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☆ Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban lauds new phase with Sweden ahead of vote on its NATO bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Jennifer Hauser | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his country had opened a new phase with Sweden during a joint press conference with Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson on Friday as Budapest prepares to ratify Stockholm’s long-delayed NATO bid. Orban, who said last week that the Hungarian Parliament would vote on ratification on Monday, met with Kristersson on Friday and announced at the press conference that Hungary had bought four fighter jets from Sweden. “Being members together in NATO we [will be] able to reconstruct the full trust towards each other,” Orban added later. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in 2022 and Finland joined NATO in April 2023 – doubling the alliance’s border with Russia. But Sweden’s bid was mired in challenges.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Ulf Kristersson, Orban, Kristersson, “, ” Orban, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Katalin Organizations: CNN, Swedish, Budapest, NATO, Russia, Gripen, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, European Union Locations: Hungarian, Sweden, Hungary, Ukraine, Finland, Russia, Turkey

☆ Why designers are rethinking the toilet
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Consider the toilet — that humble porcelain bowl that spirits away our waste several times a day. Rethinking how we deal with waste may also present an opportunity: Our excrement can be converted into renewable heat, electricity and fertilizer. Ugo CarmeniKnown as a “Huussi” in Finnish, the dry toilet separates urine from stool and is ventilated to keep odors out — In Finland, dry toilets are particularly prevalent in rural summer cottages, Renell told CNN in a video call. Kelsey McWilliams/Point of ShiftNow a water, sanitation and hygiene consultant for over ten years, McWilliams founded Point of Shift to create circular systems for clients within the US. The humble dry toilet and a large-scale urban sewage system may be at opposite ends of the spectrum, but they are both solutions to the same problem.

Persons: It’s, ”, Arja Renell, Ugo Carmeni, Renell, Kelsey McWilliams, Melinda Gates, McWilliams, There’s, “ It’s, ” McWilliams, ChangeWater, Diana Yousef, ” Yousef, What’s, —, Yousef, ’ ”, San, Sarah Perfekt “, Amanda Haux, Sarah Perfekt, Haux, ” Renell Organizations: CNN, Environmental Protection Agency, Venice Biennale, University of Delaware, WHO, UNICEF’s, ” Locations: Flushing, Finnish, Venice, Finland, Uganda, Panama, California, San Francisco, Swedish, Helsingborg, RecoLab, reimagining, Sweden, ”

☆ Putin looms over a third successive US election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —“Russia, Russia, Russia.”Ex-President Donald Trump’s scathing catch phrase for a torrent of investigations during his administration also serves as an apt catch-all for the current meltdown over Moscow roiling US politics. But Russia and its leader, whom President Joe Biden described as a “crazy S.O.B.” at a Wednesday fundraiser, won’t go away. All the ways Putin is playing in US politicsPutin is advancing Russian interests against the US on multiple fronts. Putin recently formalized his warming ties with North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un by presenting him with a new limousine. The Russian leader was particularly incensed by the US-led operation to topple Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, won’t, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ukraine –, –, Alexander Smirnov, “, Trump, Smirnov, Biden, it’s, Putin can’t, ” Douglas, Alexey Navalny, Biden lambasts Trump, ” Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, he’s, he’d, Mike Turner, Ksenia, Paul Whelan –, Evan Gershkovich, Geopolitically, Kim Jong Un, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Moammar Gadhafi, Hillary Clinton, Robert Mueller, “ We’ll, Mueller Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, United States, European NATO, ”, Moscow, House Republicans, GOP, CIA, NATO, Republican Party, Republicans, Republican, Trump, Marine, Wall Street, Putin, Biden, US, Democratic Locations: Russia, Moscow, United States, China, Soviet, East Germany, United, Ukraine, Russian, European, Washington, Asia, Sweden, Finland, Berlin –, Europe, Ukrainian, California, North Korea, Iran, Crimea, Helsinki, Geneva

☆ Opinion: Trump’s making America irrelevant to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( David A. Andelman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

He formerly was a foreign correspondent and bureau chief for The New York Times in Europe and Asia and for CBS News in Paris. CNN —Madeline Albright famously called America the “indispensable nation.” Is former President Donald Trump making America the irrelevant nation? The first steps toward a new direction for such a Europe — without America — are already being taken. Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu/Getty ImagesVon der Leyen has also said that upping European defense production would be a top priority for her second term — not to mention sorting through vastly divergent budgets of the various countries. Still, as a bloc, Europe at about 85 billion euros ($92 billion) has already passed the United States at 66.2 billion euros ($71.6 billion) in total commitments to Ukraine.

Persons: David A, Madeline Albright, Donald Trump, Alexey Navalny’s, Vladimir Putin, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Joe Biden, ” haven’t, Mette Frederiksen, ” Frederiksen, Ursula von der Leyen, Europe’s, Christine Wormuth, Peter, Paul, Kaja Kallas, Dursun, Leyen, Emmanuel Macron’s, Macron, David Lammy, unflinchingly, who’s, ” Kallas, Alar Karis, ” Karis, we’re, Der Spiegel, ” Organizations: CNN, French Legion of, The New York Times, CBS News, Trump, Republicans, NATO, Security, Danish, America, Africa Command, Getty, Germany’s Kiel Institute, US, Union, Munich Security Conference, British, Labour Party, Estonian, Politico Europe, Kremlin, “ Locations: Europe, Asia, Paris, America, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, “, United States, Munich, Berlin, Brussels, Poland, Estonian, Anadolu, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, France, Russia’s, Sweden, Britain, German

☆ Turkey is back in from the cold with NATO and F-16 moves, but thorny issues remain
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Turkey spent nearly two years — along with Hungary — holding up Sweden's accession to NATO. Within hours of Ankara's decision, the U.S. approved a $23 billion sale for F-16 fighter jets to Turkey that had been delayed since 2021. It's worth noting that Hungary has yet to approve Sweden's NATO bid, and remains the only member of the alliance standing in the way of the Nordic country's accession. Turkey seemingly has a unique position that allows it to push the envelope and cross lines with its NATO allies. "My approval of Turkey's request to purchase F-16 aircraft has been contingent on Turkish approval of Sweden's NATO membership.

Persons: Turkey Recep Erdogan, It's, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it's, Victoria Nuland, David Lepeska, Ben Cardin Organizations: NATO, Conference, Hungary —, UAE, Democratic, Senate Foreign Relations Locations: Turkey, Vilnius, Lithuania, Hungary, Sweden, Washington, Russian, Turkish, Eastern

☆ Julian Assange makes last-ditch attempt in UK court to avoid extradition to the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | Claudia Rebaza | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images Assange attends a seminar at the Swedish Trade Union Confederation in Stockholm on August 14, 2010. LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images Assange and his bodyguards are seen after a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 2010. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images Assange, on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, holds up a United Nations report in February 2016. Carl Court/Getty Images Assange speaks to the media in May 2017, after Swedish prosecutors had dropped their investigation of rape allegations against Assange. Jack Taylor/Getty Images Assange was seen for the first time in months during a hearing via teleconference in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2018.

Persons: London CNN — Julian Assange’s, Priti Patel, Assange, Julian Assange, Jack Taylor, LEON NEAL, BERTIL ERICSON, FABRICE COFFRINI, Carl Court, Geoff Caddick, Oli Scarff, CARL COURT, Leon Neal, Philip Toscano, Ricardo Patino, Frank Augstein, David Paul Morris, John Stillwell, Mike, Pompeo, Maria Sol Borja, Chelsea Manning, Alastair Grant, Daniel Leal, Elizabeth Cook, Assange’s, Edward Fitzgerald, ”, “, ” Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald, Assange “, ” Mark Summers, Stella, Julia Hall, Rebecca Vincent, ” Vincent, Nick Vamos, “ It’s, Vamos Organizations: London CNN, WikiLeaks, European, of Human Rights, Ecuadorian, Guardian, Getty, Swedish Trade Union Confederation, St, Paul's, Court, British, Ecuadorian Embassy, Oxford Union Society, Ecuadorian Foreign, Southwest Festival, Bloomberg, United Nations Human Rights, United, United Nations, CIA, CNN, Army, Ecuador, Southwark Crown, Metropolitan Police, US Justice Department, Eastern, of, Department, US, UK’s, Media, Foreign Press Association, Amnesty, International Campaigns, US Espionage, Peters & Peters, Prosecution Service Locations: United States, British, Belmarsh, Queensland, Australia, Westminster, London, Afghanistan, AFP, Stockholm, Iraq, Geneva, Switzerland, Sweden, Ecuador, Austin , Texas, Ecuadorian, United Nations, United Kingdom, Quito, Southwark, America, of Virginia, Guantanamo, Australian, Europe, UK’s

☆ The woman behind the next big thing in cancer treatment
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Christine Olsson/AFP/Getty ImagesWu’s research focused on small mutations in cancer tumor cells. However, in many cases, cancer vaccines have failed to live up to their promise — largely because the right target hasn’t been found. “This is a fantastic discovery.”By sequencing DNA from healthy and cancer cells, Wu and her team identified a cancer patient’s unique tumor neoantigens. More work is needed before they are a viable treatment options for many cancer patients. To show that these type of cancer vaccines work, much larger randomized control trials are needed.

Persons: Catherine Wu, Boston’s Dana, “, ”, Wu, Lendahl, Dr Patrick Ott, Sam Ogden, Honjo, James Allison, Tasuku Honjo, James P Allison, Christine Olsson, ” Hans, Gustaf Ljunggren, Matt Stone, “ I’m, ” Wu, ” Lendahl, you’ve, It’s, ” Barbara Brigham, BioNTech, ” CNN’s Brenda Goodman Organizations: CNN, Farber Cancer Institute, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Karolinska, Getty, US Food and Drug Administration, FDA, MediaNews, Boston Herald, Merck, Moderna, ”, Covid Locations: Sweden, BioNTech, Rome

☆ This airline announced a special flight with a mystery destination—over 1,000 people signed up
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Have you ever considered just packing a bag and catching a flight without knowing the destination? Scandinavian Airlines, a Sweden-based carrier, recently announced the opportunity for members of its EuroBonus loyalty program to book a flight experience they call "Destination Unknown." In a press release, the airline says that "within minutes" of the announcement on February 12, over 1,000 members signed up for the surprise flight. Registration closed 24 hours later and those selected for the trip had an additional 24 hours to confirm their seat on the plane and make a payment. The trip will fly from Copenhagen, Denmark, on April 5 and return to the same city on April 8.

Organizations: Airlines Locations: Sweden, Copenhagen, Denmark

☆ 'It is urgent': European leaders appeal for greater support for Ukraine as Russia makes major gain
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's prime minister, speaks on day two of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized a waning sense of urgency among delegates at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday as Moscow's full-scale offensive nearly enters its third year. "The sense of urgency is simply not clear enough in our discussions," Frederiksen told a lunchtime session. Denmark has now donated its entire artillery to Ukraine, Frederiksen said, urging other countries to do the same as the war marks its second anniversary on Feb. 24. The policymakers were speaking at the 7th Munich Ukrainian Lunch, hosted on the sidelines of the MSC by the Yalta European Strategy (YES) forum and Ukrainian non-profit the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

Persons: Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's, Frederiksen, Putin, Radosław Sikorski, Victor Pinchuk, Tobias Billström, Bakhmut, Nikolay Denkov, Denkov, Genya Savilov, Hillary Clinton, —, Niall Ferguson, Clinton, Petr Pavel, Kaja Kallas, Alexander De Croo, Bulgaria Nikolay Denkov Organizations: Munich, Bloomberg, Getty, Kyiv, MSC, Yalta European Strategy, Victor, Victor Pinchuk Foundation, Sweden's, Moscow, 47th Mechanized Brigade, Bradley, Afp, Former, U.S, CNBC Locations: Munich, Germany, MUNICH, Ukraine, Danish, Denmark, Poland, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Moscow, Russia, Europe, U.S, Donetsk, Western, Czech Republic, Republic of Estonia, Belgium, Bulgaria

☆ Hungary can ratify Sweden’s NATO bid as soon as Feb 26, Orban says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Hungary can ratify Sweden’s NATO bid as soon as February 26 when the country’s parliament reconvenes, Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Saturday. “We are going in the direction that, at the start of parliament’s spring session, we can ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO.”According to the Hungarian government’s website, the parliament reconvenes for its spring session on February 26. Hungary is the last NATO member to approve Sweden’s accession to the military alliance. Last June, Orban’s party Fidesz told CNN that it expected Sweden to “allay its concerns” before the vote on Sweden’s accession to NATO. Finland joined NATO in April 2023 – doubling the alliance’s border with Russia – but Sweden’s bid was mired in challenges.

Persons: reconvenes, Viktor Orban, ” Orban, Orban’s, Orban, Jens Stoltenberg, “, Vladimir Putin, Katalin Organizations: CNN, NATO, Swedish, Fidesz, ”, Russia, European Union Locations: Hungary, Sweden, ” Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Russia, Hungarian, Turkey

☆ Hungary Can Soon Ratify Sweden's NATO Bid, PM Orban Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The Hungarian parliament can ratify Sweden's NATO membership when it convenes for its new spring session later this month, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told his supporters on Saturday. "It's good news that our dispute with Sweden will soon be settled," Orban said. "We are going in the direction that at the start of parliament's spring session we can ratify Sweden's accession to NATO."

Persons: Viktor Orban, " Orban Organizations: NATO Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungarian, Sweden

“I didn’t even make it home, and you’re telling me that I got traded,” Tapani added, remembering what she told Minnesota GM Natalie Darwitz. The trade became the first to put CBA relocation clauses to the test, while creating some initial confusion among the players involved. Jaques and Cook left their cars behind, unsure of how to get them to their new cities. Cook said PWHL officials have been in contact to help with the challenges of relocation. “They’ve been asking and trying to learn about what we’re going through, so yeah, I think it’ll be different for the next lucky girl that gets traded,” Cook said.

Persons: Susanna Tapani, “, ” Tapani, Natalie Darwitz, Abby Cook, Sophie Jaques —, ” Jaques, PWHL, What’s, Jaques, Cook, they’re, Liz Schepers, Clair DeGeorge, Schepers, “ They’ve, ” Cook, ” Darwitz, Darwitz, Jacques, Lee Stecklein, Danielle Marmer, Marmer, ’ ”, GM Don Sweeney, Tapani, ”, it’s Organizations: hockey, Hockey, Minnesota, Tapani, NHL, Ohio, Boston, NHL's Bruins, GM, ” Locations: Twin Cities, Boston, Minnesota, Finland, Sweden, Russia

☆ Women in Iceland want you to know it's not a gender equality utopia, despite what the statistics say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

AdvertisementBoth Icelandic and foreign-born women told BI that though they largely feel safe in Iceland, it's no feminist paradise. "That was like a wake up call for many women," Thorgerdur J. Einarsdóttir, professor of gender studies at the University of Iceland, told BI. Some groups of women are more vulnerable to violence and low wages, including foreign-born women, women with disabilities, and trans women, the interviewees said. Older generations fight so younger ones can flourishBut despite these concerns, the women BI spoke to said that they largely felt safe living in Iceland. Women BI spoke to largely said they felt optimistic about the changes that future generations would bring.

Persons: —, Arni Torfason, Saadia Zahidi, Valenttina Griffin, Grace Dean, Adolphsdóttir, Einarsdóttir, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, Sigurðardóttir, Iceland's, Halldor Kolbeins, Sonja Ýr Þorbergsdóttir, Þorbergsdóttir, Inclusivity, Alice Olivia Clarke, Mads Claus Rasmussen, Ritzau Scanpix, they'd, Steinars, she'd, she's, Ása Steinars, Alondra Silva Muñoz, Griffin, Silva Muñoz, Sigrún, Rósa, that's, Shruthi Basappa, I've, it's, Jewells Chambers, Silva Muñoz –, millennials –, … Organizations: Service, Viking Women, Stockings, Women's Rights, Nordic, Red Stockings, United Nations, Farmers ' Union, University of Iceland, Getty, Iceland, UN, Statistics, Sweden –, Icelandic Teachers ' Union, SEI Locations: Iceland, Reykjavik, Icelandic, Denmark, AFP, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Statistics Iceland, Colombia, Lithuania, Spain, Poland, India, Chile, WomenTechIceland, it's, Brooklyn, New York City, Thorhildur

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

☆ Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny had long been a thorn in Putin’s side
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Laura Smith-Spark | Zamira Rahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

From prison, Navalny denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine via social media and encouraged anti-war protests across the country. Navalny was detained and sent to a Russian prison in 2021 after he had returned to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from Novichok poisoning he blamed on the Russian government. Navalny took up Nemtsov’s mantle, becoming Russia’s most prominent opposition figure. Alexey Navalny was given a suspended sentence and his brother was sentenced to a prison term. Russia launched a new fraud accusation and jail threat against Navalny at the end of 2020, increasing pressure on him.

Persons: CNN — Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny, Alexei Navalny, Dmitry Lovetsky, “, Putin, ”, Kira Yarmysh, Dmitry Peskov, Alexander Litvinenko, Novichok, Sergei Skripal, Russia’s, Boris Nemtsov, Alexey Navalny, ‘ Putin, Oleg, Yves Rocher, “ Putin, ” Navalny, Dasha Navalnaya, Margarita Kotova, gaunt, Alexey, –, Putin –, Alexander Nemenov, vociferously, I’m, Yulia Navalnaya Organizations: CNN, United, Kremlin, CNN Former, Getty, Corruption, Navalny, “, Moscow’s, Peoples University, Transneft, Court, of Human Locations: United Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, Germany, Moscow, CNN Former Russian, Britain, Russian, English, Salisbury, Siberian, Tomsk, Omsk, France, Sweden, Anadolu, Melekhovo, Vladimir Region, Butyn, AFP, Moscow’s

☆ 580 courses in 365 days: How crushing a world record changed one golfer’s perspective on life and America
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Don Riddell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Patrick Koenig played golf – a lot of golf. By the time he finished his golfing trek, Koenig had played in the USA, Finland, and Sweden, completing 580 different courses in 365 days. Assuming his record application – which typically take up to 12 weeks to review, according to the Guinness World Record website – is accepted, he will have smashed the previous best total by 131 courses. As well as playing an awful lot of golf, the experience has changed Koenig’s perspective on the world. Some days I wanted to sleep because I was tired, but I was like, ‘Oh, I can get up and play golf.

Persons: Patrick Koenig, Koenig, –, ”, “, Jonathan, Cathie Weaver, I’m, spatters Koenig, I’d, Royal New Kent –, ” Koenig, I’ve, ’, Rachel Alcone, he’d, Patrick Koenig ‘, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Guinness, North, Monarch Beach, “, Royal New Locations: USA, Finland, Sweden, Canadian, California, Colorado, South Carolina, Pebble, Royal New Kent, Virginia, Royal, Sand Hills, Nebraska, Washington, Florida, Vermont, Texas, America

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Marrit Steenbergen won gold for the Netherlands in the women's 100-meter freestyle Friday at the World Aquatics Championships. “The back half is my specialty,” said Steenbergen, who also was part of the winning Dutch team in the 4x100 freestyle relay. World record-holder Sarah Sjöström of Sweden is at the championships but withdrew from the 100 free before the preliminaries. The Americans, who are three-time reigning Olympic champions, bounced back from a quarterfinal loss at last year’s world championships in Fukuoka. Hungary came up just short of its first women's world title since 2005.

Persons: Marrit Steenbergen, Siobhán Haughey, Hong Kong, Steenbergen, “, ”, Haughey, Jack, Kate Douglass, ” Haughey, Australia's Mollie O'Callaghan, Sarah Sjöström, Rachel Fattal, Ashleigh Johnson, ___ Organizations: Paris, Dutch, Doha, United, Olympic, Greece Locations: DOHA, Qatar, Netherlands, Hong, Fukuoka, Australia, Sweden, United States, Hungary, Fukuoka . Hungary, Spain

☆ Swedish Prosecutors Turn Down Request to Reopen 'Estonia' Ferry Disaster Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish prosecutors said on Thursday they had turned down a request to reopen investigations into the sinking of the "Estonia" ferry in 1994 with the loss of 852 lives, as there was no new evidence to suggest a collision, an explosion or a crime. The roll-on, roll-off ferry sank in international waters in the Baltic Sea during stormy weather on its way to Stockholm from Estonia's capital, Tallinn. Sweden's Prosecution Authority received a request in 2020 to resume investigations after footage on a television documentary showed holes in the ship's hull. Photos You Should See View All 22 Images"The case is closed," she added in a statement. The statement did not say who had made the request to resume investigations.

Persons: Karolina Wieslander, Anna Ringstrom, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Sweden's, Authority Locations: STOCKHOLM, Estonia, Baltic, Stockholm, Estonia's, Tallinn, Estonian

MUNICH (AP) — Long regarded as a celebration of the U.S.-led post-World War II international order, the Munich Security Conference this year will be more of a reflection of America’s political turmoil. And overshadowing it all will be Trump’s threat to not automatically come to the defense of European allies should they be attacked by Russia. That is a cornerstone of NATO’s founding treaty, which has taken on additional significance since Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022. Blinken, too, will be conveying that message in Munich, according to the top U.S. diplomat for Europe, James O’Brien. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz assailed Trump’s comments.

Persons: — Long, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Alejandro Mayorkas, Adolf Hitler, Harris, Blinken, laud, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Jake Sullivan, ”, James O’Brien, O’Brien, “, Olaf Scholz, Trump’s, Jens Stoltenberg Organizations: Munich Security, Homeland, Republican, Nazi Party, laud American, Republicans, NATO, Democratic Locations: MUNICH, U.S, Munich, Russia, Ukraine, Gaza, Bavarian, Europe, Congress, United States, Finland, Sweden

☆ ‘Vittrup Man’ was a Stone Age migrant before his violent death
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

What the team discovered while piecing together Vittrup Man’s life is shedding light on the movements and connections between different Stone Age cultures. Vittrup Man was likely born and grew up along the coast of the Scandinavian Peninsula, perhaps within the frigid climes of Norway or Sweden. Studying Vittrup Man has helped researchers gain insights about the genetics, lifestyles and ritual practices that can be traced to Stone Age societies, Sjögren said. A cartoon included with the new research depicts how Vittrup Man was possibly sacrificed in a swamp. But it’s also possible that Vittrup Man was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Persons: “, ”, Anders Fischer, piecing, Vittrup, Karl, Göran Sjögren, Lasse Sørensen, ” Sørensen, Sjögren, ” Fischer, Fischer, Niels Bach, Kristian Kristiansen, it’s, Roy van Beek, Van Beek, ” van Beek Organizations: CNN, Stone, University of Gothenburg, National Museum, Wageningen University & Research Locations: Denmark, Northern Europe, Vittrup, Sweden, Sealand, Norway, Scandinavia, subsisting, Copenhagen, Europe, Netherlands

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s House of Representatives has ramped up pressure on the United States and Britain to end the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange by passing a motion calling for the Australian citizen to be allowed to return to his home country. Independent lawmaker Andrew Wilkie moved the motion on Wednesday one week ahead of Britain’s High Court of Justice hearing Assange’s appeal against extradition to the United States on espionage charges. Leaders of both the government and the opposition have publicly stated that the United States’ pursuit of the 52-year-old had dragged on for too long. Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton on Thursday welcomed the lawmakers' vote, adding that his notorious sibling could potentially be extradited to the United States next week. Senior opposition lawmaker Dan Tehan said the motion did not reflect his party’s wish that the prosecution progress more quickly.

Persons: Julian Assange, Andrew Wilkie, Anthony Albanese, Assange, Gabriel Shipton, he’ll, ” Shipton, Wilkie, Albanese, Australia’s, Joe Biden, State Anthony Blinken, Dan Tehan, ” Tehan, Tehan, Chelsea Manning, Manning, Barack Obama Organizations: —, Independent, Australian, Ecuadorian Embassy, House, U.S, State, WikiLeaks, Army, Manning’s Locations: MELBOURNE, Australia, United States, Britain, Britain’s, Ecuadorian, London, Sweden

☆ Congress acted to protect NATO. But it might not be enough to stop Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Zachary Wolf | Analysis Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Bettmann Archive/Getty ImagesPulling American generals out of NATO might force other NATO countries to seek their own nuclear deterrents. More members hit 2% benchmarkTrump frequently complains that NATO members other than the US don’t pay dues, which is a misstatement of facts. Multiple NATO countries do not hit that benchmark, although spending has risen since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “It’s just like any relationship,” said Bergmann of the likelihood of permanent damage if Trump were to materially alter the NATO alliance. I know exactly what he has done and will do with the NATO alliance,” Rubio said, although he added, “But there has to be an alliance.”

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Trump, “, Biden, Peter Bergen, Vladimir Putin, CNN’s Jim Sciutto, ” Sciutto, What’s, Kurt Volker, Chip Somodevilla, Volker, ” Volker, “ It’s, ”, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Max Bergmann, Bergmann, It’s, ” Marco Rubio, Sen, Marco Rubio, ” Rubio, he’s Organizations: CNN — Lawmakers, Trump, NATO, Republicans, Ukraine, CNN, Biden, Senate, House Intelligence, Allied, Eurasia Program, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Palais, Bettmann, World Trade Center, Pentagon Locations: Russia, “, Russian, Soviet Union, NATO, United States, Atlantic, Washington ,, Europe, American, Chaillot, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Afghanistan, France, Marco Rubio of Florida, “ State

☆ Russia Suspends Annual Payments to Arctic Council, RIA Agency Reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia has suspended annual payments to the Arctic Council until "real work" resumes with the participation of all member countries, Russia's RIA state news agency reported, citing the country's foreign ministry. "At the moment, Russia's payment of annual contributions to the budget of the Arctic Council has been suspended until the resumption of real work in this format with the participation of all member countries," the ministry told RIA. Cooperation between the Western Arctic states of the intergovernmental body and Moscow came to a freeze after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. The Arctic Council was created in 1996 to discuss issues affecting the polar region, ranging from pollution to local economic development to search-and-rescue missions. For now, Russia does not consider leaving the Council, the foreign ministry told RIA.

Persons: Maria Zakharova, Lidia Kelly, Jacqueline Wong, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, Arctic Council, RIA, Cooperation, Arctic, Council, TASS, Duma, Organization for Security Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, United States, Melbourne

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s first astronaut returned home to a hero’s welcome Monday, portrayed as a symbol of the country’s advances in technology and aerospace. Alper Gezeravci was greeted by bouquet-laden children at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport as he returned from a private three-week mission to the International Space Station. His space flight, for which Turkey paid roughly $55 million, was the third such journey organized by Houston-based Axiom Space with NASA and SpaceX. A new page has been opened in space science and technologies for Turkey.”Turkey established its own space agency in 2018, and said it will land on the moon by 2026. They enjoyed a few extra days at the space station, waiting for the weather to improve in the splashdown zone.

Persons: — Turkey’s, Gezeravci, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, “, Mehmet Fatih Kacir, Walter Villadei, Sweden’s Marcus Wandt, Michael Lopez, Alegria Organizations: Ankara’s, International Space, Turkey, NASA, SpaceX, ” Industry, Technology Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkish, Turkey, ”, Florida, Houston, ” Turkey

☆ Trump’s incendiary NATO remarks send very real shudders through Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

NATO gives it a global bedrock of legitimacy, support for the dollar, and the post-Soviet hegemony it thrives upon. Saturday’s misunderstanding considered, Trump’s comments come at a devastatingly bad time for Europe. The more the US bemoans its allies and their miserly neglect of NATO, and withdraw from it, the less powerful it is. Is NATO willing to go to war with Moscow over Russian-speaking parts of the Baltic state of Estonia? He is not simply saying the US won’t help NATO allies who haven’t paid.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, doesn’t, –, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Tucker Carlson, Russia’s, ’, Charles Michel, Trump’s, haven’t Organizations: London CNN, Trump, NATO, Republican, GOP, Putin, Fox News, Kremlin, Senior, Britons, European Locations: Russia, Europe, Ukraine, Kyiv, America, Moscow, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Romania, France, Baltic, Estonia, Svalbard, Russian, Finland, Sweden, Western Europe

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