live 'Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet,' Iranian official says after Trump threats
U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to make the Strait of Hormuz part of U.S. territory have been mocked by Iran's Deputy Foreign Ministe...
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday (December 3) that two-thirds of NATO member states have now committed to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a programme designed to coordinate and deliver military and logistical support for Ukraine.
Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rutte said the combined contributions from allies and partners had exceeded $4 billion, bringing the alliance close to its annual goal of $5 billion. He added that Australia and New Zealand have joined the initiative, becoming the first non-NATO partners to do so.
"Today, we heard from allies committing more resources to support Ukraine, including Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Poland," Rutte said, noting the growing number of nations backing the initiative.
The NATO chief acknowledged that while progress was being made, all member states must share the burden equally. “We must do more, and all allies need to pull their weight to ensure that we are prepared and that the responsibility is fairly shared,” he said.
Rutte also said ministers discussed defence spending targets, reaffirming plans to reach the commitments made in The Hague, where allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP annually in defence.
Turning to the situation in Ukraine, Rutte reiterated NATO’s strong support for ongoing peace efforts led by U.S. President Donald Trump, describing them as essential to ending the conflict.
"We all want the bloodshed to end, and I strongly welcome President Trump’s continued efforts to bring about a just and lasting peace," Rutte said. “There is only one person in the whole world who was able to break the deadlock when it comes to the war in Ukraine, and that is the American president, Donald J. Trump.”
Rutte said NATO fully supports Washington’s role in peace negotiations and will continue coordinating closely with the U.S. and other allies as talks move forward.
The PURL mechanism, launched earlier this year, aims to streamline Ukraine’s military assistance by matching Kyiv’s battlefield needs with available resources from NATO members and partners.
As of December, contributions under the framework have surpassed $4 billion, with additional commitments expected in the coming months.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled or rerouted at Catania Airport over the past week as ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing eruption continues to disrupt air travel in Sicily.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
The U.S. will impose unprecedented measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
Jason Arday, the former University of Cambridge professor at the centre of a plagiarism row, has been found dead. He was appointed Cambridge's youngest ever Black professor in 2023, but quit on 5 August, after being accused of lifting passages from his PhD from the work of other academics.
Wildfires across England and Wales have reached their highest level on record, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council, as firefighters struggle to contain outbreaks following a spell of extreme heat.
A federal court has allowed the Trump administration to move forward with ending temporary immigration protections for Somali nationals living in the United States, a decision that could leave more than 1,000 people vulnerable to deportation.
Iran and Afghanistan are seeking closer cooperation in agriculture, livestock and irrigation during a three-day Iranian ministerial visit to Kabul, as both sides look to strengthen trade and rural economies.
A ransom payment estimated at $50 million for the release of a hostage held by al Qaeda-linked militants in Mali has significantly strengthened the group's operations across West Africa and provided funding to other branches of the global extremist network, according to a United Nations report.
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