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Russia expels 34 French, 27 Spanish, and 24 Italian diplomats in a tit-for-tat move Russian soldier pleads guilty at murder trial in Ukraine Ukrainian and Russian officials say peace negotiations have stagnated EU announces funding to help bloc move away from Russian fossil fuels Finland and Sweden submit NATO membership applications This article was last updated at 12:49 UTC/GMT Russian soldier pleads guilty of murder at Kyiv trial Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old Russian tank commander held in Ukraine, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to killing an unarmed civilian. After his convoy was hit, Shishimarin and four other fleeing soldiers are alleged to have stole a car from outside the village of Chupakhivka in the early days of the invasion. He is accused of attacking the 62-year-old, who was riding past them on a bicycle, to prevent him from reporting their presence. "One of the military servicemen ordered the accused to kill a civilian so that he would not report … [Read more...] about Ukraine: Russian soldier pleads guilty of murder at Kyiv trial — live updates

Finland's legislature on Tuesday approved the country's bid for NATO membership with 188 votes in favor and eight against, Parliament Speaker Matti Vanhanen said. The vote comes after two days of parliamentary debate, during which the foreign affairs committee said "Russia's long-standing aggressive policies and the goal of dividing Europe into new spheres of influence took on a new dimension after the country's invasion of Ukraine ." "Failure to respond would lead to a narrowing of Finland's foreign, security and defense policy," it added. The vote in Parliament was seen a formality, as Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin had already announced that Finland would go ahead and that minimal opposition was expected. "Our security environment has fundamentally changed," Prime Minister Marin told parliament on Monday at the start of the debate. What happens next? The vote clears the way for a Finnish application for membership in the Western … [Read more...] about Finland’s Parliament approves NATO membership application

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ratcheted up his objection to Sweden and Finland joining Nato . Sweden’s prime minister had announced that the country would join Finland in seeking membership of the military alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a historic shift that came after more than 200 years of military nonalignment in the Nordic country. Erdogan accused the countries of failing to take a clear stance against Kurdish militants and of imposing military sanctions on Turkey. “Neither country has an open, clear stance against terrorist organisations,” Erdogan said at a joint news conference with the visiting Algerian president. READ MORE: Why Turkey dissents on Finland and Sweden joining Nato and why it matters In historic shift, Sweden ends neutrality and joins Finland in seeking Nato membership Russia threatens to retaliate if Finland, Sweden try and join Nato Nato chief says Finland, Sweden welcome to apply to join “We cannot … [Read more...] about Turkey: No to Sweden and Finland joining Nato

EXPLAINER: Nato is the world’s most successful military alliance, central both to the West’s success in the Cold War and to securing the European order that followed. It has grappled with many doubts about its purpose in the post-Cold-War world. Yet it has expanded greatly over the decades, growing from the original 12 allies in 1949 to 30 today. The last to join was North Macedonia in 2020. Now Finland, and probably Sweden, are knocking at the door . Why do countries want to join Nato, and what does it take to become a member? The core attraction is Article 5 of the Washington treaty, Nato’s founding document, which sets out the mutual-defence promise: “ The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all ”. This is often taken as a guarantee to defend militarily an ally under attack; in fact, a member is committed only to “assist” and to take “such action as it deems necessary” to restore … [Read more...] about What does it take to join Nato?

Sweden and Finland on Tuesday (local time) pushed ahead with their bids to join Nato even as Turkey insisted it won’t let the previously nonaligned Nordic countries into the alliance because of their alleged support for Kurdish militants. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strongly worded objections caught the two applicants and other Nato members off guard, complicating what was envisioned to be a swift expansion of the alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Turkey’s statements have changed very quickly and hardened in recent days. But I am sure that we will resolve the situation with constructive talks,” Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said during a visit to Stockholm, the Swedish capital. Niinisto said he spoke to Erdogan in early April "and it was crystal clear that he was supportive, and he said that the Finnish membership should be assessed favourably. Now it seems that there are different opinions. We must continue to discuss”. READ MORE: … [Read more...] about Sweden and Finland push ahead with Nato bids, despite Turkey’s objections

A shocked American tourist is planning to go to the police on the Greek island of Mykonos after being charged close to NZ$1000 for two cocktails and a snack at a beach restaurant. The huge cost also included a NZ$129 tip. Eye-watering prices are not uncommon in Mykonos, but even by most standards this bill has left a distinctly bad taste. The unnamed tourist was with her daughter when she sat down at the restaurant. READ MORE: 'That salad is sadder than my life' - The $11 'rip-off' lunch in Germany Tourists charged $200 for 3 hotdogs and a sandwich in Italy Tourist charged $4500 for kebab platter in Jerusalem In messages to her travel agent and reported by Proto Thema , the woman ordered two drinks and some crab legs and sat on deck chairs on the beach for up to three hours. “While we knew that the bill would not exceed €200, suddenly they ask us to pay €600! In fact, they put three men in front of us when I refused to pay because what they were asking for … [Read more...] about How much would you pay for two cocktails and some crab legs? One Greek restaurant says $1000

Two of Russia’s most prominent oligarchs have spoken out against Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in a major turning point in public reaction to the war. The interventions by billionaires Oleg Derpipaksa and Mikhail Fridman came as police arrested hundreds of people at protests across the country on Sunday against a conflict that has shocked not only the West but also Russians from all walks of life. Celebrities and some MPs have already expressed their opposition to the bloody invasion but statements on Sunday from Mr Deripaska and Mr Fridman will be a bitter blow to the president, who has long relied on the unshakable loyalty of the business elite. Mr Fridman, the co-founder of Alfa-Bank, one of the country’s largest private banks, said in a message to staff at his London-based private equity firm LetterOne: “War can never be the answer”. In the message, seen by The Telegraph, he said: “I was born in Western Ukraine and lived there until I was 17. My parents are Ukrainian … [Read more...] about Russian oligarchs break silence over Vladimir Putin’s invasion

The forthcoming robot revolution threatens to exacerbate the North-South divide, creating jobs in London and the South East, but destroying those elsewhere in the country, an economic think tank has warned. Automation will boost demand for managers and IT workers, but trigger job losses even in skilled trades and some traditional professions. Overall, there should be no net loss of jobs but there will be a shift in the type and location of those positions, according to a study from Irwin Mitchell and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). Manufacturing employment overall should even increase, edging up by around 0.8pc over the next four years to 2021, the report indicates. Workers will also need to retrain or improve their skills to have a better chance of staying in work in the long-term. “Lower-skill professions or those which can be automated more easily will see a decline in the level of employment. Administrative and secretarial jobs are expected to decline … [Read more...] about Robot revolution to boost jobs in London but not in the North

A third of existing British jobs are at risk of being taken over by robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) within 15 years, a report reveals. As many as 30pc of existing roles in the UK could be automated by 2030 with the most at risk industries being waste management, transportation and manufacturing, according to an analysis by PwC. However, the report stressed that automation won't result in rocketing unemployment. "The UK employment rate is at its highest level now since comparable records began in 1971, despite advances in digital and other labour-saving technologies," said John Hawksworth, chief economist at PwC. Mr Hawksworth anticipates that manual and routine tasks will be susceptible to automation, with social skills and creative roles being more protected. "That said, no industry is entirely immune from future advances in robotics and AI," he said. However, in many cases the nature of jobs will change rather than the roles completely disappearing, … [Read more...] about Robots will take a third of British jobs by 2030, report says

It was the hottest night of late August 2013 in a sweltering Paris, as the recently elected socialist President of France, François Hollande, waited in his Elysée office to give an order that would have changed history. Ten days earlier more than 1400 innocent people had been killed in a Sarin gas attack on the outskirts of Damascus. The use of chemical weapons by Bashar al-Assad in Syria, an hour’s flight from the European Union, in a genocidal attack on his own people marked a new turn in 21st century history. France’s conservative President Chirac had played endless games a decade earlier on whether he would or would not stand with the US, UK and most EU democracies (other than Germany) in stopping Saddam Hussein from defying UN resolutions. In contrast, socialist Hollande was clear that the Syrian dictator, now in close alliance with Russia’s Vladimir Putin , had to be faced down. After joint planning with Washington, he ordered Rafale warplanes equipped … [Read more...] about First Syria, now Ukraine – Britain cannot backstab its allies over chemical weapons again