On February 24, 2022, Russian forces unleashed a wave of attacks on neighboring Ukraine. Given that Russia had been gathering troops on Ukraine's border since October 2021, the full-scale invasion from the north, east, and south was not totally unexpected. However, American and European Union (EU) officials had hoped that the threat of economic sanctions would deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from taking this drastic action. To better understand how we got here, it is essential to know a little about the long, complicated relationship between the two countries....
Read news articleHotels often undergo makeovers. However, few can compete with the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden. Carved entirely from "snice" — a mix of snow and ice — the hotel is rebuilt annually, with each iteration more impressive than the previous version. The 32nd Icehotel, open to guests until April 17, 2022, is no exception....
Read news articleMost 19-year-olds are still trying to perfect their driving skills. But Zara Rutherford had her eyes set a little higher. The British-Belgian teenager wanted to be the youngest woman to fly around the world solo. On January 22, 2022, Rutherford fulfilled her lifelong dream when she successfully landed her two-seat ultralight aircraft back at the Kortrijk-Wevelgem Airport in Belgium, where she had departed from 155 days ago....
Read news articleThe XXIV Winter Olympic Games officially kicked off with an opening ceremony at Beijing's National Stadium, aka " the Bird's Nest," on February 4, 2022. The two-hour, 20-minute extravaganza— which emphasized togetherness — was filled with spectacular performances and brilliant light and fireworks displays....
Read news articleThis year's first Grand Slam tennis tournament — the Australian Open — ended with historic wins for both the women's and men's singles champions. On January 29, 2022, 25-year-old Ashleigh Barty became the first Australian to clinch the women's singles title at a home grand slam in 44 years....
Read news articleThe Chinese, or Lunar, New Year, which falls on February 1 this year, is celebrated by over 2 billion people — about 20 percent of the world's population. Also known as the Spring New Year, the ancient festival lasts for two weeks and is observed with numerous fun customs and traditions. It is China's biggest holiday. With most businesses closed for at least seven days, hundreds of thousands of city workers head home to enjoy the festivities with their families....
Read news articleBlack History Month, celebrated every February, commemorates the many, often overlooked, contributions African Americans have made to society. American historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson came up with the idea in 1926 as a way to share his love for Black history with students. Today, African American History Month, as it is also called, is one of the most celebrated cultural heritage months on the American calendar....
Read news articleThe XXIV Olympic Winter Games will officially start with a grand opening ceremony at the National Stadium in Beijing, China, on February 4, 2022. The two-week-long sporting extravaganza, which ends on February 20, 2022, will feature a record 109 competitions over 15 disciplines in seven sports. Among them will be seven new exciting events. Here is a brief preview of each....
Read news articleThe James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) — the world's largest and most complex science telescope — was successfully launched into space atop a European Ariane 5 rocket on December 25, 2021. The $10 billion revolutionary space observatory — a joint effort between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency — is designed to detect the faint infrared light from the earliest stars and galaxies formed over 13.5 billion years ago....
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