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      Sweden and Finland cold join Nato ‘within weeks’ after Russian invasion of Ukraine

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      Sweden and Finland are poised to join Nato “within weeks” following the invasion of Ukraine, despite warnings from Moscow against any expansion of the military alliance.The leaders of both nations met on Wednesday to discuss regional security after decades of organising their own protection. Sweden’s prime minister Magdalena Andersson did not confirm the move, but Swedish outlet SVD reported that she and and opposition party leaders had agreed a goal of joining in June. “When Russia invaded Ukraine, Sweden’s security position changed fundamentally,” her party said in a statement earlier this week.Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin said after the meeting: “I won’t give any kind of timetable when we will make our decisions, but I think it will happen quite fast. Within weeks, not within months.” Marin, whose country shares an 810-mile border with Russia, said it was important to reach consensus in Finland, which fought Soviet invaders during World War Two and has since been militarily non-aligned.Public opinion in Finland has taken a U-turn on NATO, with the most recent poll by private broadcaster MTV showing 68% of respondents in favour of joining, with only 12% against.Sweden was a neutral state during World War Two and has not fought a war for over 200 years.Once members of Nato, the Nordic countries would benefit from Nato’s defence clause, which makes it mandatory for all members to defend an ally under attack.Earlier this week, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Nato’s further expansion would “not bring stability to the European continent”.Meanwhile, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said the door for membership in the alliance remains open for both countries.“It is a sovereign decision of any nation that wants to join Nato to apply for membership, which they so far have not done … We are forcing no one into Nato,” Rob Bauer, the head of Nato’s military committee, said.Additional reporting by agencies More

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      UK to send 120 armoured vehicles to Ukraine after PM meets Zelensky

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      The UK has vowed to send 120 armoured vehicles to Ukraine following a meeting between Boris Johnson and Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Downing Street said Britain would also dispatch a new anti-ship missile systems to support the country against the Russian invasion.The announcement followed talks between the two leaders in the Ukrainian capital, where Mr Johnson made a surprise visit on Saturday.It is understood to be the first time the pair have met in person since the Russian invasion was launched on 24 February. Downing Street said on Saturday the prime minister was in Kyiv to “demonstrate the UK’s steadfast solidarity with Ukraine” and to discuss military and economic support with Mr Zelensky. More

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      Boris Johnson pictured meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv today

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      Boris Johnson has been seen with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky at a surprise meeting in Kyiv.The British prime minister was pictured at a table opposite Mr Zelensky on Saturday, with the Union Jack and Ukrainian flag in the background.It is believed to be the first time the pair have met in person since Russia invaded Ukraine a month and a half ago, starting a war reported to have killed hundreds of civilians and displaced millions more. A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed the two had met in Kyiv on Saturday after an image of the leaders together was met with surprise on social media.“The prime minister has travelled to Ukraine to meet President Zelenskyy in person, in a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people,” the No 10 spokesperson said. “They will discuss the UK’s long term support to Ukraine and the PM will set out a new package of financial and military aid.”Andriy Sybiha, a Ukrainian presidential aide, said Mr Johnson had started his visit to Kyiv with a “tete-a-tete” meeting with Mr Zelensky.Ukraine’s embassy in the UK shared an image of the two leaders meeting on Saturday, with the caption “surprise” and a winking face emoji. The Tory party chair had previously said the UK prime minister was “desperate” to visit Ukraine to witness what was happening in the country under siege.But a senior government official told The Independent last month such a trip would be “nonsensical” and his time would be “better spent addressing Home Office dysfunction” over the UK’s response to the refugee crisis sparked by the war.Mr Johnson is believed to have last visited Ukraine and met Mr Zelensky at the start of February as the threat of a Russian invasion loomed. More

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      Infosys to close Russia operations as Rishi Sunak under growing pressure over family’s stake in IT firm

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      Indian IT firm Infosys , in which Rishi Sunak’s wife owns shares worth hundreds of milllions of pounds, is to close its operations Russia following pressure over its continued presence in the country amid Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.The company is to halt its business in Moscow, where it is thought to have nearly 100 employees, The Independent understands.Mr Sunak has faced repeated questioning over his family links to the firm, which was founded by the chancellor’s father-in-law and in which his wife, Akshata Murthy owns a 0.91 per cent stake reportedly worth nearly £700m.Earlier on Friday Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged Mr Sunak to “come clean” over whether his family had benefitted from any Russia-related interests since Moscow’s invasion.Lesia Vasylenko, a Ukrainian MP, said this week that profits made by company operating in Russia should be viewed as “bloody money”.Infosys declined to comment on the closure of its Moscow operations but sources told the BBC that the company was finding replacement roles abroad for its staff in Russia.In a statement earlier this week, the firm said it had fewer than 100 members of staff in Moscow who service global clients based in Russia.“We do not have any active business relationships with local Russian enterprises,” the company’s statement said.Founded in 1981 by Narayana Murthy and six other engineers, Infosys is now one of India’s largest companies, employing some 267,000 people across more than 50 countries. Having previously served as chief executive, Mr Murthy stepped down from the board in 2012 to take the position of chairman emeritus.Speaking to BBC Newscast on Thursday, Mr Sunak said he felt “nothing but enormous pride and admiration for everything that” his father in law has achieved and that “no amount of attempted smearing is going to make me change that”.The chancellor – who has previously told British firms to “think very carefully” about making any investments potentially beneficial to Mr Putin’s regime – hit out at the questioning he has faced in recent days, calling it “very upsetting and, I think, wrong for people to try and come at my wife”.Mr Sunak compared the criticism of his wife to the Will Smith Oscars scandal, saying: “At least I didn’t get up and slap anybody, which is good.”But on Friday, Sir Keir suggested it was “a fundamental question of principle” whether Mr Sunak’s household was “benefitting from money made in Russia when the government has put in place sanctions”.“That is in the public interest for us to have an answer to — I’m not attacking their family, I don’t agree with that way of politics,” the Labour leader told Sky News.“But I do want to know if the chancellor’s household is benefiting from money from a company that’s investing in Russia when the government is saying quite rightly that nobody should be doing that”.He added: “I would have thought the chancellor would actually want to come clean on this and say ‘actually I can be very, very clear that my household doesn’t benefit from any money that’s come in any way from Russia during this invasion of Ukraine.“It’s a simple question, I think he should just answer it. It would actually help his wife if he just answered the question”.A spokesperson for the chancellor told The Independent that Ms Murthy is “one of thousands of minority shareholders” in Infosys, adding: “It is a public company and neither her nor any member of her family have any involvement in the operational decisions of the company.” More

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      ‘Human rights crisis’: 121 million pregnancies around world each year are unintended, UN study finds

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      Some 121 million pregnancies around the world each year are unintended with this amounting to almost half of all pregnancies, according to a new United Nations study.Researchers said this equates to an average of around 331,000 unplanned pregnancies each day as they warned the issue constitutes a “human rights crisis” which has far-reaching ramifications for “societies, women and girls and global health”.The report, carried out by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), notes over 60 per cent of unintended pregnancies result in an abortion, while an estimated 45 per cent of all abortions around the world are dangerous.Researchers, whose section of the United Nations strives to boost reproductive and maternal health, said some five to 13 per cent of all maternal deaths are the by-product of unsafe backstreet, clandestine abortions. The pregnancy terminations are carried out in contexts where abortion is illegal, highly restricted or too expensive to afford.Rose Caldwell, chief executive of Plan International UK, said: “The scale of these figures is alarming, but the reality behind the numbers is that far too many women and girls still have no choice about whether or not to become pregnant.“They may be survivors of abuse or exploitation; they may have been forced to marry early; or they may have lacked access to modern contraception or the education they need to understand their own bodies.”Ms Caldwell warned the situation constitutes a “global injustice” which world leaders are not taking enough action to address.She added: “The UK government especially should see these figures as an alarm bell. Last year, it made cuts to overseas aid that included a shameful 85 per cent reduction in funding for sexual and reproductive health services.“We warned that the decision could harm thousands of women and girls and hinder the struggle for gender equality. The Foreign Office’s own assessment raised similar concerns. Yet still the government pressed ahead with its plans.”Ms Caldwell urged Rishi Sunak, the UK Chancellor, to “immediately restore the aid budget to 0.7 of GNI and for the foreign secretary to deliver on her commitment to restore the women and girls’ budget to pre-cut levels as soon as possible”.She added: “The government must ensure that areas hardest hit by the cuts – including sexual and reproductive health and rights – are prioritised.”The report found gender inequality and impeded development are behind high levels of unintended pregnancies around the world. Researchers warned an estimated 257 million women around the world who want to avoid pregnancy do not have safe, modern forms of contraception.“Where data is available, nearly a quarter of all women are not able to say no to sex,” researchers said.Other important factors which cause unintended pregnancies were cited by researchers as “sexual and reproductive healthcare and information, contraceptive options that don’t suit women’s bodies or circumstances, harmful norms and stigma surrounding women controlling their own fertility and bodies, and sexual violence and reproductive coercion”.Dr Natalia Kanem, executive director of the UNFPA, said: “This report is a wakeup call. The staggering number of unintended pregnancies represents a global failure to uphold women and girls’ basic human rights.“For the women affected, the most life-altering reproductive choice – whether or not to become pregnant – is no choice at all. By putting the power to make this most fundamental decision squarely in the hands of women and girls, societies can ensure that motherhood is an aspiration and not an inevitability.”The UNFPA warned the war which has recently broken out in Ukraine and other world crises could cause a rise in yet more unintended pregnancies due to women struggling to access contraception and sexual violence shooting up.Dr Kanem said: “If you had 15 minutes to leave your house, what would you take? Would you grab your passport? Food? Would you remember your contraception?“In the days, weeks and months after a crisis starts, sexual and reproductive health and protection services save lives, shield women and girls from harm and prevent unintended pregnancies. They are as vital as food, water and shelter.” More

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      Germany says Albania and North Macedonia should be allowed to swiftly join EU

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      The German chancellor has called for the European Union to swiftly conclusion access talks with the western Balkans countries and welcome them as members.Speaking on Monday Olaf Scholz, who took over from Angela Merkel last year, said North Macedonia and Albania should be allowed to join.“Every further delay makes Western Balkans more vulnerable to third party influence,” Mr Scholz, a social democrat, said at a joint press conference following a meeting with the Swedish prime minister Magdalena Andersson.“It is clear for both Germany and Sweden that the EU must push ahead with institutional reforms to make itself capable of enlargement.”His comments come as EU enlargement shoots up the agenda thanks to the Russian invasion of Ukraine – which wants to join the bloc.Albania and North Macedonia have been candidate countries for joining the EU since 2020, but they have made little progress in the labyrinthine process.EU authorities have concerns that the Western Balkan states do not meet standards for corruption, politicisation of the judiciary, and rule of law.The 27 EU presidents and prime ministers did not focus on EU accession at last week European Council summit in Brussels – instead spending time on the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis.Last week Mr Scholz also said the Western Balkans should be admitted EU membership to secure peace.But other countries such as France are more sceptical of enlarging the union, at least in its current state. French president Emmanuel Macron has previously said the enlargement process is not fit for purpose and briefed vetoed any enlargement. More

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      Joe Biden agrees to boost US gas supplies to Europe to reduce dependence on Russia

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      The United States has agreed to step up gas exports to the European Union in a bid to reduce reliance eon Russian suppliesUnder a deal announce on Friday Joe Biden promised the US would deliver at least 15 billion cubic metres (bcm) more liquid natural gas to Europe than under previous plans.The accord was struck by Mr Biden and EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Friday, which the US president is attending.The arrangement also sees the US commit to increase gas supplies in 2023.“We aim to reduce this dependency on Russian fossil fuels and get rid of it. This can only be achieved through… additional gas supplies, including LNG deliveries”, Ms von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with Mr Biden on Friday in the Belgian capital.“We as Europeans want to diversify away from Russia towards suppliers that we trust, that are our friends, that are reliable.“Therefore, the US commitment to provide the European Union with additional at least 15 billion cubic metres of LNG this year is a big step in this direction because this will replace the LNG supply we currently receive from Russia.”The US president told the same group of journalists: “We’re coming together to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russia’s energy. We should not subsidise Putin’s brutal attack on Ukraine.”Gas prices have surged to record levels in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and some countries like Germany and Italy are heavily reliant on Russian supply.Germany’s government has already pulled the plug on a planned gas pipeline called Nordstream 2 which critics said would increase reliance on supply controlled by Vladimir Putin’s regime. But Russia currently supplies 40 per cent of the EU’s gas needs and 25 per cent of its oil, albeit with significant differences between countries. Boris Johnson conceded on Thursday at a Nato summit that it was easier for some countries to quit Russian hydrocarbons than others.EU leaders are on Friday discussing whether to impose phased-in restrictions on the purchase of Russian fossil fuels such as oil and coal – but gas is not expected to be on the table.Alexander de Croo, the Belgian prime minister, told reporters on the doorstep of the summit: “Measures on energy right now would have a huge impact on our economies.“The basic rule is that sanctions must have a much greater impact on the Russian side than on the European side. We don’t wage war on ourselves.”Meanwhile Mark Rutte, the Dutch leader said: “Everybody wants it but it’s nothing that you can do in the short term.”US liquid natural gas plants are thought to be producing at full capacity and the exports will likely come from supply previously destined for other parts of the world.Analysts at Goldman Sachs said “near-term measures” to support European LNG imports would “rely on the reallocation of existing supply”.They added that “such a relocation to Europe is already happening” because EU gas prices have in recent months generally been the highest in the world.More follows… More

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      EU leaders warn countries not to skirt Russia sanctions

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      European Union leaders have warned against trying to “circumvent” EUsanctions against Russia and say they will close any “loopholes” that are found.At a top-level summit in Brussels the 27 presidents and prime ministers said any attempts to get around restrictions imposed by the block “must be stopped”.The blunt warning came in the early hours of the morning on Friday after a discussion of the situation in Ukraine dragged late into the night.Leaders are meeting again on Friday where they will consider more sanctions, with a possible phased-in ban on Russian oil and coal an option on the table.But the 27 countries are not expected to approve the biggest sanction: a ban on Russian gas, which some EU countries like Germany and Italy are heavily dependent on.Alexander de Croo, the Belgian prime minister, told reporters on the doorstep of the summit: “Measures on energy right now would have a huge impact on our economies.“The basic rule is that sanctions must have a much greater impact on the Russian side than on the European side. We don’t wage war on ourselves.”Meanwhile Mark Rutte, the Dutch leader said: “Everybody wants it but it’s nothing that you can do in the short term.”The cautious approach is expected despite signals from the US that it will ramp up natural gas shipments to Europe – a promise relayed by Joe Biden while he visits the EU capital.It comes after Russia demanded to be paid for its gas in Roubles instead of Euros – which the European Commission considers an attempt to work around sanctions. “This would be a unilateral decision and a clear breach of contract,” Von der Leyen said of Russia’s demand.“It would be an attempt to circumvent the sanctions. We will not allow our sanctions to be circumvented. The time when energy could be used to blackmail us is over.”The Council summit comes after a Nato meeting to decide a common defence approach to help Ukraine and shore-up militaries in Eastern Europe.Boris Johnson attended the Nato summit for the UK but Britain is not invited to the European Council meeting, and it no longer has an automatic seat due to Brexit. Mr Biden was hosted by EU leaders as a special guest given the situation in Ukraine. More