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☆ Russians are so desperate to see Western pop stars, they are paying to go on 'concert vacations' abroad
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The company has sold 150 concert vacations since last year, according to The Telegraph. Russian music fans, however, appear to be so desperate to see their favorite artists that they are paying thousands to go on "concert vacations" abroad. A spokesperson for the operator told The Telegraph that it had sold 150 concert vacations since it launched its packages in the fall of last year. One of the packages — a five-day trip to see Ed Sheeran perform in Belgrade, Serbia, in August — costs around $1,123. "Western superstars don't perform in Moscow anymore," Jonny Tickle, a British man living in Moscow, wrote on X.

Persons: Ed Sheeran, James Blunt, —, Snoop, Sheeran, Jonny Tickle, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Adele, Tickle, Guy Berryman, hadn't, Coldplay, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, Elzy, Vakarchuk Organizations: The, Service, Express, The Telegraph, Scorpions, Ukraine, Europa, Coldplay, Russian Express Locations: Russian, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Zagreb, Croatia, Dubai, Belgrade, Serbia, Moscow, British, Dua, Munich, Budapest, Vienna, Ukrainian, Brussels

☆ Amateur archaeologists found a mysterious 12-sided object from the Roman Empire that experts can't explain
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An amateur archaeology group found a mysterious dodecahedron near an ancient Roman villa. Amateur archaeologists with the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group have been excavating its remains, including a bathhouse, gatehouse, and ancient tiled mosaic floors for the last few years when they made a miraculous discovery. Though he'd never seen one in person, Rob Evershed, a member of the group, recognized the hollow, rounded object as a Roman dodecahedron. No one knows the purpose of the dodecahedronThe Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group on the day they discovered the dodecahedron. Dodecahedrons may have been custom-madeParker thinks it would've taken an expert to make the dodecahedron that the Norton Disney group found.

Persons: —, Richard Parker, Richard Watts, they've, Norton, we'd, Parker, he'd, Rob Evershed, Frances McIntosh, McIntosh, haven't, dodecahedrons Organizations: Service, Norton Disney, Group, BBC, Lincoln Museum, English Heritage, Washington Post Locations: London, Hertfordshire, England, England's Midlands, British, Britain, Roman, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Africa, Turkey

☆ Strained Chinese cities struggle to pay home buying subsidies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese cities have promised subsidies and other incentives to prop up the ailing property sector but have failed to deliver, frustrating potential homebuyers. The 30-year-old now pays 6,000 yuan of her 8,000 monthly salary on the mortgage for the 1.1 million yuan apartment and another 1,800 yuan to rent another one, relying on her parents for other basic expenses. Weifang, with a population of more than 9 million and an economy larger than Croatia's, and dozens of other Chinese cities, have promised subsidies and other incentives to homebuyers to prop up the ailing property sector. But the real estate downturn also affects the ability of cities to lease land to developers, a key revenue source. This meant some local governments were unable to raise funds to pay the promised subsidies, frustrating buyers and casting doubts over future support measures.

Persons: Amy Wang, Wang, Christopher Beddor, Gavekal Organizations: People's, Communist Party Locations: Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province, China, Weifang, Shangqiu

☆ Meet the little people whose bodies may hold a key to longevity
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Sandra TorresTorres has a rare disorder called Laron syndrome that is caused by a genetic mutation. “This is how powerful this mutation seems to be.”What is Laron syndrome? Laron syndrome is a recessive gene, so only those who receive a copy from each parent will be affected. The condition leads to extreme obesity, a trigger for diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other diseases. While technically overweight at 100 pounds (45.4 kilograms), she was in good health, with no signs of diabetes or heart disease.

Persons: Paola Castro Torres, ” Torres, Torres, “, ” Nathaly Paola Castro Torres, Sandra Torres Torres, ”, Valter Longo, Longo, Laron, Jaime Guevara, Aguirre, Guevara, ” Longo, ” Guevara, Andrew Freeman, Freeman, ” Hope, it’s Organizations: CNN, gerontology, University of Southern, of Endocrinology, Laron, Jewish Health Locations: Los Angeles, Quito, Ecuador, University of Southern California, Israel, Yemen, East, United States, Croatia, Ireland, Denver

☆ A Far-Right Party Emerges as a Possible Kingmaker in Croatia
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Joe Orovic | Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A far-right party emerged on Thursday as a potential kingmaker in Croatia after the governing conservatives finished first in a bitterly contested parliamentary election but fell short of winning enough seats to form a new government. The HDZ, led by the incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, won 61 seats in the 151-member legislature, according to the near-final official tally. That was more than all its rivals, including Rivers of Justice, a left-leaning coalition formed by President Zoran Milanovic, which won 42 seats to finish second. The far-right Homeland Movement finished third with 13 seats. Speaking early Thursday in Zagreb, the Croatian capital, Mr. Plenkovic said his party had “convincingly won” but acknowledged that he would need help from rival groups to form a government and secure a third term as prime minister.

Persons: Andrej Plenkovic, Zoran Milanovic, Plenkovic, “, ” Organizations: Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, Homeland Movement Locations: Croatia, Balkan, Yugoslavia, Rivers of, Zagreb, Croatian

☆ Croatia 2024 General Election: What to Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Politics in Croatia have been dominated for more than 30 years by the party that led the armed struggle for a separate state from a disintegrating Yugoslavia. But the general election that takes place on Wednesday has left the Balkan nation’s governing party exposed to an unexpectedly strong challenge from populist forces. The Croatian Democratic Union, known as HDZ, first emerged in 1989 as an ethnonationalist champion of Croat primacy, but later evolved into a more conventional, pro-European, right-wing party. Opinion polls put HDZ ahead of its main rival, the Social Democratic Party, and a plethora of smaller groups. But swamped by corruption scandals, disquiet over the rising cost of living and anger over its aloof (critics say authoritarian) ways, HDZ has faced mounting pressure from both the left and right.

Organizations: Balkan, Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, Social Democratic Party Locations: Croatia, Yugoslavia, Croatia’s Parliament

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone on Sunday, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union. After years of negotiations to join the Schengen area, there is now free access for travelers arriving by air or sea from both countries. The Schengen Area was established in 1985. Before Bulgaria and Romania’s admission, it was comprised of 23 of the 27 EU member countries, along with Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Truck drivers are frequently stuck in kilometers-long queues at the borders of both Romania and Bulgaria.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Siegfried Muresan, ”, Marcel Ciolacu, ” Kalin, “, ___ McGrath Organizations: —, European Union, EU, Schengen, Associated Press, European Commission, The Union of International Carriers Locations: SOFIA, Bulgaria, — Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Romania, Croatia, Romanian, Europe, Sofia, The, Sighisoara

The movement is in stark contrast to Croatia’s recent past, when it was part of the former Yugoslavia, a Communist-run country that protected abortion rights in its constitution 50 years ago. As a result, many women have traveled to neighboring Slovenia for an abortion over the years. Pushed forward by a women’s organization born out of World War II, the right to abortion was later included in Yugoslavia’s constitution. Elsewhere in the former Yugoslavia, Serbia and Slovenia have included the freedom to choose whether to have children in their constitutions. Bosnia’s women can legally obtain abortion during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, though economic impediments exist in the impoverished, post-war country.

Persons: ”, Ana Sunic, Tanja Ignjatovic, Sanja Sarnavka, “, Muzevni, Mirela Cavajda, Cavajde, Jasenka Grujić, Grujic, ” Grujic, ” Ignjatovic, Sabina Niksic, Predrag Milic Organizations: Catholic, European Union, Autonomous Women’s Center, Associated Press, Gec Locations: ZAGREB, Croatia, Catholic Croatia, European, Slovenia, Yugoslavia, Communist, Zagreb, Croatia's, “, France, Balkans, Belgrade, Serbia, Croatian, Sarajevo, Bosnia, Podgorica, Montenegro

☆ Why Nora Turato is taking on the wellness industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Victoria Woodcock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

stop lying!” — a solo show at Sprüth Magers’ Los Angeles gallery, and a riposte to the wellness industry. Robert Wedemeyer/Courtesy Sprüth MagersAt the latter in 2022, she performed her one-woman “pool 5” monologue live more than 20 times over a two-week period. Born in Zagreb, Turato refers to her home country as “very in-between — not really eastern Europe; not really west,” she said. Robert Wedemeyer/Courtesy Sprüth MagersFor Sprüth Magers co-founder Philomene Magers, “Nora’s work puts people in front of a mirror,” she said. Tellingly, Turato’s self-optimization journey has ended in digital detox.

Persons: Nora Turato, “, ”, Zoom, Robert Wedemeyer, Barbara Kruger, —, Magers, Philomene Magers, it’s, haha, Turato, Julie Adams, It’s, — “, You’ve, “ I’ve Organizations: CNN, YouTube, Museum of Modern Art, Hollywood, Systems, “ Locations: Croatian, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, New York, Zagreb, Croatia, Arnhem, Netherlands, Turato, Europe, ”, LA

☆ I made $70,000 in revenue selling résumé templates on Etsy. I used skills I already had to earn passive income.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Perri Ormont Blumberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I'm a former recruiter and career coach who now sells résumé templates on Etsy. I started my HR career in Croatia before relocating to Krakow, Poland, where I became a corporate career coach in 2018. AdvertisementI got the idea for my Etsy shop from my full-time jobColak-Fustin's résumé templates. Looking for a way to use my HR skills, I decided to create résumé templates and job search toolkits. When I started creating and selling résumé templates and job search toolkits on Etsy, I prioritized functionality.

Persons: Ana Colak, Fustin, it's, —, It's, I've, didn't Organizations: Service Locations: Etsy, Gothenburg, Sweden, Croatia, Krakow, Poland

☆ Mikaela Shiffrin: US ski star returns from injury to win record-equaling eighth World Cup slalom season title
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —After six weeks out of the sport, ski star Mikaela Shiffrin made a triumphant return from injury to win a record-equaling eighth World Cup slalom season title in Åre, Sweden, on Sunday. The win ties the American with Lindsey Vonn and Ingemar Stenmark, who both clinched eight crystal globes – the trophy for Alpine skiing World Cup season titles – in a single discipline. Austrian star Marcel Hirscher won eight overall season titles during his career, but not in a single discipline. It was also Shiffrin’s 96th World Cup win of her career, extending the overall record she broke back in 2023. Shiffrin rushed to his side at the hospital and was with him when he woke up from surgery.

Persons: Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, Ingemar Stenmark, Marcel Hirscher, ” Shiffrin, Pontus Lundahl, Reuters Shiffrin, Michelle Gisin, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Kilde, “, ” Organizations: CNN, CNN Sport, TT, Agency, Reuters Locations: Åre, Sweden, Austrian, Italy, Croatia, Norwegian, Switzerland

☆ ChatGPT uses 17,000 times the amount of electricity than the average US household does daily: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

ChatGPT uses more than half a million kilowatt-hours of electricity daily, The New Yorker reported. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. The publication reported that the average US household uses around 29 kilowatt-hours daily. Dividing the amount of electricity that ChatGPT uses per day by the amount used by the average household shows that ChatGPT uses more than 17 thousand times the amount of electricity. "You're talking about AI electricity consumption potentially being half a percent of global electricity consumption by 2027," de Vries told The Verge.

Persons: —, buzzy, Alex de Vries, de Vries, Vries, OpenAI Organizations: Yorker, Service, New Yorker, Dutch National Bank, Joule, Big Tech, Nvidia —, Cisco, New Street Research, CNBC, Samsung, Microsoft, Consumer Energy Solutions Locations: New, Kenya, Guatemala, Croatia

☆ Portugal election results: Luis Montenegro’s coalition claims slim win as radical right surges
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Vasco Cotovio | Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Democratic Alliance coalition won 29.5% of the 98.98% of votes counted early Monday, with the incumbent Socialist Party on 28.7%. The results are not final – but Socialist Party leader Pedro Nuno Santos has already conceded. Chega won 18%, a breakthrough for the radical right party and its leader, André Ventura, a former trainee priest and football pundit. For decades the Socialist Party and center-right Social Democratic Party – the main party in the Democratic Alliance – have taken turns in power. Andre Ventura, the leader of Chega party, speaks to journalists after voting in Lisbon on March 10, 2024.

Persons: Chega, Pedro Nuno Santos, André Ventura, Luis Montenegro, Democratic Alliance –, Antonio Costa, Andre Ventura, Nuno Cruz, Nuno Santos, ” Santos, Ventura’s Chega, –, ”, Ventura Organizations: CNN, Democratic Alliance, Socialist Party, Social Democratic Party –, Social Democratic Party, PSD Locations: Portugal’s, Portugal, Lisbon, Chega, Europe, Greece, Croatia, Western Europe, Costa, Montenegro

☆ Most countries have made ‘little or no progress’ in returning Nazi-looted art, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Carlie Porterfield | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Of the 47 nations that endorsed the 2009 Terezin Declaration, which incorporated the principles, seven have made major progress, three have made substantial progress, 13 have made some progress and some 24 countries have made little or no progress, according to Tuesday’s report. “This report underscores the critical need for advancement in art and cultural property restitution,” Gideon Taylor, the president of WJRO, said in a statement. The 13 countries that have made some progress include Argentina, Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland and Serbia. Frederick Florin/AFP/Getty ImagesMost countries that signed onto the Terezin Declaration have made little or no progress, according to the report. This marks the first governmental document on Holocaust restitution to be endorsed in nearly 15 years, a step WJRO said will help advance the restitution of art and cultural property.

Persons: CNN —, —, restitutions, ” Gideon Taylor, WJRO, Frederick Florin, Antony J, Blinken, ”, Stuart E, “, Colette Avital Organizations: The Art, CNN, Jewish, Organization, Washington Conference, Washington, Palais Rohan Museum, Getty, WJRO, US State Department, of Holocaust Locations: Nazi, Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Netherlands, Argentina, Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Strasbourg, AFP, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Russia, Spain, Turkey, New York, Washington, Israel

☆ MrBeast has grown up. He thinks his YouTube videos should too.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Lindsay Dodgson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In his latest post on X, the YouTube megastar said wants to leave frantic, energetic personas in his videos behind. "This past year I've slowed down our videos, focused on storytelling, let scenes breathe, yelled less, more personality, longer videos, etc. The formula for YouTube successMrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has 242 million subscribers on YouTube, and his numbers are still growing rapidly. In his videos, Donaldson shreds Lamborghinis, gives away massive amounts of cash, and performs ambitious, over-the-top stunts like recreating the Netflix phenomenon "Squid Game." This past year i’ve slowed down our videos, focused on story telling, let scenes breathe, yelled less, more personality, longer videos, etc.

Persons: —, YouTube megastar, Jimmy Donaldson, he's, Donaldson, He's, ince, lew, alkan Organizations: Service, YouTube, Business, uts, ust

☆ France's Rafale fighter jet is so popular its manufacturer can't keep up
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

France's Dassault Aviation may not be able to meet demand for its Rafale fighter jet. AdvertisementFrance's Rafale fighter has become so popular that the manufacturer may not be able to meet demand, according to a British think tank. Advertisement"The French aircraft maker aimed to produce 15 Rafales last year but only completed 13," IISS said. AdvertisementA French Dassault Rafale M fighter jet launches from the French aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle during interoperability exercises with the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, March 3, 2020. This helps explain why the Rafale has become popular with India and several Middle Eastern nations.

Persons: —, IISS, Lockheed Martin, Richard Aboulafia, Charles De Gaulle, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Michael Peck Organizations: Dassault Aviation, Rafale, Service, International Institute for Strategic Studies, French Air Force, Navy, Defense News, Dassault, UAE, French, Lockheed, Dassault Rafale, US Navy, Kaleb, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: India, British, Ukraine, Egypt, Greece, Qatar, Croatia, UAE, Indonesia, Mica, France, , Michigan, Russia, Forbes

☆ Eurozone Inflation, at 2.6%, Continues to Ease
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Patricia Cohen | More About Patricia Cohen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The bank also keeps a close eye on core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy prices. That annual figure dropped to 3.1 from 3.3 percent, but it is still significantly above the headline number. In Spain, the annual rate dropped to 2.9 percent from 3.5 percent in January. Italy and Latvia had the lowest inflation rates, below 1 percent. Bottom Line: It’s all about energy prices.

Persons: ” Carsten Brzeski Organizations: ING Locations: Central, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Austria, Croatia, Estonia

☆ Renting a Car Abroad: Don’t Get Taken for a Ride
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Eric A. Taub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Throw the keys through the kiosk’s open window. We’ll get the car when we open later”: Those slightly unorthodox drop-off instructions I once received from a Hertz manager in Croatia illustrate some of the differences U.S. travelers might encounter when renting a car abroad. It pays to familiarize yourself with the local policies and protocols ahead of time. Here’s what you need to know before you accept the keys. You must apply for one in the country that issued your regular driver’s license.

Persons: We’ll, It’s Organizations: AAA, State Department Locations: Croatia, U.S, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Japan, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Thailand, United States

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — UConn star Paige Bueckers and coach Geno Auriemma both say they will be back at the school next season. A senior academically, Bueckers made the announcement during senior night ceremonies at Gampel Pavilion following the team's 85-44 win over Georgetown on Friday night. “I love playing here; I love being here,” she said, “I love my teammates. Edwards and Muhl did not announce their plans, saying after the celebration that their decisions will come later. Edwards, Muhl and Griffin each have one.

Persons: STORRS, —, Paige Bueckers, Geno Auriemma, Bueckers, ” Bueckers, Paige, hasn't, ”, “, Aaliyah Edwards, Nika Muhl, Aubrey Griffin, Edwards, Griffin, Azzi Fudd, Jana El, Caroline Ducharme, Annaya Patterson, Muhl, Auriemma, ” Auriemma Organizations: — UConn, Georgetown, Huskies, UConn, Muhl, — North, — North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Creighton, Villanova, AP, womens Locations: Conn, Arizona, South Carolina, Gampel, Croatia, Canada, — North Carolina, UCLA , Texas, Hartford

Opinion What Sourdough Taught Me, in the Pandemic and BeyondInside one tablespoon of active sourdough starter, the fermented culture made of flour and water used for thousands of years to leaven bread, there are billions of microorganisms. How to create a sourdough starter Repeat until bubbling with life. Add flour, water and salt. Add flour, water and salt. To avoid this exponential growth, a portion of sourdough starter is traditionally discarded at every feeding, which means there’s plenty to go around.

Persons: ”, —, Seamus Blackley, . Kan, they’ve, “, Caesar, cura, Jesus, John, we’ve, Thomas White, Gazans, Alice Spearman, Germany Chiara G, Netherlands Anna Celda Czechia Veronika Moravcikova, Allie Wist, we’re Organizations: U.S, International New York, Penn, Ala . Iowa Miss, Okla . Texas Colo, Okla . Texas Colo . Puerto Rico Wyo, Utah Idaho Mexico Ariz, Great, Netherlands France Belgium Denmark, Poland Latvia Slovenia, Poland Latvia Slovenia Italy Croatia, . Connecticut Massachusetts Rhode Island New Jersey New Hampshire Vermont Pennsylvania, . Connecticut Massachusetts Rhode Island New Jersey New Hampshire Vermont Pennsylvania Maryland Delaware D.C, Maine Virginia, Maine Virginia West Virginia Ohio, Maine Virginia West Virginia Ohio North Carolina Michigan Indiana South, Maine Virginia West Virginia Ohio North Carolina Michigan Indiana South Carolina Kentucky Tennessee Wisconsin Illinois, Alabama Iowa Mississippi Minnesota Florida Arkansas, Canada Louisiana Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma, Canada Louisiana Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas Colorado, Canada Louisiana Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas Colorado Puerto Rico Wyoming, Portugal Spain, Supermarkets, United Nations, BBC, Alice Spearman Canada Locations: Barthelme, Conn, R.I . N.J, N.H . Vt, Md, Del, D.C, Maine Va, W.Va . Ohio N.C, Mich, Ind, S.C . Ky, Tenn, Wis, Ill, Ala . Iowa, Minn, Fla, Canada, Okla . Texas, Okla . Texas Colo . Puerto Rico, Mont, N.M, Utah Idaho Mexico, Ore, Calif, Iceland, Portugal Spain, Netherlands France Belgium, Netherlands France Belgium Denmark Luxembourg Sweden Germany Brazil Switzerland, Poland Latvia, Poland Latvia Slovenia Italy, Poland Latvia Slovenia Italy Croatia Hungary Bulgaria Greece Hawaii, Argentina, China Bhutan India South Africa, Malaysia Singapore, Australia, . Connecticut Massachusetts Rhode Island New Jersey New Hampshire Vermont, . Connecticut Massachusetts Rhode Island New Jersey New Hampshire Vermont Pennsylvania Maryland Delaware, Maine, Maine Virginia West Virginia, Maine Virginia West Virginia Ohio North Carolina, Maine Virginia West Virginia Ohio North Carolina Michigan Indiana South Carolina Kentucky Tennessee Wisconsin, Maine Virginia West Virginia Ohio North Carolina Michigan Indiana South Carolina Kentucky Tennessee Wisconsin Illinois Georgia, Alabama Iowa Mississippi Minnesota, Canada Louisiana Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas, Canada Louisiana Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas Colorado Puerto Rico, Canada Louisiana Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas Colorado Puerto Rico Wyoming Montana New Mexico, Utah Idaho Mexico Arizona Nevada Washington Oregon California Iceland, Portugal, Portugal Spain France The Netherlands Belgium Denmark Luxembourg Sweden Germany Brazil Switzerland, China Bhutan India, Africa, Uruk, France, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Ukraine, Gaza, Germany, Netherlands

☆ Small Croatian Town Builds Stone Mercedes Monument for Migrant Workers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

IMOTSKI, Croatia (Reuters) - Local Croatian sculptor Roko Drzislav Rebic is carving a life-sized stone replica of a Mercedes Benz Minika car as a monument to the thousands of workers who left their homeland in search of a better fortune abroad. The monument will be revealed on June 8 in Imotski, a small town situated on the slopes of the Dinara mountain, 30 km (48 miles) from the famed Adriatic coast. Another was in 2018 after Croatia joined the European Union and thousands of young people left the country to work in Western Europe. Rebic told Reuters that the stone was brought from areas near Imotski and once the monument is finished it will weigh 50 tonnes. Topic said that according to his estimates there are up to 8,000 Mercedes cars in Imotski which has the population of 25,000.

Persons: Roko Drzislav, Mercedes, Ivan, Rebic, Antonio Bronic, Ivana Sekularac, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Mercedes Benz, Mercedes, Reuters, Croatia, European Union Locations: IMOTSKI, Croatia, Croatian, Imotski, Western Germany, Germany, Western Europe

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — China's Pan Zhanle backed up his world record in the swimming relays by winning the men's 100-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships on Thursday. The 19-year-old Pan swam the fastest 100 in history with a time of 46.80 seconds in the lead-off leg of China’s gold medal-winning 4x100 relay team. HIGH DIVINGWith a huge final dive, Britain's Aidan Heslop claimed the men's title off the 27-meter tower at Doha Old Port. WATER POLOCroatia advanced to the Saturday championship in men's water polo with a 17-16 semifinal victory over France on penalties. Italy claimed the other spot in the final with an 8-6 victory over Spain.

Persons: Zhanle, Pan, didn't, ” Pan, let's, ”, Caeleb Dressel, Kyle Chalmers, Alessandro Miressi, Hungary's Nandor Nemeth, Britain's Laura Stephens, Helena Rosendahl Bach, Lana Pudar, Rachel Klinker, ” Stephens, “, Sarah Sjöström, Swede, Aidan Heslop, France's Gary Hunt, Catalin, Petru Preda, James Lichtenstein, Heslop, you’ve, ” Heslop, ___ Organizations: Paris, Olympic, Doha, Doha Old Port, Croatia Locations: DOHA, Qatar, Paris, Australia, Italy, Denmark, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Doha, United States, France, Croatia, Spain

☆ 'Intellectually inferior' humans caused Neanderthals to go extinct, a new book claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A new book “The Naked Neanderthal” says humans were the main cause thanks to their superior weapons. Compared to early humans, Neanderthals were muscular with a prominent brow and less pronounced chin. Since humans were the final species to occupy the cave, Slimak argues it's because they'd replaced those Neanderthals by wiping them out. Humans' superior weaponsScientists have found relatively few weapons belonging to Neanderthals , Slimak wrote. Yet genes can't tell us much about the nature of these interactions or how closely or amicably humans and Neanderthals lived.

Persons: Ludovic Slimak, —, April Nowell, sapien, “, ”, Slimak, Bill O'Leary, sapiens, they'd, Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology Hendrik Schmidt, Nowell, haven't, Nikola Solic, ” Nowell, Sapiens Organizations: Service, University of Victoria, Smithsonian Museum, Washington, Getty, Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology, Reuters Locations: Europe, East, Central Asia, Southern Siberia, Southern France, Chemnitz, France, Spain, Krapina, Croatia

☆ ‘Kill B.’ Review: Dances of Dominance
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Siobhan Burke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The dancer Mia Zalukar lay collapsed on the stage of NYU Skirball, seemingly exhausted after a long solo — but she wasn’t doing it quite right. This is one of many such exchanges in “Kill B.,” a 2019 work by Isakovic and Zalukar that had its United States premiere on Friday evening as part of the Queer New York International Arts Festival. Organized by the Croatian curator Zvonimir Dobrovic, the festival features artists from Croatia, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Germany exploring “what it is to be outside of the norm,” Dobrovic said in a curtain speech. He stressed that this outsider status is contextual; it might mean one thing in post-socialist Zagreb, another in São Paulo. Inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” movies, the decidedly brief “Kill B.” doesn’t evoke the bloody violence of the films (though there are some choice references) so much as the fraught director-actress relationship at their core.

Persons: Mia Zalukar, NYU Skirball, Bruno Isakovic, ”, Isakovic, Zvonimir Dobrovic, ” Dobrovic, —, Quentin Tarantino’s “, Bill ” Organizations: NYU, Queer New York International Arts Locations: “, States, Croatian, Croatia, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Zagreb, São Paulo

The bodies have all been retrieved from the river since 2017 and buried in local cemeteries in three border towns of eastern Bosnia. Dr. Vidak Simic examined more than 40 corpses of migrants and refugees so far retrieved from the river. Under local laws, bone samples are taken from unidentified bodies before they are buried in paupers' graves. However, Simic has been keeping the unnamed migrants’ bone samples long past the time required by the law. At the cemetery in Bijeljina, where nearly half of all the unidentified migrants pulled out of Drina so far are buried, 41 trees were planted and a memorial for the drowned was erected.

Persons: ”, Nihad Suljic, Suljic, Vidak Simic, Simic, Simic —, ” Simic, Radul Radovanovic Organizations: Migrants, European Union, Western, Police, Associated Press Locations: BIJELJINA, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Serbia, Western Europe, Bosnian, East, Africa, South Asia, Europe, Balkan, Tuzla, Balkans, Montenegro, Croatia, Drina, Zvornik, Bijeljina, paupers, Municipal, Vienna

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