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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded on April 4, 1949, with the signing of the Washington Treaty by 12 countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.  · It has since grown to 32 members, recently adding Finland and Sweden. But this expansion has led to tensions with Russia, particularly over the inclusion of former Soviet…

No longer a fad, mindfulness practices show promise for reducing feelings of loneliness and can have long-lasting benefits. · Feeling lonely can be a real downer. But there is a technique to combat it that not only improves your mood but can also rewire your brain for the better. · Similar to regular exercise, regular mindfulness practices have been shown to change how your brain works and also promote learning and memory. · These effects are…

India’s foreign policy balancing act in the Middle East has come under scrutiny with arms shipments to Israel during the Gaza conflict. · India’s reported arms ‘exports’ to Israel amid the Gaza conflict have sparked controversy. · It challenges India’s historical balanced stance on issues in the Middle East and the complexity of balancing strategic partnerships. · While deepening ties with Israel may bring technological benefits, arms export…

“Organic beef”, “GMO-free” and “100% natural” are just some of the countless claims designed to attract the eyes of eco-conscious consumers in the supermarket. · Yet while people are increasingly willing to spend more on these labels, there is often not enough consideration of how much these features actually contribute to a food’s environmental sustainability. · It’s understandable why consumers are confused. · Determining the environmental…

The European Parliament is one of the three institutions that govern the 27-nation European Union. Alongside EU governments, it enacts laws proposed by the European Commission, overseeing policies and the EU market, which serves almost 450 million people. · The June 2024 elections, which shaped the new Parliament, have been described as the most crucial in the continent’s history, primarily due to the complex geopolitical landscape both within…

Dingoes are a quintessentially Australian animal, right up there with kangaroos and koalas. The wild dogs also hold a deep cultural significance to Australia’s First Peoples. · But despite the ubiquity and importance of dingoes, their evolutionary origin story has largely remained a mystery—until now. · A new analysis of ancient dingo DNA, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, helps fill in some of the gaps…

Researchers in Peru say they have found the remains of a 4,000-year-old temple and theater, a discovery that could enrich historians’ understanding of ancient religious practices in the region. · “We still know very little about how and under which circumstances complex belief systems emerged in the Andes,” says Luis Muro Ynoñán, an archaeologist from Peru’s Pontifical Catholic University who led the team, in a statement. “Now we have evidence…

Seventeen New Zealand coastwatchers and five European civilians captured in the Gilbert Islands (now Kiribati) were beheaded at Betio, Tarawa. · Coastwatchers were service and civilian personnel from New Zealand, as well as Pacific islanders, who kept a 24-hour watch for enemy ships and aircraft. They were a vital link in the intelligence chain during the Pacific War. For most, the main challenges were isolation and boredom. For those on the…

'Night owls' traditionally get a bit of a rough time of it, with numerous studies linking staying up late to poor health outcomes, inadequate sleep and a fair amount of shame that comes with not being able to function as well in the mornings as others. And, in a world where work hours generally favor early risers, the late-night folk can feel a little out of step with society. · But there's finally some good news for those who can't, or don't…

Distance and money prevented New Zealand from competing at first three modern Olympic Games in Athens (1896), Paris (1900) and St Louis (1904). In the 1908 Games in London, New Zealanders competed as part of an ‘Australasian’ team. · New Zealand contributed three athletes to this team: Henry St Aubyn Murray, who competed in the 110-m hurdles (and was the team’s flag-bearer), and the walkers Arthur Rowland and Harry Kerr. A fourth New Zealander,…