NATO leaders to meet in London

BRUSSELS, Feb 06 (AFP): The leaders of NATO's 29 countries will gather in London in December for a special meeting to mark the alliance's 70th anniversary, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Wednesday.

Stoltenberg tweeted that the British capital was "the ideal setting to mark 70 years of transatlantic military cooperation, as the home of NATO's first HQ back in 1949".

NATO chiefs will be hoping to avoid the high drama of last year's summit in Brussels, when US President Donald Trump launched a blistering attack on allies, in particular Germany, for not spending enough on defence.

There had been talk of holding the leaders' meeting in Washington - where NATO's founding treaty was signed - but, amid fears of a new transatlantic bust-up, foreign ministers will gather in the US capital in April instead.