NATO summit kicks off. European NATO members are expected to showcase new plans to boost defense spending at the summit beginning today. Unnamed German officials told news outlets yesterday that Berlin will boost its core defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2029—six years ahead of a planned NATO deadline to do the same. The leaders of Australia, Japan, and South Korea, who have attended NATO summits in the past, will not participate this year.
Canada-EU defense pact. Canada moved toward joining an over $170 billion joint weapons procurement fund with the European Union (EU) in a new security pact signed yesterday. It follows a similar agreement signed by the EU and the United Kingdom last month. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that in the past Canada was “too reliant on the United States.”
Mali-Russia energy deal. Russia committed to expanding trade cooperation with Mali after signing new agreements that include nuclear energy, the Kremlin said yesterday without giving further details. The pledges came as Mali junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The new agreements bolster existing ties between Russia and Mali: after Mali expelled French and United Nations forces, Russian private military groups stepped in to support Goita’s government.
Portugal’s migration rules. Portugal plans to increase the amount of time that foreign nationals must reside in the country before becoming eligible for citizenship. For nationals of most countries, the requirement will double from five to ten years. The government sent a proposal for the measure to the legislature. A record roughly 15 percent of residents in Portugal were born outside the country, a figure that has almost tripled since 2019.
Cambodia-Thailand border tensions. Thailand has closed its border crossings into Cambodia to almost all travelers, following border clashes last month that left one soldier dead. While the violence has not continued, Cambodia suspended Thai fuel and gas imports. A leaked phone conversation about the dispute also prompted a Thai political party to exit the ruling coalition and seek a no-confidence vote against the prime minister and her cabinet.
Deportation ruling. In a 6–3 ruling Monday, the Supreme Court reversed a federal judge’s requirement that the Trump administration give migrants at least ten days’ notice to challenge their potential deportations to non-origin countries. The Supreme Court’s decision will allow the administration to continue its deportation policy while the challenge continues to be litigated in lower courts. The court did not offer a written explanation of its ruling.
Frontiers in space detection. A U.S. National Science Foundation and Department of Energy-funded telescope that holds the world’s largest digital camera released its first images yesterday. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is located in Chile’s Atacama Desert. In a ten-hour period, it detected over two thousand new asteroids. None were on a collision course with Earth, the observatory said. Its researchers aim to detect any potential collisions and conduct research on topics including dark matter.
Ecuador prison break. The Ecuadorian government announced a $1 million reward for information on suspected drug boss Rolando Federico Gomez, a high-profile prisoner who escaped from prison Friday. President Daniel Noboa has made cracking down on organized crime one of his flagship policies and last year ratified a military cooperation agreement with the United States to counter drug trafficking.
