Russia conducts nuclear forces drill amid tensions with West over Ukraine
Russia delivered nuclear munitions to field storage facilities in Belarus as part of major nuclear drills, the Russia...
Norway plans to buy two additional submarines from Germany and a separate procurement of long-range artillery, the defence ministry said on Friday, at a much higher cost than before partly due to high demand for military equipment.
The submarine order comes in addition to four submarines the Nordic country ordered from Germany's Thyssenkrupp in 2021 for a then-value of 45 billion crowns. The new submarines will also be ordered from Thyssenkrupp.
The updated submarine order will cost 46 billion crowns ($4.55 billion), bringing the total cost to close to 100 billion crowns partly due to inflation in the costs of raw materials and of defence equipment.
NATO countries are in the midst of hiking defence spending, under pressure from the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump and unnerved by the continuing war in Ukraine.
Norway is NATO's monitor for the vast 2 million square kilometres (772,000 square miles) area of the North Atlantic used by the Russian northern fleet's nuclear submarines.
A key mission for the submarines will be to monitor Russian ones, whose base is on the Kola Peninsula, an area in the Arctic bordering Norway.
"We see that Russian forces in the North Atlantic and the Barents Sea are increasing their activities," Defence Minister Tore Sandvik said in a statement.
The first of the six submarines is expected to be delivered in 2029, the ministry said.
Separately, Norway plans to buy for its army long-distance missiles, which can reach targets 500 km (310 miles) away, for 19 billion crowns.
The war in Ukraine, and the predominance of missile attacks, has shown Western countries the need to boost that attack ability.
"It is important we have a defence capability that can deter a possible enemy from doing us harm," Sandvik said in a statement.
Asian stocks surged on Thursday as some vessels resumed passage through the Strait of Hormuz, while forecast-beating results at Nvidia and a suspended workers' strike at Samsung Electronics lifted shares of chipmakers.
United Nations World Urban Forum 13 continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 19 May with sessions and roundtable discussions focused on strengthening dialogue and advancing cooperation in urban development. Organisers say there are nearly 3 billion people globally who face some form of housing inadequacy.
Day four of the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Baku brings a packed agenda on sustainable cities and the global housing crisis, with sessions on green housing, smart cities, public spaces and urban rights taking place on Wednesday (20 May) at Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan.
At least 21 people have been killed and thousands evacuated after torrential rain triggered flooding, landslides and transport disruption across southern and central China, with authorities warning that more heavy rainfall is expected along the Yangtze River.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya warned on Tuesday (19 May) that Moscow could retaliate against Baltic states if Ukraine launches military drones from that region. Latvia, the United States and Ukraine responded strongly during a UN Security Council meeting.
Russia delivered nuclear munitions to field storage facilities in Belarus as part of major nuclear drills, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping may visit North Korea as early as next week, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported late on Wednesday (21 May) quoting a senior government official.
A Paris appeals court will issue a verdict on Thursday on the 2009 crash of an Air France passenger jet after the airline and planemaker Airbus faced trial over corporate manslaughter.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 21st May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The United States has removed Francesca Albanese, a United Nations expert on the Palestinian territories, from its sanctions list, according to the U.S. Treasury Department website.
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