BRUSSELS: NATO will hold its major annual nuclear exercise next week, the alliance&rsquo;s chief announced Friday, with an important part of the drill to focus on protecting the weapons before they&#39;re ever used. The long-planned &ldquo;Steadfast Noon&rdquo; exercise, which starts on Monday, is taking place amid heightened security around military facilities in Europe due to a series of mysterious drone incidents, some of them blamed on Russia. Steadfast Noon will run for about two weeks. It will be led by the Netherlands and involve 71 aircraft from 14 NATO countries. The exercise has been held at roughly the same time each year for over a decade. &ldquo;We need to do this because it helps us to make sure that our nuclear deterrent remains as credible, and as safe, and as secure, and as effective as possible,&quot; NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in a video statement. &quot;It also sends a clear signal to any potential adversary that we will and can protect and defend all allies against all threats,&rdquo; he said. Bomber aircraft and fighter jets that can carry nuclear warheads are taking part, but no nuclear weapons or live munitions will be used. The bulk of the exercise is being held in the North Sea, far from Russia and Ukraine. It will involve military bases in Belgium, Britain, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The United States and Britain, with their nuclear forces, are key to NATO&rsquo;s strategic deterrence. France also has nuclear weapons, but is not a part of the organization&rsquo;s nuclear planning group. NATO officials would not say what kind of scenarios would be used to test the 32-nation alliance&#39;s nuclear readiness, but they insisted that it is not directed toward any particular country, nor does it relate to current international events. The United States is providing F-35 jets capable of carrying conventional or nuclear weapons, refueling planes, and other support aircraft. Finland and Poland are sending fighter jets. Electronic warfare equipment and reconnaissance and intelligence systems will also be used. A big part of the exercise will focus on protecting nuclear weapons on the ground, said Col. Daniel Bunch, Chief of NATO Nuclear Operations at the alliance&rsquo;s military headquarters in Mons, Belgium. Bunch said there are &ldquo;a variety of different threats that we assess and that we must defend against because these are highly protected assets that require the utmost security and safety.&rdquo; Asked whether drones are a particular concern given the recent incidents, notably near military facilities in Belgium and Denmark, he said: &ldquo;Drones are not a new threat to us. Drones are something we understand.&rdquo; &ldquo;The more frequent incursions are something we&rsquo;re obviously keeping an eye on,&rdquo; Bunch acknowledged, but he added: &ldquo;Ultimately, we&rsquo;re going to stay one step ahead of the adversary.&rdquo; The Washington Summit declaration agreed by the alliance&rsquo;s leaders last year states that &ldquo;the fundamental purpose of NATO&rsquo;s nuclear capability is to preserve peace, prevent coercion and deter aggression.&rdquo; &ldquo;As long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance,&rdquo; it said. James Stokes, the head of NATO&rsquo;s Nuclear Policy Directorate, told reporters that despite the Kremlin&rsquo;s continued and heated rhetoric, the allies &ldquo;haven&rsquo;t seen any change in Russia&rsquo;s nuclear posture&rdquo; recently. He underlined that Russia is not a focus of the exercise, but said that NATO continues to monitor Russian military activities, including its use of dual-capable missiles in Ukraine, which could be fitted to carry nuclear warheads.

Europe

NATO will launch its annual nuclear exercise next week, involving 14 nations and 71 aircraft. The drill will focus on nuclear security, with no live weapons used, amid increased drone-related security concerns.

NATO Plans annual nuclear drill as security tightens in Europe

COPENHAGEN: Ukraine&#39;s President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Europe on Thursday that recent drone incursions showed Russia was looking to &quot;escalate&quot; its aggression, as he offered his country&#39;s war-honed expertise to help counter the threat. The warning came at a summit of European leaders from just under 50 countries, who converged on a conference centre in Copenhagen under tight security after mystery drone flights rattled Denmark last month. The drone sightings in Denmark and high-profile aerial incursions by Moscow in Estonia and Poland have heightened fears that Russia&#39;s assault on Ukraine could spill over Europe&#39;s borders. &lsquo;Never just about Ukraine&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;The recent drone incidents across Europe are a clear sign that Russia still feels bold enough to escalate this war,&quot; Zelensky said. &quot;It was never just about Ukraine; Russia has always aimed to break the West and Europe.&quot; Russian President Vladimir Putin waived the accusations, but said Russia was &quot;closely monitoring the rising militarisation of Europe&quot;, adding that Moscow&#39;s response will be timely and &quot;significant.&quot; Putin accused Europe of stoking &quot;hysteria&quot; to excuse rising military spending, and said Russia did not pose a threat. &lsquo;Just calm down&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;Just calm down,&quot; Putin said. European leaders are keen to work with Ukraine&#39;s war-tested expertise as they seek to bolster their own defenses, and are discussing plans for a &quot;drone wall.&quot; &quot;If the Russians dare to launch drones against Poland, or violate the airspace of northern European countries, it means this can happen anywhere,&quot; Zelensky said. &quot;We are ready to share this experience with our partners.&quot; French President Emmanuel Macron said Western countries should be willing to take a tougher line when confronted by Russian drones, to sow doubt in the Kremlin. &lsquo;Big risk&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s very important to have a clear message. Drones which would violate our territories are just taking a big risk. They can be destroyed, full stop,&quot; Macron said. Romanian Prime Minister Nicosur Dan, whose country has seen Russian drones crossing over from Ukraine, warned that his forces would shoot down the next one to violate their airspace. As Russia&#39;s full-scale war on Ukraine drags on through a fourth year, Europe is scrambling to keep up pressure on Moscow and secure funding for Kyiv. Macron said it was key to step up efforts to counter the so-called shadow fleet of ageing oil tankers to &quot;kill&quot; the business model Russia uses to circumvent restrictions on exporting its oil. &lsquo;Shadow fleet&rsquo;&quot;It is extremely important to increase the pressure on this shadow fleet, because it will clearly reduce the capacity to finance this war effort,&quot; said Macron -- pointing at France&#39;s move this week to hold a blacklisted tanker linked to Russia. In a bid to ensure Ukraine has the necessary financing, the European Union is exploring a proposal to utilize frozen Russian assets to fund a new 140-billion-euro ($ 165 billion) loan. Proponents argue that the move is necessary to help Ukraine address budget shortfalls &mdash; and that Russia, not European taxpayers, should ultimately bear the cost. Belgian reservations&nbsp;But Belgium, where the vast majority of frozen assets are held, has deep reservations over the plan, which some leaders fear could spook other investors or draw Russian retaliation. &quot;We&#39;re going to move to uncharted waters. This is very, very risky,&quot; Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said. He insisted he wanted clear commitments from all EU leaders that they would share the potential liability with Belgium to shield it from any Russian retribution. EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that it was clear the risk should not fall solely on Belgium&#39;s shoulders and that she would &quot;intensify&quot; talks on the proposal.

Ukrainian President Zelensky has warned Europe that recent drone incursions signal Russia’s intent to escalate the war beyond Ukraine. European leaders discuss bolstering defenses, sharing Ukrainian expertise, and utilizing frozen Russian assets to support Kyiv.

Zelensky: Russia looking to 'escalate' war in Europe

LONDON: European stocks and gold prices rose, while Wall Street futures fell on Wednesday as the US government shut down after lawmakers failed to reach a funding deal.&nbsp;The prospect of services in the United States being closed pushed gold to another record high of over $3,895.&nbsp;In Asia, Tokyo&#39;s stock market sank, while Hong Kong and Shanghai were closed for holidays.&nbsp;Pharmaceutical shares lifted European markets after Pfizer was granted a reprieve from President Donald Trump&#39;s tariffs by agreeing to lower drug prices in the United States.&nbsp;Trump also announced plans to unveil a website that will allow consumers to purchase certain medications directly from manufacturers at discounted rates.&nbsp;While details remain scarce, shares in British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca rose by more than six percent, and GSK was up almost three percent in London.&nbsp;The dollar remained under pressure due to concerns caused by the US government&#39;s partial shutdown, which began on Wednesday.&nbsp;Democrats and Republicans failed to break a budget impasse, with talks hinging on health care funding.&nbsp;&quot;Historically, shutdowns have been bad for the US dollar, bad for US equities, and bad for bonds too,&quot; said Emma Wall, chief investment strategist at Hargreaves Lansdown.&nbsp;&quot;Should the shutdown remain unresolved it is likely to drive money outside of the US to markets with more certainty,&quot; she added.&nbsp;While most shutdowns end after a short period, investors were concerned that it could prevent the release on Friday of the key non-farm payrolls report, a crucial guide for the Fed in its rate decisions.&nbsp;The closure will result in the halt of non-essential operations, leaving hundreds of thousands of civil servants temporarily unpaid, and potentially disrupting many social safety net benefit payments.&nbsp;Trump threatened to punish Democrats during any stoppage by targeting progressive priorities and forcing mass public sector job cuts.&nbsp;&quot;Shutdowns have delivered bouts of volatility, but the precedent has been that weakness tends to be short-lived,&quot; noted Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets.&nbsp;Futures on all three main indexes in New York were in the red.&nbsp;India&#39;s rupee also made small inroads as the country&#39;s central bank decided against cutting interest rates, despite inflation remaining low; however, the unit continued to hover around record lows against the US dollar.&nbsp;The South Asian currency has been hit by concerns over stalled trade talks with the Trump administration, which will not soften the painful tariffs. At the same time, Washington&#39;s strict immigration measures have added to worries.&nbsp;The two sides remain in talks despite sharp disagreements over agricultural trade and New Delhi&#39;s purchases of Russian oil.&nbsp;In company news, Australian mining titan BHP fell 2.5 percent following reports that China had told steelmakers to temporarily stop buying seagoing, dollar-denominated cargoes from the firm, as part of a pricing dispute.&nbsp;

Business

European stocks and gold rose as Wall Street futures fell after a US government shutdown. Pharma shares gained on a tariff reprieve, while the dollar weakened, Tokyo stocks slid, and investors feared economic disruption, as well as a delayed US jobs data release.

European stocks rise, Wall Street futures drop as US shutdown begins

FRANKFURT: Europe&#39;s economy is holding up better than expected in the face of US President Donald Trump&#39;s new tariffs &mdash; in part because the European Union didn&#39;t retaliate with self-defeating tariffs of its own, the head of the European Central Bank said Tuesday. Christine Lagarde said the impact of Trump&#39;s trade war on growth and inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro currency had also been softened by a stronger euro and by the conclusion of a trade deal with Trump. The agreement capped tariffs at 15% and took away the uncertainty that threatened to delay or disrupt business investment. &ldquo;A year ago, most would have assumed that US tariffs ... would trigger a major adverse shock to the euro area economy,&rdquo; Large said in a speech delivered at a central banking conference in Helsinki, Finland. &ldquo;Yet some of these assumptions have not been borne out.&rdquo; There had been little impact on inflation, she said, and effects on growth have been &ldquo;relatively moderate&rdquo; due to European governments taking pro-growth measures in response. The European Union&#39;s executive commission prepared a list of goods to hit with retaliatory tariffs, or import taxes, but suspended them once the tariff deal was struck between Trump and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in July. The reasons for nonretaliation included pressure from business groups not to get into a prolonged cycle of tit-for-tat tariff increases, as well as concerns about jeopardizing US support for Ukraine. As a result, Europe continued to receive the imported raw materials and goods it needed for its economy without hindrance from high tariff costs or bottlenecks that could raise prices. &ldquo;As a result, we have not yet seen significant supply chain disruption,&rdquo; Lagarde said. &ldquo;Global supply chain pressures remain contained, and in the euro area, bottleneck indicators are close to historical averages.&rdquo; Trump&#39;s policies have been accompanied by a fall in the dollar and a corresponding strengthening of the euro. That makes Europe&#39;s imports cheaper and helps the ECB in its efforts to contain the annual rate of inflation, which was a moderate 2% in August. The EU and its member governments have taken additional measures to strengthen growth, including free trade agreements with the South American Mercosur countries &mdash; Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay &mdash; and with Mexico. National governments have increased defense spending due to the perceived threat from a newly assertive Russia. At the same time, Germany has committed to large-scale investment in roads, rails, and bridges after years of underspending. Nonetheless, growth remains mediocre, coming in at only 0.1% in the second quarter compared to the previous quarter. Tariffs and the associated uncertainty will still reduce the growth rate by approximately 0.7 percentage points through 2025 and 2027.

Banking

ECB chief Christine Lagarde said Europe’s economy has withstood Trump’s tariffs better than expected. A trade deal, stronger euro, and pro-growth measures limited inflation and disruption, though growth remains weak and tariffs will weigh modestly until 2027.

Europe's top central banker says economy holding up better than expected

WASHINGTON : An experimental medication made from marijuana successfully reduced back pain in a new study, offering further support for the drug&rsquo;s potential in treating one of the most common forms of chronic pain.&nbsp;The 800-patient study by a German drugmaker is the latest evidence of the therapeutic properties of cannabis, which remains illegal under U.S. federal law even as most states have made it available for medical or recreational use.&nbsp;Health officials in Canada and Europe have previously approved a pharmaceutical-grade form of cannabis for several types of pain, including nerve pain due to multiple sclerosis. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug containing CBD &mdash; one of the many non-intoxicating chemicals found in cannabis &mdash; to treat rare seizures in children with epilepsy.&nbsp;Unlike that drug, known as Epidiolex, the new cannabis formula from drugmaker Vertanical contains THC, the active ingredient in marijuana that gets users high. But levels of the chemical are very low, essentially a microdose compared to what&rsquo;s available in gummies, chocolate bars and other products sold at marijuana dispensaries in the U.S. The company said patients in the trial didn&rsquo;t show any signs of drug abuse, dependence or withdrawal.&nbsp;Vertanical is seeking approval for a large group of patients: those suffering from lower-back pain, a chronic condition that affects millions and has few proven treatments.&nbsp;Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen can&rsquo;t be used for long-term pain because of their side effects, which include stomach ulcers and indigestion. Opioids are no longer recommended, after the overprescribing of painkillers such as OxyContin in the 1990s and 2000s led to the ongoing epidemic of addiction to that class of drug.&nbsp;Chronic pain is one of the most frequently cited conditions of people enrolled in state-run medical marijuana programs. But there&#39;s been little rigorous research on the drug&#39;s use in that group.&nbsp;Lead study author Dr. Matthias Karst said in an email that the new findings show cannabis &quot;can significantly reduce pain and improve physical function in patients with chronic low-back pain, without the safety concerns commonly associated with opioids.&rdquo; Karst is a pain specialist at Hannover Medical School and a consultant for Vertanical.&nbsp;For the new study, patients with back pain were randomly assigned to take Vertanical&rsquo;s proprietary liquid cannabis extract or a placebo.&nbsp;At the end of 12 weeks, patients taking the medication reported a nearly 2-point reduction in pain on an 11-point scale, compared with 1.4 points for those taking placebo. The difference was statistically significant. Those getting the drug also reported improvements in sleep and physical function.&nbsp;Patients who continued with a six-month extension phase continued to experience reductions in pain. The results were published Monday in the journal Nature.&nbsp;Side effects included dizziness, headache, fatigue and nausea and led to more than 17% of people discontinuing the drug early. Researchers said that dropout rate was lower than what&#39;s typically reported with opioids, which can cause constipation, nausea, drowsiness and carry risks of addiction.&nbsp;Vertanical has filed an application for its drug with European regulators. In the U.S., the company says it is &ldquo;working closely&rdquo; with regulators to design a study to support FDA approval.

Food

An experimental medication made from marijuana successfully reduced back pain in a new study

A drug made from marijuana reduced back pain in a large study

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: capitalize; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: nowrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">CHISINAU:&nbsp;Moldovans voted on Sunday in parliamentary elections that could see Ukraine&#39;s neighbour swerve from its pro-European path back toward Moscow&#39;s orbit, with the government and the EU accusing Russia of interfering in the ex-Soviet country. The small European Union candidate country, which has a pro-Russia breakaway region, has long been divided over whether to move closer with Brussels or maintain Soviet-era relations with Moscow. Most surveys ahead of the vote showed the pro-EU Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), in power since 2021, in the lead. But analysts say the race is far from certain. &quot;I want higher wages and pensions... I want things to continue as they were during the Russian times,&quot; Vasile, a 51-year-old locksmith and welder, who only gave his first name, told AFP at a polling station in Chisinau as a steady stream of voters arrived. Voter Paulina Bojoga, 68, said she wanted Moldova &quot;to catch up with European countries because Europe has everything we need&quot;. &quot;The situation is on a knife edge,&quot; the pensioner, who has returned after having lived in Italy, told AFP, as some donned &quot;I voted&quot; stickers after casting their ballots. Polling booths opened at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) and will close at 9:00 pm, with the first results expected later Sunday. Massive interference The ballot is overshadowed by fears of vote buying and unrest, as well as an &quot;an unprecedented campaign of disinformation&quot; from Russia, according to the EU. Moscow has denied the allegations. Moldova&#39;s cybersecurity service said on Sunday it detected several attempts at attacks on the electoral infrastructure, which were &quot;neutralised in real time... without affecting the availability or integrity of electoral services&quot;. Pro-EU President Maia Sandu of PAS warned after casting her vote of a &quot;massive interference of Russia&quot;, saying Moldova was &quot;in danger&quot; and &quot;might lose everything it has won&quot; posing &quot;significant risk also for other countries like Ukraine&quot;. A loss for the PAS could throw up hurdles in the push towards EU integration, launched after Moscow&#39;s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Voters in the country of 2.4 million -- one of Europe&#39;s poorest -- have expressed frustration over economic hardship, as well as scepticism over the drive to join the EU. &quot;I voted for getting back to normal, for the development of the Republic of Moldova,&quot; Igor Dodon, one of the leaders of the pro-Russian opposition Patriotic Bloc, said after casting his vote. The Socialist and former president has accused the government of trying to steal the vote, and reiterated a call for supporters &quot;to peacefully protest&quot; on Monday to &quot;defend our victory&quot;. In an interview earlier this week, Dodon told AFP that on foreign policy, he would &quot;continue discussions, negotiations with the EU, but we will also re-establish relations with the Russian Federation&quot;. Turnout decisive The government has accused the Kremlin of spending hundreds of millions in &quot;dirty money&quot; to interfere in the campaign. In the lead-up to the vote, prosecutors have carried out hundreds of searches related to what the government says are &quot;electoral corruption&quot; and &quot;destabilisation attempts&quot;, with dozens arrested. Foreign interference and threats of stirring up unrest are &quot;the most significant risks,&quot; according to Igor Botan, the head of Moldovan think tank Adept. Turnout will be decisive -- especially in the large and powerful diaspora, which tends to vote PAS, and in the breakaway region of Transnistria, which leans pro-Russian, analysts say. Turnout at 1100 GMT stood at just over 30 percent. In the last parliamentary election in 2021, final turnout was 52.3 percent. Some 20 political parties and independent candidates are running for the 101 parliamentary seats. Botan said the result is &quot;very difficult to predict&quot;. &quot;Post-election negotiations to form an alliance (to govern) are highly likely, and here too, things are unclear,&quot; he said.

Moldovans voted in tense parliamentary elections seen as a choice between closer EU integration or renewed ties with Moscow. The vote, marred by Russian interference allegations and economic frustrations, could reshape the country’s fragile political future.

Moldova votes in tense polls, torn between EU and Russia

<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">BRUSSELS &mdash; Representatives from European countries with borders close to Russia and Ukraine are holding talks on Friday about building a &ldquo;drone wall&rdquo; to plug gaps in their defenses following several airspace violations. <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland have been working on a drone wall project, but in March, the European Union&rsquo;s executive branch rejected a joint Estonia-Lithuania request for funds to set one up. <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Since then, Europe&rsquo;s borders have been increasingly tested by rogue drones. Russia has been blamed for some of the incidents, but denies that anything was done on purpose or that it played a role. <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">NATO jets scrambled on Sept. 10 to shoot down a number of Russian drones that breached Polish airspace, in an expensive response to a relatively cheap threat.&nbsp; <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Airports in Denmark were temporarily closed this week after drones were flown nearby. <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius is chairing Friday&rsquo;s talks. The meeting, via video-link, will include those countries plus officials from Bulgaria, Denmark, Romania, and Slovakia, along with representatives from Ukraine and NATO. <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">The aim is to establish what equipment those countries have to counter drone intrusions, what more they might need to plug any gaps along NATO&rsquo;s eastern flank, and for Kubilius work out where EU funds might be found to help the effort. <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said earlier this month that Europe &ldquo;must heed the call of our Baltic friends and build a drone wall.&rdquo; <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">&ldquo;This is not an abstract ambition. It is the bedrock of credible defense,&rdquo; von der Leyen told EU lawmakers. <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">It should be, she said, &ldquo;a European capability developed together, deployed together, and sustained together, that can respond in real time. One that leaves no ambiguity as to our intentions. Europe will defend every inch of its territory.&rdquo; <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Von der Leyen said that 6 billion euros ($7 billion) would be earmarked to set up a drone alliance with Ukraine, whose armed forces are using the unmanned aerial vehicles to inflict around two-thirds of all military equipment losses sustained by Russian forces.

Representatives from European countries with borders close to Russia and Ukraine are holding talks on Friday about building a “drone wall” to plug gaps in their defenses following several airspace violations.

European countries meet to discuss a 'drone wall' as airspace violations mount

Reuters

BRUSSELS: Brussels Airport said half the departing flights scheduled for Sunday will need to be cancelled due to ongoing disruption following a cyberattack that hit several European airports. &quot;Brussels Airport has asked airlines to cancel half of the scheduled departing flights on Sunday 21 September in order to avoid long queues and late cancellations,&quot; a spokesperson for the Belgian airport said.

Brussels Airport asks airlines to cancel 50% of departing flights on Sunday

TRIPOLI: Scores of Sudanese refugees were dead or missing after two boat disasters off the coast of Libya last weekend, UN agencies said on Wednesday.One boat capsized on Saturday, according to the UN refugee agency, and a second caught fire on Sunday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said -- each off the eastern port city of Tobruk.The first boat was carrying 74 people, &quot;mostly Sudanese refugees&quot;, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on its X account for Libya, of whom &quot;only 13 people survived and dozens remain missing&quot; from Saturday&#39;s wreck.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1968344775863791988&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=14c341dbfb98918785efb5bb9a0a81648663a43f&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 921px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1968344775863791988"></iframe></div></div>An IOM spokesperson earlier told AFP that Sunday&#39;s &quot;tragic incident took place when a rubber boat carrying 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire&quot; en route to Greece, adding: &quot;At least 50 lives were lost.&quot;The UNHCR and the IOM spokesperson did not immediately provide details of the ages or gender of those on board the boats.&quot;IOM provided immediate lifesaving medical care to the 24 survivors,&quot; the spokesperson added, without clarifying if one last person was still missing from Sunday&#39;s wreck.Libya is a key transit country for thousands of migrants seeking to reach Europe by sea each year.Perilous Mediterranean crossing&nbsp;At least 456 people died and 420 were reported missing along the central Mediterranean route between January 1 and September 13, according to the IOM.Libyan authorities have so far this year intercepted and returned 17,402 migrants to Libya, including 1,516 women and 586 children.The war in neighboring Sudan has pushed over 140,000 refugees into Libya in the past two years, nearly doubling the number of Sudanese refugees in the country.Many brave difficult conditions in Libya, migrants have told AFP, while others attempt the dangerous sea crossing in a bid to reach Europe.One of the deadliestThe IOM considers the central Mediterranean crossing one of the deadliest migrant routes in the world.In 2024, 2,573 people trying to reach Europe died in the Mediterranean Sea, it said.&nbsp;

Africa

Scores of Sudanese refugees died or went missing after two boat disasters near Libya’s Tobruk port last weekend—one capsized with 74 aboard, the other caught fire with 75 on board, killing dozens.

Scores of Sudanese refugees dead or missing in Libya boat wrecks

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Russia has conducted large-scale military exercises with Belarus, showcasing nuclear-capable bombers, hypersonic missiles, and thousands of troops, while NATO countries have ramped up defenses across Eastern Europe in response.&nbsp;The joint exercises, dubbed Zapad 2025, began earlier in September and concluded Tuesday. According to Belarus&#39; deputy defense minister, the drills included rehearsals for potential tactical nuclear weapon use and preparations to deploy Russia&rsquo;s new Oreshnik missile, the Associated Press reported.&nbsp;Russian state media claims the Oreshnik missile can carry multiple warheads and reach NATO targets within minutes.&nbsp;NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte slammed the exercises as &ldquo;reckless.&rdquo; Speaking in Brussels, he warned that Russia&#39;s increasing use of drones and missiles means &ldquo;no part of Europe is safe.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s agree that within this alliance of 32 countries, we all live on the eastern flank,&rdquo; Rutte said.&nbsp;Airspace violations heighten tensions&nbsp;The drills took place just days after around 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on September 10, according to AP. While Moscow denied that the drones were aimed at Poland, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called it a &ldquo;provocation&rdquo; and warned that Europe is now &ldquo;closer to open conflict than at any time since World War II.&rdquo;&nbsp;NATO later confirmed that Russian drones also violated the airspace of Romania, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.&nbsp;New nuclear doctrine and weapons deploymentThe timing of Zapad 2025 also coincides with the anniversary of Russia&#39;s revised nuclear doctrine. In 2024, President Vladimir Putin updated the policy to state that any conventional attack on Russia backed by a nuclear power would be treated as a joint nuclear threat.&nbsp;Since Belarus falls under this security umbrella, Moscow reportedly intends to deploy Oreshnik missiles there later this year.&nbsp;Russia&rsquo;s Defense Ministry also released footage of strategic bombers and naval units launching nuclear-capable missiles as part of the drills. Analysts told AP that placing such weapons in Belarus revives Cold War-era dynamics, when Soviet missiles were aimed at Europe from Belarusian territory.&nbsp;Fighting continues in UkraineWhile Russia displays its military strength, the conflict in Ukraine continues unabated. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram that Russian rockets struck the southern city of Zaporizhzhia overnight, injuring 20 people, including four children.&nbsp;Zelenskyy also reported:<ul><li>A civilian logistics center near Kyiv was hit</li><li>Drones targeted Kharkiv, injuring four people at the National Pharmaceutical University</li></ul>&nbsp;He renewed his call for enhanced European air defenses:&nbsp;&ldquo;Now is the time to implement the joint protection of our European skies with a multilayered air defense system,&rdquo; Zelenskyy wrote.&nbsp;According to AP, Zelenskyy said Russia has fired over 3,500 drones,&nbsp;2,500 glide bombs&nbsp;and nearly 200 missiles&nbsp;just in the past two weeks. Glide bombs, dropped from high altitudes, have been particularly devastating as Ukraine lacks effective countermeasures.&nbsp;In retaliation, Ukraine has launched drone strikes inside Russia. On Tuesday, Ukraine&rsquo;s General Staff reported an attack on an oil refinery in Saratov, causing explosions and a fire. Repeated strikes on fuel infrastructure have reportedly contributed to gasoline shortages in Russia.&nbsp;NATO expands focus to the Arctic&nbsp;While Ukraine remains the central battleground, NATO is also extending its defensive posture northward.&nbsp;In Greenland, Denmark is leading Arctic Light 2025, a multinational drill involving over 550 troops from Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway, AP reported.&nbsp;The training, which began on September 9 and runs through Friday, includes:&nbsp;<ul><li>Ship-boarding exercises</li><li>Helicopter landings</li><li>Live-fire drills</li></ul>&nbsp;Danish F-16 fighter jets and naval frigates are participating, with observers from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada present.&nbsp;Maj. Gen. S&oslash;ren Andersen, head of Denmark&rsquo;s Joint Arctic Command, emphasized that the goal is to build readiness and develop coordinated responses to threats in the Arctic and North Atlantic.&nbsp;&ldquo;Russia has been building up in the Arctic for the last 20 years. It&rsquo;s fair to say they are a regional superpower there,&rdquo; Andersen said.&nbsp;Earlier this year, Denmark also announced plans to increase its permanent military presence around Greenland and the Faroe Islands, including:&nbsp;<ul><li>New naval vessels</li><li>Long-range drones</li><li>Expanded satellite surveillance capacity</li><li>A Broader Security Shift</li></ul>&nbsp;The combination of nuclear drills in Belarus, ongoing attacks in Ukraine, and NATO maneuvers in the Arctic illustrates how the war is reshaping European and transatlantic security far beyond the front lines.&nbsp;Now entering its fourth year, the war has created flashpoints from Zaporizhzhia to the Arctic Circle, with no clear path to a diplomatic resolution in sight.

Russia's nuclear-capable drills with Belarus prompt NATO to bolster defenses across Europe and the Arctic amid escalating regional tensions.

Articles tagged with "Europe"

NATO Plans annual nuclear drill as security tightens in Europe

Zelensky: Russia looking to 'escalate' war in Europe

European stocks rise, Wall Street futures drop as US shutdown begins

Europe's top central banker says economy holding up better than expected

A drug made from marijuana reduced back pain in a large study

Moldova votes in tense polls, torn between EU and Russia

European countries meet to discuss a 'drone wall' as airspace violations mount

Brussels Airport asks airlines to cancel 50% of departing flights on Sunday

Scores of Sudanese refugees dead or missing in Libya boat wrecks

Russia flaunts nuclear drills as NATO braces from Ukraine to Arctic

Scores of Sudanese refugees dead or missing in Libya boat wrecks