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Selasa, 28 Juni 2022

NATO: Finland and Sweden poised to join NATO after Turkey drops objection - Sky News

Sweden and Finland look poised to join NATO after Turkey agreed to drop a block on the Nordic countries' application.

A memorandum signed by the three nations follows talks between their leaders at a NATO summit in Madrid and ends what appeared to be the key obstruction to the Nordic neighbours' accession process.

A statement from Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said: "We had a thorough meeting with president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and prime minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson, facilitated by secretary general of NATO Jens Stoltenberg.

"As a result of that meeting, our foreign ministers signed a trilateral memorandum which confirms that Turkey will at the Madrid summit this week support the invitation of Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO."

Mr Stoltenberg said Russian President Vladimir Putin would now be "getting more NATO on his borders".

"I am pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO," he said.

"Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum that addresses Turkey's concerns, including around arms exports and the fight against terrorism."

Finland and Sweden will receive a formal invitation to join the organisation on Wednesday, which will then require further steps like domestic ratification.

The Nordic states' attempt to join the alliance hit a stumbling block when President Erdogan said they supported Kurdish militants.

In the memorandum, Finland and Sweden stated they would not support the YPG/PYD, and the group known in Turkey as FETO.

The Nordic states also stated that they deemed the PKK "a proscribed terrorist organisation".

The statement from Finland said: "Our joint memorandum underscores the commitment of Finland, Sweden and Turkey to extend their full support against threats to each other's security. Us becoming NATO allies will further strengthen this commitment.

"Over the past weeks, Turkey has raised its concerns over the threat of terrorism. Finland has constantly taken these concerns seriously.

"Finland condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. As a NATO member, Finland will commit fully to the counterterrorism documents and policies of NATO."

The traditionally neutral nations decided to apply for NATO membership following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A NATO development Putin won't be able to ignore

Deborah Haynes

Security and Defence Editor

@haynesdeborah

It was the perfect start to a NATO summit that seeks to send a message of unity and strength to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Turkey suddenly agreed to support a bid by Sweden and Finland to join the transatlantic alliance in a dramatic U-turn after days of last-ditch diplomacy.

Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary general, eagerly broke the news of what will be a historic expansion of the club, drawing in the two previously neutral Nordic states.

"Welcoming Finland and Sweden into the Alliance will make them safer, NATO stronger, and the Euro-Atlantic area more secure," he told a hurriedly-arranged press conference at the summit in Madrid.

"This is vital as we face the biggest security crisis in decades."

Ankara is worried about what it regards as Swedish support for Kurdish militias, viewed by Turkey as terrorists.

But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured an agreement from both Sweden and Finland to tackle his concerns over terrorism.

His change of heart will be a huge relief to the rest of the alliance.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine had prompted Stockholm and Helsinki to ditch their military neutrality and ask to join NATO, dramatically turning their back on Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

But the seismic shift in security policy was dampened by Turkey’s resistance to the idea.

Efforts have been underway for weeks to try to reassure Ankara, with Britain's foreign and defence secretaries playing a part.

It has paid off. President Putin will not be able to ignore that NATO is set to grow as a direct consequence of his war in Ukraine, which is not a member state – yet.

In response to Tuesday's announcement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "Fantastic news as we kick off the NATO summit.

"Sweden and Finland's membership will make our brilliant alliance stronger and safer."

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2022-06-28 20:51:10Z
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NATO: Turkey agrees to back Finland and Sweden's bid to join alliance - Sky News

Turkey, Sweden and Finland have signed a memorandum for the two Nordic states to join NATO, removing a Turkish block to the accession process.

It comes after the leaders of the three nations spoke at a NATO summit in Madrid.

Mr Stoltenberg said Russian President Vladimir Putin is now "getting more NATO on his borders".

He added: "I am pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.

"Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum that addresses Turkey's concerns, including around arms exports and the fight against terrorism."

Finland and Sweden will receive a formal invitation to join the organisation on Wednesday, which will then require further steps like domestic ratification.

The Nordic states' attempt to join the alliance hit a stumbling block when President Erdogan said they supported Kurdish militants.

In the memorandum, Finland and Sweden stated they would not support the YPG/PYD, and the group known in Turkey as FETO.

The Nordic states also confirmed that the PKK is "a proscribed terrorist organisation".

"Over the past weeks, Turkey has raised its concerns over the threat of terrorism. Finland has constantly taken these concerns seriously.

"Finland condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. As a NATO member, Finland will commit fully to the counterterrorism documents and policies of NATO."

The traditionally neutral nations decided to apply for NATO membership following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In response to Tuesday's announcement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "Fantastic news as we kick off the NATO summit.

"Sweden and Finland's membership will make our brilliant alliance stronger and safer."

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Trump urged armed supporters to storm Capitol - aide - BBC

Donald Trump knew supporters had weapons when he urged them to storm the Capitol to overturn election result, ex-White House aide says

The former aide testified to the committee probing the 6 January riots that Mr Trump and his top staffers knew of the potential for violence.

But a planned rally, which attorney Rudy Giuliani said would make Mr Trump "look powerful", went ahead.

The president also demanded to join the march on the Capitol himself, she said.

In a series of public hearings, the 6 January committee has sought to link the former president directly to the efforts to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 election results.

Up until now, the congressional panel was missing a key piece of the puzzle - the testimony of someone who could offer a first-hand account of the situation in the White House in the hours before the attack.

But at its sixth hearing - hastily announced with what the committee said was the revelation of new evidence - Cassidy Hutchinson filled in the blanks.

Four things we've learned from Jan 6 hearings

As principal advisor to Mr Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows, Ms Hutchinson sat less than 10 seconds from the Oval Office, spoke daily with Mr Meadows, and was the chief West Wing liaison to Capitol Hill.

She recounted that several top officials warned repeatedly that Mr Trump's rally on 6 January could spiral out of control.

But Mr Meadows and others downplayed the potential for violence.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.

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2022-06-28 18:27:52Z
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Senin, 27 Juni 2022

Toxic yellow chlorine explosion at Jordan port kills at least 13 and injures 250 - Sky News

A poisonous chlorine gas explosion at the port of Aqaba in Jordan is said to have killed at least 13 people and injured 250.

It happened after a tank filled with 25 tonnes of chlorine being exported to Djibouti fell while being transported, officials said.

Jamal Obeidat, head of Aqaba health department, told state television: "We advise citizens in Aqaba to stay indoors and close the windows. This gas is critical."

And he warned there could be more deaths linked to the leak.

A video posted on state television's Twitter page showed a storage tank falling from a winch and slamming into the deck of a ship, followed by bright yellow-coloured gas rising into the air as people ran away.

The Civil Defence service said on its Facebook page that specialised teams had been scrambled to deal with the gas, and planes were being sent to evacuate people from Aqaba.

Chlorine is a widely used disinfectant and water purification agent, but if inhaled, the gas turns to hydrochloric acid, which can lead to internal burning and drowning through a reactionary release of water in the lungs.

Jordan's Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh went to the town and headed straight to a hospital where some of the injured were being treated, state TV reported.

The area where the explosion happened on the Bay of Aqaba is about 12 miles (20 kilometres) from Israel's southern city of Eilat.

Aqaba has a population of 188,000 people and 50,000 live in Eilat, with the two cities connected by a land border crossing.

The explosion is one of Jordan's worst accidents in recent years.

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2022-06-27 20:26:15Z
1483530491

Ukraine war: Russian missile strike on shopping centre with over 1,000 people inside in city of Kremenchuk, Zelenskyy says - Sky News

A shopping centre with over 1,000 civilians inside has been hit by a Russian missile strike in central Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

"The mall is on fire, firefighters are trying to extinguish the fire, the number of victims is impossible to imagine," said the country's leader, writing on the Telegram messaging app.

Footage on social media showed a large number of people stood outside as a huge blaze raged inside the building in the city of Kremenchuk and dark smoke billowed into the sky.

The local mayor Vitaliy Meletskiy said the strike on the "very crowded" structure had caused deaths and injuries. He also said the site had no links to the armed forces.

Dmytro Lunin, the governor of the Poltava region, insisted there was no military target nearby which Russia could have been aiming at. He said at least 13 people were killed and 40 injured by two missiles.

War 'turning in Russia's favour' as Putin to make first foreign trip since invasion - see live updates on Ukraine war

A rescue operation was under way and nine of the wounded were in a serious condition, said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office.

Kremenchuk, which is the site of Ukraine's biggest oil refinery, lies on the Dnipro river in the region of Poltava.

Mr Zelenskyy stressed the shopping centre target presented "no threat to the Russian army" and had "no strategic value".

He accused Russia of sabotaging "people's attempts to live a normal life, which make the occupiers so angry".

"Russia continues to take out its impotence on ordinary civilians. It is useless to hope for decency and humanity on its part," the president said.

Boris Johnson has condemned President Vladimir Putin's "cruelty and barbarism" following the attack.

Firefighters and soldiers pulled out mangled pieces of metal as they searched for survivors.

"We don't understand how many people could be remaining under the rubble," the regional rescue service chief said.

There was no immediate comment from Russia, which denies deliberately targeting civilians.

The industrial city had a population of 217,000 before Russia's invasion in February.

The attack came as Russia launched an all-out assault on the last Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region, "pouring fire" on the city of Lysychansk from the ground and air, according to the local governor.

Western leaders meeting at the G7 summit in Germany have pledged continued support for Kyiv, including more air defence systems, and further sanctions against Moscow.

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2022-06-27 15:43:13Z
1477578397

Toxic yellow chlorine explosion at Jordan port kills at least 10 and injures 250 - Sky News