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☆ NATO's newest member is now becoming the first country to buy an advanced Israeli air-defense system
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A day after it joined NATO, Finland said it'll buy an advanced Israeli air-defense system. The Finnish Defense Ministry said it approved the purchase of the David's Sling system in a statement on Wednesday. Israeli defense company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems will deliver the system, which was procured in a deal valued at nearly $345 million, according to the statement. It will be the first export of the David's Sling system, according to a translation of the ministry's statement. David's Sling is an advanced air-defense system built by Rafael and the US firm Raytheon and has been operational since 2017.

☆ Sweden-Hungary ties at low point, Orban aide says, amid Stockholm NATO bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Welcoming Finland's entry, U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Turkey and Hungary to conclude their ratification processes for Sweden to join the alliance "without delay". Orban's chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, reiterated ruling party concerns over Sweden's NATO bid, which he said were also shared by Orban's government. "In such a situation, NATO's unity is of paramount importance and it is not helpful if we import bilateral debates into NATO." Hungary's ratification process has been stranded in parliament since July, with Orban airing concerns about the Nordic countries' NATO membership for the first time in February. Among other criticisms, Orban has accused both countries of spreading "outright lies" about the health of democracy in Hungary.

☆ 'We're not out of the woods': Sweden’s sliding house prices could be only halfway to the bottom
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Sweden's house prices are expected to continue to plummet. Danske previously projected a 20% drop, peak to trough, in Swedish house prices. The data shows house prices rose by 1% compared with February. When adjusted for seasonality, the increase translates into a small decline of 0.3%, with house prices typically growing slightly at the start of each year. SEB is maintaining its forecast of a 20% drop in Swedish house prices, but with downside risk.

☆ BHP's exploration accelerator to open to uranium, lithium finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, April 5 (Reuters) - BHP Group's (BHP.AX) programme to support promising minerals explorers will expand beyond copper and nickel to prospective uranium and lithium projects from September, the head of its Xplor program said on Wednesday. For its second year, the programme wants to receive double the number of applications at 500 from the first year as it opens up to more commodities, said Sonia Scarselli, vice president of BHP Xplor. "We will be looking not just at copper and nickel, but at uranium and lithium and so on," Scarselli told a commodities conference in Singapore. Scarselli told Reuters last month BHP saw lithium's demand-supply equation as not as fundamentally stretched as that for copper and nickel. The miner, which produces uranium as a byproduct at its Olympic Dam copper operations in South Australia, has become more vocal about the role of uranium in a new energy world.

☆ This startup using AI to help nurses manage their workflow just landed $5.3 million. Check out the 13-slide pitch deck Teton.AI used to raise the funds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The startup uses AI to improve patient monitoring in hospitals and care homes. Check out the 13-slide deck used to secure the fresh funds. A startup that wants to deploy AI to help address nursing shortages just raised $5.3 million in fresh funds. While Teton's term sheet was completed before the recent frenzy around generative AI, Thorsen noted that it had some impact in the latter part of their fundraising efforts. Check out the 13-slide pitch deck used to raise the fresh funds.

☆ Finland Joins NATO in Historic Move Prompted by Russia, as Sweden Waits
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | Daniel Michaels | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS—Finland officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Tuesday, a historic security policy shift prompted by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine that more than doubles the alliance’s border with Russia and rearranges the security landscape in Northern Europe. The Nordic nation became the 31st member of the alliance nearly a year after it applied for membership, alongside Sweden, a process delayed by NATO members Turkey and Hungary, which have hesitated to ratify Stockholm’s bid.

☆ Putin said Finland joining NATO didn't pose a threat, but now that it's a done deal, Russia is warning it will have to take action
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Finland joining NATO is one of the most significant consequences of Russia invading Ukraine. Putin said at that time that Finland joining NATO didn't pose an "immediate threat" to Russia. Less than a year ago, however, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that Finland joining NATO wouldn't make "much difference." Finland joining NATO marks one of the most significant geopolitical consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine to date and represents a dramatic realignment of Europe's security framework. But now, as a result of invading Ukraine, Russia has seen its land border with NATO double in size.

HELSINKI/BRUSSELS, April 4 (Reuters) - Finland will become a member of NATO on Tuesday, completing a historic security policy shift triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while neighbour Sweden is kept in the waiting room. "It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday. Sweden underwent a similar transformation in defence thinking and Stockholm and Helsinki applied together last year to join NATO. Moscow said on Monday it would strengthen its military capacity in its western and northwestern regions in response to Finland joining NATO. Stoltenberg said he was "absolutely confident" that Sweden will become a NATO member.

☆ Finland officially becomes a member of NATO, doubling the military alliance's border with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Finland's Foreign Affairs Minister Pekka Haavisto is concerned that his country's application to join NATO will be delayed. Finland on Tuesday became an official member of the military alliance NATO, prompted by Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine last year. Nor does it change the foundations or objectives of Finland's foreign and security policy," Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a written statement Tuesday. Finland shares an 832-mile border with Russia, the longest of any European Union member. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Russia would closely follow any NATO deployments in Finland and that his country would take "counter-measures" to this accession, according to Reuters.

☆ Finland's Sanna Marin, a global progressive icon, loses out on second term after right-wing surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Marin entered office as the world's youngest serving prime minister in 2019 at the age of 34. Marin entered office as the world's youngest serving prime minister in 2019 at the age of 34. However, after just one term as prime minister, Marin was pushed into third place by her right-wing political rivals. "Congratulations also to the other winners of the elections, congratulations to the Coalition Party and congratulations to the Finns Party. However, Finland's main conservative National Coalition Party, led by Petteri Orpo, came out on top with 20.8% of the vote, while the right-wing Finns Party received a record 20.1% share of the vote.

"Tomorrow we will welcome Finland as the 31st member of NATO making Finland safer and our alliance stronger," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels, hailing the move as "historic". Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year pushed Finland and its neighbour Sweden to apply for NATO membership, abandoning decades of military non-alignment. [1/2] NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attends a news conference before a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium April 3, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron 1 2"President Putin went to war against Ukraine with the clear aim to get less NATO," Stoltenberg said. Stoltenberg pledged to work hard to get Sweden into NATO as soon as possible.

☆ Stoltenberg: Finland will join NATO on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsStoltenberg: Finland will join NATO on TuesdayPostedFinland will join NATO on Tuesday, marking the completion of a swift journey into the military alliance for the Nordic nation following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday.

☆ Northvolt, a $12 billion startup founded by an ex-Tesla VP, thinks crushing and shredding old batteries is the way to make electric vehicles truly sustainable
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

NorthvoltHow Northvolt's process worksNorthvolt's recycling process, which was dreamed up in 2018 and planned and tested in the following years, involves crushing, shredding, and filtering dismantled batteries. Northvolt is left with a black powder called black mass, which contains nickel, manganese, cobalt, and lithium. Once Northvolt's latest venture, Revolt Ett, is up and running at full capacity, it's expected to recycle 125,000 tons of battery materials each year. Cylindrical cells; shredded pieces of steel, copper, aluminium, plastic, and black mass from mechanical recycling; black mass; and a mix of nickel, manganese, and cobalt sulfates. The Hydrovolt pilot runs Northvolt's recycling process up to the black-mass stage.

☆ Finland will join NATO on Tuesday - Stoltenberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attends a news conference before a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium April 3, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna GeronBRUSSELS, April 3 (Reuters) - Finland will join NATO on Tuesday, a step that will make Finland safer and the alliance stronger, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday. "We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at NATO headquarters. It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole," he told reporters in Brussels. Reporting by Sudip Kar Gupta, Sabine Siebold and Andrew Gray; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The NATO military alliance has its own song, as well as a jingle specially recorded over 60 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It has its own official "NATO Hymn," as well as a decades-old jingle called "The NATO Song." Among the more interesting tributes, however, was "The NATO Song." And "The NATO Song" is far from the only musical celebration of the alliance's existence. A separate NATO informational page refers to a piece called the "NATO hymn song sheet" and links to the lyrics and notes to something titled "NATO — Song." Like Helsinki, Stockholm would provide the military alliance with a meaningful firepower boost as it faces threats from Russia.

☆ Finnish centre-right eyes coalition talks as defeated Marin considers future
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Anne Kauranen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Finland's Prime Minister and Social Democrats leader Sanna Marin speaks during a news conference at the parliament on the day of the parliamentary elections, in Helsinki, Finland April 2, 2023. REUTERS/Essi LehtoHELSINKI, April 3 (Reuters) - Outgoing Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin was left to consider her future after she conceded defeat in a tight parliamentary election on Sunday that handed her centre-right rival Petteri Orpo the right to try and form a coalition. Despite gaining three seats, Marin's left wing Social Democratic Party (SDP) came third with 43 of parliament's 200 seats behind Orpo's centre-right National Coalition Party with 48 seats and the nationalist Finns on 46. In turn, Marin's Social Democrats rallied voters to support them in their defence of the Nordic welfare model of cradle-to-grave services from free education and affordable healthcare to decent pensions, against Orpo's spending cuts. During Marin's time as prime minister, Finland faced coronavirus lockdowns, the energy crisis and soaring consumer price inflation, and the country is expected to undergo a mild recession this year.

☆ Factbox: Petteri Orpo, Finland's likely next prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HELSINKI, April 2 (Reuters) - Here is a profile of Finland's conservative National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo, who said he would have the first chance of forming a coalition government after his party looked set to win the most seats in parliament in Sunday's election. FISCAL CONSERVATIVEBorn in 1969 in rural south-west Finland, the 53-year-old Orpo has a university degree in political science. He has been a member of parliament since 2007 and became head of the National Coalition in 2016 after challenging his predecessor Alexander Stubb, a former prime minister, for the party leadership. Considered a moderate and a smooth negotiator, Orpo has held several government posts, including as minister of agriculture and forestry from 2014 to 2015, interior minister from 2015 to 2016 and finance minister from 2016 to 2019. Married and with two children, he is also a reserve officer in Finland's national defence force.

☆ Finland's right-wing National Coalition Party claims election victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

HELSINKI, April 2 (Reuters) - Finland's right-wing opposition National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo on Sunday claimed victory in the Nordic country's tightly-fought parliamentary election. "We got the biggest mandate," Orpo said in a speech to followers. With 93.4% of the votes counted, his party looked set to get the most seats in parliament, 48 out of 200 in total, and with 20.5% support among votes cast, justice ministry election data showed. Reporting by Anne Kauranen, editing by Terje SolsvikOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Turkey formally approves Finland's NATO membership, in setback for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Adem Altan | Afp | Getty ImagesTurkey's parliament voted unanimously to formally approve Finland's membership to NATO on Thursday, marking a historic step for the traditionally nonaligned Nordic country that shares an 830-mile border with Russia. Turkey and Hungary remained the final holdouts standing in the way of the Nordic states' accession to the 74-year old alliance. Turkey joined NATO in 1952, and has the second-largest military in the alliance after the United States. Finland lifted its nearly three-year-long arms embargo on Turkey in January as part of its effort to improve the two countries' relations. Nonetheless, he expressed confidence that Turkey would approve his country's NATO bid.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Turkey formally approves Finland's NATO membership; Ukraine marks one year since Bucha massacre
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Turkey's Parliament unanimously approved Finland's membership to NATO, clearing the final hurdle for the Nordic country's ascension to the 74-year old defense alliance. Ankara is still holding out on Sweden's membership, however. Finland's addition to the alliance will add 830 miles of NATO territory along Russia's border. Ukraine is marking the one-year anniversary of the Bucha massacre, during which Ukraine says retreating Russian forces killed hundreds of civilians in and around their homes in the suburb outside Kyiv. International investigators have spent the last year compiling evidence to charge Russian forces with committing atrocities, which the Kremlin denies.

Operating profit in the Swedish group's fiscal first quarter was 725 million Swedish crowns ($69.73 million) against a profit of 458 million crowns a year earlier. H&M's operating profit margin was 1.3%, up from 0.9% a year earlier. Helmersson said the company expects a gross margin recovery over the year and is making progress towards its goal of a 10% operating margin next year. Analysts at Credit Suisse said it would be "very challenging" for H&M to return to a 10% margin in 2024. H&M said net sales for March were expected to increase by 4% in local currencies compared with the corresponding period last year.

☆ Turkish parliament ratifies Finland's NATO accession as Sweden kept waiting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Turkish parliament was the last among the 30 members of the alliance to ratify Finland's membership after Hungary's legislature approved a similar bill earlier this week. Finland and Sweden asked to join NATO last year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "NATO membership will strengthen Finland's security and improve stability and security in the Baltic Sea region and Northern Europe," the Finnish government said in a statement following the Turkish parliament vote. Twe Turkish parliament's ratification of Finland's NATO membership is set to be approved by President Tayyip Erdogan and then published in the country's Official Gazette. When Finland's instrument of accession document reaches the U.S. State Department, the Nordic country will formally become a NATO member.

☆ Factbox: Steps in Finnish, Swedish path to NATO membership
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Hungary's parliament approved a bill this week to allow Finland to join NATO after Erdogan declared Turkey was ready to approve that bid. Turkey's parliament is expected to follow through on Erdogan's commitment with a vote this week, clearing the way for Finland to join NATO within weeks. Here are the key steps in Finland's and Sweden's path towards NATO membership so far:FINLAND AND SWEDEN SUBMIT MEMBERSHIP REQUESTThe applications, letters signed by the countries' foreign ministers, were formally handed in by Finland's and Sweden's NATO ambassadors on May 18, 2022. FINLAND FORGES AHEADAll NATO countries must ratify a would-be member's application before it can join the alliance. But NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said getting Sweden's application over the line is a top priority.

☆ Hungarian government official argues Sweden isn't nice enough to his country to get approval to join NATO
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Hungary is one of two countries yet to approve Sweden's bid to join NATO. Sweden — alongside neighboring Finland — requested to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine over a year ago, but it still needs Hungary's approval to do so. "With Finland's admission into NATO now secure, Sweden must face the music regarding its daunting attitude and former derogatory comments toward Hungary," Kovács wrote. Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty ImagesKovács wrote that another reason for the hold up on Sweden's NATO bid is Stockholm's "crumbling throne of moral superiority" and a "lack of care and respect." Sweden and Finland — both of which have historically been militarily nonaligned — applied to join NATO in May 2022 and were invited to join the military alliance the following month.

☆ Sweden summons Russia's ambassador over "legitimate target" statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, March 29 (Reuters) - Sweden's foreign ministry said on Wednesday it will summon Russia's Stockholm ambassador to complain about an "attempt at interference" with the Swedish NATO application process. Sweden and Finland in 2022 both sought NATO membership shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and are hoping to complete the process this year. The Russian ambassador in a statement on the embassy's web site said joining NATO made the Nordic countries "a legitimate target for Russian retaliatory measures, including those of a military nature". A Swedish foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters the ambassador would be summoned. "The foreign ministry is summoning the Russian ambassador to protest this obvious attempt at interference," Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom separately told news agency TT.

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