NATO leaders are set to agree a historic defense spending pledge

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — NATO leaders are expected to agree by Wednesday that member countries should spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense. Only the new investment pledge will not apply to all of them. Spain says it has reached a deal to be excluded from the 5% target. President Donald Trump has said the figure shouldn’t apply to the United States, only its allies. It raises questions about what demands could be insisted on from other members of the alliance like Belgium, Canada, France and Italy that also would struggle to hike security spending by billions of dollars. But NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte insisted on Monday that “NATO has no opt out, and NATO does no side deals.”

Mideast governments condemn suicide bombing of Syrian church

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The death toll from a suicide bomb attack on a church in Syria has risen to 25, state media say. The Health Ministry said Monday that 63 others were wounded, SANA reported. The attack on Sunday on the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox church during a Divine Liturgy in Dweil’a, near Damascus, was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus under its de facto Islamist rule is trying to win the support of minorities. Father Fadi Ghattas told The Associated Press that around 350 people had been praying at the church. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Syrian Interior Minister has blamed the extremist Islamic State group.

Russian attacks on Ukraine kill at least 14 people as Zelenskyy travels to UK

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Officials say Russian drones and missiles have killed at least 14 civilians in Ukraine, with nine deaths reported in the capital, Kyiv. Ukraine’s air force said Monday that Russia fired 352 drones and decoys overnight, as well as 11 ballistic missiles and five cruise missiles. Officials said a Russian ballistic missile strike also destroyed a high school later in the day in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, killing two staff. No children were at the school due to the summer vacation. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was on a visit to the U.K. in search of further military support for the fight against Russia’s invasion.

EU finds ‘indications’ Israel is breaching key human rights agreement in Gaza

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union says there are ″indications″ that Israel’s actions in Gaza are violating human rights obligations in the agreement governing its ties with the EU, according to its findings seen by The Associated Press. The EU foreign policy chief presented the review to foreign minsters of the 27-member bloc in Brussels on Monday. At least one country openly proposes suspending the deal. Suspending ties would require a unanimous decision. That is likely impossible to obtain from countries like Austria, Germany and Hungary that tend to back Israel.