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Vietnam welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin, underlining its decades-old relationship with Moscow in the face of U. S. criticism over the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin arrived in Hanoi on Thursday from North Korea, where he signed a comprehensive strategic partnership with Kim Jong Un who vowed to “unconditionally” support Russia in the war. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Read More: Putin’s North Korea Visit Reeks of Desperation, Not Strength “The visit demonstrates that Vietnam actively implements its foreign policy with the spirit of independence, self-reliance, diversification, multilateralism,” according to a statement on Vietnam’s government website. Vietnam and Russia have ties going back decades to the Soviet Union.

A blackout hit the whole of Ecuador on Wednesday, leaving the nation of 18 million without power. Energy Minister Roberto Luque blamed the massive outage on a incident with a transmission line in southern Ecuador which triggered a “cascading disconnection.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The blackout was the first of its kind in 20 years and “shows how fragile our system is, and reflects the energy crisis we’re experiencing,” Luque told reporters in Guayaquil.

In 2024, June 20 marks the summer solstice, the first official day of astronomical summer. “Solstice” means the sun has gotten as high in the sky as it’s going to get for the year; on Thursday, that will happen at 4:51 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] For those looking to pass the time during those extra hours of natural sunlight for reading, below TIME rounds up some surprising facts about the summer solstice and its history. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year In New York City, for example, the sun will rise on Thursday at 5:24 a.m.

Marlene Engelhorn, an Austrian heiress who inherited tens of millions of euros from her grandmother, opted to let strangers decide where to give away €25 million ($27 million)—at least 90% of her fortune—over the past six weeks. Engelhorn has long criticized the Austrian policy of not placing any taxes for inheritances, since she feels being born into a wealthy family is a matter of luck and she did not earn the money. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “A large part of my inherited wealth, which elevated me to a position of power simply by virtue of my birth, contradicting every democratic principle, has now been redistributed in accordance with democratic values,” she said in a statement, per BBC News.

(MIAMI) Tropical Storm Alberto formed on Wednesday in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, the first named storm of what is forecast to be a busy hurricane season. Alberto was located 185 miles (about 300 kilometers) east of Tampico, Mexico, and 295 miles (about 480 kilometers) south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas. It had top sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

WIMBLEDON, England — Former Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber and Emma Raducanu have all been awarded wild cards for Wimbledon. The grass-court tournament starts on July 1. Osaka — a four-time major champion and former No. 1 player — and three-time Grand Slam winner Kerber returned from maternity leave at the start of this season. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Currently ranked 113th, Osaka was the only player to take a set from top-ranked Iga Swiatek at the French Open and followed that up with a quarterfinal spot last week in ’s-Hertogenbosch, a warm-up event for Wimbledon. Former U.