Tag: conflict

Will Finland and Sweden join NATO? Five things to know

After decades of staying out of military alliances, Finland and Sweden are about to decide whether to apply to join NATO, as a deterrent against aggression from Eastern neighbour Russia. The Nordic neighbours are expected to act in unison, with both expressing a desire for their applications to be submitted simultaneously if they decide to go that route.   – Historic U-turns –   For decades, a majority of Swedes and Finns were in favour […]

Russia warns of response to Finland NATO entry

Russia warned Thursday it would have to take “military-technical” steps in response to neighbouring Finland joining NATO, after leaders in Helsinki backed entering the US-led alliance. “The expansion of NATO and the approach of the alliance to our borders does not make the world and our continent more stable and secure,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. When asked whether Finland’s membership would be a threat, Peskov answered: “definitely”. “Everything will depend on how this […]

Finland poised for NATO membership as Ukraine war crimps Russian gas

by David STOUT, with Elias HUUHTANEN in Helsinki Finland took a step Thursday towards fast-track NATO membership, triggering a blunt warning from the Kremlin, as the war in Ukraine throttled supplies of Russian gas to Europe and the number of people who fled the country passed six million. In Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council decided to probe alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine, in a vote overwhelmingly approved by its members but snubbed by Russia. […]

1 dead, 3 wounded in Russia after Ukraine attack: Belgorod governor

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — One person died and three more were injured in southwestern Russia as a result of an attack from Ukraine, the governor of Belgorod said on Wednesday. “As of now, one person lost his life, he died in an ambulance, and there are three wounded,” the governor of the southwestern region of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on messaging app Telegram. He said it was the “most difficult situation” in his region […]

Finnish president, PM in favour of joining NATO ‘without delay’

by Elias HUUHTANEN Finland’s president and prime minister said on Thursday they were in favour of joining NATO and a formal decision would be taken this weekend, after Russia’s war in Ukraine sparked a swift u-turn in opinion. “Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay,” President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in a joint statement. Niinisto has often served as a mediator between Russia and the West. “NATO membership would strengthen […]

Al Jazeera journalist shot dead during Israel West Bank raid

by Jaafar Ashtiyeh and Gareth Browne with Ben Simon in Jerusalem Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a respected veteran of the Al Jazeera network, was shot dead Wednesday as she covered an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank. The Qatar-based TV channel charged that Israeli forces deliberately and “in cold blood” shot Abu Akleh, 51, in the head during the unrest in the Jenin refugee camp. Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said it […]

Russians ‘pushed away from Kharkiv’ as Washington warns of long war

by David Stout with Dmitry Zaks in Kramatorsk Russian troops are being pushed away from Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, but sounded a note of caution as Washington said Vladimir Putin won’t stop with the east and is ready for a long war. Following that bleak prediction, and after President Joe Biden warned that Ukraine would likely run out of funds to keep fighting within days, the US House of Representatives voted […]

At least 148 dead in Haiti gang war, some burned alive: NGO

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP) — At least 148 people have been killed in the Haitian capital, some of them burned alive, since two rival gangs launched an all out turf war late last month, a human rights organization said on Tuesday. “At least 148 people were murdered, including seven bandits (…) executed by their leader,” between April 24 and the beginning of May, declared the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), after an […]

60 dead in bombed east Ukraine school: Zelensky

Sixty civilians died in the bombing of a school in eastern Ukraine‘s Lugansk region this weekend, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday. “Just yesterday in the village of Bilogorivka, Lugansk region, a Russian bomb killed 60 people. Civilians,” Zelensky said during an address to the G7 summit by video conference. “They were hiding from shelling in the building of a regular school, which was attacked by a Russian air strike.” Lugansk governor Sergiy Gaiday told Russian-language television station […]

Putin vows ‘as in 1945, victory will be ours’

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday vowed that “as in 1945, victory will be ours” as he congratulated former Soviet nations on the 77th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II. “Today, our soldiers, as their ancestors, are fighting side by side to liberate their native land from the Nazi filth with the confidence that, as in 1945, victory will be ours,” said Putin, who sent Russian troops into Ukraine in February. “Today, […]

Biden announces $150 mn more weapons for Ukraine

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden announced Friday a new US weapons package worth $150 million for Ukraine’s fight to repel Russia’s invasion. “I am announcing another package of security assistance that will provide additional artillery munitions, radars, and other equipment to Ukraine,” Biden said, while warning that funding was close to running out and urging Congress to authorize more. According to a senior US official, the package includes 25,000 155mm artillery […]

UN calls for end to Russian war in Ukraine

  UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The United Nations and several countries called Thursday for an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, with little mention of reviving the two countries’ apparently stalled peace talks. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a violation of its territorial integrity and of the Charter of the United Nations,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at a Security Council meeting organized by the United States. “It must end for the sake […]