DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

The company has also begun offering retired workers meals at the canteen so they can share knowledge of recently re-started lines producing Soviet-era ammunition for Ukraine, he added. Jiri Hynek, president and executive director of the Defence and Security Industry Association (DSIA) of the Czech Republic, told Reuters a lack of workers could push production out of central Europe. The association, which represents more than 160 companies, said exports accounted for around 90 percent of the industry's production of weapons and military-related supplies. Of that, Hynek estimated that supplies of military equipment to Ukraine accounted for 40% of exports. PITCHING PATRIOTISMOther sectors in Poland – emerging Europe's biggest economy – and the Czech Republic have struggled in recent years to find workers: a situation that has driven up labor costs and dampened growth.

Persons: David Hac, Hac, Jiri Hynek, Hynek, Lukas Visingr, Artur Zaborek, Zaborek, Michael Kahn, Anna Koper, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Europe's, STV, Reuters, European Union, Defence and Security Industry Association, WB Group, Central, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Thomson Locations: PRAGUE, WARSAW, Europe, Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Policka, Prague, Czech, Central Europe, Stockholm, Poland's

☆ Rescued white tiger cub finds home at German sanctuary
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Charlota, a white tiger cub, is seen inside its enclosure in Hodonin zoo in Hodonin, Czech Republic, June 6, 2023. FOUR PAWS/Handout via REUTERSJuly 27 (Reuters) - A rare white tiger cub rescued from a private owner in the Czech Republic has found a new home at a sanctuary in Germany this week, animal welfare group FOUR PAWS said on Thursday. The group, with the help of the Czech Environment Ministry, transferred the tiger, named Charlota, to its TIERART Wild Animal Sanctuary on Wednesday, from a Czech zoo than had been its temporary home after Czech authorities confiscated it last year. Authorities had seized Charlota from its private owner after the individual posted pictures of it on social media, prompting an investigation. Under Czech law, owners can keep a tiger if they can show legal origin and acquisition, FOUR PAWS said.

Persons: Charlota, Jason Hovet, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Czech Environment Ministry, Authorities, Police, Thomson Locations: Hodonin, Czech Republic, Germany, Czech, Europe, Prague

☆ The Ukrainians are begging Western countries for F-16s, but they've also got their eyes on an often overlooked Swedish jet
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine has repeatedly asked Western countries to give it F-16 fighter jets to take on Russia. To better fight the air war and support its ground forces, Ukraine has repeatedly asked Western countries for F-16 fighter jets, and those countries are moving toward supplying them. Matthew Horwood/Getty ImagesThe Gripen is well regarded by experts and may be uniquely suited for the war in Ukraine. That'll be great for future marketing of your aircraft,'" Alperovitch added. Of the six countries that fly the jet, only Sweden and the Czech Republic have backed Ukraine in the war.

Persons: Sweden's JAS, Dmitri Alperovitch, Alperovitch, Griffin, JAS, Matthew Horwood, Petr Josek PJ, That'll, Czech JAS, Mindy Bloem, John Kirby, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: Gripen, Service, Royal Military Air, Getty, IRIS, Ukraine's Air Force, Strategic Services, Saab, REUTERS, AA, Russian Air Force, Kyiv, US Air National Guard / Tech, Gripen Es, Swedish Air Force, White House National Security Council, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Swedish, Wall, Silicon, Western, Kyiv, Prague, Sweden, Stockholm, Czech Republic, Brazil, South Africa, Thailand, Hungary, Czech, Poland, Slovakia

Here are the meanings of the least-found words that were used in (mostly) recent Times articles. Works by Agatha Christie, Robert Louis Stevenson and P. G. Wodehouse all featured tontine members plotting to kill one another in hope of a big payoff. — Dog Ziggity: New Jersey’s Own Hot Dogs (Sept. 24, 2013)And a bonus: arrant — total or extreme:It constitutes a dismissal of eager and innocent articulateness. And as such, it is an arrant and thoughtless injustice that must be stopped. — Opinion: A Language Test That Stigmatizes Black Children (Oct. 7, 2022)The list of the week’s easiest words:

Persons: tantara, orotund, Lorde, tontine, Agatha Christie, Robert Louis Stevenson, G, Wodehouse, today’s, Melmoth ’, Gatsby, Tom, Daisy Buchanan, Ross Douthat, —, Umberto, monocracy, Sarkozy, ” — Sarkozy, viand Organizations: Umberto Eco, Socialists, Drinks Locations: New York, Prague, Texas

More than a year later, she was told her application required a key document that was stuck behind enemy lines in Ukraine. "There's always a trade-off between rapid and sustainable labour market integration," said Thomas Liebig, chief economist for the OECD's international migration department. Researchers from Minor, a migration policy think tank, said the large-scale inflow of refugees from Ukraine is seen as a great opportunity in Germany. While the refugees' fate is partly tied to the unknowable course of the Ukraine war, the EU's temporary protection scheme for Ukraine refugees is at present due to expire in March 2024. This puts employers who want to hire refugees in a difficult situation, as they don't know if Ukrainian refugees will be able to stay.

Persons: Maria, Lukas Barth, Svetlana Chuhil, Chuhil, Lauren, Thomas Liebig, Oksana Krotova, Krotova, Ildiko Pallman, Gizem Uensal, Enzo Weber, Jan Lopatka, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Deloitte, Reuters, OECD, United Nations, Minor, German Institute for Employment Research, Thomson Locations: Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Aschheim, Munich, Germany, BERLIN, WARSAW, Poland, Zgorzelec, Goerlitz, Paris, Europe's, Berlin, Kyiv, Prague

☆ A British spy chief who goes by the code name 'C' says MI6 channels 'more resources to China than any other mission'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

MI6 chief Richard Moore told Politico that the British spy agency views China as a key concern. "We now devote more resources to China than any other mission," Moore told Politico. The spy chief previously said that the "rise of China is the single greatest priority for MI6." Moore, officially codenamed "C," made these remarks to Politico after delivering his second public speech as MI6 chief at the British embassy in Prague. During his first public speech as MI6 chief, Moore said the "rise of China is the single greatest priority for MI6."

Persons: Richard Moore, Moore, Politico's Anne McElvoy, Alex Younger Organizations: Politico, Service, Privacy, BBC, UK Security Service MI5, Street Journal Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Prague, Russia, Ukraine, Cuba

More than two weeks later, the Kremlin disclosed that Mr. Prigozhin and other Wagner leaders had met with Mr. Putin for three hours in the days after the rebellion ended. “I think he probably feels under some pressure,” Mr. Moore said of Mr. Putin, speaking at the British ambassador’s residence in the Czech capital. Mr. Prigozhin is known to have spent several days in Russia afterward, and video posted on the Telegram messaging app on Wednesday appears to show him in Belarus. “He is clearly under pressure,” Mr. Moore said of Mr. Putin. Mr. Cleverly said the rebellion underscored the falsity of Mr. Putin’s assertions that Russia would be more committed to a long war in Ukraine than the West would be.

Persons: Richard Moore, Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Wagner, Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, “, Mr, Moore, “ Prigozhin, ” Mr, ’, James, ”, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Politico, Kremlin, Mr, Prigozhin, The New York Times, ”, Russian Army, British, Aspen Security Locations: London, Prague, Russia, British, Czech, “, Belarus, Moscow, Belarusian, Minsk, Ukraine, Rostov, Afghanistan, Russian

☆ AI cannot replace spies, UK intelligence chief to say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PRAGUE, July 19 (Reuters) - The head of Britain's MI6 foreign spy service will detail why Russia is failing to achieve its military objectives in Ukraine and how artificial intelligence will not replace human agents when he delivers a rare public speech on Wednesday. In his first public speech, Moore warned that China and Russia were racing to master technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing, and this will again be a focus. Government and intelligence agencies globally are seeking to harness the power of AI, but Moore will say it will complement not replace humans who can uncover secrets beyond technology's reach. "The unique characteristics of human agents in the right places will become still more significant," he will say. "Human intelligence in the age of artificial intelligence will increasingly be defined as those things that machines cannot do, albeit we should expect the frontier of machine capability to advance with startling speed.”Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Richard Moore, Moore, Michael Holden, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Secret Intelligence, Thomson Locations: PRAGUE, Russia, Ukraine, Africa, Iran, Prague, Czech Republic, Europe, China

The chief of Britain’s intelligence agency, MI6, said on Wednesday that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had “cut a deal” with Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner mercenary group, during Mr. Prigozhin’s failed rebellion last month. The Wagner leader staged a mutiny against Russia’s military last month, which saw his mercenary forces marching toward the capital before abruptly halting. More than two weeks later, the Kremlin disclosed that Mr. Prigozhin and other Wagner leaders had met with Mr. Putin for three hours in the days after the rebellion ended. “I think he probably feels under some pressure,” Mr. Moore said of Mr. Putin, speaking at the British ambassador’s residence in the Czech capital. He really didn’t fight back against Prigozhin; he cut a deal to save his skin using the good offices of the leader of Belarus.”

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Wagner, Prigozhin’s, Richard Moore, Prigozhin, “, Mr, Moore, “ Prigozhin, ” Organizations: Politico, Kremlin, Mr, Prigozhin Locations: Russia, Prague, British, Czech, “, Belarus

☆ MI6 chief makes open plea to Russians to spy for UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Prague CNN —The head of Britain’s foreign intelligence service used a rare speech Wednesday to issue a plea to disaffected Russians to spy for the UK. They know in their hearts that Putin’s case for attacking a fellow Slavic nation is fraudulent,” he added. The MI6 chief told CNN that Prighozin is alive and at liberty following the group’s 24-hour mutiny against the Kremlin, and that Putin is clearly under pressure. Over the years they have developed a particularly gruesome reputation and have been linked to various human rights abuses. A CNN investigation in April found that Wagner has been supplying Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces with missiles to aid their fight against the country’s army.

Persons: Richard Moore, ”, Vladimir Putin’s, ” Moore, Moore, “, Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prighozin, Belarus –, Prighozin, Putin “ didn’t, –, ” Putin Organizations: Prague CNN, Kyiv, Russian, CNN, Kremlin, Prighozhin, Wagner Group, Central African, Rapid Support Forces Locations: Prague, Ukraine, Russian, Odesa, Belarus, Moscow, Denmark, Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Syria

☆ Putin Invited Wagner Leader Prigozhin 'for Tea' Recently, Says UK Spy Chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vladimir Putin had tea with mutiny leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the UK's spy chief said. However, after striking a deal with Wagner leader Prigozhin to call off the mutiny, Putin's actions have been mysterious. There are some things that even the chief of MI6 find a little difficult to try and interpret," Sir Richard said. Asked whether he believes Prigozhin is still alive, Sir Richard said that "as far we can tell Prigozhin is floating around," reported Sky News. Sir Richard, officially codenamed "C", compared the situation in Ukraine to the Prague Spring in 1968.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Richard Moore, Wagner, Sir Richard Moore, Putin, Prigozhin, he'd, Sir Richard Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Sky, Sky News, Analysts, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Prague, Czech Republic, Russia, Moscow, Belarus, St Petersburg, Ukraine

☆ Putin cut deal with Wagner ‘to save his skin,’ MI6 chief says in rare speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Prague CNN —It was a rare moment when the publicly visible Kremlin matched the reality behind closed doors. And he had, it seemed, been welcomed into the Kremlin to meet Putin days later. Asked by CNN if Prigozhin was “alive and healthy”, Moore replied the Wagner leader was still: “floating around”, per his agency’s understanding. Yet the on-camera speech provided an opportunity for Moore’s expression to convey how shocking the weakness betrayed by Putin that weekend had been. “He really didn’t fight back against Prigozhin”, Moore said.

Persons: Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Richard Moore, “ Prigozhin, ” Moore, Prigozhin, Moore, Wagner, Prigozhin ”, Alexander Lukashenko, “, ” Organizations: Prague CNN, Mi6, CNN, Belarus ”, Ukraine ”, Kremlin Locations: Prague, Moscow, Belarus, Denmark, Ukraine, United Kingdom, China, Russia, Iran

☆ UK intel chief invites Russians 'silently appalled' by the Ukraine war to share their secrets and spy for MI6
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Britain's intelligence chief invited Russians who are upset with the Ukraine war to spy for MI6. Espionage has been a feature of the war, and the CIA even tried earlier this year to recruit spies. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. Their secrets will always be safe with us, and together we will work to bring the bloodshed to an end. Espionage and intelligence gathering has long been a feature of Russia's war in Ukraine, and MI6 is not the first Western intelligence agency to try and recruit Russians.

Persons: Richard Moore, you'll, Richard Moore ,, Moore, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Kyiv, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner Organizations: CIA, Service, Intelligence Service, Soviet, Western, NATO, Wagner Group Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Prague, Soviet Union, Soviet, Russia

☆ British spies are using AI to disrupt Russia's shipments of critical weapons, but the technology will never replace real agents, UK spy chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

British spies are using AI to disrupt the supply of weapons to Russia, the UK MI6 chief said. Moore said the UK and its allies are racing to "master the ethical and safe use of AI." But he also acknowledged the experimental technology won't ever replace human agents. Will AI replace spies? "However swift and all-encompassing the advance of AI, some relationships are going to stay uniquely, stubbornly human."

Persons: Moore, Richard Moore, Stefan Rousseau Organizations: MI6, Service, Privacy, British, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Prague, Ukraine, China

☆ Unseeded Vondrousova stuns Jabeur to win Wimbledon title
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The 24-year-old left-hander, who a year ago needed wrist surgery, proved too steady for the error-strewn Jabeur who ended up as runner-up as she did in 2022. "Today is going to be a tough day for me but I'm not going to give up and I am going to come back stronger. "It's been a tough journey but I promise I will come back and one day win this tournament." The unassuming Vondrousova had managed to win only one match in her previous four visits to Wimbledon and last year came with her wrist in a plaster cast to support a friend and go shopping. It looked as though Jabeur was getting on top as she won three games in a row, but Vondrousova never panicked.

Persons: Marketa Vondrousova, Andrew Couldridge, Vondrousova, Jabeur, Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, I'm, It's, Jessica Pegula, Elina Svitolina, Stepan Simek, Frankie, Wales, Martina Navratilova, Jana Novotna, Petra Kvitova, Martyn Herman, Ed Osmond Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, REUTERS, Wimbledon, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Czech, Prague

☆ Vondrousova writes her own happy ending at Wimbledon to leave Jabeur in tears
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Pritha Sarkar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Instead, a distraught Jabeur was left with tears streaming down her face as her Wimbledon dream was wrecked in the final for the second year running with a 6-4 6-4 drubbing. I am going to have a beer as it's been an exhausting two weeks," said Vondrousova. I am going to look ugly for those photos," the 28-year-old Jabeur told the crowd through tears. It's been a tough journey but I promise I will come back and one day win this tournament." Jabeur knows she could have won the first set 6-0, having had game points in each of the opening six games.

Persons: Marketa Vondrousova, Dylan Martinez, Vondrousova, Jabeur, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Stepan Simek, Wales, I'm, It's, Iga Swiatek, Navratilova, Jana Novotna, Petra Kvitova, Pritha Sarkar, Clare Fallon Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, REUTERS, Dylan Martinez LONDON, Wimbledon, All England, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Czech, Prague, tennis, Vondrousova, bask

☆ Wimbledon women’s final: Markéta Vondroušová and Ons Jabeur battle for their maiden grand slam
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Markéta Vondroušová and Ons Jabeur will meet in the women’s Wimbledon final on Saturday with both aiming to win their maiden grand slam title. Dylan Martinez/ReutersAfter her semifinal victory on Thursday, Vondroušová admitted she has some added motivation to win in Saturday’s final. “If I win a grand slam, he’s going to get one, so I hope I will. Just 12 months ago, the Tunisian lost in three sets to Elena Rybakina in the Wimbledon final. Jabeur celebrates after winning match point against Sabalenka in their Wimbledon semifinal.

Persons: Markéta, Vondroušová, Elina Svitolina, Jabeur, Jessica Pegula –, Ash Barty, Dylan Martinez, “, ”, it’s, Frankie, she’s, –, Frankie –, He’s, Elena Rybakina, Iga Świątek, Petra Kvitová, Bianca Andreescu, Rob Newell, CameraSport, I’ve, That’s Organizations: CNN, Wimbledon, Lawn Tennis, Croquet, Centre Court, Svitolina, Reuters, Saturday’s, Sabalenka Locations: Vondroušová, North, Czech, Prague

☆ Vondrousova one step from 'mission impossible'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, July 13 (Reuters) - For Marketa Vondrousova the very notion of winning Wimbledon was an impossibility a year ago, but on Saturday she has the chance to add her name to an esteemed list of Czech champions. Not only that, but Prague-based Vondrousova, 24, can become the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon. I didn't play for almost six months, so it was very tough," Vondrousova told reporters when asked to cast her mind back 12 months. It was really sad," Vondrousova, who made a tentative return to the second-tier ITF Tour last October, said. But something clicked and she has beaten 12th seed Veronika Kudermetova, 20th seed Donna Vekic, 32nd seed Marie Bouzkova and fourth seed Jessica Pegula.

Persons: Miriam Kolodziejova, Stepan Simek, Elina Svitolina, Martina Navratilova, Jana Novotna, Petra Kvitova, Vondrousova, Marketa, Susan Mullane, Ash Barty, Karolina Muchova, Veronika Kudermetova, Donna Vekic, Marie Bouzkova, Jessica Pegula, Frankie, He's, Martyn Herman, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Wimbledon, Court, Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Slams, ITF, Thomson Locations: Czech, Wimbledon, Prague, London, United Kingdom, Berlin

☆ Milan Kundera dies, reclusive literary giant and author of 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“Milan Kundera, a Czech-French author who is among the world’s most translated authors, died on July 11, 2023 in his Paris apartment,” the library, a state-funded research organization, said in a statement. The author of “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” Kundera was known for his witty, tragicomic tales, which were often intertwined with deep philosophical debates and satirical portrayals of life under communist oppression. Exile in ParisHe spent the rest of his life in exile in Paris, becoming a French citizen in 1981. While his Czech citizenship was restored in 2019, he was by then a French author whose home was in France. Kundera, having spent more than two decades living in seclusion and declining to do interviews, took the unusual step of speaking up.

Persons: Milan Kundera, “ Milan Kundera, ” Kundera, Kundera, ”, “, Daniel Day, Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Respekt, Vaclav Havel Organizations: CNN, Moravian, Communist Party, Czech, Czech Institute Locations: Czech, Paris, Brno, French, Czechoslovakia, Prague, Soviet, France

☆ Milan Kundera, Czech Literary Star and Communist Party Outcast, Dies at 94
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Daniel Lewis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over the next several years he picked up money as a jazz musician (he played the piano) and day laborer. And friends sometimes arranged for him to write things under their names or pseudonyms. Inevitably, though, the authorities would learn the true identity of the brilliant nuclear physicist-astrologer, and Mr. Kundera realized with certainty there was no way to protect friends who wanted to help him. In London, the first English translation of “The Joke” had been so botched it was hard to know what to make of it. He wrote an author’s note for it that began, “If it didn’t concern me, it would certainly make me laugh: this is the fifth English-language version of ‘The Joke.’”)

Persons: ”, ’, “, Kundera Locations: London, Prague

[1/3] Writer Milan Kundera is pictured in Prague, former Czechoslovakia, May 6, 1963. CTK Photo/Frantisek Nesvadba via REUTERSPRAGUE, July 12 (Reuters) - Czech-born writer Milan Kundera, author of the novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" who lived nearly five decades in Paris after emigrating in disillusionment from his Communist-ruled homeland, has died at the age of 94. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said Kundera was "a writer and a voice that we will miss". "Milan Kundera's work is at the same time a deep, human, intimate and distant exploration," she said. Fellow Czech writer Karel Hvizdala told Czech Television he saw his friend last November and he was already in poor health.

Persons: Milan Kundera, Frantisek Nesvadba, Kundera, Petr Fiala, Petr Pavel, Pavel, Elisabeth Borne, Milan, Karel Hvizdala, Albert Camus, Daniel Day, Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Philip Kaufman, Timothy Garton Ash, Monde, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Czechoslovakia's, Jan Lopatka, Robert Muller, Elizabeth Pineau, Tassilo Hummel, Michael Kahn, Jason Hovet, Toby Chopra, Kevin Liffey, Mark Heinrich, Nick Macfie Organizations: CTK, REUTERS, Moravian, Prague Spring, Czech Television, Czechoslovak Communist, New York Times, Oxford University, Paris Mayor, Czechoslovakia's Communist, Thomson Locations: Prague, Czechoslovakia, REUTERS PRAGUE, Czech, Paris, Brno, France, Communist Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak, Europe, Central Europe, French, Western

☆ NATO Isn’t Really About Defense, and It Never Was - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Grey Anderson | Thomas Meaney | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

In the realm of defense, the alliance was not as advertised. The war in Ukraine, for all the talk of Europe stepping up, has left that asymmetry essentially untouched. Far from a costly charity program, NATO secures American influence in Europe on the cheap. Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, roughly half of European military spending went to American manufacturers. Yet already there are signs that NATO is making headway in getting Europe to follow its lead in the theater.

Persons: — Organizations: NATO, European Union, U.S . Locations: Czech Republic, Prague, United States, Ukraine, Europe, U.S, Brussels, American, America, Washington, Germany, China, South China

U.S. President Joe Biden, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be among the 31 NATO leaders attending the summit in the small Baltic state. The invasion prompted Finland and Sweden to abandon decades of military non-alignment and apply to join NATO. In Vilnius, Finland will attend its first NATO summit as a member. At the summit, the NATO leaders are also expected to agree they should all spend at least 2% of national GDP on defence - an upgrade on a 2014 pledge to move towards that number. The NATO leaders will also meet with counterparts from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand as Washington presses the alliance to play a greater role in countering China.

Persons: Joe Biden, Tayyip Erdogan, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Erdogan, Ulf Kristersson, John Irish, Andrius Sytas, Huseyin Hayatsever, William Maclean Organizations: Russia VILNIUS, NATO, Patriot, U.S, British, Ukraine Council, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Soviet Union, Vilnius, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Vilnius, Sweden, Europe, Lithuanian, Germany, Prague, Eastern Europe, Russia, United States, Bucharest, France, Britain, TURKEY, SWEDEN, Soviet, Finland, Turkey, Stockholm, Ankara, Swedish, Greece, Cyprus, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Washington, China, Istanbul

☆ NATO makes membership pledge to Ukraine as Zelenskiy drums up support
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Robert Muller | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala visit the Velvet Revolution Memorial in Prague, Czech Republic, July 7, 2023. In Prague, he won a pledge of support for Ukraine to join NATO "as soon as the war (with Russia) is over", and in Sofia secured backing for membership "as soon as conditions allow". "There is strength in unity of NATO," he said, adding that undecided questions over Ukraine's future in NATO and Sweden's pending membership were "a threat to the alliance's strength". Zelenskiy has acknowledged that Kyiv is unlikely to be able to join NATO while at war with Russia. TALKS DUE IN TURKEYDespite Russia's anger, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told a news conference with Zelenskiy in Prague that he expected all NATO allies to support Ukraine in its membership aspirations.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Petr Fiala, Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Zuzana Caputova, Vladimir Putin, Fiala, Tayyip Erdogan, Jason Hovet, Pavel Polityuk, Timothy Heritage, Gareth Jones, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Presidential Press Service, NATO, EU Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, European Union, Thomson Locations: Czech, Prague, Czech Republic, Ukraine, PRAGUE, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Russia, Sofia, Bratislava, Vilnius, Lithuanian, Brussels, Russian, Russia's, TURKEY, Europe, Kyiv, United States, Istanbul

☆ Turkey's Erdogan to host Putin, hopes for Black Sea grain deal extension
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Can Sezer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ISTANBUL, July 8 (Reuters) - Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he was pressing Russia to extend a Black Sea grain deal by at least three months and announced a visit by President Vladimir Putin in August. Erdogan said work was under way on extending the Black Sea grain deal beyond its expiration date of July 17 and for longer periods beyond that. The deal would be one of the most important issues on the agenda for his meeting with Putin in Turkey next month, he said. "Our hope is that it will be extended at least once every three months, not every two months. Russia, angry about aspects of the grain deal's implementation, has threatened not to allow its further extension beyond July 17.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy's, Erdogan, Putin, Zelenskiy, Petr Fiala, Stringer, Dmitry Peskov, Ezgi Erkoyun, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Orhan Coskun, Elaine Monaghan, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Gareth Jones, Diane Craft Organizations: Ukraine, United Nations, Zelenskiy, REUTERS, NATO, Western, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Czech, Prague, Crimean Tatars, Istanbul

Search resuls for: "Prague"

25 mentions found