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That pushed Biden's count past 1,968 for a majority of delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this August, where his nomination will be made official. Former President Donald Trump is expected to clinch the Republican nomination shortly. Biden, who mounted his first bid for president 37 years ago, did not face any serious Democratic challengers to his run for reelection at age 81. Already the oldest-ever American president, Biden would be 86 if he served out the entirety of a second term. “I sure feel confident.”Biden first ran for the Democratic nomination ahead of the 1988 presidential election, but flamed out when it emerged he had plagiarized speeches.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, —, Trump, Vladimir Putin, Roe, Wade, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Robert Hur, I’ve, he’s, Dean Phillips, Phillips, Said, Aishah Al, Louis, “ It’s, ”, Barack Obama, uncommitted, Delaware Sen, Ted Kaufman, “, ” Biden, Kaufman Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Democratic National Convention, Republican, Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, NATO, GOP, Trump, Biden, Republicans, Dean Phillips of Locations: Georgia, Chicago, U.S, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Western Europe, Afghanistan, Kabul, Dean Phillips of Minnesota, St, Louis Park , Minnesota, Delaware, Iowa, South Carolina

☆ 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

The GOP has been softening its stance on Russia ever since Trump won the 2016 election following Russian hacking of his Democratic opponents. Now the GOP's ambivalence on Russia has stalled additional aid to Ukraine at a pivotal time in the war. Things are changing just not fast enough.”Those who oppose additional Ukraine aid bristle at charges that they are doing Putin's handiwork. Even before Trump, Republican voters were signaling discontent with overseas conflicts, said Douglas Kriner, a political scientist at Cornell University. Skeptics of Ukraine aid argue the war has already decimated the Russian military and that Putin won't be able to target other European countries.

Persons: Republican Sen, Ron Johnson of, Vladimir Putin, “, Johnson, “ Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Putin, Mike Johnson, ”, “ Putin, ” Republican Sen, Thom Tillis, Mitch McConnell of, Alexei Navalny, Joe Biden, Tillis, ” Johnson, Missouri Sen, Eric Schmitt, ” Alabama Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Tucker Carlson’s, Matt Gaetz, Trump, Douglas Kriner, ” Kriner, ” Trump, didn’t, Olga Kamenchuk, ” Kamenchuk, That’s, “ He's, he's, ” Henry Hale, Russell Vought, Sergey Radchenko, Joey Cappelletti, Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro Organizations: Republican, GOP, Trump, Democratic, Republicans, NATO, ” Republican, Republican Party, ”, Cornell University, Northwestern University, Ukraine, Pew Research, George Washington University, Management, Center, Johns Hopkins ’ School, International Studies, Associated Press Locations: Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Europe, U.S, North Carolina, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, America, Missouri, ” Alabama, Waterford Township , Michigan, ” Russia, “, Moscow, Soviet Union, Putin's U.S, Israel, Taiwan, Western Europe, Soviet, Lithuania, Estonia, Washington

☆ Ukraine's military is shifting to a defensive strategy that failed Nazi Germany in WWII
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Ukraine's military has chosen a defensive strategy that echoes the German approach from WWII. AdvertisementAnswering that question first requires defining “active defense,” one of those broad military terms that mean different things to different people. Active defense is meant to be waged by large units, while Ukraine appears to conducting small-unit operations. “Active defense was understood to be generally applicable to divisions, corps and field armies,” Nash said. Even a limited ‘active defense’ needs all of these elements, too.”Last summer, Ukraine’s frontal assault with vehicles hit mines and were menaced by missiles fired from Russian helicopters.

Persons: today’s, Douglas Nash, ” Nash, “, –, Erich von Manstein, von Manstein, von Manstein’s, “ Von Manstein, Ukraine —, Russia —, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Erich Von Manstein, it’s, Von Manstein, Hitler, inflexibly, von Organizations: Third Reich, Red Army, US, US Army, Western Allies, Wehrmacht, Keystone, Getty, German, Reuters, AK, Russo, NATO, West, NATO —, Soviets Locations: Nazi Germany, Ukraine, Russia, today’s Ukraine, Berlin, Stalingrad, Germany, Italy, France, Kharkov, Ukrainian, Donetsk Oblast, Avdiivka, Ukraine’s, It’s, Russian, Warsaw, Western Europe, West Germany

☆ 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

☆ '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

☆ NATO: Higher defense spending is no magic bullet after Trump’s attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It’s first worth noting which countries have most dramatically increased their defense spending since the invasion of Ukraine. Yves Herman/ReutersTrump’s well-documented comments about NATO and European defense spending woke them up from that slumber. The example many point to is a deal struck earlier this year between multiple European countries to buy 1,000 Patriot missiles. “Pensions for soldiers are useful, sure, but they are not going to shoot a Russian,” a European security official told CNN. But it will be worth it, if countries don’t get bored and work together.

Persons: Donald Trump, ”, don’t, Jens Stoltenberg, It’s, Yves Herman, Reuters Trump’s, Theresa May, Trump, EMMANUEL DUNAND, Malcolm Chalmers, Russia – Organizations: CNN, NATO, Reuters, Patriot, Inter, Officials, New Nato Force Model, Getty, Royal United Services Institute, Pensions, “, Diplomats Locations: Russia, NATO, Europe, Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, America, Germany, AFP, European, France, China

☆ Valentine's Day chocolate prices highest in years amid cocoa shortage
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But lovers may experience sticker shock this year due to higher cocoa and sugar prices. "Chocolate prices are the highest we've seen in years," said a representative of NielsenIQ. He noted that in spite of higher prices, the chocolate market is robust in mature markets like Europe and North America. Now, chocolate and Valentine's Day are synonymous, even if critics say the affiliation is perpetuated by marketing gimmicks. That being said, chocolates are not the only Valentines' Day treats that will dent the wallet this year.

Persons: Scott Olson, Sergey Chetvertakov, David Branch, there's, Kim, Mintec, It's, Andrew Francis Wallace Organizations: Valentine's, Getty, P, El Nino, Food Institute, Branch, CNBC, Bloomberg, National Confectioners Association, Toronto Star Locations: Chicago , Illinois, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Wells, Asia, India, Africa, Azaguie, Europe, North America, Western Europe, Singapore, Toronto

☆ 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

☆ Human bones unearthed from a German cave have altered the timeline of ancient human history
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This led them to Ilsenhöhle cave in Ranis, Germany, one of several sites across Northwestern Europe where LRJ artifacts have been found. AdvertisementMining ancient DNAWhen they excavated the cave, the researchers uncovered more than just LRJ artifacts — they came upon tiny bone fragments, too. AdvertisementTo that end, they extracted DNA, which confirmed the bones belong to Homo sapiens, providing strong evidence that they were responsible for the LRJ artifacts. According to their data, Homo sapiens were present in Ranis 47,500 years ago — thousands of years earlier than previously thought. Geoff M. SmithQuestions remain about how warm-weather-adapted Homo sapiens survived such a dramatic transition.

Persons: —, Josephine Schubert, sapiens, ”, Jean, Jacques Hublin, Hublin, Tim Schüler, Max Planck, ” Hublin, Dorothea Mylopotamitaki, Homo sapiens, Marcel Weiss, “ It’s, sapien, Geoff M, Smith, Geoff Smith, “ Organizations: Service, Business, Burg, College of France, Max, Max Planck Institute, University of Kent Locations: Ranis, Europe, Germany, Northwestern Europe, Western Europe, Africa, Scandinavia, Siberia

It is the first time Moody’s has lowered Israel’s credit rating, which is used by investors to measure the riskiness of investing in a global entity or government. Moody’s downgraded Israel from A1 to A2 and said the outlook for the country’s economy was “negative.” The A2 rating nonetheless continues to carry relatively low risk, according to Moody's. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesStill, Israeli officials fear that the Moody’s downgrade could lead other major agencies also to downgrade Israel’s outlook. Israel’s economy bounced back after previous wars with Hamas, but the current war is much longer than any of those. Concerns about Israel’s governance, rising inflation and a worldwide slowdown in tech investments last year also weighed on the economy.

Persons: “, ” Moody’s, Moody’s, Bezalel Smotrich, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Michel Strawczynski, it’s, Amir Yaron, Israel –, Western Europe —, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Moody's Organizations: —, Sunday, Finance, Hebrew University, Bank of Israel, Bank of Israel Gov Locations: TEL AVIV, Israel, Gaza, Jerusalem, Western Europe

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo sparred at the United Nations over the latter's ban of the use of the Serbian currency in areas where minority Serbs live, the latest crisis between the two governments. The dinar was widely used in ethnic Serbian-dominated areas, especially in Kosovo's north, to pay pensions and salaries to staff in Serbian parallel institutions, including schools and hospitals. In 1999, a 78-day NATO bombing campaign ended a war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo. Serbian forces were pushed out but Belgrade never recognized Kosovo’s independence and still considers it a Serbian province. The European Union and the United States expressed concern that Kosovo’s ban of the dinar could raise tensions in an already volatile region and called for consultations and a delay in the ban.

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic, ”, Albin Kurti, ” Kurti, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Dmitry Polyansky, Kurti Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Kosovo sparred, United Nations, . Security, NATO, Albanian, European Union, Center for Peace Locations: Serbia, Kosovo, Serbian, Kosovo's, Belgrade, Western Europe, United States, Pristina

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

☆ Atlantic Ocean currents may be on the verge of collapse, which could plunge Europe into a deep freeze, a new study shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Seth Borenstein | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

“It also depends on the rate of climate change we are inducing as humanity,” van Westen said. AdvertisementThe Dutch team simulated 2,200 years of its flow, adding in what human-caused climate change does to it. They found after 1,750 years “an abrupt AMOC collapse,” but so far are unable to translate that simulated timeline to Earth's real future. "This value is getting more negative under climate change,” van Westen said. The world should pay attention to potential AMOC collapse, said Joel Hirschi, division leader at the United Kingdom's National Oceanography Centre.

Persons: ”, Rene van Westen, “, Bob Edme, ” van Westen, it's, van Westen, Stefan Rahmstorf, ” Rahmstorf, Tim Lenton, Thwaites, ” Lenton, Wei Cheng, Joel Hirschi, ” Hirschi, ” ___ Read Organizations: Service, Southern, Utrecht University, AP, United Nations, Earth Systems, Potsdam Institute, Climate Research, University, Exeter, NASA, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Pacific, U.S ., United, National Oceanography Locations: Europe, Northwestern, Netherlands, Germany, Greenland, Americas, Africa, Florida, U.S, U.S . East Coast

Photos You Should See View All 21 Images“It also depends on the rate of climate change we are inducing as humanity,” van Westen said. The Dutch team simulated 2,200 years of its flow, adding in what human-caused climate change does to it. They found after 1,750 years “an abrupt AMOC collapse,” but so far are unable to translate that simulated timeline to Earth's real future. "This value is getting more negative under climate change,” van Westen said. The world should pay attention to potential AMOC collapse, said Joel Hirschi, division leader at the United Kingdom's National Oceanography Centre.

Persons: ”, Rene van Westen, “, ” van Westen, it's, van Westen, Stefan Rahmstorf, ” Rahmstorf, Tim Lenton, ” Lenton, Wei Cheng, Joel Hirschi, ” Hirschi, ” ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: Southern, Utrecht University, United Nations, Earth Systems, Potsdam Institute, Climate Research, ” University of Exeter, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NASA, Pacific, U.S ., United, National Oceanography, Associated Press Locations: Europe, Netherlands, Germany, Greenland, Americas, Africa, Florida, U.S, U.S . East Coast, AP.org

☆ Sweden Closes Investigation Into Nord Stream Pipeline Blasts
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Rebecca R. Ruiz | More About Rebecca R. Ruiz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Swedish authorities on Wednesday closed a more than yearlong investigation into the undersea attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, citing a lack of authority to further pursue those responsible for sabotaging the critical piece of energy infrastructure intended to supply Western Europe with Russian gas. “Sweden does not have the jurisdiction to investigate this matter further,” the Swedish Security Service said in a statement on Wednesday. The series of underwater explosions ripped holes in three of the four strands of Nord Stream pipelines and led officials to conclude that they were most likely caused by a state actor. Some saw the attacks, which came close to damaging a cable supplying electricity from Sweden to Poland, as a warning that raised concern about what other infrastructure could be vulnerable. The blasts occurred in international waters but in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark, which gave those nations a hook to investigate.

Persons: Ukraine — Organizations: Swedish Security Service Locations: Europe, Sweden, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Denmark

☆ ‘Like going to the moon’: The world’s most terrifying ocean crossing
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

And it’s not just the winds making the waters rough – the Drake is basically one big surge of water. We’re not gambling.”Even with that extra safety margin, though, he admits that crossing the Drake can be a hairy experience. A dangerous thrillAurora Expeditions' Greg Mortimer ship has a patented bow to make a Drake crossing more stable. “The only thing that works for me is going to the ship’s medic for a scopolamine patch,” he says. “If you were going to the moon, you’d expect the journey to be uncomfortable but it’d be worth it,” she says.

Persons: CNN —, ” Alfred Lansing, Ernest Shackleton’s, Drake, ”, it’s, Mike Hill, Adam ”, Alexander Brearley, –, ” “, Storm Isha, Brearley, That’s, It’s, Clelia, Fiona Stewart, Garett McIntosh, Horn, “, Stanislas Devorsine, Sue Flood, Le Commandant Charcot, ” Devorsine, Devorsine, “ We’re, Jamie Lafferty, “ Drake, Greg Mortimer, Tyson Mayr, He’s, Mundy, Edwina Lonsdale, ” Lonsdale, Sylvia Earle, Lonsdale, DreamPictures, acupressure, ” Jamie Lafferty, I’ve, ” Warren Cairns, There’s Organizations: CNN, British Antarctic Survey, Atlantic, “, AP, South America –, Aurora Expeditions, Institute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council of Locations: Antarctica, isn’t, South America, Ireland, Panama, Europe, South, California, New York, Cape Horn, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, –, France, Cape, National Research Council of Italy, it’s, Lonsdale

☆ Poland Extends Border Controls With Slovakia to Stem Illegal Migration
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland has extended border controls with Slovakia until March 2 to try to stop illegal migrants entering from Slovak territory, the interior ministry said on Friday. "Due to the continuing threat of illegal migration... the Minister of Interior and Administration extended the temporary reintroduction of border control on the section of the state border with the Slovak Republic for the period from February 2 to March 2, 2024," it said. Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria all tightened their borders with Slovakia on Oct. 4. The Czech Republic said this week it would end temporary controls on its border with Slovakia. Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria are all part of Europe's open-border Schengen zone.

Persons: Anna Wlodarczak, Nick Macfie Organizations: of Interior, Administration, European Union Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Slovakia, Slovak Republic, East, Afghanistan, Europe, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, EU, Czech Republic, Austria, Israel, Gaza

☆ What old bones reveal about the earliest Europeans
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Modern humans, or homo sapiens, weren’t previously known to have lived as far north as the region where the tools were made. “The Ranis cave site provides evidence for the first dispersal of Homo sapiens across the higher latitudes of Europe. It also shows that Homo sapiens, our species, crossed the Alps into the cold climes of northern and central Europe earlier than thought. Using the same technique, the team also managed to identify human remains among bones excavated during the 1930s. However, the protein analysis was only able to identify the bones as belonging to hominins — a category that includes Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis, or Neanderthals.

Persons: weren’t, ”, Jean, Jacques Hublin, Max Planck, Marcel Weiss, Friedrich, “, hominins, neanderthalensis, Elena Zavala, ” Zavala, denning, Dorothea Mylopotamitaki “, Sarah Pederzani, William E, Banks, ” Banks, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, Max, Max Planck Institute, Alexander University Erlangen, Evolutionary Anthropology, University of California, University of La, University of Bordeaux Locations: Europe, Ranis, Germany, France, Paris, Leipzig, Moravia, Poland, British, Nürnberg, Berkeley, Siberia, Eurasia, University of La Laguna, Spain, “

☆ The global cities with the best quality of life show how dire the affordability crisis is
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementLiving in a global city with a high quality of life is increasingly reserved for the wealthiest. The world's most liveable cities — for the wealthyThe rising cost of housing, food, and other household goods is helping worsen the affordability crisis in these cities. Vienna, for example, has kept housing costs remarkably low through its generous social housing system. The average studio apartment in Zurich costs $1.1 million and the average home across the country costs $1.4 million, the Times reported. Like in many American cities, a severe housing shortage in cities like Zurich and Geneva is also contributing to rising home costs.

Persons: —, EIU Organizations: Service, Economist's Intelligence, The New York Times, Times, Swiss Locations: Zurich, Copenhagen, Vienna, Austria Copenhagen, Denmark Melbourne, Australia Sydney, Australia Vancouver, Canada Zurich, Switzerland Geneva, Switzerland, Calgary, Canada, —, Geneva, Singapore, New York, Hong Kong Los Angeles Paris, France Copenhagen, Tel Aviv, Israel, Vancouver, Sydney, Paris

Here's why European farmers are taking their anger to the streets:THE HISTORYPolitical Cartoons View All 253 ImagesWorld War II had spread hunger on a bountiful continent. When the war ended, Western European leaders knew that the way to people's hearts was through their stomachs. The vision of EU farming from early on was economy of scale — bigger farms, bigger holdings, setting standard rules across borders. “European farmers have found themselves under increasing pressure from many sides,” European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič said. On Wednesday, the European Commission made two key proposals — one to shield EU farmers from cheap Ukrainian imports and one to sidestep an environmental measure.

Persons: Ursula, Ursula von der Leyen, —, von der, “ Ursula, ”, Jean, Francois Deflandre, Paolo Pepponi, It’s, it’s, Pepponi, Benoit Laqueue, Nicolas Abbeloos, “, Maroš Šefčovič, Šefčovič, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: HALLE, European, Agriculture, EU, European Commission, South Locations: Belgium, Paris, Brussels, EU, Ukraine, Kyiv, Halle, Lithuania, France, Spain, Italy, Rome, Europe, Sedan, New Zealand, Chile

BERLIN (AP) — Efforts to fight public sector corruption are faltering around the world, in part because a “global decline in justice and the rule of law since 2016," according to a corruption index released Tuesday. Transparency International, which compiles the annual Corruption Perceptions Index, found 23 countries at their worst level since the global ranking began almost three decades ago, including both high-ranking democracies and authoritarian states. The global average was unchanged at 43 for the 12th consecutive year, and more than two-thirds of countries scored below 50. Arab countries’ average score on the index hit an all-time low of 34, and sub-Saharan Africa remained stagnant at 33. Transparency International said that the government's “pervasive control of public institutions facilitates the widespread abuse of power without accountability" while judicial independence is eroding.

Persons: ”, François Valérian, party's Organizations: BERLIN, Transparency, World Bank, Economic, European Union Locations: Iceland, Netherlands, Sweden, Britain, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, United States, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, North Korea, Nicaragua, Asia, Pacific, Latin America, Caribbean, Saharan Africa, Europe, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine

The unrest in France is also likely tied to how some French people feel about the country’s political atmosphere more broadly. The National Rally also garnered the highest percentage support among France’s political parties in a mid-December poll. In 2022, nearly half of France’s immigrant population had been born in Africa, with the top source countries being Algeria and Morocco, according to INSEE. The French president said in December that the immigration law is “what the French wanted.” And at least one recent poll appears to echo this. And nearly three-quarters (73%) thought the law was inspired by the ideas of the National Rally party.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Pen, –, Élisabeth Borne, Le Pen’s, Macron –, “, Macron Organizations: Republicans, National, Constitutional, Ministry, People, AP, Le, National Institute of Statistics, Economic Studies, National Rally Locations: France, Europe, Germany, Western Europe, Africa, Algeria, Morocco, North Africa

☆ Passengers wake up in the ‘wrong’ country as Storm Isha plays havoc with flight plans
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Thousands of airline passengers across Europe woke up this morning at the wrong destination – and even in the wrong country – after Storm Isha caused havoc with flights, with dozens of cancelations, diversions and go-arounds in western Europe. Quintupling flight timesThis flight from Shannon to Edinburgh ended up in Cologne. There were over 100 go-arounds at UK airports, according to NATS, the UK’s air traffic control operator. “We did see some diverted flights leaving Manchester and some diverted to Manchester because of conditions at other airports, particularly Dublin,” they said. London’s Gatwick airport saw 22 diversions, but was able to take five flights diverted from other airports, according to a spokesperson for the airport.

Persons: Storm Isha, Kevin Cullinane, FlightRadar, “ Isha, Steve Fox, “, ”, –, Jerry Dyer, – Dyer, Isha, Jerry, Big Organizations: CNN, Ryanair, Dublin Airport, FlightRadar, Paris Beauvais, Belfast, Dublin, Lufthansa, Cork, NATS, Gatwick, Stansted, Big Jet, Heathrow, Birmingham Airport, London Locations: Europe, Ireland, Dublin, daa, ’, Lanzarote, Canary, Bordeaux, France, Shannon, Edinburgh, Cologne, Manchester, Paris, What’s, Glasgow, Liverpool –, Belfast, Liverpool, Scotland, Germany, Munich, England, Deauville, Stansted, London, Antalya, Turkey, Lyon, Budapest, Cork, Mexico City

☆ BYD: Why Hungary and Mexico could be key to the Chinese carmaker’s global domination
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The cars come from BYD, the Chinese carmaker that is backed by Warren Buffett and has surpassed Tesla as the world’s biggest seller of electric vehicles (EVs). 1," a shipping carrier vessel intended to export BYD vehicles, at Yantai port in eastern China's Shandong province in January. BYD Mexico did not respond to a request for comment. “The US government is not going to like that Mexico is creating a back door.”A BYD electric vehicle, operated by Vemo taxi, in Mexico City in November. But as it continues to grow overseas, BYD will have to take a more localized approach, analysts say.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Tesla, BYD, Viktor Orbán’s, Yucatán, what’s, Elon Musk, Tu Le, carmaker, Hungary —, Matthias Schmidt, ”, “, Schmidt, Bill Russo, it’s, Le, Mariceu Ethrall, It’s, “ It’s, ‘ We’re, ’ ”, Stella Li, México, ” Li, Wang Chuanfu, BYD “, Russo, they’ve, ” Russo Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Xinhua, Getty, CNN, Tesla, BMW, Audi, European Union, Schmidt Automotive Research, EV, European Commission, Bloomberg, BYD, El Locations: Hong Kong, China, Europe, BYD, Shenzhen, Germany, Netherlands, Hungary, Mexico, North America, China's Shandong, Szeged, Komárom, France, Shanghai, Hungarian, United States, Canada, Mexico City, Mexican, Dutch, Rotterdam, California, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Macao, Taiwan, Japan, what’s

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