At commemoration of Dayton Peace Accords, NATO leader urges military spending to counter Russia
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Representatives from NATO-aligned nations concluded a gathering in Dayton, Ohio, Monday to mark the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords, the agreement that ended the Bosnian war, amid Russia's unprecedented drone offensive in Ukraine.
NATO formed in 1949 to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. It now includes 32 countries. Ukraine is not a member, but participants in NATO gatherings over the past week have said a victory against Russia in the 3-year-old war is crucial to European and global stability.
The anniversary was framed as a celebration of diplomacy and peace. The original accords were negotiated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Ohio, and signed in Paris later that year.
'The Western Balkans has shown that peace is possible. But today Europe is not at peace. Russia has brought war back to Europe,' said NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at Monday's meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the culmination of the five-day gathering.
Rutte called on NATO member leaders to make the case at home for increasing military spending, suggesting that an increase to 5% of gross domestic product over the next few years could be reached in an agreement next month, in line with demands from the NATO member U.S.
Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain do not currently spend at least 2% of GDP on national defense budgets, a goal agreed to in 2023 as Russia's war on Ukraine entered its second year. So far, 22 of the 32 member countries have done so.
Next month, the members will debate increasing that percentage to 3.5%, plus another 1.5% in spending on defense-related projects like roads and cybersecurity infrastructure.
Cultural events accompanied the official meetings in Ohio, including art and history exhibits, public lectures, and a Concert for Peace featuring musicians from Dayton and Bosnia's capital of Sarajevo. A downtown 'NATO Village' displayed flags from member nations, and additional exhibits highlighted the city's international ties.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sentnor and Biyendolo score 2 each and US women beat Jamaica 4-0
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ally Sentnor and Lynn Biyendolo each scored two goals and the United States beat Jamaica 4-0 on Tuesday night after the team honored longtime defender Becky Sauerbrunn. Sentnor scored in the 19th minute, then formed a heart with her hands in celebration. She scored her second off a deflection 10 minutes later. The 21-year-old 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year, who now has four international goals, credited her teammates. 'They're really easy to play with at moving the ball,' Sentnor said. 'I'm still trying to work to get better for them.' Biyendolo scored in the 60th minute, three minutes after coming into the game as a substitute. She added a second in the 88th minute off a cross from Avery Patterson. Biyendolo has 24 career goals. 'I do feel like, there is so much more to us than there was 12 months ago. And that's how you have to look at progress,' coach Emma Hayes said. 'With Ally Sentnor, unbelievable finisher. Lynn Biyendolo, to come into a game and close it out, (it's) really good for us to have both those options.' Phallon Tullis-Joyce made her second consecutive in goal for the United States as Hayes looks for a successor to longtime goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who retired last year. It was her third straight clean sheet. While Tullis-Joyce didn't face any shots on goal, it has been important for her to build connections with her teammates, Hayes said. 'When you play in goal for this team, your behaviors have to be that you wait for one moment, and you have to be alert to that. I can see the progress is being made in Phallon's game, and I'm quite happy that she had a really quiet evening,' Hayes said. Jamaica, which has never beaten the U.S, started two sets of sisters — Allyson and Chantelle Swaby, and Kalyssa and Amelia Van Zanten. The U.S. was coming off a 3-0 victory over China on Saturday in St. Paul, Minnesota. The national team was originally scheduled to play a pair of matches against China, but Chinese officials in April pulled out of the second game and Jamaica filled the spot. Before the game, the United States honored Sauerbrunn, who retired from soccer late last year. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The St. Louis native, whose international career spanned 16 years, is a two-time Women's World Cup winner and an Olympic gold medalist. Fans, who received a bobblehead in her image, gave her a standing ovation and chanted her name in a pregame ceremony. Sauerbrunn, who recently announced that she is expecting her first child with partner Zola Short, also served in her new role as a television commentator for the match. The United States next plays a pair of matches against Ireland, the first on June 26 in Commerce City, Colorado, and the second on June 29 in Cincinnati. The U.S. will also play Canada on July 6 in Washington D.C. ___ AP soccer:
Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Former UBC president Santa Ono rejected by University of Florida after DEI backlash
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Longtime academic Santa Ono was rejected Tuesday for the University of Florida presidency by the State University System board amid sharp criticism from political conservatives about his past support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs and other initiatives they view as unacceptable liberal ideology. The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state's universities, voted 10-6 against Ono, who was most recently president of the University of Michigan. The University of Florida Board of Trustees had voted unanimously in May to approve Ono as the school's 14th president, and it is unprecedented for the governors to reverse such an action. Now the search will start all over. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Ono's proposed contract included a number of ideological requirements, such as how well he stopped programs that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. He was to co-operate with Gov. Ron DeSantis' Office of Government Efficiency — similar to the office created by President Donald Trump — and appoint other university officials and deans who are 'firmly aligned' with Florida's approach. Several prominent conservatives raised questions about Ono before the vote over pro-Palestinian protests, climate change efforts, gender ideology and DEI programs at the University of Michigan and his previous academic positions. These actions, Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said on the X social platform, show 'he is willing to appease and prioritize far-left activists over ensuring students are protected and receive a quality education.' Others raising objections include Donald Trump Jr. and Florida GOP U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds, Greg Steube and Jimmy Patronis. Donalds is a Republican candidate for governor. Writing in Inside Higher Ed, Ono said he supported DEI initiatives at first because the aim was 'equal opportunity and fairness for every student.' 'But over time, I saw how DEI became something else — more about ideology, division and bureaucracy, not student success,' Ono wrote, adding that he eventually Limited DEI offices at Michigan. 'I believe in Florida's vision for higher education.' DeSantis, a Republican who has pushed reforms in higher education to eliminate what he calls 'woke' policies such as DEI, did not take a public stand on Ono but did say at a recent news conference that some of his statements made the governor 'cringe.' Ono faced similar pointed questions at Tuesday's meeting — especially from former Republican state House speakers Paul Renner and Jose Oliva — leading board member Charles Lydecker to object to the procedure. 'We have never used this as a forum to interrogate. This is not a court of law. Candidly, this process does not seem fair to me,' Lydecker said. Oliva, however, questioned how to square Ono's many past statements about hot-button cultural issues with his more Conservative stance now that he sought the Florida job. 'Now we are told to believe you are now abandoning an entire ideological architecture,' Oliva said. 'We are asking someone to lead our flagship university. I don't understand how it becomes unfair.' Steube, writing on X, praised the board for its decision. 'Great news for my alma mater and the state of Florida! The Board of Governors heard us loud and clear: Santa Ono was the wrong choice for UF,' the congressman said. Ono was to replace Kent Fuchs, who became the school's temporary, interim president last summer after ex-U. S. Sen. Ben Sasse stepped down. Sasse left the U.S. Senate, where he had represented Nebraska, to become the university's president in 2023. Sasse announced in July he was leaving the job after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy. Later reports surfaced that Sasse gave six former staffers and two former Republican officials jobs with salaries that outstripped comparable positions and spent over $1.3 million on private catering for lavish dinners, football tailgates and extravagant social functions in his first year on the job. Ono is also the former president of the University of British Columbia and the University of Cincinnati. He left UBC in July 2022, at which time board chair and governor Nancy McKenzie said Ono had made the university a more inclusive campus. His legacy began, she said, with the development of UBC's strategic plan when Ono first arrived six years earlier. 'And flowing from that he's made significant strides toward equity, inclusion and diversity in our practices and in our workforce, and really worked to build a very inclusive culture,' McKenzie said. Ono, who was born in Vancouver and learned to ride his bike along tree-lined Main Mall at the Point Grey campus where his dad taught in the 1960s, became UBC president in 2016 after Dr. Arvind Gupta left abruptly as president in 2015, only one year into a five-year term, following rifts with the board of governors. With files from Gordon McIntyre
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung says he'll bolster US-Japan ties and pursue talks with North
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung said Wednesday he'll pursue dialogue with North Korea while bolstering a trilateral partnership with the U.S. and Japan. He said in his inaugural address a day after his election that his government will deal with potential North Korean aggressions with 'a strong deterrence' based on the solid South Korea-U.S. military alliance. But he would also leave the door open for dialogue with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.
