Washington wants Sweden’s application to join Nato to be approved before the military alliance's leaders meet in Lithuania on July 11, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday.
“From the perspective of the United States, the time is now to finalise Sweden's accession,” Mr Blinken said alongside Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in northern Sweden.
“We will continue to work to complete Sweden's accession by the time our leaders gather in Vilnius for the Nato summit.”
Any new Nato member must be unanimously approved by the 31 alliance countries, but Sweden’s bid to join has been held up by Turkey and Hungary.
Ankara claims Stockholm is harbouring Kurdish militants, while Budapest's far-right government has been angered by Swedish criticism over what it claims are moves away from democracy.
Sweden denies harbouring members of Kurdish groups that Turkey considers to be terrorists and has taken steps to appease Ankara, including by passing an antiterrorism bill aimed at addressing some of its concerns.
“We acknowledge the fact that they have had good reasons to have had concerns,” said Mr Kristersson.
He said the legislation would go into effect on June 1.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced Sweden and Finland to rethink their long-standing and deeply rooted neutrality, ultimately leading both to apply for Nato membership.
Finland was approved in March, but Sweden has still not received the go ahead.
“Sweden again and again has proven its commitment to Nato, to its values, to its mission to its members,” Mr Blinken said.
“[It is] a strong, vibrant democracy with highly capable forces that have been working shoulder to shoulder with Nato members for decades.”
On Monday, US President Joe Biden suggested that Turkey’s acceptance of Sweden may hinge on acquiring F-16 fighter Jets.
He said he spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to congratulate him on his victory in Sunday's run-off election.
“He still wants to work on something on the F-16s,” Mr Biden said. “I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden, so let’s get that done.”
Turkey is seeking F-16s after it was dropped from the F-35 next-generation fighter programme because it bought Russian air defence systems.
The White House sought to walk Mr Biden's comments back on Tuesday, clarifying that the potential sale of F-16s to Turkey was not conditional on it approving Sweden's membership.
“When it comes to any conditions as it relates to the sale of F-16s to Turkey, and with them approving Sweden's bid to join Nato, that is not a condition,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.
“President Biden has long been clear that he supports selling F 16s … to Turkey, which would help facilitate Nato interoperability.”
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
RESULTS
6.30pm: Longines Conquest Classic Dh150,000 Maiden 1,200m.
Winner: Halima Hatun, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer).
7.05pm: Longines Gents La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,200m.
Winner: Moosir, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Longines Equestrian Collection Dh150,000 Maiden 1,600m.
Winner: Mazeed, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Longines Gents Master Collection Dh175,000 Handicap.
Winner: Thegreatcollection, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Longines Ladies Master Collection Dh225,000 Conditions 1,600m.
Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Longines Ladies La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,600m.
Winner: Secret Trade, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
10pm: Longines Moon Phase Master Collection Dh170,000 Handicap 2,000m.
Winner:
RESULT
Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)
Kolkata win by 25 runs
Next match
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
England XI for second Test
Rory Burns, Keaton Jennings, Ben Stokes, Joe Root (c), Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes (wk), Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Jack Leach, James Anderson
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Manchester United v Barcelona, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
