Your trusted source

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday said he would visit Ankara "in the near future" to push the ratification of Sweden's membership, after the re-election of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, AFP reported.

"I'm confident of course that Sweden will be a member, and then we're working for that to happen as early as possible," Stoltenberg said at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo.

Stoltenberg said he had already spoken to Erdogan by phone earlier this week to "highlight the importance of making progress" on Sweden's membership.

Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO countries that have yet to ratify Sweden's membership bid.

Finland formally joined the alliance in April.

Erdogan, who was re-elected Sunday for another five-year term as Turkey's president, has accused Sweden of being a haven for "terrorists", especially members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Stockholm had fulfilled "all the commitments" to join NATO and urged Turkey and Hungary to allow his country into the alliance.

"It is time for Turkey and Hungary to start the ratification of the Swedish membership to NATO," he said.

"This was never a sprint, it's a marathon, and we now see the end of it."

Billstrom pointed to the entry into force on Thursday of new terror legislation in Sweden as the last step under an accord signed with Turkey last year.

Billstrom said he hoped to see a big step made towards membership at a meeting with representatives of Turkey in the coming weeks.

"Following that meeting, the ratification will happen," Billstrom insisted.

The Ukrainian parliament on Monday endorsed a decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to impose sanctions on Iran for 50 years, lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko said on Telegram.

The sanction bill, which was submitted to parliament by President Volodymyr Zelensky, was supported by 328 votes in favor, with the required minimum of 226, Xinhua reported.

On May 27, the NSDC approved a decision, envisaging the introduction of restrictive measures against Iran, which include a complete ban on trade with military equipment and dual-use goods and services.

The sanctions also include the suspension of transit of resources, flights and transportation in Ukraine by Iranian residents.

The prohibition of performing some economic and financial obligations in favor of Iranian residents and a ban on the transfer of technologies to Iranian residents are also on the sanction list.

Earlier this month, Zelensky said Iran was supplying combat drones to Russia, which are used in attacks against Ukraine.

Showers and thunderstorms will persist in Armenia over the next few days.

Hail is possible in some parts of the country, the weather service says.

Strong winds of 15-20 m/s are forecast during thunderstorms.

No shifts in temperatures are likely.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected in the capital Yerevan on Monday, overnight Tuesday and Wednesday.

Celine Dion has cancelled all her remaining live shows, telling fans she is not strong enough to tour after being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder, BBC News reports.

The singer revealed last year she was suffering from Stiff-Person Syndrome (SPS), which was affecting her singing.

Dion has now cancelled all the shows she had scheduled for 2023 and 2024.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the 55-year-old told fans: "I'm so sorry to disappoint all of you once again.

"Even though it breaks my heart, it's best that we cancel everything until I'm really ready to be back on stage."

She added: "I'm not giving up... and I can't wait to see you again!"

In December 2022, the French Canadian singer posted an emotional video on Instagram to say she had been diagnosed with SPS and would not be ready to start a European tour in February as planned.

She said the disorder was causing muscle spasms and was "not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to".

The Courage World Tour began in 2019, and Dion completed 52 shows before the Covid-19 pandemic put the remainder on hold.

She later cancelled the North American dates due to health problems, and delayed the European leg of the tour.

On Friday, those delayed European performances were cancelled altogether, including dates in London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Zurich.

A statement released by her tour said the shows were being cancelled with "a sense of tremendous disappointment".

"I'm working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you're 100%," the statement quoted Dion as saying.

The tour was to have been Dion's first global concert tour in a decade and the first without her husband-manager Rene Angelil, who died from cancer in 2016.

Dion is best known for hits including My Heart Will Go On, Because You Loved Me, All By Myself and It's All Coming Back To Me Now.

Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson have ruled out a reunion at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in their native Sweden, BBC News reports.

Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the band winning the competition with their song Waterloo.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, the pair also dismissed the idea that they might compose the host nation's entry.

Since Abba won in 1974, Sweden has gone on to win Eurovision six more times, including this year in Liverpool.

Bjorn and Benny - who swore never to tour again and reportedly turned down an offer of $1bn to play 100 shows at the turn of the Millennium - say they do not want to get back together with Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad to perform - even for one night.

"I don't want to," says Andersson, "and if I don't want to, the others won't. It's the same for all four of us - someone says, 'no' - it's a no."

"We can celebrate 50 years of Abba without us being on stage," adds Ulvaeus.

The duo have known each other since 1966 and say their constant desire to write new material and do new things has kept their relationship fresh.

"Because we never stood still none of us has stagnated," explains Ulvaeus, "which so often happens in songwriting duos."

They even say that over the course of 57 years, they have never really fallen out.

"We've had different opinions," says Ulvaeus, "many, many".

"But it doesn't matter," Andersson says, "because what we've achieved together, keeps us together".