More US marines to train in Norway, nearer Russia

OSLO • The United States will more than double the number of marines stationed in Norway, in line with plans first outlined in June, the Norwegian defence ministry said yesterday.

The plans to increase the number of marines in Norway to 700 from 330 and moving some of them closer to the border with Russia had triggered a sharp reaction from Moscow, which called the plans "clearly unfriendly".

But the government in Oslo, increasingly concerned about Russia since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, insists the increased US presence is only for training purposes and should not be interpreted as a military escalation.

The marines had been scheduled to leave Norway at the end of this year after an initial contingent arrived last year to train for fighting in winter conditions.

REUTERS

Migrant ship arrives in Malta, ending stand-off

VALLETTA • The Aquarius rescue ship arrived in Malta yesterday after EU countries thrashed out a deal to take in the 141 migrants on board, defusing another diplomatic stand-off in the Mediterranean.

The ship, run by the Franco-German charity SOS Mediterranee and Doctors without Borders, was allowed in after France, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain agreed on Tuesday to take in the migrants, who were rescued off the coast of Libya.

The Aquarius had rescued the migrants in two separate missions last Friday, only for Italy and Malta to refuse access to their ports. Aid groups said there were more than 70 children on board.

The EU countries will also take some of a group of 114 migrants who were rescued by the Maltese armed forces and taken to Malta on Monday.

REUTERS

Air traffic issue halts flights in Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM • A problem with air traffic control systems at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport temporarily prevented flights from leaving or arriving, the country's air traffic control operator said yesterday.

Air Traffic Control Netherlands (LVNL) said in a series of tweets that the main communications system used between pilots and traffic controllers suffered technical problems.

Flights were permitted to land using a back-up system after a short delay during the disruption. The disruption affected flights for about an hour before they began departing again on a reduced schedule. Schiphol's website showed dozens of arrivals and departures were delayed.

LVNL said it was investigating the cause of the problem.

REUTERS