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☆ NATO: Record 18 states expected to meet 2% defense spending threshold this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( James Frater | Joshua Berlinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Eighteen of NATO’s 31 members are expected to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense this year, the treaty organization’s leader said on Wednesday. “That is another record number and a six-fold increase from 2014 when only three allies met their target,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday ahead of a meeting between the alliance’s defense ministers in Brussels. Former US President Donald Trump, who is running for reelection in November, brought renewed scrutiny to the issue of defense spending among NATO members last weekend, when he said at a rally he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO member country that doesn’t meet spending guidelines on defense – effectively undercutting the collective defense clause at the heart of the treaty. The German Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its 2024 budget will see its defense spending meet the 2% threshold for the first time since the early 1990s. NATO as a whole is expected to reach the 2% threshold for the first time this year.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Donald Trump, –, Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, ” Organizations: CNN, NATO, Allies, German Defense Ministry Locations: Brussels, Russia, Canada, Germany

☆ Russia’s frozen assets are generating billions. The EU is getting ready to send them to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Russian assets frozen in European accounts are generating billions of dollars in interest payments that could be diverted to help repair Ukraine’s war-torn economy — and the European Union just took a step closer to doing that. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Western countries froze nearly half of Moscow’s foreign reserves — some €300 billion ($327 billion). Around €200 billion ($218 billion) sits in the European Union — mostly at Euroclear, a financial institution that keeps assets safe for banks, exchanges and investors. The EU has been at pains to contrast the illegality of Russia’s invasion with its own strict adherence to the rule of law. Lawyers are working on the text of the agreement before returning it to EU member states for final approval.

Persons: Euroclear, —, ” — James Frater Organizations: London CNN, European Union, EU, immobilised Central Bank of Russia, ”, Group, World Bank, European, European Central Bank, CNN Locations: Ukraine, ” Belgium, Euroclear, Russia, EU

☆ Storm Ciarán: At least six dead and several missing as torrential rain and strong winds lash Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rome, Italy CNN —At least six people have died in Tuscany, according to the region’s president, after torrential rain and strong winds from Storm Ciarán swept northern and central Italy overnight Thursday. A man walks in the mud in Montemurlo, near Prato, after torrential rain hit the area, on November 3, 2023. It asked people to leave nearby areas and remove vehicles near river banks. Helicopters, land vehicles, water pumps, buses and also the Comsubin [submarine search vehicles] for search and rescue activities,” he said in a statement Friday morning. Storm Ciarán has pummeled parts of western Europe since Wednesday night with strong winds and torrential rain.

Persons: Storm Ciarán, Eugenio Giani, Giani, Federico Scoppa, Arno, Guido Crosetto, ”, Olivier Véran, Friederike Otto, CNN’s Laura Paddison, Pierre Bairin, James Frater, Delal Mawad, Eve Brennan Organizations: Italy CNN —, Storm, Getty, CNN, Defense, Armed Forces, Belgium —, Grantham Institute, Imperial College London Locations: Rome, Italy, Tuscany, Veneto, Prato, Florence, Montemurlo, AFP, Pontedera, Pisa, Milan, Como, Sardinia, Lazio, Europe, France, Belgium

☆ A pipeline in the Baltic Sea has been shut down. Authorities suspect sabotage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Gasgrid, Finland’s gas transmission operator, said Sunday that it had temporarily shut the 95-mile-long Balticconnector pipeline, running under the Baltic Sea, over a suspected leak. Moreover, Finland can still source gas via its LNG terminal, and Estonia is still connected to the European gas grid via Lithuania. An ‘alarm bell’Gasgrid and its Estonian counterpart Elering “noticed an unusual drop in pressure in the Balticconnector offshore gas pipeline” on Sunday morning, Gasgrid said Tuesday. “It is reasonable to suspect that the cause of the incident was damage to the offshore gas pipeline,” the company said in a statement. “The European [gas] market remains very tight, and any news is having an impact,” said Sharples at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

Persons: Gasgrid, Sauli Niinistö, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Jack Sharples, Elering “, Kaja Kallas, Simone Tagliapietra, ”, Sharples, — James Frater, Sharon Braithwaite Organizations: London CNN, NATO, Finnish Border Guard, European Union, CNN, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Estonian, Estonia’s, Authorities, Germany —, EU, Chevron Locations: Finland, Estonia, Baltic, Brussels, Lithuania, Latvia, Europe, United Kingdom, Germany, Nord, Norway, Algeria, Israel

☆ Sycamore Gap: 16-year-old boy arrested after famous tree ‘deliberately felled’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( James Frater | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The tree - at a spot known as “Sycamore Gap” – was located on the historic UNESCO World Heritage listed Hadrian’s Wall, which was constructed around 1,900 years ago to guard the furthest northwestern frontier of the Roman Empire. The tree before it was felled. Andre Poling/ullstein bild/Getty ImagesSycamore Gap was considered one of the most photographed trees in England and was voted as English Tree of the Year in 2016. The National Trust heritage charity – which co-manages the site – said it was “shocked and saddened” by the tree’s felling. The sycamore tree, seen here in 2021, was a striking presence on the wild landscape around Hadrian's Wall.

Persons: London CNN —, Kevin Costner’s, Robin Hood, Andre Poling, ”, Andrew Poad, Kevin Taverner, Kevin Waring Organizations: London CNN, ” Police, UNESCO, Getty, National Trust, Park Authority, Police, CNN, Northumbria Police, North Locations: Northumberland, England, Roman, Hadrian's, Northumbria

☆ Johan Retief, Namibian rugby star, out of World Cup after being 'bitten by a spider'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( James Frater | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Namibian rugby star Johan Retief has been ruled out of his country’s final World Cup game against Uruguay later Wednesday, after being “bitten by a spider” at the team’s hotel in Aix-les-Bains, eastern France. Johan Retief of Namibia wins the ball in a lineout during the Rugby World Cup match between France and Namibia at Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France on September 21, 2023. The team will also be missing its captain, Johan Deysel, who is serving a six-match suspension for a dangerous tackle during last week’s game against France, which Namibia lost 96-0. Namibia has lost all three of its 2023 World Cup pool matches, conceding 219 points in the process. The southern African side is not the only team to have lost a player through a non-match-related injuring during this tournament.

Persons: Johan Retief, Allister Coetzee, Johan Retief’s, ” Coetzee, Phil Walter, Chrysander Botha, Retief, ” Botha, we’ll, ”, Johan Deysel, David Cherry, “, Cherry Organizations: CNN — Namibian, Uruguay, Rugby, Stade Velodrome, Namibian rugby, France, Scotland, ” Scottish Rugby Locations: Aix, les, Bains, France, Namibia, Marseille, Lyon, Uruguay

☆ Cruise ship Ocean Explorer runs aground in Greenland
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Zahid Mahmood | James Frater | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A cruise ship carrying 206 passengers and crew has run aground on a remote stretch of Greenland and could potentially be stuck for days waiting for the nearest ship to arrive to help. The Ocean Explorer got into trouble on Monday in Alpefjord, a dramatic and rugged stretch of Northeast Greenland National Park, and has not been able to free itself, according to a statement from Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC). “As soon as we realized that the Ocean Explorer could not get free on its own, we sent a ship towards the wreck,” Arctic Commander Brian Jensen said. Jensen said the Ocean Explorer could still re-float on a high tide, but failing that, the Knud Rasmussen would assist. According to the statement, the Government of Greenland, the Danish Maritime Authority and the Danish Accident Investigation Board have been informed of the incident.

Persons: ”, Knud Rasmussen, Brian Jensen, “, Jensen, Tamara Hardingham, Gill Organizations: CNN, Arctic Command, Aurora Expeditions, Command, Danish Maritime Authority, Danish Locations: Greenland, Alpefjord, Northeast Greenland, Government

Brussels/London CNN —The European Union is launching an investigation into China’s state support for makers of electric vehicles as soaring imports of their cars stoke fears for the future of European auto manufacturers. “So I can announce today that the commission is launching an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles coming from China.”Europe levies a duty of 10% on cars imported from China. That compares with duty of 27.5% in the United States, and China’s manufacturers have taken advantage to carve out a significant and rapidly growing foothold in the European market. And in the last five years, EU imports of Chinese cars have quadrupled. The European Commission investigation could lead to the imposition of tariffs on Chinese EV imports, and von der Leyen’s announcement rattled the stocks of China’s biggest EV companies listed in Hong Kong.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, “, ” von der Leyen, von der, Warren Buffett, Nio, Li Yunfei, Oliver Zipse, Luca de Meo, ”, Sigrid de Vries, Laura Organizations: London CNN, China Passenger Car Association, UBS, The, EV, European Automobile Manufacturers ’ Association, Senior, EU, Jato Dynamics, BMW, Renault, European Locations: Brussels, London, Europe, China, United States, Hong Kong

☆ $200 billion in frozen Russian assets could help rebuild Ukraine. Europe is trying to figure out how
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Russian assets frozen in European accounts could generate billions of dollars a year for rebuilding Ukraine. One idea put forward in the EU is to draw off the interest on income generated by Russian assets while leaving the assets themselves untouched. This approach would probably deliver about €3 billion ($3.3 billion) a year, according to Anders Ahnlid, the director general of the Swedish National Board of Trade and head of the EU working group looking into frozen Russian assets. The group said in April that cash on its balance sheet had more than doubled over the year to March to stand at €140 billion ($153 billion), boosted by payments associated with frozen Russian assets, including bonds. Euroclear routinely invests such long-term cash balances and, in the first quarter, it recorded €734 million ($802 million) in interest earned on cash balances from sanctioned Russian assets.

Persons: Anders Ahnlid, “, ” Ahnlid, ”, Euroclear, Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš, John Thys, I’m, ’, ” — James Frater Organizations: London CNN, Union, Bank, EU, Swedish National Board of Trade, CNN, European Commission, European Central Bank, ECB, Group, Latvia’s, Latvia's, European Locations: Ukraine, Brussels, Russia, EU, Belgium, AFP, Europe

CNN —A beluga whale widely speculated to be an alleged Russian “spy” has entered Swedish waters, according to OneWhale, an organization set up to protect the animal’s health and welfare. “After four years of swimming south down the coast of Norway, Hvaldimir – known worldwide as the ‘Russian spy’ beluga whale – is now in Swedish waters,” OneWhale said in a statement on Monday. “But the famous beluga skirted around the dangerous waters of Oslo for Sweden,” OneWhale’s statement said. The whale “tends to stay at farms where it has been able to catch fish, grazing on surplus feed,” the directorate added. In 2019, experts told CNN that Hvaldimir was a trained animal, and evidence suggested that the whale had come from Russia.

☆ Europe wants to ban Russian diamond imports. What comes next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“Russian diamonds are not forever,” European Council President Charles Michel said on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on Friday. Tatyana Makeyeva/ReutersA ban on Russian diamonds could inflate prices for European consumers, especially if diamond production elsewhere doesn’t ramp up. The biggest task facing Europe is how to design an air-tight ban that prevents Russian diamonds from arriving in the bloc through circuitous routes. “There are a lot of Russian diamonds that still get sold within the American economy,” he said. “If you really want to close loopholes, you need to find a system that prevents [Russian] diamonds going to the G7 market,” Neys said.

Paris/London CNN —The European Parliament on Tuesday banned TikTok from staff devices over cybersecurity concerns, meaning the Chinese video-sharing app is now barred in all three of the EU’s main institutions. The parliament also “strongly recommended” that its members and staff remove TikTok from their personal devices. “We appreciate that some governments have wisely chosen not to implement such bans due to a lack of evidence that there is any such need.”Last week, the European Commission announced it was banning TikTok from official devices, citing cybersecurity concerns. On Monday, the White House directed federal agencies to remove TikTok from all government-issued devices within 30 days, with few exceptions. Brooke Oberwetter, a TikTok spokesperson, called the ban “little more than political theater.”“The ban of TikTok on federal devices passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments,” Oberwetter said in a statement.

London CNN —The European Union is setting up a working group to examine whether frozen Russian assets can be used to rebuild Ukraine. The statement added that part of this work would involve obtaining a “clearer picture” of where Russian state-owned assets are located and their value. “In principle, it is clear-cut: Russia must pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said. A senior EU official estimated earlier this month that the European Union and Western allies had frozen more than $300 billion in Russian central bank assets that could potentially be used to rebuild Ukraine. The European Union is also working on a tenth package of sanctions against Russia.

CNN —A Zambian student, jailed in Russia was killed during a battle in Ukraine, Zambia’s foreign ministry said Monday. The student was a 23-year-old student the Zambian government had sponsored to study nuclear engineering at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. Nyirenda was convicted in 2020 of unspecified crimes in Russia and sent to prison for nine years and six months. CNN has contacted the Zambian foreign ministry for more information. However many foreign students reported facing segregation and racism at borders.

☆ Europe still can't live without Russian LNG exports
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

London CNN Business —Europe may be closer than ever to breaking its energy dependence on Moscow, but it still can’t live without one type of Russian natural gas. Russian imports doubled in the year to September to 1.2 million tons, Rystad data shows. The majority of the Russian LNG imports come from privately owned Novatek, the country’s second-largest natural gas producer after Gazprom. “I expect that Russian LNG will continue to play an important role in filling European storage going into winter of 2023,” he told CNN Business. “[Europe] would rather get whatever [it] can in terms of Russian pipeline gas and Russian LNG… it would take a lot before [it] would think about sanctioning gas or LNG from Russia,” Ramesh said.

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