This became especially clear during the weekend when reportedly a PLAN escort fleet crossed the Suez Canal, with Cairo’s permission, on their way to the Mediterranean Sea.

France has nominated Gen. Jean-Paul Paloméros, French air chief of staff, as the next head of NATO’s Allied Command Transformation.

Spain has for the first time conceded it might need a full bailout worth ?300 billion if its borrowing costs remain unsustainably high, a eurozone official said.

Romanian President Traian Basescu survived a referendum on his impeachment on Sunday after the voter turnout fell short of the required level and derailed an effort by his opponents to oust him from office.

The European Central Bank has opened the door to emergency support for the Spanish and Italian bond markets, setting off a blistering rally on bourses across the world

A Spanish minister angered Italy and France after claiming the two countries backed Spain in demands for speedier actions by the eurozone to bring down its record-high borrowing costs.

The Turkish Armed Forces have begun working on a project to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Increasingly under pressure by rebels intent on unseating him, Bashar al-Assad has considered using chemical weapons against his enemies but Washington and Moscow have formed an unlikely alliance to force him to abandon such plans.

European Сommission president Jose Manuel Barroso will visit Greece Thursday in his first trip to the country since the outbreak of the financial crisis.

After years of training Europe’s soldiers in on-the-ground tactics, U.S. Army Europe is focusing several echelons higher, training Europe’s senior leaders in the concepts of multinational command.

Three-quarters of Scots believe that an independent Scotland should stay in NATO, according to a new poll published as the SNP considers ending its long-standing opposition to the nuclear defence alliance.

Spain's economy sank deeper into recession in the second quarter, its central bank reported, as investors spooked by a funding crisis in its regions pushed the country ever closer to a full bailout.

The Obama administration has for now abandoned efforts for a diplomatic settlement to the conflict in Syria, and instead it is increasing aid to the rebels and redoubling efforts to rally a coalition to forcibly bring down the government of al-Assad.

Stock markets tumbled and Spain's borrowing costs rose again as the country's debt crisis deepened, raising concerns over the wider eurozone.

Italy's divided political parties restated their support for Prime Minister Mario Monti at the weekend, seeking to calm fears of instability that helped drive Rome's borrowing costs to dangerous levels last week.

Greece is in a "Great Depression" similar to the American one in the 1930s, the country's Prime Minister Antonis Samaras told former US President Bill Clinton on Sunday.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels Monday (23 July) are expected to extend sanctions on Syria while trying to clamp down on weapons making their way to the Bashar Assad government.

A gunman wearing an Afghan uniform turned his weapon against foreign trainers working for NATO in the western province of Herat on Sunday, killing three, in a grim 24 hours for the coalition which also saw five NATO soldiers killed.

European Union nations will enforce an arms embargo against Syria by boarding ships and aircraft carrying suspicious cargo to the war-torn nation, an official said Friday.

Ambassador Alexander Vershbow visited Bosnia and Herzegovina on 19 and 20 July 2012. The purpose of the visit was to exchange views with representatives of the Government on the country's commitment to the NATO accession process.

So I know people share my deep frustration and outrage at what’s going on inside Syria, but my job is not just to express outrage.

The Eurogroup today (20 July) announced it would grant a bailout of up to ?100 billion to Spain to recapitalise its banks, following a telephone conference call during which finance ministers gave their backing to the rescue plan.

Eurozone finance ministers on Friday (20 July) are set to iron out the final details of bailout of up to ?100bn for the Spanish banking sector, just as tens of thousands Spaniards took to the streets in protest against fresh spending cuts.

The German Parliament on Thursday (19 July) approved a bailout for the Spanish banking sector of up to ?100 billion, despite criticism that Berlin is funding a "bottomless pit."

UK defense minister delivered a surprising rebuff to European defense leaders: Stop complaining about being abandoned as the US shifts focus to the Asia-Pacific region and prepare to "do much more of the heavy lifting" on security in your own backyard.

The U.S. is building a missile defence radar station at a covert location in Qatar and organising the largest minesweeping exercise in the Persian Gulf in a preparation for possible escalation of dispute with Iran.

A suicide bomber committed the attack that killed eight people in a bus transporting Israeli tourists at a Bulgarian airport, the country's interior minister said on Thursday, and Israel accused Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants of responsibility.

Hague said on 12 July that by 2014 the government would conduct a “comprehensive audit” on the impact of EU legislation on the UK.

Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg, commander of U.S. Army Africa/Southern European Task Force, has been nominated for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general and to serve as the U.S. military representative on the NATO Military Committee in Belgium.

Russian Senators have approved the appointment of Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko as Russia’s new ambassador to NATO. The decision was taken at a closed meeting of The Foreign Affairs Committee at the upper house of the Russian Parliament.

Interoperable solutions are tested regularly through various means, including training and trials such as the “Unified Vision 12” trials held in Ørland, Norway from 18-29 June.

Rasmussen has expressed the hope that Ukraine's leadership will settle the issue of the politically motivated prosecution of Tymoshenko and Lutsenko as soon as possible in order to remove these obstacles in further cooperation with the alliance.

The euro crisis continues to weigh down the global economy, the International Monetary Fund said Monday (16 July), putting pressure on the European Central Bank to lower its interest rate even further and issue more cheap loans to the banks.

The Romanian government has downplayed the urgency of list of measures demanded by the EU commission as it seeks to restore confidence in the country's rule of law and avoid political sanctions.

In an unusually public forum, the head of Britain’s foreign intelligence agency, MI6, has forecast that Iran would likely achieve a nuclear weapons capability within two years, a British newspaper reported Friday.

The conflict in Syria was effectively declared a civil war by the Red Cross on Sunday, as the "most intense" fighting since the start of the uprising was reported in Damascus.

US ratings agency Moody's has cut Italy's debt rating by two notches citing a contagion risk from Spain and Greece as the eurozone crisis continues to rage.

The euro has plunged to multi-year lows against a range of currencies on fears of a deepening slump in Italy and Spain, and ugly disputes between eurozone leaders.

On 11 July, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the ambassadors of all 28 NATO Allies visited KFOR, together with the ambassadors of partner countries which contribute to the mission.

Speaking during a separate meeting with Brussels journalists, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis also commented on the situation in Ukraine, saying the EU needs to make an important promise to Ukraine before the elections.

Romania's current constitutional turmoil may ultimately result in its longed-for entry into the EU's passport-free zone being delayed still further, the European Commission has warned.

The tension between the need for quick eurozone reform and the necessities of democratic scrutiny took a further twist on 10 July when Germany's highest court indicated it may delay a decision on the permanent bailout fund.

Russia despatched a flotilla of warships to its naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus on Tuesday in an apparent show of support for President Bashar al-Assad.

Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt might have to call an election later this year as her centre-left government has lost support from the Red-Green Alliance, whose votes are needed to keep her in power.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande will meet in Notre-Dame de Reims cathedral to celebrate half a century of friendship in a French region deeply scarred by centuries of war with Germany.

The United States stands with our EU partners and urges that Romania uphold and protect the common values and principles that unite the European and trans-Atlantic community of nations.

Hillary Clinton lambasted Russia and China on Friday for blocking efforts to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose much-reviled regime has endured a serious crack in its armor - the defection of a key member of its inner circle.

The Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that he will take additional steps in the coming days to reduce the country's debt mountain.

Hillary Clinton on Saturday formally designated Afghanistan a "major non-NATO ally," setting the stage for tighter military cooperation even as international troops are on a path to withdraw from the war-torn country by the end of 2014.

Russia pressed Tajikistan on Thursday to accept a deal that would extend Moscow's lease on a military base in the strategically important country, pushing to break a deadlock in negotiations which Russia has blamed on NATO's influence.

Russia has launched a campaign of verbal intimidation against Finland, seemingly aimed at stopping the country from joining NATO. It started with a remarkable speech last month by General Nikolai Makarov, the commander of Russia's armed forces.

The maritime group consists of three frigates registered under three different countries. Turkey’s Gediz, France’s Courbet and Germany’s Bayern have 545 sailors on board in total.

Addressing the European Parliament yesterday (3 July) in Strasbourg, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso slammed British euro-sceptics for their divisive behaviour and taking pleasure in the eurozone's troubles.

"The time will come when the Bavarian government and the CSU can no longer say yes. And I wouldn't then be able to support that personally either," he said. "And the coalition has no majority without CSU's seats," the party chief added.

The resumption of transit arrangements for ISAF supplies through Pakistan demonstrates strengthened cooperation between ISAF nations and our partner Pakistan.

Finland, one of the eurozone’s few remaining AAA-rated economies, has pledged to block Brussels’ celebrated plans to allow its new bail-out fund to buy sovereign bonds in the market.

General Bartels and Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius discussed future challenges for global security and for NATO, the furthering of the Air Policing mission in the Baltic region and economical challenges.

Six constitutional complaints were lodged in Germany against the treaty on fiscal discipline and the establishment of a permanent eurozone bailout fund. The plaintiffs cite a lack of democratic oversight and a denting of budgetary powers.

Under increasing domestic pressure as the eurozone considers major integrative steps, David Cameron has said the UK may have a referendum on the EU, but his couched statement does not go far enough for increasingly restive Conservative eurosceptics.

An important period of European history is at an end. A more likely outcome is disaggregation and the restructuring of Europe.

NATO must contend with two inner-realities: a schism in Alliance strategic culture and concept, driven by deepening divisions over the world view and the future of the Euro; and the austerity-driven need for shrinking armed forces.

The reason why Spain’s ?100bn bank rescue has failed to stem the crisis is because the EU summit deal in late June has proved to be a sham. It did not break the deadly link between banks and sovereigns, as originally claimed.

Confronted with the danger of a nuclear Iran, with an unpredictable North Korea, and with an increasingly confrontational government in Moscow, NATO finally found nuclear realism.

For too long we believed they were behind us on the march to freedom but were heading in the same direction. Syria marks the end of these illusions and the post-Cold War period that went with them

Mario Draghi has promised the moon. The European Central Bank’s council had better deliver on his pledge this week. If it does not, the crisis will surely escalate out of control in August or soon after.

Germany's prized AAA credit rating was put under threat on Monday night after a day of turmoil across the global markets.

Germany must draw the proper conclusion: either abandon the euro or accept the revolutionary step towards a European superstate.

Spanish premier Mariano Rajoy has raised VAT sharply in a humiliating volte-face and pushed through ?65bn of drastic austerity measures to comply with a European Union ultimatum, risking a downward spiral into full depression.

My message today is that NATO will be a key part of the answer. In this time of uncertainty, a strong NATO is a source of confidence. It is an essential contributor to wider international security and stability.

Spain make thrilling advertisement to the world over how football should be played.