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The Hill
30 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Nordic nations embrace total defense as the risk of sabotage and war rises
KONGSBERG, Norway (AP) — In 1944, Norwegian resistance fighters in the town of Kongsberg blew up a factory making cannons for occupying Nazi German forces during World War II. More than 80 years later, the municipality could once again be a target for sabotage and is preparing for war. The local authorities have dusted off Cold War-era bomb shelters, installed a new satellite communications system and are working with the military on plans to help a deployment of Western forces in case of conflict. 'The lesson we learned from Ukraine is that everybody pitched in,' said Odd John Resser, Kongsberg's Emergency Planning Officer, noting breweries that pivoted to making Molotov cocktails, local authorities that built schools in shelters and weapons factories which ramped up production. Across the Nordic nations, governments are boosting defense spending, reassessing security and pushing the concept of total defense. It's an approach which mobilizes the whole of society to defend against military and non-military threats. As Moscow wages war in Ukraine, Western officials are accusing Russia of being behind a campaign of sabotage, arson and cyberattacks and there are jitters across the continent about whether Europe can rely on the U.S. as a partner. The Norwegian government published its first national security strategy in May, saying the country is facing its most serious security situation since World War Two. 'After decades of peace,' it warned, 'a new era has begun for Norway and for Europe.' 'What is now happening in Ukraine has to be a wake-up call for all and we must strengthen our defense to prevent anything like that from happening to us,' Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told The Associated Press. Norway announced in January that it plans to start building bomb shelters in new buildings after halting the practice in 1998. The Swedish government appointed its first minister for civil defense in 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. Residents aged 16 to 70 are required to serve in the event or threat of war, either in the military or helping to provide rescue, firefighting, healthcare or other services. Finland's civil defense shelters are the envy of the Nordics and can fit around 86% of the Finnish population. One public shelter in Helsinki can fit 6,000 people, is designed to withstand the fallout from a nuclear attack and is in an almost constant state of readiness with beds and sinks tucked away behind blast doors and an underground hockey pitch. Norway and some other Nordic nations also tell residents to have enough food and water stored for seven days. 'How would you and your nearest family manage if the electricity supply was cut off for a longer period? What would you do if the water supply failed?' the Norwegian handbook asks. AP spoke to 11 people in Kongsberg and the majority said they had some form of supplies. While most didn't have a stockpile for seven days – and some had nothing at all – two people said they could probably survive for more than a week. 'Russia is very close to Norway and you don't know what's going to happen. I would rather be prepared than not prepared,' said Katina Bakke, who works in a sports shop in Kongsberg. Although Norwegian authorities are not expecting an imminent conflict, if war comes to Northern Europe, Kongsberg could be critical. The municipality, 85 kilometers (52 miles) southwest of the Norwegian capital Oslo with a population of around 27,000 people, is the headquarters of the Kongsberg Group, which makes high-precision weapons currently used in Ukraine. The company opened a new factory in 2024, ramping up production of advanced missiles used by multiple European countries. The town could also play host to troops if there is a conflict. In May, local authorities across the region met with the military to plan support for Western troops with logistics and healthcare in the event of a deployment. 'If the allies are coming to Norway, either staying, training, doing war work or in transit towards the east, we will have a big task for the whole community to support that,' Resser said. By readying for the worst, Resser said, the municipality also prepares for other — more likely — threats such as a pandemic, extreme weather or power outages such as the one that immobilized Spain and Portugal in April. Authorities in Kongsberg were not always so proactive but a flood in 2007 and an exercise simulating a four-day power disruption in 2016 made them realize they needed to step up. They did a risk assessment, as obliged by law, identified more than 30 vulnerabilities and started spending money on contingency plans. Back-up power generators were bought for the town hall, medical facilities and old people's homes as well as a satellite link to be able to call for help. In case of a cyberattack, the local health authorities print and file critical patient data once a week. There were teething problems — the first satellite phones purchased in 2017 could only connect from the local graveyard which was 'not practical' in -20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) in winter, said Resser. The second system was discovered to be broken in November last year, shortly after Donald Trump was elected for a second term as U.S. president. Unsure of what Trump's election would mean for Norway, the local authorities chose a Norwegian satellite communications provider over an American competitor, Resser said, because the municipality wanted to make sure it had 'national control' in an emergency. The 'key difference' in the resilience model used across the Nordic nations is that it 'empowers' local authorities to make decisions said Martha Turnbull, Director at the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats in Helsinki, Finland. In the Nordics it's not up to the army to bring in bottles of water in a crisis; rather, there is the 'expectation' that local authorities will respond, along with civilians and businesses, Turnbull said. Europeans elsewhere need to realize the threat from Moscow can reach 'much deeper' than nations bordering Russia, said Matthew Redhead, a national security expert at the Royal United Services Institute in London. 'The threat is rising,' from Russia's campaign of vandalism, sabotage and arson across Europe and Moscow could target energy grids, internet cables and water supplies, Norway's Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik told AP. 'Sabotage has become one of the threats that is now on the radar to an extent that we haven't seen probably since the Second World War' said Even Tvedt, Chief Security Officer at the Kongsberg Group. Reeling off suspicious incidents at the company, he detailed how in 2024 an activist tried to destroy engines for fighter jets, drones were spotted over an area where it's illegal to fly and attempts were made to get through a factory perimeter. It's not always possible to identify motivation or to say if the incidents are separate, linked or just 'some kid' flying a drone, but the number of suspicious events indicates sabotage is highly possible, Tvedt said. Moscow is ramping up its activities in Europe to a 'pre-war' level, said Redhead, but away from Russia ordinary people and local authorities may be less ready for a crisis because 'we don't think we will be on the front line.' 'Freaking people out about this at some point is potentially quite necessary.'
The Hill
an hour ago
- Business
- The Hill
California avocado growers say Mexican imports have helped their sales
SOMIS, Calif. (AP) — Andreas Tompros lost his home and at least a third of his avocado orchard to a wildfire last year, but the 47-year-old grower is not worried about his farm making a comeback. While California farmers often rattle off a list of challenges they face including high labor costs, water restrictions and overseas competition, many avocado growers say they have a good thing going. A key reason may come as a surprise to some — Mexican imports. When the United States lifted its ban on Mexican avocados in 1997, California growers worried at first that the imported fruit would displace their production. But the steady flow of avocados has wound up helping, not hurting, their sales by allowing for a year-round supply to markets and restaurants that has fomented demand, farmers say. Before the influx, most American consumers considered avocados to be specialty items — and when they came into season in California, industry officials had to work to rev up widespread interest in order to sell them. But not anymore. Avocado consumption has been booming in the United States over the past two decades. The amount of fruit available per person tripled to more than 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) between 2000 and 2021, federal statistics show. Avocado toast and guacamole are regular offerings not just in culinary hubs like NYC but at cafes around the Midwest and the South. On a steep, sun-soaked hillside northwest of Los Angeles, Tompros is replanting nearly 300 avocado trees with the belief that Americans' hunger for the fruit — and his orchard — will continue to grow. 'It will come back, and I believe it will become better than it was,' Tompros, who previously ran a software company in Hollywood, said of the orchard he took over five years ago in the tiny community of Somis. Avocado demand has also been buoyed by consumers' growing interest in healthy fats, said Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the Hass Avocado Board. A 2000 U.S. law created the board that collected 2.5 cents for every pound (0.5 kilograms) of avocados imported or produced in the United States. The board used the money to market avocados and conduct nutritional research, an effort that has been widely credited with making the fruit ubiquitous in supermarkets and on restaurant menus. 'It's been really wildly successful. It generates way more money than most of these other industry boards do,' said Richard Sexton, distinguished professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis. 'When you look at the growth rate in avocado consumption relative to all fruits, the difference in growth rate is dramatic.' Escobedo said about 60% of U.S. households currently buy avocados, and about half of these are responsible for the overwhelming majority of consumption, which means there's still room for the market to grow — especially in the Northeast, where the fruit is less common. 'There is a lot of opportunity for certain groups of people to increase their purchasing of avocados,' Escobedo said. While the Trump administration has threatened tariffs on a spate of Mexican goods, avocados have so far been spared. California growers said they want Mexican avocados to keep flowing into the country, though they also want robust U.S. inspections of the imports to keep out pests to protect their crop. 'If you are going to farm in California, avocados are about the best deal right now,' said Ken Melban, president of the California Avocado Commission. California farmers grow about 10% of the avocados eaten in the United States, Melban said, and account for nearly all of the country's domestic avocado production. The fruit is largely grown in California from April through September, and Mexican imports arrive year-round to meet nationwide demand, which exceeds what the state's farmers grow, he said. In Southern California's Ventura County, many growers have shifted to avocados since lemon prices were walloped by cheaper imports from Argentina. As recently planted trees start bearing fruit in a few years, the region's avocado production is likely to rise, said Korinne Bell, agricultural commissioner for the county northwest of Los Angeles. Avocado trees do not come without risks in a region prone to wildfires. Still, demand for the trees has jumped due to interest from lemon growers — and since the November 2024 fire charred Ventura County avocado orchards, said Rob Brokaw, whose family-owned nursery has supplied avocado trees to California growers for 70 years. 'Right now we are sold out essentially for this year,' Brokaw said. 'And we're mostly sold out for 2026.' Tompros debated whether to plant the more fire-resistant lemon trees or another crop after the fire ripped through Somis, but he decided to replant due to the soaring demand for Super Bowl guacamole and avocado toast. 'It's the super food, and it's still growing in popularity,' Tompros said. He's taking precautions to not plant the trees too close to what will eventually be his rebuilt home, because the dried-out leaves that help nourish the orchard's soil can also fuel blazes. It may take a few years, but Tompros hopes it won't be too long before his newly planted trees bear fruit that he can sell to a local packinghouse or in seasonal gift boxes with citrus and passionfruit that he ships directly to customers.
The Hill
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump commutes sentence for donor Imaad Zuberi
President Trump has commuted the sentence of top political donor Imaad Zuberi, who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2021 after giving illegal campaign contributions to former President Biden and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). A White House official confirmed Trump commuted his sentence to The Hill's sister network NewsNation on Wednesday. Zuberi had pleaded guilty in 2019 and 2020 to tax evasion, lobbying top U.S. officials while working as a foreign agent, campaign finance violations and obstruction of justice. Alongside the 12-year sentence, U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips ordered Zuberi to pay close to $16 million in restitution and a nearly $2 million fine. 'I'm deeply sorry and, of course, humiliated,' Zuberi previously told Phillips. 'I have no excuse for what I've done.' Zuberi has also been accused of putting together meetings with U.S. and foreign politicians as well as being behind a straw donor plot. 'Everyone wants to come to Washington to meet people,' Zuberi said in a decade-old email in which he was attempting to put together a meeting between the president of Guinea and a congressman, according to the AP. 'We get request(s) for meeting(s) from all scumbag of the world, warlords, kings, queens, presidents for life, military dictators, clan chiefs, tribal chiefs and etc.' The New York Times previously reported that Zuberi donated over $1.1 million in the three months following Trump's first election to committees linked with the president and the GOP after previously backing former President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in her 2016 bid for the presidency.
The Hill
3 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
South Korean presidential election roiled by coffee beans, Chanel bags and room salon
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's presidential race has devolved into personal attacks and petty disputes, drowning out meaningful policy debate after former conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol's ouster over his martial law fiasco. The bitter mudslinging between liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung and conservative opponent Kim Moon Soo escalated during Tuesday night's final presidential debate, with Lee branding Kim 'Yoon Suk Yeol's avatar' and Kim denouncing Lee as a 'harbinger of monster politics and dictatorship.' Here is a look at the words and controversies that have roiled the presidential contest as two days of early voting begins Thursday ahead of the June 3 election: Consistently trailing Lee in opinion polls, Kim has focused on dredging up his legal troubles and casting the outspoken Democratic Party candidate as a dangerous, hardline populist whose economic promises are detached from reality. For days, Kim's camp has seized on what appeared to be a casual comment by Lee about the profitability of running coffee shops during a May 16 campaign rally in Gunsan city. Lee was touting his past policy as Gyeonggi Province governor in 2019, when he relocated unlicensed food vendors from the province's popular mountain streams to clean up and revitalize tourist areas. Lee said he offered to help vendors transition to legitimate businesses and suggested it would be far more profitable to sell coffee than their labor-intensive chicken porridge. Lee said he noted that a cup of coffee could sell for 8,000 to 10,000 won ($5.8 to $7.3), while the raw cost of beans was just 120 won (9 cents). The remarks quickly struck a nerve in a country where the rapid spread of small coffee shops has come to symbolize the struggles of the self-employed in a decaying job market. Kim's People Power Party accused Lee of 'driving a nail into the hearts of small business owners' by portraying coffee shops as profiteering and said he misunderstood the factors behind retail pricing. Lee accused the conservatives of distorting his remarks, saying he was simply explaining how he had helped vendors operate in a better environment. Kim's avoidance of direct criticism of Yoon over his martial law decree has been a major source of Lee's political offensive against him. When Yoon appeared May 21 to view a documentary film justifying his martial law decree and raising unfounded claims about how the liberals benefited from election fraud, some PPP members lamented he was practically campaigning for Lee. Kim, formerly Yoon's labor minister, only said he would do his best as president to eliminate suspicions of alleged election fraud. Kim also has not offered any notable reaction to various scandals surrounding Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee. Prosecutors in Seoul are investigating fresh allegations that the former first lady received luxury gifts, including two Chanel bags, from a Unification Church official seeking business favors after Yoon took office in 2022. She previously faced several other allegations including receiving a Dior bag from a Korean American pastor and involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme. During the presidential debate, Lee claimed Yoon would return as a 'shadow ruler' behind Kim, and Kim skirted Lee's question about whether he would pardon Yoon. The 'room salon' is a long-standing symbol of South Korea's male-oriented nightlife culture. The expensive, private karaoke bar where hostesses drink and sing with male customers abruptly emerged as a hot election issue. Lee's party alleged a judge handling Yoon's rebellion trial visited one of the bars in affluent southern Seoul last year with two unidentified people. It said his companions paid the bill and they were likely linked to his work as a judge, representing a conflict of interest. The judge, Jee Kui-youn, has been at the center of bipartisan wrangling since he approved Yoon's release from prison in March and allowed him to stand his trial without physical detention. 'We should strip him of his judge robe,' party spokesperson Noh Jongmyun said. 'Isn't it preposterous for him to serve as chief judge for the rebellion trial where the fate of Korea's democracy lies?' Jee denied the allegations, saying that like many ordinary people he enjoys 'samgyeopsal,' grilled pork bellies, and 'somaek,' shots mixing beer and the traditional Korean liquor soju. Conservative critics accuse the Democratic Party of trying to tame the judiciary branch as Lee faces five criminal trials over corruption and other allegations. South Korea does not hold a second round of runoff elections. Subsequently, when there is a clear frontrunner it is common for two remaining rivals to launch a unified campaign in which one withdraws and supports the other in exchange for a high-profile role in the government. With Lee maintaining a solid lead, this year's race saw a similar maneuver among conservatives, but the extremely chaotic, undemocratic manner failed and hurt Kim's campaign. Believing Han Duck-soo, Yoon's former prime minister, had a better chance of defeating Lee, PPP leaders consisting primarily of Yoon loyalists held late night, emergency meetings to cancel Kim's nomination and push a candidacy by Han, an independent. The attempt was rejected the next day in a vote by party members. Kim called the move 'an overnight political coup' and later made efforts to align with Lee Joon-seok, the candidate of the smaller conservative party. Lee has flatly rejected the overture.
The Hill
4 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
Asian shares and US futures jump after court rules against Trump's sweeping tariffs
Asian shares have advanced and U.S. futures jumped after a federal court blocked President Donald Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under an emergency-powers law. The court found the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which Trump has cited as his basis for ordering massive increases in import duties, does not authorize the use of tariffs. A three-judge panel ruled on several lawsuits arguing Trump exceeded his authority, casting doubt on trade policies that have jolted global financial markets, frustrated trade partners and raised uncertainty over the outlook for inflation and the global economy. The Trump administration filed an appeal, and it was unclear if the White House will respond to the ruling by pausing all of its emergency power tariffs in the interim. Many of Trump's double-digit tariff hikes are paused for up to 90 days to allow time for trade negotiations, but the uncertainty over their eventual outcome has stymied businesses and left consumers wary about what lies ahead. 'Just when traders thought they'd seen every twist in the tariff saga, the gavel dropped like a lightning bolt over the Pacific,' Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. The ruling was, at the least, 'a brief respite before the next thunderclap.' The future for the S&P 500 was up 1.6% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.2%. Japan's Nikkei 225 index jumped 1.5% to 38,263.36. American's largest ally in Asia has been appealing to Trump to cancel the tariffs he has ordered on imports from Japan and to also stop 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos. The ruling also pushed the dollar sharply higher against the Japanese yen. It was trading at 146.06 yen early Thursday, up from 144.87 yen late Wednesday. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.3% to 8,418.90. In South Korea, which like Japan relies heavily on exports to the U.S., the Kospi surged 1.4% to 2,707.77. Shares also were helped by the Bank of Korea's decision to cut its key interest rate to 2.5% from 2.75%, to ease pressure on the economy. On Wednesday, U.S. stocks cooled, with the S&P 500 down 0.6% at 5,888.55. It's still within 4.2% of its record after charging higher amid hopes that the worst of the turmoil caused by Trump's trade war may have passed. It had been roughly 20% below the mark last month. The Dow industrials lost 0.6% to 42,098.70, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.5% to 19,100.94. Trading was relatively quiet in the countdown to Wednesday's main event for financial markets, the latest quarterly earnings release for Nvidia. That came after trading ended for the day. Before that, the AI darling's stock slipped 0.5%. It jumped 4.9% in after-hours trading. Like Nvidia, Macy's stock also swung up and down through much of the day, even though it reported milder drops in revenue and profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Its stock ended the day down 0.3%. Several other retailers likewise delivered better-than-expected results for the latest quarter. Abercrombie & Fitch soared 14.7% after its profit and revenue topped analysts' expectations. CEO Fran Horowitz credited broad-based growth across its business around the world, and strength for its Hollister brand offset weakness for its Abercrombie brand. Dick's Sporting Goods added 1.7% after topping analysts' expectations for the latest quarter, and it stood by its financial forecasts it earlier gave for the full year. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.47% from 4.43% late Tuesday. The bond market showed relatively little reaction after the Federal Reserve released the minutes from its latest meeting earlier this month, when it left its benchmark lending rate alone for the third straight time. The central bank has been holding off on cuts to interest rates, which would give the economy a boost, amid worries about inflation staying higher than hoped because of Trump's sweeping tariffs. In other dealings early Thursday, U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 60 cents to $62.44 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 56 cents to $64.88 per barrel. The euro slipped to $1.1239 from $1.1292. ___ AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Stan Choe contributed.
