Media accreditation opens for World Urban Forum in Baku
Media accreditation has opened for the 13th session of the World Urban Forum, the United Nations’ flagship conference on sustainable urban developme...
Nordic leaders on Monday pledged deeper cooperation to strengthen civil preparedness and resilience amid rising global instability, while reaffirming support for Ukraine and the two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In a joint statement following a summer summit in Finland, the governments of Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Åland emphasized their “unwavering commitment” to peace, security, and crisis response.
“We will build resilient communities equipped to face future uncertainties,” the statement said, highlighting increased collaboration in areas including nuclear safety, energy, climate, finance, health, education, and digital services.
The summit came as Russia continues its war in Ukraine. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Nordic countries are boosting defense spending in response to the “long-term threat” posed by Moscow.
Orpo also noted that U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of Vladimir Putin’s airstrikes on Ukraine may signal a shift: “It looks like Trump is frustrated with Putin... I hope this shows he understands Putin doesn’t want peace.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen added, “Russia is not interested in peace. During the day, Putin talks about negotiations; at night, he bombs Ukraine.” She confirmed Nordic support for Ukraine through military aid and industrial cooperation.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said any peace deal must be “on Ukrainian terms,” warning that “a bad peace would be an invitation for another assault.”
Backing Greenland, rejecting Trump’s territorial ambitions
Frederiksen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen thanked Nordic allies for backing Denmark against Trump’s earlier push to acquire Greenland. “The future of Greenland has to be decided in Greenland,” Frederiksen said.
Nielsen called for full respect for international law and territorial rights. Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre reassured, “We stand by you and Denmark in solidarity.”
Nordic leaders expressed support for a two-state solution as the path forward for peace between Israel and Palestine.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo described the two-state solution as the “only sustainable” way forward.
Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir said the international community must act quickly to address the humanitarian situation. “The time for action is coming,” she said.
The Turkish Defence Ministry has voiced its support for recent military operations by Syrian government forces against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which enjoy the support of the United States.
Tens of thousands of users were left unable to access Elon Musk’s social media platform X on Friday, with outages reported across multiple countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday (17 January) that concerns over security in Greenland should be addressed within the framework of NATO, describing a ground military intervention as highly unlikely.
Ashley St. Clair, mother of one of Elon Musk’s children, has filed a lawsuit against Musk’s company xAI, alleging that its AI tool Grok generated explicit images of her, including one portraying her as underage.
Egypt and Sudan have welcomed an offer by U.S. President Donald Trump to restart mediation with Ethiopia in a bid to resolve the long-running dispute over Nile River water sharing.
The European Union faced calls to implement a never-before-used range of economic countermeasures known as the 'Anti-Coercion Instrument' as part of the bloc's response U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on European countries in connection with Greenland.
Six people have been killed after a massive fire tore through a shopping centre in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, authorities said, as firefighters battled through the night to contain the blaze.
The world is entering a more unstable and fragmented phase as global cooperation declines and rivalry between major powers intensifies, the World Economic Forum has warned.
The Trump administration has denied a report that countries would be required to pay $1bn to join a proposed U.S.-backed peace initiative, after Bloomberg News said a draft charter set out a membership fee.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 18 January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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