U.S. Announces Additional $6 Million in Humanitarian Aid to Cuba Amid Oil Sanctions and Fuel Shortages 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
Nighttime Shelling Causes Serious Damage in Russia’s Belgorod Region Near Ukraine Border 
U.S. Lawmakers to Review Unredacted Jeffrey Epstein DOJ Files Starting Monday 
Pentagon Ends Military Education Programs With Harvard University 
Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges 
Japan Election 2026: Sanae Takaichi Poised for Landslide Win Despite Record Snowfall 
Federal Judge Restores Funding for Gateway Rail Tunnel Project 
U.S. to Begin Paying UN Dues as Financial Crisis Spurs Push for Reforms 
US Pushes Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Before Summer Amid Escalating Attacks 
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions 
U.S.-India Trade Framework Signals Major Shift in Tariffs, Energy, and Supply Chains 
Trump Signs “America First Arms Transfer Strategy” to Prioritize U.S. Weapons Sales 
China Warns US Arms Sales to Taiwan Could Disrupt Trump’s Planned Visit 
Trump Says “Very Good Talks” Underway on Russia-Ukraine War as Peace Efforts Continue 
Netanyahu to Meet Trump in Washington as Iran Nuclear Talks Intensify 
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will end his term as the head of the alliance in October. The announcement follows media reports that Stoltenberg was planning to extend his tenure as the NATO chief.
NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said on Saturday that Stoltenberg will not extend another term and will be ending his tenure as the NATO chief as planned in October. This follows reports by the German Welt am Sonntag that Stoltenberg’s term was going to be extended again, as the alliance is looking to maintain its stability in the midst of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“The mandate of Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has been extended three times and he has served for a total of almost nine years,” said Lungescu. “The Secretary-General’s term comes to an end in October of this year and he has no intention to seek another extension of this mandate.”
Welt am Sonntag reported that NATO members wanted to give Stoltenberg the opportunity to chair the alliance’s 75th-anniversary summit that will be held in Washington in April 2024. Stoltenberg would also be in a position to become the head of the World Bank when David Malpass steps down, according to the outlet.
The outlet also alleged that there has yet to be a decision on who will succeed Stoltenberg. However, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and British defense minister Ben Wallace are allegedly among the top contenders for the position.
Meanwhile, the alliance’s members are expected to raise their munition stockpiles that have already been depleted due to the war as the members look to supply Ukraine with arms and put their own militaries on stable footing. Even before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 last year, several NATO countries fell short of meeting the stockpiling targets as officials considered wars of attrition with large-scale artillery conflicts obsolete.
However, with the pace of arms deliveries to Ukraine, Western munitions inventories have been drained, highlighting flaws in the efficiency, speed, and manpower of supply chains. A NATO official familiar with the matter told Reuters that the alliance has just finished a survey of the remaining munitions stocks.
