Sweden, Turkey and Finland set for more Swedish NATO membership

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:50:44 GMT

Sweden, Turkey and Finland set for more Swedish NATO membership Turkey, Sweden and Finland will meet later this month to try to overcome objections that have delayed Sweden's NATO membership bid, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday after meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.Turkey in March ratified Finland's bid for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but still objects to Sweden joining the alliance, as does Hungary.Turkey has said Stockholm harbours members of militant groups it considers to be terrorists."Sweden has taken significant concrete steps to meet Turkey's concerns," Stoltenberg told reporters, referring to a constitutional change by Sweden and its stepping up of counter-terrorism cooperation with Ankara.Stoltenberg's talks in Istanbul with Erdogan took place a week after Erdogan extended his two-decade rule in an election.The election coincided with protests in Stockholm, against both Erdogan and NATO, in which the flag of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), outlawed in Turkey, was projected o...

Calls for EU to investigate Russian payments to Maltese dentist 

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:50:44 GMT

Calls for EU to investigate Russian payments to Maltese dentist  The level of corruption with which Russian officials and oligarchs infected individual EU countries is shocking. The EU must conduct a comprehensive examination of Maltese "passport-for-money" schemes, writes famous Ukrainian journalist Tetiana Nikolayenko of Censor.NetShe underlines in her article https://censor.net/en that the level of corruption with which Russian officials and oligarchs infected individual EU countries are shocking. The purchase of EU passports is one such example. Such schemes flourished in many countries - Spain, Portugal, Greece, but even Cyprus and Bulgaria abandoned the "passport for money" schemes.Malta remains the only country that continues to provide a cynical path to an "EU golden passport". For Russian oligarchs, Malta became a real back door to the EU. Public organizations appealed to both the Maltese authorities and the EU with a request to "stop passports sale to Russians", which Malta agreed to, but the EU has now taken Malta to court to hal...

Ask Amy: We’re hurt by what her family says was her last wish

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:50:44 GMT

Ask Amy: We’re hurt by what her family says was her last wish Dear Amy: An elderly person in our small community has just died. Those in my generation have known her for our entire lives.One of her sons was in my class in our small high school. She was extremely active in our church, and as her health started failing, we did what we could to visit with her and be helpful to her family.This probably sounds like a silly problem, but her family has decided not to have any kind of service for her. They said this was her wish.Some of us in town are somewhat surprised and feeling a little hurt about this.I’d like to encourage the family to have a memorial service of some kind, but that seems like an overreach.What do you think?– SadDear Sad: Telling a family what to do after the death of a parent in order to soothe the community is definitely an overreach.You and other members of your community might want to hold a simple, non-religious sharing circle (for lack of another term) as a way to mark your friend’s passing. Perhaps you could plant a tree i...

Harriette Cole: She wrecks my house and acts like it’s a joke

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:50:44 GMT

Harriette Cole: She wrecks my house and acts like it’s a joke DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a very clumsy friend. Every time she comes over to my house, it seems that she inevitably breaks something of mine.It has almost become a running joke, but I’m getting really frustrated.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I’m afraid this exciting job will make me faint frequently Advice | Harriette Cole: I don’t want to falsely accuse them but I can’t shake this bad feeling Advice | Harriette Cole: I found out there are lies about me in this book Advice | Harriette Cole: I drink a lot. My life is fine. End of story? Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m uncomfortable with what my boyfriend does for work The last time she came over, she accidentally knocked over a vase and shattered it. Before that, she spilled red wine on my new white carpet, leaving a permanent stain. And before that, she somehow managed to break the arm off my favorite chair.I know accid...

West Ham, Fiorentina aim to end long European trophy droughts in Europa Conference League final

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:50:44 GMT

West Ham, Fiorentina aim to end long European trophy droughts in Europa Conference League final PRAGUE (AP) — West Ham and Fiorentina haven’t won a European trophy for more than 50 years.The drought will end for one of them when they play out the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday in Prague.West Ham earned its lone European title in 1965, the old European Cup Winners’ Cup. Alan Sealey scored twice to beat 1860 Munich 2-0 at Wembley Stadium.The Hammers reached the final of the same competition in 1976. En route to this, West Ham’s third European final, forward Jarrod Bowen contributed four goals and can’t wait to play it.“I’ve played for England, but I think achieving this with your teammates who you’ve been with together to get to a final and you have the opportunity to win a trophy together, it will be a massive moment,” Bowen said.“We’re all excited about being in the final of a European competition and this will be the pinnacle for a lot of players. It will certainly be the biggest game of my career.”Fiorentina’s only European trophy was als...

Tottenham hires Ange Postecoglou as latest manager after his departure from Celtic

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:50:44 GMT

Tottenham hires Ange Postecoglou as latest manager after his departure from Celtic Ange Postecoglou was hired as Tottenham manager on Tuesday as the English Premier League club begins its latest reboot after another turbulent season.The former Celtic manager is the fourth permanent manager to be hired since Mauricio Pochettino’s departure in 2019 and will be tasked with the responsibility of turning Spurs’ fortunes around after 15 years without a trophy.He signed a four-year contract and follows on from Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte, who all had short-lived reigns.___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Atlanta council OKs funding construction of police and firefighter training center, decried as “Cop City” by activists

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:50:44 GMT

Atlanta council OKs funding construction of police and firefighter training center, decried as “Cop City” by activists ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta council OKs funding construction of police and firefighter training center, decried as “Cop City” by activists.Source

Prince Harry swears to tell truth in phone hacking case, becomes first senior UK royal to testify since 19th century

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:50:44 GMT

Prince Harry swears to tell truth in phone hacking case, becomes first senior UK royal to testify since 19th century LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry swears to tell truth in phone hacking case, becomes first senior UK royal to testify since 19th century.Source

El príncipe Harry llega a un tribunal de Londres a declarar en un caso de escuchas telefónicas contra medios de comunicación británicos

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:50:44 GMT

El príncipe Harry llega a un tribunal de Londres a declarar en un caso de escuchas telefónicas contra medios de comunicación británicos (CNN) — El duque de Sussex llegó este martes al Tribunal Superior de Londres para prestar declaración en su demanda contra Mirror Group Newspapers, a cuyas cabeceras acusa de pirateo telefónico y otras actividades ilícitas.Harry llegó al edificio Rolls, en el centro de Londres, hacia las 9:36 a.m. hora local, en un Range Rover negro, vestido con un traje negro.Entró en el edificio sin responder a las preguntas de los periodistas antes de pasar los controles de seguridad en el interior, según la agencia de noticias PA Media.La comparecencia en persona de Harry ante el tribunal es extremadamente rara para un miembro de la familia real británica. Se cree que es la primera vez que un miembro de la realeza comparece personalmente desde 2002, cuando la princesa Ana se declaró culpable después de que su perro mordiera a dos niños en un parque de Windsor, según la agencia de noticias PA Media.Hace más de 130 años que un alto miembro de la familia real no testifica ante un tribunal, cu...

Tribute held for teen who made ultimate sacrifice to save a stranger

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:50:44 GMT

Tribute held for teen who made ultimate sacrifice to save a stranger In a touching tribute at Western High School, Aden Perry was honored as a heroic teenager who tragically lost his life while attempting to rescue a stranger from a canal. Aden’s mother, Sarah Perry, accepted his diploma on the graduation stage, commemorating his selflessness and bravery.On Monday evening, Sarah expressed her pride in her son and acknowledged the significance of accepting his diploma on his behalf. “He always made me proud. He would have been so proud accepting these himself,” she tearfully shared.Aden’s heroic act occurred in April of 2022 when he courageously jumped into a lake to assist a crash victim in Sunrise. Without hesitation, Aden selflessly dived into the water, exemplifying his unwavering commitment to helping others. Tragically, both Aden and the driver, Venkata Sai Krishnamurthy, did not survive.“He was an amazing young man and he was always helping other people,” said Aden’s mom. “What he did that night w...