Turkey, Sweden fail to end NATO membership standoff
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The aim of Thursday's talks between Stoltenberg and the foreign ministers of Sweden and Turkey in Brussels was to overcome Turkey's objections to Sweden joining the alliance, Xinhua news agency reported.
Turkey condemns Quran burning in Sweden
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In a series of tweets, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said: "I condemn the vile action in Sweden against our holy book, Quran, on the first day of the Eid al-Adha. "It is unacceptable to allow these anti-Islamic actions under the pretext of freedom of expression. To turn a blind eye to such heinous acts is to be complicit in them."
1 dead, 3 injured in shooting in Stockholm
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Two arrests were later made in connection with the incident, Swedish Police said in a press statement on Saturday. Saturday's incident brings the total of killed and wounded in connection with shootings in the Stockholm area to seven in less than 24 hours, Xinhua news agency reported.
Swedish research rocket veers off course, lands in Norway
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The nine-metre-long rocket was launched from Esrange Space Centre, approximately 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, reports Xinhua news agency. In a report on Tuesday, Sweden's Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper reported that after reaching an altitude of 250 km, where zero-gravity experiments were carried out, it landed 40 km.
Swedish embassy in Islamabad shuts down indefinitely
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The Swedish embassy did not elaborate on the nature of the threat, but many believe the decision was linked with the recent incident of burning of the holy Quran in Sweden, Dawn reported. A Danish-Swedish far-right extremist known for spreading anti-Muslim hatred burned a copy of the holy Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm on Jan 21 under the protection of Swedish police, Dawn reported. "Due to the current security situation in Islamabad, the Embassy of Sweden is closed for visitors.
Finland becomes NATO member as Russia warns of 'counter-measures'
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The national flag of Finland was raised and the country's anthem was played for the first time at NATO headquarters on Tuesday afternoon in a brief ceremony. "The era of military non-alignment in our history has come to an end. A new era begins," Finland's President Sauli Niinisto said at the ceremony on Tuesday, adding that he hoped to see neighbouring Sweden join soon.
New NATO talks with Turkey to resume in mid-March: Swedish PM
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"We have just confirmed this today," Kristersson told Swedish public television broadcaster SVT on Wednesday, without specifying the date for such talks. Turkey has postponed a trilateral meeting with Sweden and Finland on their NATO bids slated for February following the burning of a copy of the Quran in Stockholm, Xinhua news agency reported.
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