- New blow for UK's Starmer as growth data disappoints
- Local police chief jailed for 3 years over deadly S. Korea crowd crush: Yonhap
- Bangladesh's Mominul reaches 100 after India strike in rain-hit Test
- China's top banks to tweak mortgage rates to boost housing market
- Japan's next PM aims for snap election, stocks sink
- Osaka sets up Gauff clash in Beijing, Sabalenka marches on
- Osaka powers into China Open last-16 clash with Gauff
- Japan's next PM eyes snap election, reports say, as stocks sink
- Longest-serving death row prisoner hails acquittal 'victory'
- Israel targets Palestinian group in first strike on Beirut centre
- Israel-UN relations sink to new depths
- NATO gets a new chief -- but don't expect a revolution
- Henry and Ravens inflict first defeat on Bills, Vikings march on
- Trump urges 'violent' police crackdown as Harris campaigns in Nevada
- Israel hits apartment block in first strike on heart of Beirut
- Trump to Putin: the key challenges facing Rutte at NATO
- Kim Jong Un visits flood-hit areas of N. Korea
- China megacities ease homebuying rules to boost property market
- Tokyo stocks dive on strong yen as Hong Kong, Shanghai extend rally
- Austria far-right supporters toast historic victory
- Britain's last coal-fired power station closes
- Israel carries out first strike on heart of Beirut: security source
- US VP debate pits hillbilly energy against 'Minnesota nice'
- In US VP contenders, rival visions of masculinity
- Leverkusen back main man Wirtz to 'shine' on European stage
- Arsenal's set-piece guru ready to prey on PSG weakness
- Padres' Arraez denies Ohtani triple crown as MLB heads into bonus day
- Country star, actor Kris Kristofferson dead at 88
- Vikings march on with win at Packers, Chiefs stay unbeaten
- Cup-clincher Bradley unlikely to be Ryder Cup playing captain
- Scott seeks another chance to win Cup in 2026 at Medinah
- Bordeaux-Begles take revenge and end Toulouse home streak
- Jasmine downs Li in playoff to win LPGA NW Arkansas crown
- Correa snatches Atletico spiky derby draw against Real Madrid
- Americans defeat Internationals to capture Presidents Cup
- Death toll soars in US from storm Helene, North Carolina reeling
- Marseille lose ground on leaders as last-gasp Lyon win
- Lebanon says over 100 killed in new Israeli strikes
- Venezuelan opposition leader says security chief arrested
- Vikings march on with win at Packers, Flacco returns
- Correa snatches Atletico derby draw against Real Madrid
- USA defeats the Internationals to win Presidents Cup
- Three things we learned from the England-Australia ODI series
- Napoli jump to top of Serie A with win over Monza
- Hurricane John death toll at least 16, Mexican authorities
- Lebanon says nearly 60 killed in new Israeli strikes
- Head glad of all-round return in Australia's series win over England
- Ukraine says struck Russian ammo depot with drones
- Thousands protest 'uncontrolled immigration' to Portugal
- Ten Hag pleads for more time to turnaround Man Utd
Trump to Putin: the key challenges facing Rutte at NATO
Dutch former prime minister Mark Rutte will take the reins as NATO's new secretary general on Tuesday at a perilous time for the Western military alliance.
With Russia's war in Ukraine raging through a third year, its leading power the United States set for a crunch election, and China rising, NATO is grappling with major challenges.
Here are the key issues set to fill Rutte's in-tray as he enters office:
- Trump 2.0? -
Looming over the 32-nation alliance is the potential return of former US president Donald Trump to the White House after November elections.
The volatile ex-reality TV star reportedly mulled withdrawing the United States from NATO during his first term -- and threatened not to protect allies that do not spend enough on defence.
Outgoing NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg was credited with averting a major crisis that could have seen the magnate blow a hole in the alliance.
Should Trump be re-elected, Rutte will need all the diplomatic skill he acquired during more than 13 years in charge of the Netherlands to ward off any weakening of Washington's role.
European allies will be informally war-gaming options to try to steward Trump and have already been showcasing their increased spending to keep him on board.
A victory for Democrat Kamala Harris would reassure NATO in the short term.
But diplomats say they expect a gradual US disengagement from Europe as Washington pivots to Asia, whoever is in charge.
- Keep Ukraine going -
While the threat from Trump may not come to pass, one inescapable reality will be the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine.
NATO countries -- spearheaded by the United States -- have provided 99 percent of the foreign military aid that has helped keep Kyiv's forces in the fight since 2022.
As the war drags on towards its fourth year, Rutte will have a key role in rallying Kyiv's backers to make sure support does not dry up.
Meanwhile, calls for a negotiated settlement are growing louder.
NATO at its summit in Washington this summer took over a greater role in coordinating arms deliveries -- but failed to lock-in long-term commitments of support.
Kyiv at the same time is also pushing for membership of NATO.
The United States and Germany have so far blocked any concrete progress on that front -- but pressure is likely to increase again.
Balancing the expectations from Ukraine against the caution of leading allies will be a major task.
- Fit to fight Russia? -
Regardless of how the war in Ukraine pans out, NATO allies say they are likely to face a threat from Russia for decades to come.
Last year the alliance signed off on its most comprehensive defence plans since the end of the Cold War, aimed at stopping any potential attack by Moscow.
While officials insist the combined might of NATO could currently defeat a Russian military weakened by the Ukraine war, the Kremlin is already looking to rebuild its forces.
Rutte's core task will be to try to make sure NATO is ready while ensuring that tensions do not spill over into a possible nuclear conflict with Russia.
Some allies estimate Russia could be prepping for a potential war with the alliance within a decade.
That gives NATO countries a shrinking window of opportunity to plug the gaps in key weaponry and personnel they need to put the new plans into action.
On top of the list are air defences, longer-range missiles, and making sure there are ample stocks of staples like artillery shells.
Western firms were ill-prepared to meet the demands of the full-scale war in Ukraine after decades of underinvestment.
Countries have begun ramping up production but Rutte will have to keep the pressure on to make sure industry is fit for purpose -- and allies keep buying what is required.
- Money matters -
All that will take cash -- and lots of it.
A decade after NATO set a target for allies to spend two percent of their gross domestic product on defence, only 23 hit that bar this year.
The new NATO boss will have to corral the laggards to make good on the target and make sure others do not slip back.
And there are already calls for the alliance to go even further and considerably ratchet up spending beyond the current two percent floor.
For notoriously frugal Dutchman Rutte -- who only pushed the Netherlands to the target in his last year in office -- that could be a hard sell.
- China threat -
Further afield, NATO eyes are also increasingly drawn to another potent rival: China.
While the alliance is bound in its founding treaty to the Euro-Atlantic area, Washington has increasingly been pushing allies to pay more attention to the risks posed by Beijing.
China's burgeoning partnership with Russia has propelled the threat in the minds of many European allies and seen NATO build up ties with allies such as Japan, South Korea and Australia.
But some -- notably France -- remain wary of diverting NATO's attention away from its principal theatre and Rutte will have to perform a careful balancing act.
G.Stevens--AMWN