Russia lashes out as Finland races to join NATO
CBSN
Finland announced Thursday it is applying to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Sweden is expected to quickly follow, which could expand the Western military alliance to 32 nations. Russian President Vladimir Putin has long been opposed to NATO expansion — even citing it as one of the reasons for his invasion of Ukraine.
Further cornered by Finland's NATO aims and facing a fierce fight on the battlefield in Ukraine, Russia has pulled the trigger on another weapon in its arsenal: effectively cutting off gas supplies to Europe, a day after the Ukrainian government halted gas transfers through its territory.
Ukrainian forces have launched a blistering counterattack outside Kharkiv, recapturing villages surrounding Ukraine's second largest city. They've pushed Russian soldiers back and cut off critical supply lines to the Donbas region.
Tokyo — In North Korea, the release of Taylor Swift's new double album was completely eclipsed by the surprise drop of another brand-new song, complete with an elaborately produced music video. There were no tortured poets in sight for the release of "Friendly Father," an energetic pop-style piece of state propaganda praising North Korea's dictatorial leader Kim Jong Un.
Berlin — German authorities say they have arrested two people suspected of spying for Russia. The suspects, identified as German-Russian nationals, are accused of scouting targets for potential attacks, including U.S. military facilities in Germany, the Federal Public Prosecutor General for Karlsruhe said in a statement released Thursday.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, flooding portions of major highways, leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai and grinding traffic at the city-state's huge international airport briefly to a complete halt. Meanwhile, the death toll from separate heavy flooding in neighboring Oman rose to 18, with others still missing as the sultanate prepared for the storm.
Paris — Five years have passed since Notre Dame cathedral in Paris was engulfed in flames. The iconic spire and timber roof were destroyed in the blaze. People around the world were shocked at the scale of the fire and the damage it caused, but work to restore the iconic landmark to its former glory continues.