List of All Articles with Tag 'op'

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said he supports holding the central bank’s target-rate level and

London’s National Portrait Gallery was desperately in need of refurbishment for years. “It was overcrowded, the galleries looked

A US Senate panel investigating the merger of PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf asked officials from the

Yesterday, the Chicago White Sox got some help from a bizarre replay review to come back and beat the Texas Rangers 7-6 in Chicago. Elvis Andrus was originally called out at the plate on a tag by Jonah Heim, but the play was overturned for reasons still unclear and the game swung the other direction...

Britain will back fast-tracking Ukraine’s Nato membership as momentum builds among Western allies to significantly change their stance over Kyiv’s attempts to join the alliance. Volodymyr Zelensky’s government may have a quick route to accession, as has been granted recently to Sweden and Finland, rather than continuing with the slower Membership Action Plan (MAP) that has preconditions for entry. Russia is adamantly opposed to Ukraine joining Nato, and even after Vladimir Putin’s invasion there has been reticence among member states over the speed of Kyiv’s accession. But as the war enters its 16th month, the position of Western allies appears to be changing. Britain’s foreign secretary James Cleverly told the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London on Wednesday: “We have seen Ukraine evolve, and evolve quickly. “Many of the requirements of the Membership Action Plan are actually being delivered. The reform of their armed forces are happening whilst engaged in conflict and I think the UK’s position is that it would be very supportive if we moved on from the Membership Action Plan. “We recognise that the offer to both Sweden and Finland did not require MAP. The Ukrainians have demonstrated their commitment to military reform required for Nato membership through their actions on the battlefield, and I think all Nato allies recognise that.” Also speaking at the conference, the French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, commented: “Perhaps we don’t require the MAP mechanism, something which was planned in 2008. We are now a long way from 2008; time has passed, the situation is quite different.” The United States has been cautious about Ukraine’s Nato membership, with Joe Biden saying recently that his administration would not “make it easy” for Kyiv to join. “They have got to meet the same standards [as other entrants], that is our position,” he said. “I think it will happen, can happen, but it won’t be automatic.” However, senior White House officials indicated the president is “open to” waiving the MAP requirement for Ukraine, and Washington is facing mounting pressure from European allies to give firmer backing to Zelensky on the issue. Krisjanis Karins, the Latvian prime minister, said: “The only chance for peace in Europe is when Ukraine will be in Nato.” Failure to do so, she said, means “Russia will come back.” Nato membership for Ukraine is seen as a deterrent to Moscow from continuous attacks and attempts in the future to carry out regime change in Kyiv. A member can invoke Article 5, under which an attack on one member by an outside power is regarded as an attack on all Nato states. However, it is precisely this prospect of Nato getting directly into war with Moscow that is cited in support of making Ukraine wait until the current conflict has ended. Ukraine will be the key topic at next month’s Nato summit in Vilnius, one of the most important in its recent history. It remains unlikely that Ukraine will be offered immediate membership. The options being considered include guarantees that Western military support will continue, and that the Nato-Ukraine Commission, launched in 1997, will be upgraded to Nato-Ukraine Council, with a higher level of engagement. It will be a symbolic as well as practical move; in 2002, a decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia became a partner in the Nato-Russia Council but that ended with the annexation of Crimea by Moscow in 2014. Meanwhile, Britain has set out a package of support for Ukraine including $3 billion in guarantees for World Bank loans and $ 305 million in bilateral assistance. The US said it will send an additional $ 1.3 billion in financial assistance to overhaul Ukraine’s energy grid and modernise other critical infrastructure. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin claims nuclear-capable Satan 2 missiles ready for combat in ‘near future’ Zelensky: ‘Eyes of the world’ are on West’s support for Ukraine Japan's Kishida says he will attend NATO leaders' summit, stresses need for dialogue with China The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

NFL Rumors: Bijan Robinson goes to bat for a Saints Super Bowl champAtlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson has a soft spot for Reggie Bush, a former Super Bowl champion with the New Orleans Saints.The Falcons and Saints have one of the meanest rivalries in the league, but that doesn'...

The XDefiant Open Beta Twitch Drops, featuring two weapon skins, are now available for viewers to earn and claim as they watch streamers play XDefiant.

Corn prices are surging as persistent dry weather in the US, the world’s biggest producer, has dragged crop

SoftBank Group Corp.’s Vision Fund is preparing to start another round of layoffs as soon as this week,

Peloton Interactive Inc. dropped the most in more than six weeks on Wednesday after Wolfe Research LLC downgraded

Volkswagen AG’s boss has handed the company the tall order of raising returns while making the switch to

Tropical Storm Bret strengthened slightly overnight and is forecast to reach the Lesser Antilles on Thursday morning as a strong tropical storm.