Finland's parliament on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining NATO, ahead of ratifications from Hungary and Turkey, increasing the likelihood it will enter the alliance before Nordic neighbour Sweden.. - Finland alone - Passing the bill does not mean Finland will automatically join NATO after ratification by Turkey and Hungary, but it puts in place a deadline for how long it can wait for its neighbour.
Los Angeles County has agreed to pay the widow of Kobe Bryant nearly $29 million after first responders shared photos taken at the site of the helicopter crash that killed the NBA superstar.. Los Angeles County agreed Tuesday to pay $28.85 million to settle all crash-related litigation.
Survivors of a shipwreck off southern Italy wept over their dead Wednesday, as relatives of some of the 67 people who drowned arrived from other countries to claim their loved ones.. Outside, relatives who had come over from countries including Germany and Austria, described final messages exchanged with loved ones who had set off on the overcrowded boat from Turkey last week.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping his country "fully supports" Beijing's proposals for ending the Ukraine war when the two leaders met Wednesday.. "They should be aimed at first and foremost preventing a slide into a global confrontation that will see no winners," he told Xi. "That is why Belarus is actively coming up with peace proposals, and fully supports the initiative on international security you have put forward."
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday ruled out any delay in elections after the devastating quake that killed tens of thousands in Turkey, saying the vote would push ahead on May 14 as planned.. The quake affected 14 million people in Turkey, and caused tens of thousands of buildings to collapse.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic vowed to never recognise Kosovo after refusing to sign an EU-backed deal aimed at normalising ties between the rivals, following failed talks this week that aimed to deliver a breakthrough.. "As long as I am president, I will not sign or accept either formal or informal recognition of Kosovo or Kosovo joining the United Nations," Vucic said during a televised interview.
Lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court to overturn her conviction and 20-year sentence for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls, US media reported.. The 61-year-old British socialite was convicted in December 2021 of recruiting and grooming young girls to be sexually abused by Epstein.
Top US diplomat Antony Blinken was due in New Delhi on Wednesday alongside Russia's Sergei Lavrov for a G20 meeting, with Ukraine and tensions with China set to overshadow attempts by host India to forge unity among the world's top economies.. - Awkward hosts - The Group of Twenty comprises 19 countries and the European Union, representing around 85 percent of the world's economy and two-thirds of its population.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday hailed his country's ties with Beijing ahead of a closely watched meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.. At a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday, Lukashenko said Beijing and Minsk "have no closed topics for cooperation", according to a readout published on the official website of the Belarusian presidency.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday pressed Uzbekistan's leaders to address human rights as they pursue nascent reforms, on a trip to woo Central Asia amid tensions with Russia. . Blinken "also urged the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the safeguarding of media freedom and transparency," Price said.
