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Biden: US Boosting Force Posture in Europe for Russia Threat

NATO's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg (L), and Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez (R), greet US President, Joe Biden, before they pose for a family photo during the first day of the NATO Summit at IFEMA Convention Center, in Madrid, Spain, 29 June 2022. (EPA)
NATO's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg (L), and Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez (R), greet US President, Joe Biden, before they pose for a family photo during the first day of the NATO Summit at IFEMA Convention Center, in Madrid, Spain, 29 June 2022. (EPA)
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Biden: US Boosting Force Posture in Europe for Russia Threat

NATO's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg (L), and Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez (R), greet US President, Joe Biden, before they pose for a family photo during the first day of the NATO Summit at IFEMA Convention Center, in Madrid, Spain, 29 June 2022. (EPA)
NATO's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg (L), and Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez (R), greet US President, Joe Biden, before they pose for a family photo during the first day of the NATO Summit at IFEMA Convention Center, in Madrid, Spain, 29 June 2022. (EPA)

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that the US is enhancing its military presence in Europe for the long haul to bolster regional security after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Madrid at the opening of the alliance’s annual leaders summit, Biden said "NATO is strong and united" and that steps to be taken during the gathering will "further augment our collective strength."

Biden opened his participation in the summit by announcing that the US is establishing a permanent headquarters in Poland, sending two additional F-35 fighter jet squadrons to the UK and will send more air defense and other capabilities to Germany and Italy.

"Today I’m announcing the United States will enhance our force posture in Europe and respond to the changing security environment as well as strengthening our collective security," he said.

Stoltenberg, who earlier Wednesday said the alliance was facing its biggest challenge since World War II, welcomed Biden's announcement.

"This really demonstrates your decisive leadership and strength in the trans-Atlantic bond," Stoltenberg said, thanking Biden for the "unwavering support from you and from the United States to Ukraine."

Biden said the US will permanently station the US Army V Corps forward command in Poland, a move that he said would strengthen US-NATO interoperability across the alliance's eastern flank. The move marks the first permanent basing of US forces on NATO’s eastern edge. Biden added that the US is also stepping up its rotational deployments of troops to the Baltic region.

Biden announced after arriving for the summit on Tuesday that the US would base two additional destroyers at its naval base in Rota, Spain, bringing the total number to six.

The US currently has more than 100,000 servicemembers deployed across Europe, up by about 20,000 since just before Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine began four months ago.

Biden predicted that meetings this week would make for a "history-making summit" as leaders were set to approve a new strategic framework, announce a range of steps to boost their defense spending and capabilities, and clear the way for historically neutral Finland and Sweden to join NATO.

Biden said Putin thought NATO members would splinter after he invaded Ukraine, but got the opposite response instead.

"Putin was looking for the Finland-ization of Europe," Biden said. "You’re gonna get the NATO-ization of Europe. And that’s exactly what he didn’t want, but exactly what needs to be done to guarantee security for Europe."

Turkey, the last remaining holdout to approve the Nordic countries’ accession into NATO, reached an agreement on the eve of the summit late Tuesday to support adding them to the 30-nation alliance.

While the White House said the US was not a direct party to the negotiations, a senior administration official said Biden spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday to encourage him to clear the way for Sweden and Finland to join. The two leaders are set to meet Wednesday afternoon to discuss other issues, the White House said.

Biden will also sit down Wednesday with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who are attending the NATO summit as the alliance looks to strengthen its ties in the Indo-Pacific region and address challenges from China.

The White House said the three leaders would also discuss North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

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World

Researchers: Over 2,700 May Have Died Due to England Heatwaves

People sit in the shadow of a tree to protect from the sun by the Daumesnil Lake during a heatwave at the Bois de Vincennes park in Paris on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)
People sit in the shadow of a tree to protect from the sun by the Daumesnil Lake during a heatwave at the Bois de Vincennes park in Paris on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)
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Researchers: Over 2,700 May Have Died Due to England Heatwaves

People sit in the shadow of a tree to protect from the sun by the Daumesnil Lake during a heatwave at the Bois de Vincennes park in Paris on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)
People sit in the shadow of a tree to protect from the sun by the Daumesnil Lake during a heatwave at the Bois de Vincennes park in Paris on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)

At least 2,700 people could have died in England and Wales as a result of heatwaves that struck in May and June, according to a study released Monday.

Experts from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used weather data, climate models and studies on excess mortality during heatwaves to arrive at their estimate.

"More than 2,700 people are thought to have died from heat-related causes during the May and June heatwaves in England and Wales," AFP quoted a statement as saying.

"Of those, it's estimated that 42% died as a result of the extra heat caused by human-induced warming," it added.

The UK and most of Europe experienced two unprecedented heatwaves in May and June, with monthly records set at 35.1°C and 37.7°C, respectively, in England.

"They were extreme heatwaves for the UK, and for all parts of western Europe, and they're particularly exceptional for the timing and how early in the year they occurred," Mark McCarthy, science manager of the Met's climate attribution team, was quoted as saying in the study.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will publish its official estimate of heat-related deaths in the coming weeks, based on death records from recent heatwaves.

The study's models "while they are not a measure of observed mortality, they help illustrate the scale of risk associated with extreme heat and the growing threat climate change poses to our wellbeing," said Lea Berrang Ford, head of UKHSA's Centre for Climate and Health Security.

The study estimates that around 550 people died as a result of the heat between May 21 and 29, and nearly 2,200 died between June 18 and 28 in England and Wales.

The authors emphasize the role of climate change, which is making heatwaves more intense and frequent.

They estimate that maximum daytime temperatures were 3°C to 4°C higher than they would have been without global warming.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC), the body responsible for advising the government on climate change, warned last year the UK was "not ready" to deal with the consequences of climate change.

In a report published in May, it estimated 92 percent of British homes could be too hot by 2050, and recommended the government set maximum temperature limits in the workplace, as well as investing in air conditioning for public buildings such as hospitals and schools.

World

EU Countries Weigh Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements

TOPSHOT - Journalists, protesters and local Palestinian landowners, who say some of their land was taken for the newly built Mount Tarousa settlement (background), run from tear gas fired by Israeli security forces blocking a road leading to the hilltop during a rally against the settlement near Dura in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on June 19, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
TOPSHOT - Journalists, protesters and local Palestinian landowners, who say some of their land was taken for the newly built Mount Tarousa settlement (background), run from tear gas fired by Israeli security forces blocking a road leading to the hilltop during a rally against the settlement near Dura in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on June 19, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
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EU Countries Weigh Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements

TOPSHOT - Journalists, protesters and local Palestinian landowners, who say some of their land was taken for the newly built Mount Tarousa settlement (background), run from tear gas fired by Israeli security forces blocking a road leading to the hilltop during a rally against the settlement near Dura in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on June 19, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
TOPSHOT - Journalists, protesters and local Palestinian landowners, who say some of their land was taken for the newly built Mount Tarousa settlement (background), run from tear gas fired by Israeli security forces blocking a road leading to the hilltop during a rally against the settlement near Dura in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on June 19, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

EU foreign ministers on Monday discussed imposing an import ban on products from Israeli settlements, after pressure from a raft of member states.

"Everybody agrees that the situation in the West Bank is really intolerable," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said at the start of a meeting in Brussels, AFP reported.

"What is happening in the West Bank is actually making it more and more impossible that the two-state solution ever can come into effect."

Several EU countries -- including Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain -- have already imposed their own trade restrictions on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, considered illegal under international law.

Under pressure for the EU as a whole to take measures, the bloc's executive last week laid out options to curb trade with settlements, including a ban.

"There have been a lot of asks and requests from the member states regarding the ban of the trade with illegal settlements," Kallas said.

"Let's see if these options that have been provided now will have a stronger push from member states."

Diplomats said the debate at a meeting in Brussels on Monday was not expected to yield any concrete decisions, but would help to sound out if there is enough support to move forward.

The slow pace of the discussion has angered countries keen to curb trade -- with some diplomats accusing the European Commission of dragging its feet.

Belgium's foreign minister Maxime Prevot said the options laid out appeared to be more "a bone to gnaw on than a genuine desire to move forward."

"We are calling for concrete proposals," he said.

There is disagreement in Brussels as to whether that move would need backing from all 27 member states or just a weighted majority.

Diplomats say that key players Germany and Italy are still undecided on the move.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the territory, excluding east Jerusalem, among some three million Palestinians.

The UN chief Antonio Guterres has condemned the "relentless" expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying in a report seen by AFP last month that they are contributing to the territory's worst displacement crisis since 1967.

The EU has long been hampered by divisions over its approach towards Israel, with some members staunchly backing the country and others supporting the Palestinians.

World

Garbage Heap Collapse Kills 9 at India Waste Plant

This photograph taken on July 8, 2026 shows a pedestrian (C) walking amidst vehicles along a bridge in New Delhi. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)
This photograph taken on July 8, 2026 shows a pedestrian (C) walking amidst vehicles along a bridge in New Delhi. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)
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Garbage Heap Collapse Kills 9 at India Waste Plant

This photograph taken on July 8, 2026 shows a pedestrian (C) walking amidst vehicles along a bridge in New Delhi. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)
This photograph taken on July 8, 2026 shows a pedestrian (C) walking amidst vehicles along a bridge in New Delhi. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

Nine workers were killed at a waste-to-energy plant in western India after a garbage heap collapsed onto an administrative building following heavy rains, the facility's operator said Monday.

Building and construction accidents are common during India's June-to-September monsoon season, with old and rickety structures buckling after prolonged downpours.

The accident occurred last Wednesday at the Antony Waste plant on the outskirts of Pune, when thousands of tons of waste from a nearby landfill gave way, trapping 23 people inside the building.

"The incident, triggered by incessant rains causing thousands of tons of waste from an adjacent landfill to destabilize, severely damaged the structure where 23 personnel were present," AFP quoted the company as saying in a statement.

Nine were killed and the other 14 were rescued alive.

Rescue efforts were hampered by the rain as workers struggled to reach those buried under debris, according to plant officials.

Operations at the plant have been temporarily suspended pending structural and safety assessments.

Scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in India, the world's most populous country.

The arrival of a potentially powerful El Nino weather system this year could also shift normal weather patterns in the country, weather forecasters say.