Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine
Finland should apply to join Nato, the Nordic country's president and prime minister said on Thursday in a major policy shift triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Head of state Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin called on politicians to approve a membership bid within days so that Finland can join the alliance "without delay".
"Nato membership would strengthen Finland's security," they said in a historic joint statement issued early on Thursday, and "as a member of Nato, Finland would strengthen the entire defence alliance."
Moscow reacted by saying the expansion of the alliance was "definitely” a threat to its security.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said it would need to take "retaliatory steps, both of a military-technical and other nature, in order to stop threats to its national security arising".
"Helsinki must be aware of the responsibility and consequences of such a move," it said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "The expansion of Nato and the approach of the alliance to our borders does not make the world and our continent more stable and secure.”
Nato leaders are expected to give swift approval to any membership bid. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Finland would be "warmly welcomed" as the alliance's 31st member and that the accession process would be "smooth and swift".
But Russia denounced a move which would double the length of its border with Nato. A Foreign Ministry statement said Moscow would be "forced to take retaliatory steps, both of a military-technical and other nature, in order to stop threats to its national security arising" from Finland's accession.
Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometre land border with Russia, has previously preferred to stay out of Nato and seek cordial relations with its large eastern neighbour after two 20th-century wars. Ms Marin said in January that it was "very unlikely" the country would seek Nato membership on her watch.
But the war unleashed by Russia in February has prompted a rethink from Finland and its neighbour Sweden, where politicians are also expected to decide soon on whether to join the alliance.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, speaking to European Union lawmakers on Thursday, said his country was concerned by Russia's unpredictable behaviour and its readiness to wage "high-risk operations" that could lead to many casualties.
Polls in both countries show growing support for joining Nato as countries on Europe's northern and eastern flank bolster their security to face up to a newly hostile Russia. Preparations are being made in Finland for people to shelter in bunkers in the event of a nuclear attack.
Finland's parliament, where more than two in three lawmakers support the application, is preparing to debate the issue on Monday.
Moscow's threats of retaliation had prompted warnings from security chiefs about potential Russian efforts to meddle in their political debates. But leading politicians including Mr Niinisto say Russia has only itself to blame for motivating nearby countries to join Nato.
"You caused this. Look at the mirror,” Mr Niinisto told Russia on Wednesday.
The Kremlin views Nato expansion as a prime security grievance and its demands to keep Ukraine out of the alliance were central to the stand-off that culminated in the invasion.
A Finnish security review last month said moving under the umbrella of Nato’s Article 5 guarantee — in which all allies promise to defend each other from attack — would be a more effective deterrent against Russian aggression.
The joint statement said Ms Marin and Mr Niinisto had sought to "give the discussion the space it required" by consulting with Nato, Sweden, partner countries and parliamentary groups.
“Now that the moment of decision-making is near, we state our equal views... Finland must apply for Nato membership without delay," they said. They added: "We hope that the national steps still needed to make this decision will be taken rapidly within the next few days.”
A membership application will have to be approved by all 30 existing allies, but Mr Stoltenberg and many member states including Britain and the US have expressed support for admitting Finland.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the announcement and said he had told Mr Niinisto in a phone call that Europe's biggest economy would support Finland's application.
Finland and Sweden already co-operate closely with Nato and took part in recent drills in Europe's high north called Cold Response 2022. Diplomats from the two countries have attended numerous Nato meetings since the war in Ukraine broke out.
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
RESULT
Leeds United 1 Manchester City 1
Leeds: Rodrigo (59')
Man City: Sterling (17')
Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)
Mobile phone packages comparison
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
