attacks on Israel. Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland on Saturday joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding […]
Asylum seekers “missing” after crossing Russia border to Finland
Reuters Some 160 people who applied for asylum at Finland’s eastern border last year have since disappeared, amid a sudden surge of asylum seekers arriving via Russia, Finland’s immigration authority said. Finland closed its eastern border with Russia late last year amidst a growing number of arrivals from countries including Syria and Somalia. It accused […]