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Stoltenberg: Sweden will join NATO by July

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:27:02 GMT

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is confident Sweden will join the military alliance by July at the latest, he told German news agency DPA this week. The next NATO summit will be held in Washington from July 9-11 and the Nordic country will be a fully-fledged member by then, he said. Sweden and Finland abandoned decades of neutrality and both applied to become NATO allies in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While Helsinki’s bid was swiftly approved, Stockholm’s is being held up by both Turkey and Hungary. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wants the Swedish government to act against Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) members on its soil and is leveraging his veto power to get F-16 fighter jets from the U.S. In late December, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said there was no “great willingness” from Hungarian lawmakers to approve Sweden’s bid. A few days later, the Turkish parliament’s ...

Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies advance to College Football Playoff National Championship

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:27:02 GMT

(CNN) — The Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies have advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship where they’ll face off in Houston on January 8 in the title game.In Monday’s two semifinals, No. 1 Michigan edged the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide in overtime 27-20 in the Rose Bowl while No. 2 Washington defeated the No. 3 Texas Longhorns 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl.Here are some of the highlights from Monday’s semifinals.Michigan rallies to down AlabamaIn a hard-fought affair, Michigan and Alabama found themselves tied at 20-20 after regulation, forcing the contest known as “the Granddaddy of Them All” into overtime for just the second time in the game’s illustrious history.After Michigan running back Blake Corum scored a touchdown to put his team in front, the Wolverines defense stopped Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe on fourth down at the 3-yard line to advance to the national championship game on January 8 in Houston.Michigan, which became the fir...

Two weeks out from the caucuses, DeSantis-Haley rivalry dominates airwaves as Trump maintains front-runner status

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:27:02 GMT

Waukee, Iowa (CNN) — With TVs inside a packed central Iowa sports bar tuned to the Citrus Bowl, the phrase “dumpster fire” could be heard over the pub’s speakers midway through the second quarter. But the criticism wasn’t directed at the Iowa Hawkeyes’ lackluster performance in the New Year’s Day game.Rather, it was a political ad attacking the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who walked into the bar later, hoping to convince Iowans the description was far from apt.“We’re going to get it done,” he told one man after taking a swig of Guinness.Two weeks before the Iowa caucuses, the airwaves here are filled with ads from allies of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley attacking DeSantis and vice versa. Indeed, after DeSantis exited the bar, a commercial calling Haley “Tricky Nikki” aired, paid for by a super PAC supporting the Florida governor, a representation of how the pair are mercilessly going after each other as the race intensifies.B...

Ticket sold in Michigan wins estimated $842.2 million Powerball jackpot in New Year’s Day drawing

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:27:02 GMT

(CNN) — A single ticket sold in Michigan has matched all six numbers to win the estimated $842.2 million Powerball jackpot during Monday night’s New Year’s Day drawingIt’s the fifth-largest Powerball jackpot ever won, according to Powerball.The lucky winner ringing in the new year as a millionaire will have the option of a lump sum payment of an estimated $425.2 million, before taxes, Powerball said in a news release.Monday’s winning numbers were 12, 21, 42, 44, 49 and Powerball 1.Ticket sales pushed the jackpot beyond its earlier estimate of $810 million, making it the tenth-largest US lottery jackpot ever won, according to Powerball.“This was also the first time a Powerball jackpot has been won on New Year’s Day since the game’s start in 1992,” Powerball said in a news release.The winning ticket was sold at the Food Castle of Grand Blanc in the city of Grand Blanc, Michigan, according to the Michigan Lottery.The prize is the second-largest lottery jackpot ever ...

Cold Start, Snow Ahead?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:27:02 GMT

Back to work, back to school, and back to hitting the defrost button in the car this morning. As temps tumbled overnight into the teens and 20s, a heavy frost formed on the ground, and on many of the cars/buses out there, so allowing for a couple extra minutes for the car to warm up this morning is a good idea. Despite the mid winter chill this morning, temps aren’t that far below average for the time of year, and with a ton of sunshine in place, it’ll be a nice winter day overall as highs recover to near 40 with light winds. Tonight will be chilly, just not quite as cold, with lows in the low to mid 20s. Tomorrow’s bounce back is nice, in the low to mid 40s with partly to mostly sunny skies. A front sliding through here Thursday will kick off a passing rain or snow shower, however, it’ll also kick an ocean storm, off the mid-Atlantic coast, out to sea. That storm will be far enough away to keep the bulk of the precip and wind impacts offshore. However, behi...

Ten New Year’s resolutions the Red Sox must stick to in 2024

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:27:02 GMT

The dawn of a new year is a time for reflection, and for many it’s also an opportunity to take a long look in the mirror and commit to becoming better in one way or another.Not everyone sticks to their new year’s resolutions — some only make it a couple of weeks or months — but after three last-place finishes in four years the Red Sox can’t afford to waver. Here are some resolutions the Red Sox must stick to in 2024.1. Regularly pitch into the sixth inningIf last year’s club had one fatal flaw, it was the pitching staff’s inability to pitch deep into games. Day after day starters went only four or five innings, which meant the Red Sox had to burn more relievers to get through each game, which meant the next day fewer arms were available. Things kept spiraling from there until you reached a point where Triple-A call-ups like Kyle Barraclough were being fed to the wolves because they were literally the only ones left available.No one is expecting a comple...

Finland, Sweden set this winter’s cold records as temperature plummets to over minus 40 Celsius

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:27:02 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland and Sweden recorded the coldest temperatures of the winter Tuesday as thermometers plummeted to minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit) as a result of a cold spell prevailing in the Nordic region.In Nikkaluokta, a small village inhabited by the indigenous Sami people in northern Sweden, thermometer showed minus 41.6 degrees (minus 42.8 Fahrenheit) early Tuesday, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported.“It’s the coldest temperature we have had so far this winter, and it will continue to be quite cold weather in the north,” said SVT meteorologist Nils Holmqvist.Train operators in Sweden said the cold snap has caused substantial problems for rail traffic in the north, among other issues. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute has reported temperatures of minus 30 degrees (minus 22 Fahrenheit) in several locations in northern Sweden.It also issued a warning for snow and wind for central and southern Sweden, saying snowfall on Wednesday in co...

Thai prime minister says visa-free policy for Chinese visitors to be made permanent in March

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:27:02 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand and China will soon implement visa-free entry for each other’s citizens, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said Tuesday.Chinese nationals will be granted visa-free entry on a permanent basis beginning March 1, Srettha said after his Cabinet’s weekly meeting. Chinese visitors have been allowed visa-free entry since September last year, but the privilege was due to expire on Feb. 29.Thailand’s visa-exemption policy aims to give a boost to the country’s tourism industry, which was badly damaged by the coronavirus pandemic. The country received about 40 million visitors in 2019, and the government estimated they spent 1.9 trillion baht ($53.2 billion) — an amount that plummeted by more than 99% by 2021, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.China is a major source of tourists to Thailand, with almost 11 million visitors in 2019, accounting for 27.6% of all arrivals that year before the pandemic devastated the tourist market.Last year, Thail...

Plane catches fire on runway at Japan’s Haneda airport after collision

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:27:02 GMT

A passenger plane collided with a Japanese coast guard aircraft and burst into flames on the runway of Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday, officials said.NHK TV reported that all occupants of Japan Airlines flight JAL-516, believed to total 379 people, got out safely before the plane was entirely engulfed in flames. The Japanese coast guard said the pilot of its plane had escaped. NHK reported that the five other crewmembers had been found dead.Local TV video showed a large eruption of fire and smoke from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied on a runway. The area around the wing then caught fire. Footage an hour later showed the plane fully on fire.NHK TV said the plane was an Airbus A-350 that had flown from Shin Chitose airport, near the city of Sapporo, to Haneda.Coast Guard spokesperson Yoshinori Yanagishima confirmed the collision between the passenger plane and its flight MA-722, a Bombardier Dash-8.Swede Anton Deibe, 17, who was a passenger on the Japan Airl...

Stock market today: World markets are mixed on the first trading day of 2024

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:27:02 GMT

European benchmarks were higher Tuesday after Asian markets mostly fell on the first trading day of 2024. U.S. futures were higher and oil prices gained more than $1. Hong Kong’s benchmark fell more than 1% and Shanghai also declined after data showed more signs of weakness in the Chinese manufacturing and property sectors. The future contract for the S&P 500 edged 0.1% higher and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%.Germany’s DAX gained 1% to 16,927.63. In Paris, the CAC 40 was 0.6% higher to 7,587.62. Britain’s FTSE 100 was up less than 0.1% to 7,734.75. Investors were awaiting the release of euro-zone manufacturing statistics later in the day.The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong sank 1.6% to 16,784.00 and the Shanghai Composite index dropped 0.4% to 2,962.28. Investors were selling property developers like debt-laden China Evergrande, which fell 6%, and LongFor Group Holding, which lost 6.9%. Sino-Ocean Holding declined 4.6%. The December survey of the official pu...