Author: Reporter

The central European country of Slovakia sends old arms to Ukraine from the safety of NATO’s umbrella

The central European country of Slovakia sends old arms to Ukraine from the safety of NATO’s umbrella

Posted by | Mar 24, 2023

Former Soviet satellite Slovakia has been a NATO member since 2004, but the reality of belonging to the world’s biggest military alliance really kicked in after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago. The small central European country now hosts thousands of NATO troops while allied aircraft patrol its skies, allowing Bratislava to consider becoming the first nation to send fighter jets to neighboring Ukraine — getting rid of its unwieldy Soviet-era planes at the same time. Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad is grateful. “I would say that the Slovak Republic is a more secure country in a less secure...

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Disaster Debate: Pro-Russian voices spread toxic propaganda on social media after Ohio train crash

Disaster Debate: Pro-Russian voices spread toxic propaganda on social media after Ohio train crash

Posted by | Mar 23, 2023

Soon after a train derailed and spilled toxic chemicals in Ohio last month, anonymous pro-Russian accounts started spreading misleading claims and anti-American propaganda about it on Twitter, using Elon Musk’s new verification system to expand their reach while creating the illusion of credibility. The accounts, which parroted Kremlin talking points on myriad topics, claimed without evidence that authorities in Ohio were lying about the true impact of the chemical spill. The accounts spread fearmongering posts that preyed on legitimate concerns about pollution and health effects and compared the response to the derailment with America’s support for Ukraine following its...

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Putin charged with war crimes after international court issues warrant over child abductions in Ukraine

Putin charged with war crimes after international court issues warrant over child abductions in Ukraine

Posted by | Mar 23, 2023

The International Criminal Court said on March 17 that it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. It was the first time the global court has issued a warrant against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. The ICC said in a statement that Putin “is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of (children) and that of unlawful transfer of (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.” The...

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Jordan Stolz: A Milwaukee high school student’s rise to the youngest world champion speedskater

Jordan Stolz: A Milwaukee high school student’s rise to the youngest world champion speedskater

Posted by | Mar 22, 2023

Coming off an unprecedented performance at the world championships, 18-year-old Jordan Stolz is already facing the inevitable comparisons to the greatest speedskater of them all. Eric Heiden. Stolz chuckles a bit at being mentioned in the same sentence with the guy who won five gold medals — in five individual events ranging from 500 to 10,000 meters — at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. But the teenager who grew up skating on a frozen pond behind his home in suburban Milwaukee and is still a few months away from graduating high school does not shy away from it, either....

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An open wound: Small town criticizes child cancer settlement from chemical company’s toxic waste

An open wound: Small town criticizes child cancer settlement from chemical company’s toxic waste

Posted by | Mar 22, 2023

In hindsight, it is clear that something was very wrong in this suburban town at the Jersey Shore, where many people worked at or lived near a chemical company that was flushing toxic waste into waterways and burying it in the ground. Men would come home from the plant, which made dyes and resins, and their perspiration would be the color of the dye with which they worked. Children swam in the local river, coming up for air in the midst of milky white froth that floated on the water’s surface. There seemed to be fewer fish than would...

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Deep concern for impact on startups by people of color emerges after Silicon Valley Bank collapse

Deep concern for impact on startups by people of color emerges after Silicon Valley Bank collapse

Posted by | Mar 21, 2023

In the hours after some of Silicon Valley Bank’s biggest customers started pulling out their money, a WhatsApp group of startup founders who are immigrants of color ballooned to more than 1,000 members. Questions flowed as the bank’s financial status worsened. Some desperately sought advice: Could they open an account at a larger bank without a Social Security Number? Others questioned whether they had to physically be at a bank to open an account, because they’re visiting parents overseas. One clear theme emerged: a deep concern about the broader impact on startups led by people of color. While Wall...

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