The heads of state and government of the 29 alliance members, including Poland, are holding the talks at a luxury hotel in Watford, near London. 
The talks are expected to cover cyber security and the strategic challenge posed by China.

The summit also marks the alliance’s 70th birthday. Yesterday, leaders met for a „family photograph” and were invited to Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street for receptions.

However, the talks have been overshadowed by ongoing arguments within the organisation. In a press conference yesterday, the French and US presidents clashed over the role of Nato.

There have also been clashes with Turkey over it’s invasion of northern Syria. Turkey has demanded more support from the alliance for its campaign and has threatened to veto a new defence plan for Poland and the Baltic States. 

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told media on Tuesday that, despite the disagreement with Turkey, Nato would respond to any threat to Poland or the three Baltic Countries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. 

A new strategic canal to the Baltic sea is progressing on time, a Polish government minister said on Monday. 

Poland’s Maritime Affairs and Inland Navigation Minister Marek Gróbarczyk said the project is on track and there are no delays, despite what could be attempts by Russia to lobby against the planned canal. 

A deal was struck in October with a Polish-Belgian consortium to construct a new canal connecting the Vistula lagoon to the Gulf of Gdansk and the Baltic Sea. 

The government says the canal is necessary because currently the lagoon can only be accessed via a strait in the neighbouring Russian territory of Kaliningrad. 

The canal would allow deep draught vessels to enter the lagoon and access the port of Elbląg. Supporters say this will help the city to grow and join Gdansk and Szczecin as a major Polish port. Mayor of Elbląg, Witold Wróblewski, said the town supports the project adding: „what kind of port doesn’t have access to the sea?”. 

However, critics say the canal could disrupt the protected habitat of wildlife living on the Vistula spit, including Baltic seals, eagles, and Europe’s largest colony of Cormorants. University of Gdansk Biologist, Michał Goc, was quoted by Reuters saying „there is no species that will benefit from the project”.

The canal is scheduled to be completed next year and cost about 900 million PLN. 

Five tigers, rescued from a truck by Polish border authorities earlier this year, have reached an animal sanctuary in Spain, according to reports. 

At the end of October, a truck carrying 10 „emaciated and dehydrated” tigers from Italy to a zoo in Russia was stranded on the Polish-Belarusian border after the driver was found to be lacking proper travel documents.

One of the animals died while the truck was halted at the border. Of the nine surviving tigers, two were taken in at a zoo in northern Poland and seven were taken to Poznan in western Poland. 

But Poznan did not have facilities to look after all the tigers so on Saturday five of the cats set off on a 2000 kilometre journey to Spain. Now, it’s reported that Softi, Samson, Toph, Merida, and Aqua have made it safely to the Primadomus Wildlife Refuge in Villena, Spain. 

Two of the tigers, Gogh and Kan, have remained in Poznan as they were not fit for the long journey. A spokeswoman for Poznan Zoo said the tigers had heating and room to move on the journey and were fed.

And two famous figures from Gdańsk’s recent history are to be remembered with new monuments.

Singer, Irena Jarocka, will be remembered with a new monument in the Oliwa, in the square already named named after her. And Kashubian-Pomeranian writer, journalist, and activist Lech Bądkowski will be memorialised with a new monument in downtown Gdansk.

The monuments are being paid for by private groups.

Weather

Rather gloomy today with thick cloud and fog lasting into the evening. Noticeably warmer than yesterday though, with highs of 7°C, 45°F.

RGEN