Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962: a life of glamour and gorgeous dresses - in pictures

August 5, 2018 (Fashion&Beauty) Before she became an actress, Monroe was a model, and in her brief career she wore fashion that was the envy of women everywhere. Nobody personified glamour better than Marilyn Monroe, the beautiful yet troubled Hollywood actress known as much for her feminine curves and sex appeal as her screen presence. Monroe was also a fashion icon, what she wore playing an important part in her star image (she often chose white to emphasise her blonde hair, and wore revealing outfits to show off her figure).

Her publicity stunts often involved clothes exposing large amounts of flesh or even malfunctioning, such as when a shoulder strap of her dress suddenly snapped during a press conference. Born Norma Jeanne Mortenson in Los Angeles in 1926, she spent most of her childhood in foster care before launching a career in modelling – until she caught the eye of 20th Century Fox executive Ben Lyon.

She seduced some of Hollywood’s most eligible men, she sang Happy Birthday, Mr. President in 1962, to John F. Kennedy and wore some of the world’s most iconic dresses – Monroe on a subway grate, with her halter-neck dress billowing in the wind is one of cinema’s most enduring images. But depression and mental illness plagued the unhappy star, who was found dead in her LA home on August 5, 1962, following a drug overdose. She was just 36.

Sweden, Finland say Russia has 'false' defence information

August 3, 2018 (Agence France-Presse) Sweden and Finland, both non-NATO countries, have called Russia's recent comments on their defence cooperation with the Western alliance "false" amid simmering tensions in the Baltic Sea region.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on July 24 said that NATO received "unhindered access" to Sweden and Finland's airspace and territorial waters in exchange for allowing the two nations to "fully participate" in the alliance's military exercises, according to the TASS state news agency.

"What is described by the Russian defence minister is false. NATO does not have unlimited access to Finnish and Swedish territorial waters and airspace," Sweden's Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist told Swedish Radio on Friday, echoing similar comments by Finland's defence ministry last week.

"A special permission is required for any state-owned ship and aircraft to enter our territory," Hultqvist added. Finland last week said Shoigu's comments had "a number of inaccuracies and factual errors", noting that the country "does not participate fully in NATO exercises". Shoigu was referring to a trilateral statement of intent signed in May by Sweden, Finland and the United States. The document claims to be legally non-binding and aims "to support a stable and secure environment in the Baltic Sea region". But Shoigu claimed it gives Stockholm and Helsinki "the possibility to use (NATO's) command systems for the control of troops and weapons".

"Such steps by our Western colleagues lead to the destruction of the existing world security system," Shoigu said. Finland as well as Sweden denied his claims saying they do not have "full access to NATO's command-and-control system".  Sweden and Finland -- the Nordic and Baltic region's only non-aligned countries -- have recently stepped up their military cooperation with the US.

The region has seen an increase in Russian military activity, including several airspace violations and war planes allegedly flying without their identifying transponders. In recent years, concerns have risen about Russia's intentions in the region -- with alarms bells ringing after Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

In June 2015, US think tank Cepa published a report claiming Russia had held exercises with 33,000 troops aimed at practising an invasion of Sweden's Baltic Sea island of Gotland, among other sites. Sweden has resumed military activities on Gotland. It also this year reintroduced compulsory military service, seven years after it was abolished. The first group of 19 recruits were called in for military training on Monday, Swedish Radio reported, adding that 4,000 soldiers would be trained this year.

Sweden Opts for Patriot Missile System Amid Growing Russia Tensions

August 2, 2018 (Reuters) - Sweden will buy the Patriot air defense missile system from U.S. arms manufacturer Raytheon Co, the government said on Thursday, as it looks to boost its defenses amid growing tensions with Russia. Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), which handles military logistics, began negotiations over Patriot in November last year aiming to replace the current air defense system which cannot shoot down ballistic missiles. Negotiations were concluded in April and the government was expected to go ahead with the purchase.

"The government has decided to authorize the FMV ... to sign a contract with the United States to buy the American air defense system Patriot," the Defence Ministry said in a statement. The deal will include four firing systems and two types of missiles as well as other equipment and training, the government said, with delivery completed before 2025.

In April, the FMV said the initial deal would be worth around 10 billion Swedish crowns ($1.13 billion). But that could triple if Sweden uses an option to increase the number of missiles it purchases to a maximum of 300. The government did not say how many missiles would be included initially or give its long term plans. The center-left government has the backing of the main, center-right opposition for the purchase, but there have been disagreements about whether to fund the deal separately, or include it in the current military budget, which could lead to defense cuts elsewhere.

Russia's actions in Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula have pushed Sweden, which is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), to start rebuilding its defenses after decades of neglect following the end of the Cold War.

Sweden to provide additional financial support to Reanimation Package of Reforms (RPR) to support reforms in Ukraine

August 1, 2018 (Front News International) The Government of Sweden will provide additional financial support to the Secretariat of the Reanimation Package of Reforms (RPR) in the amount of $380,000 for a period of12 months for the further uninterrupted work of the coalition, according to the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine.

“With the aim of supporting the already achieved results, promoting further reforms and developing civil society in Ukraine, the Government of Sweden will provide additional financial support worth $380,000 to the Secretariat of the Reanimation Package of Reforms from August 1 for 12 months for the further continuous work of the coalition,” reads the report.

Boeing stepped in to rescue the Ukrainian plane maker Antonov, known for producing the world's largest aircraft

June 28, 2018 (UKRINFORM) The firm had ceased production because of its heavy reliance on Russian imports, which had collapsed after Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014, CNBC TV Channel reported. But, Boeing's parts, equipment and services unit, Aviall, is set to now provide the components and Antonov plans to build eight aircraft a year from the end of next year. The deal, which was signed at the Farnborough International Airshow, was confirmed to CNBC via email on Friday.

President of Antonov, Oleksandr Donets, told Reuters in an interview that the next step is to build a storage facility with Aviall. "This warehouse will deal with products, materials, metals, non-metals — with all components we are not able to get from our former partner, the Russian Federation," he said. Donets added that the warehouse would be funded by the Boeing subsidiary.

Antonov builds a range of passenger, cargo and transport aircraft. The latest under development is the An-132, a twin-engined turboprop used for military transportation which is being jointly developed with Saudi Arabia.