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“Taiwan's membership at the IMF would help boost financial resilience,” the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington said during this week's IMF and World Bank annual meetings. Taiwan also is seeking to participate in the U.N. World Health Organization's annual World Health Assembly and join Interpol. But China, which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province and threatens to annex it by force, has blocked such efforts and insists it represent Taiwan in international forums. The island is now designated as “Taiwan Province of China” in IMF literature. The U.S. House has approved a bill that would direct the United States to advocate for Taiwan’s IMF membership.

Persons: “, Donald Trump, Bo Li, Patrick McHenry, ” McHenry, Young Kim, Fatima Hussein Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Cultural, World Bank, U.S, Health Assembly, Interpol, U.S . State Department, People’s Bank of China, Taiwan Academy of Banking, Finance, U.S . House, Democrats, North Carolina Republican, Financial Services, United Nations, Associated Press Locations: — Taiwan, Poland, Taipei, Washington, Taiwan, U.S, China, Taiwan Province, United States, Japan, Taiwan Strait, Beijing, Kosovo, Europe

☆ Power outage hits Balkan states as heat overloads system, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Montenegro’s energy minister said the shutdown was caused by a sudden increase in power consumption brought on by high temperatures, and by the heat itself overloading systems. “This was just waiting to happen in this heat,” Gentiana, a 24-year-old student in Montenegro’s capital Podgorica, told Reuters. Suppliers in the four countries said they started restoring supply by mid-afternoon and power was largely back by the evening. Power in Albania was restored within half an hour, but the country remained at a high risk of further shutdowns as power usage and heat levels were still high, he said. Western Balkan nations have seen a boom in solar energy investment, meant to ease a power crisis that had threatened a shift away from coal.

Persons: ”, Sasa Mujovic, Belinda Balluku, Balluku Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Suppliers, Air, HRT, Albanian Energy, North Macedonia’s Energy Regulatory Commission Locations: Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Croatia’s, Balkans, Montenegro’s, Podgorica, European, Bosnia’s, Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar, Croatian, Split, Greece, Croatia

☆ River Danube cruise ship crashed after it was 'suddenly no longer able to maneuver,' 17 passengers injured
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewA Bulgarian cruise ship carrying over 140 passengers crashed into a concrete wall along the River Danube in Austria. AdvertisementThe second-in-command of the ship, who had been at the helm during the crash, "pressed the emergency switch, whereupon the electronics started up again." An Austrian police statement indicated the collision was linked to a failure of the ship's electronics. It added: "After checking the ship it turned out that the electronics worked again after the emergency switch was reset, which is why the ship could continue its journey." Jim Watson/AFP/Getty ImagesEarlier this week, a container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, collapsing a section of the 1.6-mile-long structure and killing six construction workers.

Persons: —, Dali, Francis Scott Key, Jim Watson Organizations: Service, Business, Getty, Sky News, South Locations: Bulgarian, Austria, Austrian, Aschach, Donau, Passau, Linz, Baltimore, AFP, Hungary, Europe, Central, Southeastern Europe, Black

☆ 'Stability is fragile': An overlooked European conflict zone is at a tipping point between peace and combat
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The clash broke out in the village when a group of armed Serbs blocked a bridge with two trucks. A shootout erupted after the group opened fire on police, leaving one police officer dead and another injured. Relations between Serbia and Kosovo, which have been fraught since the pair's brutal conflict in the 1990s, remain delicate one year on from a tentative agreement on a new path to normalization. We cannot take peace and stability for granted," Miroslav Lajčák, EU special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and Western Balkans, told CNBC in Davos, Switzerland last month. The Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is a series of talks facilitated by the European Union designed to ease hostilities between the neighboring southeastern European countries.

Persons: Milan Radoicic, Vudi Xhymshiti, Miroslav Lajčák Organizations: Kosovo Police, Kosovo Serb, Milan, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Belgrade, CNBC, European Union Locations: Banjska, Zvecan, Kosovo, Davos, SWITZERLAND, Russia, Ukraine, EU, Serbia, Pristina, Balkans, Switzerland, Belgrade, Serbs

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Kremlin dismisses threat from anti-war election hopeful; Zelenskyy visits front-line war hot spot
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

As part of the Western Balkans block waiting for EU-membership, Serbia is caught in a geostrategic rivalry between its Western allies and Russia. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine brought fresh political momentum to the European Union and its plans for enlargement in the Western Balkans. "I see the European Union more ready for the Balkans than the Balkans for the European Union," Miroslav Lajčák, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and Western Balkans, told CNBC last month. Within days of Russia's invasion, Ukraine, neighboring Moldova and, soon after, nearby Georgia applied for EU candidate status — which they were granted in quick succession. "Now, it's very clear that the European Union is serious."

Persons: Russia's, —, Miroslav Lajčák, Lajčák, — Karen Gilchrist Organizations: EU, European Union, Belgrade, Pristina, CNBC, European Locations: Ukraine, Belgrade, Serbia, Balkans, Russia, Western Balkans, European, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Europe, Yugoslavia, Moldova, Georgia, European Union

☆ Russia's war in Ukraine has had an unlikely consequence — it has revived the EU's plans to get even bigger
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People hold a banner and Ukrainian flags during a rally to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia. As part of the Western Balkans block waiting for EU-membership, Serbia is caught in a geostrategic rivalry between its Western allies and Russia. Davos, SWITZERLAND — As spiking geopolitical tensions thrust the European Union into the spotlight, attention has turned to the strategically important Western Balkans. The Western Balkans, comprised of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia, represent a notable gap in the map of EU membership in southeastern Europe. "I see the European Union more ready for the Balkans than the Balkans for the European Union," Miroslav Lajčák, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and Western Balkans, told CNBC last month.

Persons: —, Miroslav Lajčák, Lajčák Organizations: EU, Union, European Union, Belgrade, Pristina, CNBC Locations: Ukraine, Belgrade, Serbia, Balkans, Russia, Davos, SWITZERLAND, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Europe, Yugoslavia, European, Western Balkans

☆ Ancient DNA reveals genetic roots of multiple sclerosis and other diseases
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

These genetic variants may have subsequently proved beneficial to European populations in making the shift from hunting and gathering to farming. “DNA from hunter-gatherers is present at higher levels in Northeastern Europe, which means the region has an elevated genetic risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” Barrie said. Similarly, the ancient genetic information shed light on the evolutionary history of traits such as height and lactose tolerance. And for most traits, MS included, the genetic effects are the result of multiple genetic variants,” he said. “Ultimately, we can’t say that MS came from Bronze Age populations, but these populations’ movements and environments contribute to differences in MS risk today.”

Persons: “, ”, Rasmus Nielsen, It’s, William Barrie, Astrid Iversen, ” Iversen, ε4, ” Barrie, Samira, Asgari, Tony Capra, Capra, wasn’t Organizations: CNN —, University of California, Danish National, University of Cambridge’s, University of Oxford, Icahn School of Medicine, Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute Locations: Western Europe, Central Asia, Europe, Berkeley, Kazakhstan, Northeastern Europe, Mount Sinai, New York, Bakar, San Francisco

☆ How to choose the best Christmas tree, according to science
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Some aspects of choosing a live Christmas tree, like shape, color, and aroma, are subjective. Two Christmas tree experts explain how to choose between the many types of fir, pine, and spruce. Unlike fir and spruce trees, pine tree needles are clustered in groups instead of individually attached to the branch. The National Christmas Tree Association has a map for finding farms and other retailers that sell live Christmas trees. AdvertisementWhich Christmas tree has the best aroma?

Persons: —, there's, Fraser, Douglas, Noble, There's, Justin G, Whitehill, Bert Cregg, It's, Cregg, Chris Keane Whitehill, it's, Frasers, he's, Jason Reed Douglas, Mel Melcon, Jerry Holt, Bert, they'll, Alex Wong, Andrew Matthews, Tim Leedy, Paul J, Richards, Robert Nemeti, Jens Kalaene, you'll, Cesar L, Laure Organizations: Service, US Department of Agriculture, North Carolina State University, of Horticulture, Michigan State University, Northwest, REUTERS, White, Los Angeles Times, Getty, Star Tribune, MediaNews, Anadolu Agency, Call, Tribune Locations: Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Nobles , North Carolina, Douglas, Frasers, Fraser, Pacific Northwest, Europe, Canaan, Allentown

☆ The US military is flexing its airpower muscles in the Middle East with supersonic bomber flights in the region
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US military's B-1 Lancer carried out another mission around the Middle East this week. The supersonic bomber has flown several missions around the region since the beginning of November. AdvertisementUS military B-1 Lancers have been busy in the Middle East this month. The B-1B Lancer is a multi-mission, supersonic aircraft that the US Air Force has described as the "backbone of America's long-range bomber force." A B-1 Lancer supersonic heavy bomber on a mission.

Persons: —, CENTCOM, Pat Ryder, Lloyd, Biden Organizations: Service, Lancers, Central Command, Kazakhstan —, US Air Force, Force, Pentagon, Lancer, US Air Forces, Washington Institute for Near, US, Gaza, US Air Forces Central Command, Bomber Task Force Locations: Egypt, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Europe, Yugoslavia, Iran, Syria, Israel, Ohio

CNN —More than 2,000 people in Libya are feared dead in severe flooding, according to a Libyan leader, as Storm Daniel swept through the eastern part of the country. Hamad called on medical personnel and medical assistants to go to the badly affected city of Derna in eastern Libya to provide assistance immediately. The storm brought catastrophic flooding to Greece last week before moving into the Mediterranean and developed into a tropical-like cyclone known as a medicane. The remains of the storm are affecting northern Libya and will slowly head east toward northern Egypt. Rainfall for the next two days could reach 50mm – this region averages less than 10mm across the whole of September.

Persons: Storm Daniel, Osama Hamad, “ Osama Hamad, ” LANA, Hamad, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Libyan News Agency, Crescent, Reuters, Hospitals, Medical, Bayda, Facebook, United Nations, Mission Locations: Libya, Derna, Benghazi, Bayda, Europe, Greece, Pacific, Egypt

☆ The US is making 'irreversible' progress with a former Russian partner in a tense corner of Europe, but not everyone in NATO will be happy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

For Cyprus, it's a move away from its longtime partner in Russia, but Turkey isn't happy about it. Cyprus has made "important strides" in its military and security cooperation with the US, Michalis Giorgallas, Cyprus' minister of defense, told Insider in response to written questions. Giorgallas told Insider. "This trajectory will continue," Giorgallas told Insider, adding that after the National Guard partnership, "our defense cooperation with the US has become irreversible and we look forward to what's to come." Giorgallas told Insider that the area is historically an unstable one and that the instability has become more visible in more domains, such as at sea and in the air over the region.

Persons: it's, Michalis Giorgallas, aren't, ROY ISSA, Panteleyev, Yiannis Kourtoglou, Giorgallas, John Yountz, —, IAKOVOS HATZISTAVROU, Christopher Cavoli, BIROL BEBEK, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, NATO, UN, Getty, Cypriot, Russian Navy, Airbus, US Army, Staff, Military Education, Training, Cypriot National Guard, New Jersey National Guard, National Guard, US European Command, Turkish, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Republic of Cyprus, Cyprus, Russia, Turkey, Wall, Silicon, Europe, East, North Africa, Moscow, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ankara, Washington, Crimea, Ukraine, Limassol, AFP, US, Nicosia, Larnaca, John Yountz Cypriot, Cypriot, Greece, Tartus, Northern Cyprus

☆ Sarajevo Film Festival opens with tribute to music and movies in times of war
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Daria Sito-Sucic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Sarajevo Film Festival, which was founded towards the end of the Bosnian war by a group of film enthusiasts, has become southeastern Europe's largest such event, showcasing 235 films this year. After the end of the Bosnian war, in 1997, U2 staged a huge concert in Sarajevo, which Bono ended by urging the crowd to "Kiss the Future". "Culture was one of the main things that gave us the power to survive that period," said Mirsad Purivatra, a founder of both the wartime cinema and the Sarajevo Film Festival. He described how people would pack into the basement to attend cultural events and meet friends, rushing home before curfew. Images of filmgoers and the underground rock shows by photographer Milomir Kovacevic Strasni are being displayed for an exhibition taking place to mark the 30th anniversary of the Apollo wartime cinema as part of the film festival.

Persons: Dado, Bono, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Mirsad Purivatra, Milomir Kovacevic, Daria Sito, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Sarajevo Film, Cinema, Hollywood, Academy of Performing Arts, Apollo, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Sarajevo, Bosnia, Herzegovina, SARAJEVO, Bosnian

☆ As fighting rages in Ukraine, the US is sending drones to keep an eye on another tense corner of Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones deployed to Greece during the final weeks of 2022. Operating from Larissa air base, the drones will keep an eye NATO's borders in southeastern Europe. The deployment comes as NATO grapples with the war in Ukraine and with tensions between Turkey and Greece. Predator in the skiesUS Air Force airmen do pre-flight checks on an MQ-9 at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in May. A US Air Force F-15C at Larissa Air Base in May 2021.

☆ EBRD warns of rise in 'zombie' firms if pandemic measures continue
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Jorgelina Do Rosario | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development urged governments in its region to rethink COVID-19 support measures for companies, warning that propping up "zombie" firms could have a knock-on effect on healthy businesses. However, ongoing support was no longer sustainable in a world of high interest rates, the EBRD said. Having zombie firms present in an economy creates negative spillovers for healthy firms, which see lower investment, revenue and employment, the EBRD warned. The problem is more present in economies dominated by government-run companies and banks, the EBRD found: 13% of state-owned enterprises in the 12-country sample used for the study could be classified as zombie firms, compared with 9% of privately-owned firms. The EBRD report also showed mixed progress on reforms by countries in six key areas, from competitiveness and resilience to the way they are governed.

A California couple who fled the country after being convicted in a multimillion-dollar Covid relief scam have been extradited from Montenegro, the Justice Department said Friday. They are expected to appear at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon. They were among eight members of a California crime ring convicted of stealing more than $18 million in Covid relief loans. Following their conviction in June 2021, the couple cut off their ankle monitoring bracelets and fled their home, leaving behind their three children. It wasn’t immediately clear what led to the couple’s extradition, but the Justice Department said in a press release that the government of Montenegro provided significant assistance.

We’re days away from the midterms and that means much of the political establishment is hyper-focused on the group most likely to tip the outcome: suburban voters. But politicians pandering to suburban women need to make sure they aren’t making the wrong assumptions about them. Too often terms like “suburban women” and “soccer moms” are stand-ins for “white women.” The reality is that the suburbs are diversifying and it is a broad range of suburban voters who will decide the outcome of the midterms. In the 2000s, a stunning 30% of suburban population growth was attributed to immigrants. At the same time, Democrats can’t take diverse, suburban voters for granted, as recent polling shows a Republican lead in the upcoming midterms.

☆ Rising tensions between 2 of NATO's biggest militaries are driving fears of the first war between alliance members
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Greece and Turkey have two of NATO's largest militaries and are in an important corner of Europe. Their tensions have escalated in recent years, stoking new fears about the first war within NATO. Greece's defense spending in 2022 was the highest in the alliance as a share of GDP. (NATO also calls for 20% of members' defense spending to go toward equipment purchases and upgrades.) Greece's defense minister said that "as long as there is a threat of territorial sovereignty, it renders futile any attempt at communication."

☆ NATO is pouring concrete to support new 'battlegroups' in 4 countries amid rising tensions with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NATO now has some 40,000 troops under its direct command in Eastern Europe — 30,000 of them in those eight battlegroups. More than a tripwireUS soldiers at a base in Latvia to support NATO's battlegroup there on February 25. Hungary had refused to accept NATO troops, with its foreign minister saying before Russia attacked Ukraine that Hungary's military could defend the country. Following Russia's invasion, Hungary was persuaded to host a few hundred NATO troops in a battlegroup that it would lead. Accommodating and integrating an influx of NATO troops is not easy, even for countries that are eager to counter Russia.

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