Leaders gearing up for upcoming NATO summit
Watch
Jim Townsend, former NATO official, speaks about what to expect from the upcoming NATO summit and the future of defence spending.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
Leaders gearing up for upcoming NATO summit
Watch Jim Townsend, former NATO official, speaks about what to expect from the upcoming NATO summit and the future of defence spending.
Canada News.Net
5 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
NATO summit transforms The Hague into security zone
THE HAGUE, Netherlands: The city that prides itself on being a beacon of peace and justice—home to institutions like the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice—is being transformed into a fortress of security and inconvenience ahead of the NATO summit on June 24 and 25. Leaders from the 32-nation alliance, including U.S. President Donald Trump, will gather in The Hague under the shadow of intensifying global tensions, particularly in the Middle East. This summit marks a dramatic shift in the city's usually relaxed atmosphere. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte once rode his bicycle to work, munching on an apple, during his days as the Dutch prime minister. Now, parts of The Hague are sealed off, with streets blocked by metal fencing, parking restricted, and public transit diverted. Office workers near the summit venue have been asked to work from home. The security operation, dubbed Orange Shield, is said to be the most extensive in Dutch history. It has disrupted daily life across the city, particularly in cultural and diplomatic areas. One example is the historic Gastrobar Berlage, located behind a prominent art museum. Once a favorite meeting spot for locals, diplomats, and tourists, it now sits largely deserted. "It's dead," said owner Bianca Veenhof, glancing at her empty terrace during what should have been a bustling lunch hour. The measures are extensive and visible: temporary barricades and wire mesh fences have been put up around the World Forum, where the summit will take place. Less visible are the massive deployments—27,000 police officers and over 10,000 defense personnel have been mobilized. Military police will escort leaders' convoys from the airports along sealed-off highways. Frigates will patrol the nearby North Sea, F-35 fighter jets and Apache helicopters will monitor the skies, and bomb squads will sweep the summit grounds. Drone activity is heavily restricted. Civilian drones are banned from the area, but military and police drones will operate overhead. Police are also preparing for protests, including one aiming to shut down a major highway. Cybersecurity precautions are in place, too, though officials remain tight-lipped about the specific measures. The country's top counterterrorism authority has only confirmed that both physical and digital protections are a priority. The summit's program includes a formal dinner with King Willem-Alexander at his forested palace on Tuesday evening. The following day, heads of government are expected to agree on a new defense spending target — a point of emphasis for President Trump, who wants European nations to assume more responsibility for their security. Concurrently, foreign and defense ministers will hold meetings on critical issues like the ongoing war in Ukraine. The summit venue is near buildings housing some of the world's leading legal institutions, including the International Criminal Court, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and European Union agencies. Ironically, it's also near the court that tried and convicted Balkan war criminals—a testament to the city's dual identity as a center of justice and, temporarily, of lockdown. Many residents are choosing to leave. Veenhof and her partner, chef Bauke van Schaik, have decided to close Berlage for the week and escape to Portugal. "We'll be a bit further away from all the misery and frustration," she said. She estimates that the closure will cost them up to 150,000 euros in lost revenue.
Toronto Sun
8 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
EDITORIAL: Whose rights prevail in ‘nation-building'?
Prime Minister Mark Carney is pictured during an Outreach Session at the Group of Seven (G7) Summit at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis, Alta., on June 17, 2025. Photo by TERESA SUAREZ / GETTY IMAGES The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that Indigenous groups do not have veto power over projects such as pipelines that cross their territory, but the government must meaningfully consult them and accommodate their legitimate concerns. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account But, what happens when a group is so opposed to a project that nothing will satisfy them, no matter how many concessions are made? In that case, who has the ultimate power to decide on the merits of the project — the government or the protesters? Many environmental groups that have no intention of ever consenting to any fossil fuel energy project, no matter what concessions are made to address their concerns, routinely launch court challenges with the goal of slowing down the approval process to the point where the project becomes economically unviable. This seems inevitable given the passage of the Liberal government's One Canadian Economy Act on Friday, supported by the Conservatives, to green-light 'nation-building projects' such as pipelines, mines and energy infrastructure that cross Indigenous territory where treaty rights apply. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the government will not approve fast-tracking projects opposed by Indigenous groups — but what does that mean? Does it mean in a jurisdiction where consent is necessary from multiple Indigenous groups that every one of them must agree to the project, or only a majority and, if so, what kind of a majority? Does a majority mean 51% or 99% approval and what does a reasonable effort to accommodate concerns mean? These are relevant questions because Indigenous protests that blockade rail lines and highways to protest government decisions in this regard will be damaging to our economy at a time when it is already being weakened by the tariff and trade war launched against us by U.S. President Donald Trump. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ideally, nation-building projects approved by the federal government will have substantial support from Indigenous communities under agreements which include significant economic benefits from projects crossing their territory. From existing court decisions, we already know that projects which run roughshod over Indigenous rights will not survive the judicial process. But, at some point, decisions will have to be made on who is the ultimate authority — the government or groups who will always oppose these projects no matter what accommodations are made? Read More Columnists Columnists Toronto & GTA Columnists Toronto & GTA
