World
Sea changes: How NATO’s expansion could stabilise the Baltic region
Train Hedgehog might need been deliberate lengthy earlier than Russian troops invaded Ukraine, however the big struggle video games going down this month in Estonia are a prickly reminder of NATO readiness simply 64km from the closest Russian base.
“Each prick counts, as all the time,” one Estonian reserve soldier who’s at present collaborating in Train Hedgehog, informed Euronews.
Some 15,000 NATO army personnel from 14 nations are concerned within the train, one of many largest of its variety since Estonia gained independence for the second time, in 1991.
Offshore, there is a sturdy naval presence as properly, with a US Navy Wasp-class amphibious assault vessel, a guided missile destroyer, and a touchdown ship.
Importantly, the Finnish and Swedish navies are additionally collaborating — an image of what the modified safety paradigm may seem like within the Baltic Sea if and when each nations are admitted to NATO. The Finns are even throwing in some anti-ship missile reside firing coaching from the south coast, in case anybody did not get the message.
There is not any doubt that the governments of the three Baltic States see the intrinsic of getting Finland and Sweden as members of NATO.
“Once we see that in our neighbourhood additionally different democratic nations belong to NATO, it might imply that we may have broader joint workout routines and likewise … extra defence cooperation,” Estonia’s Overseas Minister Eva-Maria Liimets informed reporters not too long ago.
Liimets mentioned that Estonia appreciates NATO imposing its presence within the Baltic area, however would love the allies to maneuver from enhancing their presence to enhancing their defence.
“It could imply that we’d have extra sturdy presence of land forces, but additionally air and maritime defence,” she added.
Turning into a NATO sea
The Baltic Sea will quickly grow to be a NATO sea, says Glen Grant, a defence knowledgeable on the Baltic Safety Basis in Riga.
“I see the Baltic Sea space as a typical operational area, however I see the Baltic States cooperation, Nordic defence cooperation, NATO reinforcement within the Baltic States, US agreements with Finland and Sweden, all as components of a jigsaw however lacking a single operational image and focus.”
Finland and Sweden turning into a part of NATO will put a number of extra items of the jigsaw puzzle in place however there additionally must be extra operational coherence within the area, and the important thing gamers should additionally take the Baltic extra critically, Grant provides.
“NATO thinks about deterrence with additional troops and about reinforcement or regaining floor – after the occasion. While the EU has no seen regional coverage in any respect. Thoughts, I counsel that it has no correct army coverage for wherever. Who pulls the regional strings to reply coherently within the early levels of a disaster is in no way clear,” says Grant, a former British army officer and Defence Attaché on the British Embassies in Helsinki and Riga.
Trying on the complete Baltic area safety image
Martin Harm on the Worldwide Centre for Defence and Safety ICDS in Tallinn explains that Moscow has definitely seen Sweden and Finland as being a part of the West for the reason that mid-90s and that in any struggle, they have been prone to help NATO.
He additionally sees NATO membership for the Nordic neighbours as serving to to finish the general safety image of the area — on land, at sea and within the air — enhancing safety within the spherical, an improve from the present state of affairs.
“Right this moment if we take a look at NATO’s operation planning, we can not depend on Sweden and Finland. In our planning, they don’t exist as a result of we can not depend on them, on utilizing their airspace, water and land. Now we have to plan with what we are able to belief, which is our personal allies,” he tells Euronews.
“It could make a huge effect if particularly Sweden, but additionally Finland, would be a part of.”
One of many key drive multipliers the 2 applicant nations convey to the desk is their naval capabilities.
Though Finland is prohibited by treaty from having submarines, Sweden does preserve its personal submarine fleet. The Finns have intensive expertise in minesweeper actions, and each nations have in-shore patrol boats with experience working within the shallow archipelago waters, strewn with 1000’s of tiny islands and rocky outcrops.
“Within the Baltic states, the navies are comparatively weak and specializing in minor countermeasures. It is not a major struggle preventing functionality after all. The Finnish and Swedish navies are stronger. They’ve extraordinarily good high quality, not good amount, however nonetheless way more than Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania mixed,” explains Hurst.
That target Baltic naval capabilities is vital as a result of the opposite regional naval powers Germany, Norway and Denmark are wanting in the direction of the North Atlantic, to maintain key traces of communication open fairly than being accessible for Baltic Sea defence.
And whereas Poland does have a navy, the federal government has targeted extra on land and air capabilities.
“For Poland, the maritime area has not been precedence primary,” says Martin Hurst.
Working with the Russians
So if the Baltic Sea turns into a de facto NATO sea, as Glen Grant says, does that squeeze the Russians with their fleets in St. Petersburg and the Kaliningrad exclave?
In army phrases, there may not be a lot — or any — cooperation, however there’s nonetheless common contact within the area with Russia in terms of maritime safety and security too.
“In fact, we’ve to have the ability to contact our neighbours in case of emergency and thus far after all they’re keen to make the cooperation primarily based on maritime agreements,” says Commander Mikko Simola, Head of Maritime Security on the Finnish Border Guard.
Previously, there have been common workout routines involving the Russians — the newest was in November 2021 — to follow coordinated rescue efforts in case a passenger ship will get in misery within the Baltic Sea; or to cooperate in containment and clean-up operations within the occasion of a spill from a cargo ship.
“The connection in follow takes place between the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in St. Petersburg, and Helsinki on our facet main the security operations within the Gulf of Finland,” Simola tells Euronews.
So may Russia lower off the sort of important Baltic Sea contacts in the event that they really feel threatened by NATO’s elevated presence within the Baltic Sea? Commander Simola says he thinks that is unlikely, particularly since Russia is a celebration to worldwide agreements on maritime search and rescue, in addition to bilateral Finnish-Russian agreements.
“I do not personally see a direct reference to becoming a member of NATO for that, ” says Simola.
“The neighbouring areas must cooperate if there’s a want to save lots of lives.”
World
Continued rain postpones skateboarding, delays tennis at Paris Olympics
PARIS (AP) — Rain that fell throughout the opening ceremony continued on Saturday, leading to postponements and delays at the Paris Olympics.
The first event of the skateboarding competition, men’s street skateboarding, was postponed from Saturday until Monday because of the showers. The women’s event is scheduled for Sunday.
Skateboarding is held at the outdoor venue of La Concorde Urban Park in Paris. World Skate, the sport’s governing body, cited adverse weather conditions for the move.
Rain has been one of the big stories early in the Games after constant showers and occasional downpours served as the backdrop for the opening ceremony. As of 10 a.m. CEST (4 a.m. ET), much of the rain had cleared from the area.
The start of play in the scheduled tennis matches on the 10 smaller courts at Roland Garros was delayed because of rain, but action was able to get going in the two main stadiums, which both have retractable roofs. That included the match at Court Philippe Chatrier between No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland – who has won four of the past five French Open titles at the same site being used for the Olympics – and Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania.
Sunny skies are expected to return to the area Sunday, but the rain could have a lasting impact on the Paris Games.
The rain could threaten the water quality for swimming in the Seine when the triathlon begins Tuesday. Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris 2024 organizers, addressed the situation at the daily press briefing.
“We are still looking at the forecast for the coming days,” Estanguet said. “They expect that it will rain till 5 p.m. today and then it should be fine.
“The team is very confident that it will be possible to have the (triathlon) swimming part in the Seine.”
The triathlon begins with the men’s event Tuesday, swimming from 8 a.m. CEST (2 a.m. ET) at the Alexander III bridge next to Grand Palais.
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AP Sports Writers Graham Dunbar and Steve Whyno and AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich contributed to this story.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
World
Australian surfer saved by off-duty police officer after shark ripped off leg, doctors hope to reattach it
Kai McKenzie, 23, was surfing off New South Wales in Australia when he was attacked by a shark, New South Wales police said.
“Clinging to life, he was able to catch a wave back to the beach,” a fundraising site set up for McKenzie said. “A retired police officer used his dog’s lead as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding before the victim could be airlifted to hospital.”
Amazingly, McKenzie’s leg washed up on the beach after the attack and doctors are hoping to be able to reattach it.
McKenzie has undergone surgery and remains in critical but stable condition, according to ABC News Australia and the fundraising site.
MASSIVE BULL SHARK WEIGHING NEARLY 500 POUNDS CAUGHT AT ALABAMA FISHING TOURNAMENT
Luke Short, who makes McKenzie’s surfboards, told ABC they had all hoped “we heard it wrong.”
“It’s amazing that he’s survived,” he added.
His surf team RAGE called McKenzie the “toughest person we know.”
“Sending love to @kai_mckenzie the youngest RAGE boy on the team and the toughest person that we know,” the team wrote on Instagram this week. “Yesterday he was attacked by a shark and has lost his leg while surfing in Port Macquarie. He has been through a lot breaking his back last year, he never once complained always just got on with doing what he loved as soon as possible. He is an inspiring person. The whole rage gang loves you man and we will see you soon.”
SHARK BITE REPORTED AT HILTON HEAD ISLAND RESORT IS FIRST REPORTED SHARK BI OF YEAR ON ISLAND
Kirran Mowbray of NSW Ambulance called McKenzie “courageous” during a 7News Sydney on-air broadcast. “He turned around, caught a wave into shore.”
She added that the off-duty officer “used the lead off a dog as a tourniquet to wrap around the young man’s leg and essentially saved his life.”
Kevin Young, vice president of Bite Club, a shark attack survivors club, told the broadcast: “And I know he lost a leg and they packed it with ice and they’re going down to try to reattach it. That just blows my brain that that might be possible.”
Mid North Coast Police Chief Insp. Stuart Campbell said they would be working to try to find out what type of shark bit McKenzie.
Port Macquarie Hastings Lifeguards later reported the beach had reopened after the attack.
World
Italy's Via Appia enters the Unesco World Heritage List
With sixty recognised sites, Italy is the country with the highest number of UNESCO heritage sites.
Italy is at the top of the Unesco World Heritage list. The World Heritage Committee, meeting in New Delhi at its 46th session, has decided to add the ‘Via Appia Regina Viarum’ on the World Heritage List- becoming the 60th Italian site to be recognised.
The list also includes the Ensemble Schwerin residence in Germany, the Niah National Park in Malaysia, the archaeological area of Al-Faw in Saudi Arabia, Constantin Brâncuși’s sculptural ensemble in Târgu Jiu and the Frontiers of the Roman Empire in Dacia, both in Romania.
Candidature of the Via Appia promoted by the Ministry of Culture
The candidature was promoted for the first time directly by the Ministry of Culture, which coordinated all the stages of the process and prepared the necessary documentation for the application.
The history of the Via Appia
About 650 kilometres long, the ancient Via Appia goes through central and southern Italy. It was the first of Rome ‘s great roads built using innovative techniques; true masterpieces of civil engineering that complemented the natural roads and are the most enduring monuments of Roman civilisation.
The route was inaugurated in 312 B.C. by the censor Appius Claudius Blind to connect Rome to Capua. It was later extended to Benevento, Venosa, Taranto and Brindisi.
Conceived for military needs, the Via Appia immediately became the road of great commercial communications and primary cultural transmissions. Over time, it became the model for all subsequent Roman public roads.
“UNESCO has grasped the exceptional universal value of an extraordinary engineering work that over the centuries has been essential for trade, social and cultural exchanges with the Mediterranean and the East,” said Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.
“This recognition adds to the extraordinary success achieved less than a year ago by Italian opera,” commented Undersecretary for Culture with responsibility for UNESCO, Gianmarco Mazzi.
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