Canada's wildfires could continue into fall, says government
Canada is facing its second-worst wildfire season on record, with 7.8 million hectares already burned, and the fires could persist for weeks, accordin...
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says new NATO defence spending targets are achievable for Italy, thanks to their flexible structure, and insists no other budget priorities will be sacrificed.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday said Italy can afford to meet NATO’s newly agreed defence spending targets, describing the commitments as flexible and sustainable.
Speaking to reporters after a NATO summit in the Netherlands, Meloni stressed that “not a single euro” would be diverted from existing budget plans to fund the military increases.
NATO leaders endorsed a plan to raise total defence and security spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, up from the long-standing 2% target. Of this, 3.5% is designated for core defence spending such as troops and equipment, while 1.5% is to cover wider security needs, including cyber defence and infrastructure adaptation.
Meloni said the new framework “gives total flexibility” and would not impose mandatory yearly spending increases. However, she did not specify how Italy, which has one of the highest public debts in Europe, would fund the long-term commitment.
A recent survey by the European Council of Foreign Relations found only 17% of Italians support increased defence spending — the lowest among the 12 European countries polled.
Meloni also noted that her government has no current plans to activate a special EU clause that allows budget rule exceptions for defence spending. “For 2026, we do not think we need to use the clause,” she said, adding that any future decisions would depend on economic conditions.
On trade, the prime minister voiced optimism that the European Union and the United States could reach a deal on reciprocal 10% tariffs, calling the proposed rate “not particularly impactful” for Italian businesses.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he expected Russian President Vladimir Putin to release more than 1,000 Ukrainian prisoners soon, after a trilateral meeting was set up with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Canada is facing its second-worst wildfire season on record, with 7.8 million hectares already burned, and the fires could persist for weeks, according to federal officials.
A research team led by Tsinghua University has unveiled a groundbreaking method for making organs transparent, offering the most detailed view yet of the brain’s inner workings.
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In Bolivia's first-round presidential election, voters decisively rejected the leftist party that has ruled the country for most of the past two decades, signaling a shift toward more market-friendly policies to address the nation's economic struggles.
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