Finland announces NATO membership application

Finland's president and prime minister have announced that the country will apply for NATO membership. The move has been welcomed broadly by member states, who must agree unanimously in order to allow new members. Sweden is expected to announce their intention to apply in suit.

Also on the programme: Lebanon is holding its first elections since the 2019 economic collapse today and there is little hope among the majority of the population living in poverty that much will change; and the eruption of the Tonga volcano in January has been confirmed as the biggest explosion ever recorded in the atmosphere by modern instrumentation.

(Photo credit: Reuters)