heartlopez (heartlopez)

A tiny nordic nation weighs moving closer to Europe under the shadow of Trump Iceland’s freezing temperatures typically last about five months of the year, but the government has chosen a balmy summer day for its pivotal national referendum. Residents of the Nordic island are today voting on another un-thawing of sorts – whether to restart long-frozen talks to join the European Union. Iceland initially applied to join the EU in 2009, following the financial crisis that devastated many families and businesses in the country of only 400,000 people. But a few years into the process, an incoming center-right government abruptly put those EU ambitions on ice, arguing they could lead to a loss of control over Iceland’s territorial fishing waters and sovereignty.

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More than a decade later, the current center-left coalition government campaigned on the idea of holding a referendum about restarting EU talks “no later than 2027, as well as pursuing a foreign policy of closer cooperation with the EU, other Nordic countries and NATO. While the referendum debate has almost entirely centered on the economy – for example, the potential impact of joining the Eurozone and changing fishing policy – the vote is not happening in a vacuum. Since last year, US President Donald Trump’s aggressive moves toward Greenland have brought discussions of Arctic security to the forefront in Europe and beyond. Iceland, which has a robust coast guard but no army or defense ministry of its own, finds itself in an interesting position in a world of great power coercion. But the country does have strong existing partnerships through its membership of NATO and the European Economic Area , which provides free movement of people, goods and capital across 30 countries.

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New $500 American Airlines Vacations credit The largest new benefit is an annual credit of up to $500 on eligible American Airlines Vacations purchases. American Airlines Vacations allows travelers to combine flights with hotels, rental cars and other trip components. Long said American wants to introduce more card holders to the platform and encourage premium customers to use it for leisure trips. For travelers who already book packages through American Airlines Vacations, the credit could offset most of the card’s annual fee by itself; however, it isn’t as flexible as a general travel credit. Travelers who prefer to book hotels directly, redeem hotel points or compare prices across several booking platforms may have a harder time using the full benefit naturally. Before valuing the credit at $500, card holders should compare an eligible American Airlines Vacations package with the price and benefits they could receive by booking each part of the trip separately.

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Nepal operates to "full capacity" while saving lives remains the priority, the prime minister says Nepal’s prime minister said Thursday that authorities are “operating at full capacity,” focused on helping the injured, locating the missing and providing assistance to the affected families. In a Facebook post after returning to Kathmandu from Nuwakot, Prime Minister Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, released several key updates, details about the deployment and ongoing emergency assistance measures in disaster-affected districts. The devastating floods are seen as a first test for the young rapper-turned-prime minister of the country, who took office just five months ago. Here's what he reported: A total of 13,295 members of the security forces have been deployed in the affected areas, including 7,250 police officers, 4,200 members of the Army and 1,845 members of the armed police forces. A total of 69 air operations have rescued 573 citizens, giving priority to vulnerable groups.

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