Socialization takes hold through a process known as

EXPLAINER: Nato is the world’s most successful military alliance, central both to the West’s success in the Cold War and to securing the European order that followed. It has grappled with many doubts about its purpose in the post-Cold-War world. Yet it has expanded greatly over the decades, growing from the original 12 allies in 1949 to 30 today. The last to join was North Macedonia in 2020. Now Finland, and probably Sweden, are knocking at the door . Why do countries want to join Nato, and what does it take to become a member? The core attraction is Article 5 of the Washington treaty, Nato’s founding document, which sets out the mutual-defence promise: “ The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all ”. This is often taken as a guarantee to defend militarily an ally under attack; in fact, a member is committed only to “assist” and to take “such action as it deems necessary” to restore … [Read more...] about What does it take to join Nato?

Faisal Islam @faisalislam on Twitter Published 2 hours ago comments Comments Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Today's astronomical rise in inflation is no less shocking, even though it was predicted. UK inflation is simply not supposed to hit levels such as 9%, and the statisticians have had to go back in time to remodel historical data, as inflation has not been this high while the Consumer Prices Index has been in existence. As the Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has said, these sorts of rises hit the poorest the hardest. 9% is an average across the population. The older Retail Prices Index measure is already at 11%. But Mr Bailey's institution has a battle on now to get this under control. The really painful issue is that this rate will sustain and is on course to get higher over the course of this year. And only this week he … [Read more...] about What will it take to get inflation under control?

Paul Paolucci, the top cop for one of the world’s biggest credit card companies, sure had some interesting friends. One made a fortune fronting for pornography websites that needed access to Mastercard’s and Visa’s payment networks. Paolucci, who oversaw Mastercard’s merchant fraud control, was photographed cavorting around the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel with him and a group of women in white corset minidresses. A second was a Lamborghini-driving e-commerce mogul with whom Paolucci used to celebrate family holidays. The mogul ended up in prison for a financial crime he committed, in part, using Mastercard’s network. An executive at a famously corrupt European bank claimed to have dined with Paolucci and gotten his help evading Mastercard’s regulations. It was Paolucci’s job to make sure that the banks and companies using Mastercard’s network were playing by the rules. He bent those rules himself by getting close to the very kinds of high-risk businesses he was supposed to be … [Read more...] about Two-Card Monte: Why Mastercard And Visa Rarely Shut Down Scammers Who Are Ripping Off Consumers

SWNS/AP Hair-raising moment Qatar Airways jet navigates bumpy landing with its wheels lifting right off the tarmac. Passengers on a Qatar Airways flight that was supposed to depart Auckland on Sunday evening are facing their third night in a hotel, with the airline offering “no information” as to what happened. The flight to Doha via Adelaide was scheduled to depart at 6.25pm Sunday. One passenger has now been rebooked onto a flight that will depart on Wednesday evening. Jeff Howell, who was meant to be on the original flight, said he was at the gate and waiting to board when an announcement came over the intercom advising the flight had been delayed. Half an hour later, the announcement was repeated. At roughly the time the flight was due to take-off, they were told to make their way back through the airport to the Qatar Airways check-in desk. READ MORE: All the international airlines and routes that are coming back to New Zealand The new accidental world's … [Read more...] about Flight mystery: Qatar Airways passengers stranded in Auckland

Moscow has suffered another diplomatic setback in its war with Ukraine as Sweden joined Finland in deciding to seek Nato membership, while Ukraine’s president congratulated soldiers who reportedly pushed Russian forces back near the border. Russian forces pounded targets in the industrial heartland of eastern Ukraine known as the Donbas, and the death toll, already many thousands, kept climbing with the war set to enter its 12th week on Wednesday (local time). The eastern city of Sievierdonetsk came under heavy shelling that killed at least 10 people, said Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the Luhansk region. In the Donetsk region, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Facebook that nine civilians were killed in shelling. READ MORE: Turkey: No to Sweden and Finland joining Nato Why Turkey dissents on Finland and Sweden joining Nato and why it matters McDonald's to leave Russia for good after 30 years Ukraine 'can win this war' against Russia, says Nato chief In … [Read more...] about Russia faces diplomatic and battlefield setbacks on Ukraine

How many times have you looked at a pile of un-ironed shirts and wanted them to just disappear? If your answer was too many times to mention, it might be time to invest in a little bit of help. A clothes steamer is an effective way to live crease free and as they don't make direct contact with the clothes, you don't have to worry about burning an iron shaped hole into your favourite garments - we've all been there. Like conventional irons, steamers require a little bit of water for the real magic to happen. Most heat up relatively quickly and deliver (sometimes continuous) steam to remove creases straight away. Before parting with your cash and investing in a steamer, it makes sense to find out which type best suits your needs. To help you with your decision, we've compiled a list of some of the best clothes steamers you can buy right now. Best clothes steamers to buy 1. Tefal Handheld Steamer DT7000 Best Tefal clothes steamer for affordability Features: … [Read more...] about 12 Best clothes steamers to buy (2022) UK: enjoy a fresh, crease-free finish

Russia expels 34 French, 27 Spanish, and 24 Italian diplomats in a tit-for-tat move Russian soldier pleads guilty at murder trial in Ukraine Ukrainian and Russian officials say peace negotiations have stagnated EU announces funding to help bloc move away from Russian fossil fuels Finland and Sweden submit NATO membership applications This article was last updated at 12:49 UTC/GMT Russian soldier pleads guilty of murder at Kyiv trial Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old Russian tank commander held in Ukraine, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to killing an unarmed civilian. After his convoy was hit, Shishimarin and four other fleeing soldiers are alleged to have stole a car from outside the village of Chupakhivka in the early days of the invasion. He is accused of attacking the 62-year-old, who was riding past them on a bicycle, to prevent him from reporting their presence. "One of the military servicemen ordered the accused to kill a civilian so that he would not report … [Read more...] about Ukraine: Russian soldier pleads guilty of murder at Kyiv trial — live updates

By Mariko Oi Published 14 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing The lure of making a quick buck has always attracted young people to invest in risky assets. For Generation Z, it is the volatility - and the decentralised nature - of digital assets such as cryptocurrency and NFTs which appeals. But they are unregulated, meaning there is little investor protection. "All my friends were talking about [cryptocurrency] so one day I just decided why not just jump in and see if I can make some money," says 20-year-old Paxton See Tow. All he needed was his phone and trading thousands of dollars' worth of assets was only a click away. Generation Z - also known as Zoomers - are the age group born between the mid-1990s to early-2000s. They grew up online, playing games and meeting friends virtually, so the transition is natural. Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies while … [Read more...] about How Gen Z is hooked on cryptocurrency and NFTs

There are only a handful of titles that manage to get the detective genre right by finding the right balance between great gameplay and a captivating mystery. Square Enix’s latest title, the live-action The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story looks to bring a new experience to the niche genre. The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story has an interesting plot spanning different periods in time. It focuses on the Shijima family who has been plagued with inexplicable deaths over the past century. One of the family members, Ejil Shijima goes to see his old friend Haruka Kagami who is a mystery novelist, at one of her book signings. He invites her and Akari to his family's once in a century succession which will take place at his family home on the foot of Mt. Fiji. The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is a live action murder mystery ( Image: Square Enix) He explains how his family have spent many years on medical research to stop the ageing process and his family heirloom … [Read more...] about The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story review: A immersive live-action Whodunit that will test your logic

To hold his Senate seat against his challenger, Beto O’Rourke, in 2018, Ted Cruz spent nearly $40 million. O’Rourke’s campaign spent double that amount. The day before the vote in Texas, Cruz lent his campaign $260,000. This was a curious—and seemingly unnecessary—gesture: The campaign’s final report showed it ended with $263,000 cash in hand. Yet Cruz was not acting irrationally. He was preparing the ground for a challenge of his own, an assault on the tottering remains of the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance law of 2002. That law, more formally known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, or BCRA, limited how campaigns could repay loans from candidates. A campaign has 20 days in which it can repay such loans in full. After that deadline, it can repay no more than $250,000. When Cruz’s campaign finished repaying him, the deadline had elapsed. So his campaign committee settled only $250,000 of the loan, leaving $10,000 outstanding—which Cruz then sued in federal court to … [Read more...] about What Ted Cruz’s Supreme Court Win Means