Month: January 2024

90,000 NATO Troops Participate in Biggest Exercise Since Cold War

London — NATO began its biggest military exercises since the Cold War this week, with tens of thousands of troops set to move across Europe in a show of force meant as a warning to Russia, following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Operation Steadfast Defender 24 will see some 90,000 NATO military personnel take part in a range of drills across Europe in coming months. Fifty naval vessels, 80 aircraft and over 1,000 combat vehicles are involved. The exercises “will show that NATO can conduct and sustain complex multi-domain operations over several months, across thousands of kilometers, from the high north …

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Swedish National Security Adviser Reflects on Challenges Facing Europe

Washington — Sweden, which dropped its position of military nonalignment and sought NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, is now one vote away from joining the alliance as its 32nd member. On Wednesday, Henrik Landerholm, Sweden’s national security adviser, met with VOA in Washington to discuss his country’s imminent membership and his perspectives on security challenges facing the alliance in 2024. In Landerholm’s view, if Russia prevails in its war against Ukraine, its appetite will only increase, resulting in greater security threats for a much wider region. Landerholm said he was grateful for America’s strong support …

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China Says Brit Who Disappeared There in 2018 Was Sentenced as Spy in 2022

Beijing — China confirmed on Friday that it had sentenced a British national in 2022 to five years in jail for spying. It was its first official comment of a case that had gone unreported until this week. A Beijing court in 2022 “sentenced in the first instance the British defendant … to five years in prison for the crime of illegally obtaining intelligence for overseas actors,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said. After an appeal, he added, the case was upheld in September. The Wall Street Journal first broke news of the case of Ian Stones on Thursday. Citing his …

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US Scientist Offers Britain Advice on Making Tea; Brits Aren’t Having It

LONDON — An American scientist has sparked a trans-Atlantic tempest in a teapot by offering Britain advice on its favorite hot beverage. Bryn Mawr College chemistry professor Michelle Francl says one of the keys to a perfect cup of tea is a pinch of salt. The tip is included in Francl’s book Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea, published Wednesday by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Not since the Boston Tea Party has mixing tea with salt water roiled the Anglo-American relationship so much. The salt suggestion drew howls of outrage from tea lovers in Britain, where popular stereotype sees Americans as …

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Top UN Court Set to Issue Preliminary Ruling in Genocide Case Against Israel

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Israel is set to hear Friday whether the United Nations’ top court will order it to end its military offensive in Gaza in a provisional ruling while the panel hears a case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide. The International Court of Justice’s president, Joan E. Donoghue, will read out the highly anticipated decision taken by a panel of 17 judges. The ruling comes at an early stage in South Africa’s case alleging that Israel’s military action in its war with Hamas in Gaza amounts to genocide. Israel vehemently rejects the accusation and has asked …

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