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Northern Europe’s new naval priority: Submarine sabotage

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:29 GMT

HANKO, Finland — Finnish and British troops undertaking a routine naval training exercise on a recent winter morning will soon have a new priority: protecting undersea infrastructure. Just east of the idling British support ship Mounts Bay — the base of the joint exercise, called Freezing Winds 23 — runs the Balticconnector pipeline, carrying gas between Estonia and Finland, which was ripped open in October. The likely culprit: the trailing anchor of a Chinese-flagged, Russia-bound commercial ship. It’s still undetermined as to whether the pipeline’s raking was deliberate, but by early December, Western military planners had decided they didn’t intend to wait for an answer before responding. Ten countries known collectively as the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) — the United Kingdom, the five Nordic countries, the three Baltics and the Netherlands — said they would deploy a string of ships, including the U.K.’s Mounts Bay, “as a military contribution to the protection...

OK boomers: A politics guide to Gen Z’s internet slang

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:29 GMT

“Vladimir Putin has lowkey been taking Ls, with a mid performance that shows a mad lack of rizz. But he’s got a pick me boy ever since the sus handshake: Viktor Orbán. It’s giving villains, no cap.” If you understood that, then no need to go any further. For our actual readers, you might want to stick around for the next five minutes.POLITICO recently took an L (we’ll get to this in a second) when it ranked the most “rizz” politicians, and our newsroom got flak for not using the Gen Z slang properly. (For the last time, you can “have” rizz but can’t “be” rizz … We’ll explain more below.)As some of the youngest staffers in the office, we thought it was time to restore POLITICO’s reputation and prove that, despite being hardcore politics nerds, we know how to use our generation’s lingo. We’re not here to take part; we’re here to take over … Mid: Saying something is “mid” means it’s average, mediocre, of poor quality. It is one of Gen Z’s f...

Biden’s foreign policy headache in 2024

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:29 GMT

Ivo Daalder, former U.S. ambassador to NATO, is CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and host of the weekly podcast “World Review with Ivo Daalder.”United States President Joe Biden starts 2024 in circumstances that any incumbent would envy.The economy is growing at a steady clip; inflation has edged down; unemployment is at a half-century low; the stock market is ending the year in record-breaking territory; and the president’s most likely opponent is facing 91 felony counts in four separate indictments.Yes, of course, there are major issues still to be tackled — most notably, surging numbers of desperate people trying to enter the country in search of a better life; and Biden’s age is a problem for many voters. But the fundamentals for reelection are strong.So, what could possibly go wrong? The answer to this may well come in the first weeks of the new year, as developments abroad — specifically in Ukraine, the Mideast and Taiwan — could potentially raise major questions a...

Europe’s Silicon Valley? No thanks

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:29 GMT

CAMBRIDGE, England — This city wears many crowns: the fastest growing in Britain, the world’s most intensive research cluster and the university with the highest number of tech founders.It also has Britain’s second highest level of inequality and one of the lowest amounts of rainfall of any U.K. city.The tension between those titles has come to a head in the government’s bid to turn Cambridge into “Europe’s Silicon Valley.” Housing Secretary Michael Gove wants to build more than 150,000 new homes there by 2040, more than doubling the city’s size and triple the number local planners had earmarked for the area.“Nowhere is the future being shaped more decisively than in Cambridge,” Gove said in a speech in December. “Its global leadership in life sciences and tech is a huge national asset. But until now… its growth has been constrained.”He envisaged a new quarter with “beautiful Neo-classical buildings, rich parkland, concert halls and museums.” A new development corporation would be e...

Fiery New Year’s Day crash kills 2, injures 5 following upstate NY concert, police investigating

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:29 GMT

ROCHESTER, New York (AP) — Police were investigating after a fiery two-vehicle collision killed two people and injured five others in Rochester, New York, early on New Year’s Day, officials said. The crash happened shortly before 1 a.m. Monday as officers were directing traffic after a concert let out at the Kodak Center theater complex, police said in a statement. A Ford Expedition struck a Mitsubishi Outlander, sending both vehicles “through a group of pedestrians that were in the crosswalk,” the statement said. The collision caused an explosion and a large blaze that took the fire department more than an hour to extinguish. Once the flames were doused, firefighters “located at least a dozen gasoline canisters in and around” the Expedition, the police statement said. That prompted police to bring in an arson team and alert the FBI, police said. Two passengers in the Outlander were killed and the driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. The driver o...

South Korean opposition leader is stabbed in the neck by a knife-wielding man

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:29 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck by an unidentified knife-wielding man during a visit Tuesday to the southeastern city of Busan.Busan’s emergency office said Lee was attacked as he visited the construction site of a new airport in the city. It said Lee, head of the main opposition Democratic Party, was conscious but his exact condition was unknown.Lee slumped to the ground, where a person pressed a handkerchief to his neck to stop the bleeding. Videos circulated on social media showed the attacker, wearing a paper crown reading “I’m Lee Jae-myung,” being chased and tackled by several people. He was arrested on the spot.A witness, Jin Jeong-hwa, told YTN television that the attacker approached Lee, saying he was a supporter and wanted to get his autograph, and then suddenly took out a knife-like weapon and stabbed him in the neck. Jin said Lee bled a lot.President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed deep concern about Lee’s heal...

Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines to play for national title after stopping Alabama 27-20 in OT

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:29 GMT

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Jalen Milroe caught a low snap on fourth down in overtime at the Rose Bowl and ran straight ahead into wall of blue and maize.That wall of Michigan defenders had been hardened by the Wolverines’ violent practice drills. Toughened by two previous College Football Playoff losses. Made impenetrable by months of turmoil that battered the program and its beloved head coach, Jim Harbaugh.Alabama’s quarterback went nowhere.The Wolverines are going to Houston.Blake Corum rushed for a 17-yard touchdown on the second snap of overtime, and top-seeded Michigan advanced to its first CFP championship game with a 27-20 victory over fourth-seeded Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Monday night.Harbaugh’s Wolverines (14-0) will play for their school’s first national title since 1997 against Washington or Texas on Jan. 8 — but only after a fourth-quarter comeback and a hair-raising finish when the two winningest programs in college football history played just the second ...

Powerful earthquakes leave at least eight dead, destroy buildings along Japan’s western coast

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:29 GMT

WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — A series of powerful earthquakes hit western Japan, leaving at least eight people dead and damaging buildings, vehicles and boats, with officials warning people in some areas on Tuesday to stay away from their homes because of a risk of more strong quakes.Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area on Monday afternoon.Eight people were confirmed dead in Wajima city, officials said. Seven others were seriously injured, while damage to homes was so great that it could not immediately be assessed, they said. Kyodo news agency reported at least 13 deaths had been confirmed. “Saving lives is our priority and we are fighting a battle against time,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday. “It is critical that people trapped in homes get rescued immediately.” A quake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 shook the area as he was speaking. Japan’s military dispatched 1,000 soldiers to the...

At least 1 injured after crash in River North

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:29 GMT

CHICAGO — At least one person was injured on Monday night after a crash in River North.The crash happened near La Salle Drive and West Huron Street.Those who live in the area captured the scene from above as about a dozen Cook County Sherriff's vehicles flooded the streets.Police have not yet provided details on what exactly led to the crash, but two smashed vehicles were spotted as crews worked to clear the scene.According to Alderman Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward), one of the vehicles involved in the crash seemingly ran a red light prior to the crash. Driver crashes into tree near ice rink in Millennium Park Hopkins said one person who received medical treatment at the scene is said to be in good condition and two others refused treatment. It is unclear how they were injured.Roads were closed briefly while crews worked the scene, but all roads have since reopened and both vehicles involved have been towed from the scene

Camp Jackson firefighters take cover from gunfire at firehouse

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:02:29 GMT

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. – Camp Jackson firefighter Miles Hogan feels fortunate to be alive. He was standing near a window at the firehouse on Camp Jackson Road when gunfire shattered the glass on New Year’s Eve.The department cites gunfire as the reason for the broken window.“I heard a pop against the window, so I retreated back,” Hogan said.Camp Jackson Fire Chief Chris Davis said a motive was not clear, adding that the gunfire occurred just before midnight, a time when celebratory gunfire could be heard in the area.“I understand people want to celebrate, but people need to think,” Davis said. “This was a close call.” St. Louis home riddled with bullets during short-term rental party He said the all-volunteer department has several ballistic vests designed to protect individuals from gunfire and hopes there’s a way to secure more vests for the department. He said firefighters who have them paid for them on their own.“We’re always looking somehow to get more for everybody,” he said...