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☆ Glacial lake floods threaten communities in Asia, South America
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The risk comes when a lake overfills, bursting through its natural barrier and sending a torrent of water rushing down mountain valleys. In the high mountains of Asia, some 9 million people live near more than 2,000 glacial lakes. "The impacts are already visible as the glacier is thinning and retreating," said Farooq Azam, a glaciologist at the Indian Institute of Technology Indore who monitors Chhota Shigri. During the same time period, Himalayan glacial lakes increased by about 9% in number, and 14% in area. More than 200 lakes now pose a very high hazard to Himalayan communities, according to 2022 research.

The gathering of the 27 national EU leaders was called after Austria and the Netherlands led a growing choir of complaints about increasing arrivals. In a call ahead of the summit with his Polish, Belgian, Finnish, Maltese and Bulgarian counterparts, Orban called for EU financing for such projects, saying that "fences protect all of Europe", according to his press chief quoted by state news agency MTI. In a joint letter ahead of the summit, the leaders of Malta, Denmark, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Austria and Slovakia said the EU's "current asylum system is broken." "Irregular migration has once again become one of the most pressing issues in the EU," they said. "Without renewed and successful efforts ... irregular migration to Europe can only be expected to continue and increase in the coming years."

☆ Italy's Brignone wins women's combined gold, Shiffrin disqualified
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Alpine Skiing - FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Women's Alpine Combined - Meribel, France - February 6, 2023 Italy's Federica Brignone celebrates on the podium with her team after winning the Women's Alpine Combined REUTERS/Leonhard FoegerMERIBEL, France, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Italy's Federica Brignone won the women's combined event at the World Ski Championships in Meribel, France on Monday after two solid races saw her finish 1.62 seconds ahead of Switzerland's Wendy Holdener. American Mikaela Shiffrin, the reigning world champion in combined, was sixth fastest in the speed event but was disqualified in the slalom after straddling a gate shortly before the finish line. Brignone completed the super-G in 1:10.28, 0.71 seconds quicker than Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami and Norway's Ragnhild Mowinckel who were joint second fastest, however the two speed specialists did not participate in the second leg. Instead it was Switzerland's Holdener who won the slalom part, a fourth of second ahead of Brignone, but the overall margin was too big to threaten the 32-year-old. Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy wants more money for Africa to curb arrivals in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It also sought a new "Pact for Africa" to help investment, education, training, business and jobs around the world's poorest continent. The summit has been convened after Austria and the Netherlands led complaints about increasing irregular arrivals. The bloc's border agency Frontex reported 330,000 irregular border crossings last year, the highest since 2016 as global mobility restarted following the COVID pandemic. When they meet in Brussels, EU leaders will also discuss NGO search-and-rescue operations in the sea after Meloni already sought to limit such activity through a national decree. EU countries remain bitterly divided over how to provide for those who win asylum.

☆ U.S. grabs 2-0 lead in Davis Cup at Uzbekistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

February 4 - The United States moved to the brink of advancing out of its Davis Cup qualifying series by winning both singles matches against host Uzbekistan on Friday in Tashkent. Mackenzie McDonald beat Sergey Fomin 6-4, 6-1 before Tommy Paul, fresh off reaching the Australian Open semifinals, defeated Khumoyun Sultanov 6-1, 7-6 (6). In other Friday action, Germany and Switzerland split their first two singles matches in Trier, Germany. Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler rallied past Oscar Otte 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 before Germany's Alexander Zverev downed Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-1. Serbia holds a 2-0 lead on host Norway in Oslo, and host Sweden is up 2-0 on Bosnia and Herzegovina in Stockholm.

☆ U.S., allies say IAEA report shows Iran inconsistent in meeting nuclear obligations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A sign marks the seat of Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ahead of a board of governors meeting at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria March 9, 2020. REUTERS/Lisi NiesnerWASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - A U.N. watchdog report shows Iran is being inconsistent in meeting its nuclear obligations, the United States, Britain, France and Germany said in a joint statement on Friday. Iran said the IAEA's position on Tehran's nuclear work was not correct. Fordow is so sensitive that the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers banned enrichment there. Since the United States pulled out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions against Iran, the Islamic Republic has breached many of the deal's restrictions on its nuclear activities.

☆ France leads push for EU to boost nuclear-produced hydrogen
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ministers from France, Poland, the Czech Republic and six other EU countries wrote to the European Commission this week urging it to open up EU renewable energy targets to include hydrogen produced from nuclear energy. EU countries and lawmakers have been preparing for negotiations next week on the law, which will guide the pace of Europe's renewable energy expansion this decade. Hydrogen can also be produced from electricity, so the EU wants to set sectoral targets for hydrogen made from renewable electricity. The nine countries' letter, seen by Reuters, said the EU should include nuclear energy - which is low-carbon, but not renewable. At least nine EU countries oppose the idea, among them Germany, Denmark, Austria and Luxembourg, officials said.

☆ Austria expels four Russian envoys for breaching international agreements
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VIENNA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Austria is expelling four Russian diplomats for behaving in a manner inconsistent with international agreements, a reason often invoked in spying cases, the Austrian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday without giving specifics. "Two diplomats at the Russian embassy have acted in a manner inconsistent with their diplomatic status. The two working at the Russian mission to the U.N. acted in a way that was inconsistent with the host country agreement between the United Nations and Austria, it added. Vienna is a major diplomatic centre hosting both the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and United Nations organisations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency. The large diplomatic presence offers the opportunity to station intelligence agents there under a diplomatic cover granting them diplomatic immunity.

☆ U.S. freestyle skier dies in avalanche in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A U.S. freestyle skier has died after being caught in an avalanche in Japan on Sunday, his family confirmed. Weather authorities had issued an avalanche warning for the area after days of heavy snowfall. Police officers board a gondola heading to the site of an avalanche in the village of Otari, Japan on Sunday. "Such a bright light lost," wrote Marielle Thompson, a Canadian Olympic freestyle skier. “Wish we had more time to ski these past few years,” Joss Christensen, a U.S. freestyle skier from Park City, Utah, wrote.

☆ U.S. professional skier named as one victim of Japan avalanche
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERSTOKYO, Jan 30 (Reuters) - One of two foreign men swept up in an avalanche in Japan while back-country skiing in the central prefecture of Nagano and found without vital signs on Monday was U.S. professional skier Kyle Smaine, an outdoor magazine said. Police declined to confirm details about the men, whom media said were from Austria and the United States, but outdoor magazine "Mountain Gazette" said in its online edition that the U.S. skier was Kyle Smaine, 31. "It is with great sadness we report beloved South Lake Tahoe Professional Skier Kyle Smaine has died in an avalanche in Japan," the magazine wrote. Weather authorities had issued an avalanche warning for the area, following heavy snowfall in the past few days. Reporting by Mariko Katsumura; Editing by Bradley Perrett, Clarence Fernandez and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Austria's Raiffeisen says Ukrainian sanctions target its leasing unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VIENNA, Jan 29 (Reuters) - A Russian leasing unit of Austrian lender Raiffeisen Bank International (RBIV.VI) is among the companies targeted by sanctions that Ukraine announced overnight, RBI said on Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced a wave of sanctions overnight targeting 182 Russian and Belarusian companies along with three individuals. Ukraine often calls on companies including RBI to leave Russia, though its latest sanctions are unlikely to have a significant impact on RBI's Russian business. "The political decision of the Ukrainian government to put around 30 Russian leasing companies, including Raiffeisen Leasing Russia, on a sanctions list means that leased goods of Raiffeisen Leasing Russia's customers can be confiscated on Ukrainian territory," an RBI spokesperson said. "Raiffeisen Leasing Russia is a wholly owned subsidiary of Raiffeisenbank Russia.

☆ 10 most welcoming places in the world—see which U.S. state made the list
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This year's most welcoming places in the world span five continents. This year's annual Booking.com Traveler Review Awards included a list of the most welcoming places in the world for 2023. La Rioja, SpainEpirus, GreeceOberösterreich, AustriaCounty Down, U.K.Mures, RomaniaMarlborough, New ZealandNinh Binh, VietnamLimon, Costa RicaNewfoundland & Labrador, CanadaNorth Dakota, U.S.One of the most welcoming places in the world is La Rioja, Spain. Costa Rica is one of the happiest places in the world, according to the World Happiness Report. Limon is considered to be one of the most pristine and lush regions of Costa Rica.

LONDON/FRANKFURT, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Rising borrowing costs are giving a long-awaited lift to Europe's beleaguered banks, but they come with a sting in the tail. Last year central banks ended a decade of rock-bottom interest rates as the U.S. Federal Reserve and then the European Central Bank moved towards tightening. But while rising rates are good news for bank profits, they herald a slowdown in an economy hit by war and runaway prices that squeeze borrowers and could prick pricing bubbles, most notably in property. "On the one hand, interest rates are going up, which is good and helps banks," said Jerome Legras of Axiom Alternative Investments. Germany's financial regulator BaFin recently warned that a rapid rise in interest rates could weigh on some banks, and that loans may sour.

☆ I film skiers doing tricks. Here's how I taught myself to shoot and landed gigs that let me travel the world.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Stasia Stockwell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Gavin Rudy films professional skiers performing tricks. I primarily make ski films — action-sports movies that feature professional skiers doing tricks on mountains and in urban settings. I also liked making videos as a hobby, so I put the two together and started filming my friends doing ski tricks. Even though camera technology has come a long way since I started, I'm not always inspired by the newest technology. Gavin RudyI usually take on jobs filming professional skiers for wider brand projects.

☆ Seven EU countries oppose new EU funding as response to U.S. subsidy plan - letter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Jan Strupczewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Plans by the European Commission to create new European Union funding for the green industry are facing mounting opposition in the 27-nation bloc, as seven EU countries openly rejected the idea in a letter to the EU executive. The letter, seen by Reuters and dated Jan. 26, was signed by the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Austria, Ireland, Estonia and Slovakia and addressed to the European Commission vice president responsible for trade, Valdis Dombrovskis. All 10 countries say the EU should be using funds already approved instead of seeking more money. But in their letter, the seven countries said the EU should first spend the money it had already agreed to raise through the 800 billion euro post-pandemic recovery and resilience fund (RRF) of grants and cheap loans. "We have to ensure that the economy can better absorb the already agreed EU funding," the seven countries wrote.

☆ Mikaela Shiffrin mocked the stigma around 'talking about my period' after mentioning her 'monthly cycle' following World Cup win
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Meredith Cash | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mikaela Shiffrin broke Lindsey Vonn's all-time alpine skiing World Cup record in Kronplatz, Italy. Shiffrin then mocked the stigma around "talking about my period" in tongue-in-cheek social media posts. After winning her 84th World Cup title in Kronplatz, Italy, Wednesday, the newly crowned winningest World Cup champion in women's alpine skiing history was radically honest about being at "an unfortunate time of my monthly cycle" for the race. Shiffrin competes in a 2022 women's World Cup slalom in Flachau, Austria. In the Twitter comments, Shiffrin further explained the many ways that having one's period can impact athletes ahead of major competitions.

☆ EU wants to send more people back to Africa, Middle East, Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The EU's executive European Commission proposed similar steps vis-a-vis Iraq, Senegal and Bangladesh, though two EU officials said cooperation with Dhaka on returning people has since improved. Still, the EU's overall rate of effective returns stood at 21% in 2021, according to Eurostat data, the latest available. Some 160,000 people made it across the Mediterranean in 2022, according to U.N. data, the main route to Europe for people fleeing wars and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. There has therefore not been enough majority among EU countries so far to punish another country apart from Gambia, where people can no longer get multiple entry visas to the bloc and face a longer wait. While EU countries including Austria and Hungary loudly protest against the mainly-Muslim, irregular immigration from the Middle East and North Africa, Germany is among those seeking to open up their job market to much-needed workers from outside the bloc.

☆ Swiss one-two in Schladming giant slalom
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 25 (Reuters) - Switzerland's Loic Meillard won the men's World Cup giant slalom under lights in Schladming on Wednesday, with fellow countryman Gino Caviezel second fastest down the foggy slopes in the Austrian Alps. Meillard finished 0.59 of a second faster than Caviezel, while Marco Schwarz from Austria came third, 0.81 of a second after Meillard. The win marked the second time Meillard won a World Cup race and his first triumph in giant slalom. Switzerland's reigning World Cup champion and current overall leader Marco Odermatt did not start having injured his left knee on Friday. Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Explainer: Why has Ukraine sought Leopard 2 battle tanks?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Kyiv has been pushing for the Leopard 2 tank in particular because it has several advantages over the alternatives, such as Britain's Challenger 2 and the U.S. M1 Abrams tanks. With some 20 nations operating the Leopard 2, several nations could each chip in a small portion of their tanks to support Ukraine. Germany has about 350 Leopard 2 tanks today, compared to some 4,000 battle main tanks at the height of the Cold War, according to German military expert Carl Schulze. At the same time, it is all but impossible to buy a large amount of Leopard 2 tanks quickly. However, unlike the Leopard 2, it is not widely used, which limits how many can be made available for Ukraine.

☆ Dutch hacker obtained virtually all Austrians' personal data, police say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VIENNA, Jan 25 (Reuters) - A Dutch hacker arrested in November obtained and offered for sale the full name, address and date of birth of virtually everyone in Austria, the Alpine nation's police said on Wednesday. The trove comprised close to nine million sets of data, police said. The hacker had also put "similar data sets" from Italy, the Netherlands and Colombia up for sale, Austrian police said, adding that they did not have further details. The Austrian information is so-called registration data - basic information including a current address that residents are required to provide to the authorities. The police did not elaborate on the consequences for Austrians' data security.

Catalano's brother, Agostino, was a policeman who died in a 1992 bomb that killed anti-mob magistrate Paolo Borsellino - a attack that prosecutors say Messina Denaro helped mastermind. The last confirmed sighting of Messina Denaro was in 1993, making it difficult for police to identify the most wanted man in Italy. Only one of them decided to collaborate with justice," said Roberto Piscitello, a prosecutor who tried to capture Messina Denaro from 1996 to 2008. FALSE IDENTITYPolice say they managed to catch Messina Denaro after learning from wiretaps of his relatives that he had cancer. BUSINESS CONTACTSMagistrates said they found evidence that Messina Denaro had visited Spain, Greece and Austria over the years.

☆ Panic! At The Disco breaks up as the lead singer shares personal news
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Anna Kaplan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

At The Disco is calling it quits after nearly 20 years, the pop-punk group’s lead singer, Brendon Urie, announced Tuesday. So many places all over the world, and all the friends we’ve made along the way,” Urie wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. At The Disco will be no more.”The singer thanked the band’s fans for their support over the years. Smith officially left the band in 2015, according to Variety, effectively making Panic! At The Disco, including the band’s seventh studio album, “Viva Las Vengeance” last year.

☆ Thiem confirms rib injury, racing to be fit for Davis Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 23 (Reuters) - Dominic Thiem has confirmed he suffered a rib injury during the Australian Open, but will look to recover for Davis Cup qualifiers which begin next month. Thiem, a former U.S. Open champion, has struggled with injuries in recent years and fallen to number 98 in the world as a result. Especially in Melbourne, I wanted to perform at my best, but I tore a small muscle fibre in my rib," Thiem said on Instagram. "The results show that it's not too bad, and playing at the Davis Cup should be possible. Austria play their Davis Cup qualifier against Croatia on Feb. 4-5.

☆ Ukraine's battlefields look like World War I but with a new and terrifying addition that leaves troops with almost nowhere to hide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The conflict in Ukraine has emerged as the first major war involving drone use on both sides. By the late 1990s, Predator drones were being used by the US and NATO for reconnaissance missions in the Kosovo War. Ukraine has in many ways emerged as a guinea pig for drone warfare. Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesLater in the war, Russia began launching swarms of Iranian-made Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones, striking targets across Ukraine. Drones have significantly shortened the so-called kill chain, Cancian explained, helping troops swiftly locate targets and provide coordinates for artillery.

☆ Austrian foreign affairs minister on forging diplomatic relationships for EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAustrian foreign affairs minister on forging diplomatic relationships for EUCNBC's Silvia Amaro speaks to Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria Alexander Schallenberg at Davos 2023.

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