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The SPARTA IV, registered as a merchant ship, entered Portuguese waters at the end of the day on Sunday and was sailing off the coast of Nazaré on Wednesday evening.

In the new era, European leaders are not only promising to take more responsibility for the conventional defense of their continent; they’re also beginning to talk about an expanded nuclear deterrent of their own. Practically, this would mean leveraging the capabilities of Britain and France, currently the only two European states with nuclear weapons.

For now, Kristersson said, “the American nuclear umbrella is absolutely dominant.” And he has seen no indication that Washington intends to curtail it, even as the Trump administration presses European countries to assume greater responsibility for their own defense. Still, the prime minister said, “it’s a good thing” that there are European countries with such capabilities

European Union leaders on Thursday agreed on an action plan to overhaul the bloc’s economy and boost competitiveness amid pressure from US President Donald Trump, China and Russia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the March plan would upgrade energy grids, deepen financial integration and ease merger rules.

As of now, President Volodymyr Zelensky does not plan to announce presidential elections or a referendum on a possible peace deal with Russia on Feb. 24, a source in the President's Office familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 11.

The comment came after the Financial Times reported that Kyiv was preparing to hold both votes this spring and that Zelensky could unveil the plan on the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.

"He wasn't planning to," the source said when asked whether the president would make such an announcement on Feb. 24. "When there's no security, there's nothing else."

As of now, President Volodymyr Zelensky does not plan to announce presidential elections or a referendum on a possible peace deal with Russia on Feb. 24, a source in the President's Office familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 11.

The comment came after the Financial Times reported that Kyiv was preparing to hold both votes this spring and that Zelensky could unveil the plan on the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.

"He wasn't planning to," the source said when asked whether the president would make such an announcement on Feb. 24. "When there's no security, there's nothing else."

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations said Monday it’s waiting to find out how much of the nearly $4 billion the United States owes the world organization the Trump administration intends to pay and when the money will arrive.

The U.S. Mission to the United Nations confirmed that U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz said the Trump administration planned to make a significant down payment on its arrears in a matter of weeks, with the final amount still to be determined. His comments were first reported by Reuters.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week that the world body faces “imminent financial collapse” unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues, a message clearly directed at the United States.

HONG KONG (AP) — Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison in the longest punishment given so far under a China-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced the city’s dissent.

His co-defendants, six former employees of his Apple Daily newspaper and two activists, received prison terms of between 6 years and 3 months, and 10 years on collusion-related charges.

The Paris public prosecutor had requested a criminal trial, noting that some riot police officers “armed with batons and shields” had “repeatedly struck non-hostile demonstrators” who were on the ground or “trying to come out with their hands raised”.

The officers are charged with aggravated intentional violence by a person holding public authority. If found guilty they face up to seven years in prison and a €100,000 (£87,000) fine.,,(..)

Laurent-Franck Liénard, defending the officers, said context was important and that day “my clients were faced with hundreds and hundreds of demonstrators with an extraordinary level of violence”.

WORO, Nigeria (AP) — Weeks after residents of two Nigerian villages ignored a letter from militants announcing they would come to spread their extreme form of Islam, gunmen arrived on motorbikes and embarked on a 10-hour frenzy of killing.(..)

The attackers went from door to door, shooting and setting homes and shops ablaze in the mostly Muslim villages of Woro and Nuku. Later, residents told The Associated Press, they went into a mosque, announced the call to prayer and shot everyone who turned up.(..)

Nigeria now plays host to multiple armed groups, both homegrown and cross-border. The West African nation has been fighting an insurgency for more than a decade, with Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State of West Africa Province, in addition to several amorphous groups commonly referred to as bandits.(..)

In Woro and Nuku, for instance, the Muslim victims appear to have been killed for resisting the preachings of the extremists.

TALLINN - The Eurozone economy continues to grow at a moderate pace and the labor market remains strong, with recent statistics supporting the assessment that inflation will stabilize near two percent in the foreseeable future, said Madis Müller, President of the Bank of Estonia and member of the European Central Bank's Governing Council.

The Norwegian police have announced the opening of an investigation into Thorbjørn Jagland, who led the Labour government from 1996 to 1997, on suspicion of 'aggravated corruption' in connection with his past ties to the American sex offender.

Jagland was prime minister of Norway from 1996 to 1997 and secretary general of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019. Between January 2009 and March 2015, he also chaired the committee that selects the Nobel Peace Prize winner. The police "have opened an investigation into... Thorbjorn Jagland, on suspicion of aggravated corruption," said the Norwegian police's economic crime unit, Okokrim, in a statement.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski delivers a powerful address at the Oslo Security Forum, highlighting the growing Norway-Poland alliance in Northern Europe and the urgent need to strengthen transatlantic defense against Russian aggression. Sikorski emphasizes strategic ooperation, military readiness, and regional security, stressing the critical role of Poland and Norway in safeguarding Europe.