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Swedish defense minister says NATO full membership is top priority

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:29 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Sweden’s defense minister said Tuesday his country’s top priority is to gain full NATO membership before the allied leaders gather for their next summit, saying an addition will make the trans-Atlantic alliance even stronger. NATO wants to bring Sweden into the fold by the time United States President Joe Biden and other allied leaders meet July 11-12 in Vilnius, Lithuania, but Turkey and Hungary have yet to endorse the move. All 31 member countries must ratify a candidate’s accession protocol for it to join the alliance.“The Swedish government’s highest priority is to become a full-fledged member of NATO as soon as possible,” said Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson, in Japan for talks his Japanese counterpart and other officials. “We’re hopeful that we can become it by the Vilnius Summit.”Turkey’s government has criticized Sweden for being too lenient on terror organizations and security threats, while Hungary has not given details. Jonson said...

Pope briefly in hospital for scheduled tests two months after bronchitis, returns to Vatican

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:29 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis went to the hospital Tuesday for tests and returned back to the Vatican, witnesses and news reports said, two months after he was hospitalized with an acute case of bronchitis.The ANSA news agency said Francis went to Rome’s Gemelli hospital Tuesday morning for tests. Witnesses at the Vatican’s Perugino gate, one of the main entrances to the city state, told The Associated Press Francis returned to the Vatican a short while later, and greeted guards as he usually does. Francis, 86, spent three days at Rome’s Gemelli hospital in late March. Initially the Vatican said he had gone in for scheduled tests, but the pontiff later revealed he had felt pain in his chest and was rushed to the hospital where bronchitis was diagnosed. He was put on intravenous antibiotics and was released April 1, quipping that he was “still alive.”The Argentine pope had part of one lung removed when he was a young man. He also suffers from sciatica nerve pain and has been u...

EU chief von der Leyen says she isn’t interested in the top job at NATO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:29 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, says she has no interest in becoming the new leader of NATO as the trans-Atlantic military alliance seeks a successor to Jens Stoltenberg. Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, has been NATO secretary general since 2014. His term was due to expire last year but was extended to provide stability after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The leaders of NATO members are due to choose a successor when they meet for a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12. No candidate has been proposed publicly and Stoltenberg appears unlikely to extend again.Von der Leyen, who in 2019 emerged as a surprise candidate to lead the European Union’s executive branch, has featured regularly in speculation about who might be NATO’s next leader. Officials and experts suggest that it is time for a woman to take the helm for the first time.Von der Leyen, a 64-year-old center-right po...

Stock market today: Global stocks mixed on concern about US economy weakening

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:29 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets were mixed Tuesday after a report that showed growth in service industries is slowing stoked concern the U.S. economy is weakening.London, Shanghai, Paris and Hong Kong retreated. Tokyo gained and Wall Street futures were mixed. Oil prices declined more than $1 per barrel.Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index lost 0.2% on Monday after an industry group’s May index of activity in construction, hospitality and other services fell to a three-year low. That conflicted with hopes raised by data last week that showed unexpectedly strong hiring, suggesting a potential U.S. recession brought on by interest rate hikes might be farther away.“Weakness is emerging and that should be more noticeable in the coming months,” Edward Moya of Oanda said in a report.In early trading, the FTSE 100 in London was off less than 0.1% at 7,594.30. The CAC 40 in Paris was up less than 0.1% at 7,201.48 and the DAX in Frankfurt was up less than 0.1% at 15,975....

Late-day storms return ahead of summer heat's arrival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:29 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- One more round of scattered showers and storms is expected today before our focus turns to summertime heat later this week.Similar to what we saw Monday (only without the morning round of rain), this afternoon will feature scattered rain and storm activity. No major severe or flooding threat is expected, but some well-developed storms could contain small hail, gusting winds and brief downpours.Only an isolated storm is in the forecast late-week through the coming weekend as heat and humidity become the main story. Uncomfortable humidity levels late week into the weekendFirst taste of summertime heat arrives this weekendA ridge of high pressure will lead to the hottest temperatures of the year so far this weekend, and may send temperatures soaring to 100 degrees next week. INVESTIGATION: LCRA didn't plan for climate change until KXAN investigation Hotter than normal weather may mean 100-degree temperatures next weekFIRST WARNING WEATHER: Stay up to date with your C...

Austin Police investigating after girl injured in possible overnight shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:29 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department is investigating after a young girl was injured after being possibly shot in north Austin overnight. Police said they responded to a shots fired call around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning at the Bridge at Harris Ridge Apartment Complex on East Howard Lane. According to APD, officers and EMS arrived on scene and found a juvenile girl with head trauma, then began life-saving measures and transported her to Dell Children's Hospital. APD initially called the incident a homicide investigation but said during a briefing that the victim was not pronounced dead. No one is in custody at this time. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Ivan Eland: Biden’s foreign policy unnecessarily drives China and Russia together in opposition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:29 GMT

Joe Biden had much experience in foreign policy before being elected president, but he is certainly no Richard Nixon.Although Nixon had to resign because of domestic corruption linked to the U.S. war in Southeast Asia, he was masterful in driving a wedge between the two communist great powers — Maoist China and the Soviet Union — to achieve more peaceful relations with both countries.Nixon cleverly created a competition between the two countries to better relations with the United States or be isolated on the wrong side of the triangle. Regrettably, Biden, despite his prior foreign policy chops, is doing the opposite by driving China and Russia closer together in opposition to the United States.In fairness to Biden, however, Russia’s unjustified and brutal invasion of Ukraine makes it hard to mend relations with that nation in the short- and medium-term. (Although Biden’s reiteration of George W. Bush’s 2008 pledge to eventually admit Ukraine into NATO ...

Off the Beaten Path: The Wind-Chill Factory and Mini Golf

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:29 GMT

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. (NEWS10) - The word is quickly spreading about a one-stop-shop for food, ice cream, and mini golf! The Wind-Chill Factory and Mini Golf opened for its second season in March and follows in the footsteps of its first beloved location in Ticonderoga. Owners Brandon and Keely Whalen fulfilled a lifelong wish when they opened The Wind-Chill Factory and Mini Golf in the Capital Region. Brandon's dad opened The Wind-Chill Factory in Ticonderoga in the nineties, which is still successfully operating today. Off the Beaten Path: Ice Cream Station Each week they offer two special soft-serve ice cream flavors, a weekly sundae special and a food special. Their fried fish and hot dog with a sweet meat sauce are just a couple menu items that keep bringing people back.At the end of the week they use the leftover weekly soft serve ice cream special to create ice cream cakes that they give away on social media. This week’s cake is a loaded cookie butter ice cream cake. New min...

98.3 TRY Social Dilemma: I Don't Want My Wife in My Weekly Poker Game W/My Buddies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:29 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Today's 98.3 TRY Social Dilemma came from Jerry and it's about time with the guys. Here's his email: Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Hi Jaime. I love listening on my way to work everyday, and I never thought I'd have my own social dilemma but I do. For over five years, my best friends and I have enjoyed a weekly poker night. It’s almost a ritual, at this point. Now, out of the blue, my wife wants to be a part of it. On the surface, I guess that’s not a bad thing, but it must be stated that she knows NOTHING about poker other than what she’s seen in a couple of movies.  The truth is, this is my night with my friends...and I want it to stay that way. What’s the most tactful way to let her know this is my time with my friends and encourage her to do her own thing on that night, which is what she always used to do. I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I deserve time with my guys, right? Thanks for the...

Ask Amy: Sister dynamic remains family secret

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:29 GMT

Dear Amy: I am a retired older woman. I’ve been chained to my sister “Janet” my entire life.We were treated as one person growing up and were expected to share everything. I believe our relationship was extremely unbalanced because I did all of the sharing, and Janet, the taking.Janet grew up to be arrogant and thoughtless. She always felt she was the most beautiful person in the room.I married young and had a family and career, she in turn had a career, multiple marriages and no children.I have a lot of anxiety when I remember how badly she treated me.I never told our parents how she behaved when we shared a dorm room in college. I don’t believe in betraying confidences, even if I am the victim. My family was unaware of her games.I helped Janet through her multiple divorces, did her homework in college, helped her find a career and always invited her to join me on vacation. She never reciprocated.On our last vacation with my family, she secretly played her entitlement over me when ...