America is shedding its status as the default choice for foreign governments to park money, buy weapons and send students. Why it matters: Even modest shifts away from the U.S. could chip away at advantages that have helped sustain American economic and geopolitical power for decades. Driving the news: The Netherlands moved 86 tons of gold out of the U.S. and Canada last week, citing the move as a hedge against "extreme systemic risks." France already moved all of its gold out of New York, while Germany debated doing the same. - Norway's sovereign wealth fund — the world's largest — announced plans to reduce its holdings of U.S. government bonds amid turbulence in the Treasury market. The big picture: Beyond finance, European…
A grave-digging contest in a small Hungarian town drew 19 two-man teams to a public cemetery, where competitors raced to dig regulation-size graves with picks and shovels, all in the name of honoring a fading trade. Róbert Nagy and his teammate László Kiss finished first on Saturday, carving out a full-size grave in one hour […] The post Two Hungarian grave diggers win speed contest in cemetery showdown appeared first on American Almanac .
A grave-digging contest in a small Hungarian town drew 19 two-man teams to a public cemetery, where competitors raced to dig regulation-size graves with picks and shovels, all in the name of honoring a fading trade. Róbert Nagy and his teammate László Kiss finished first on Saturday, carving out a full-size grave in one hour and 21 minutes in the summer-baked soil of Nyergesújfalu, a town in northern Hungary. Their prize: 200,000 Hungarian forints, roughly $640, split between the two men. The contest, organized by the Hungarian Association of Cemetery Maintainers and Operators, put 38 competitors to work in a public cemetery. Each two-man team had to dig a grave measuring about five and a half feet deep, six and a half feet long, and…Open
Hungary’s public cemetery in Nyergesújfalu hosted a grave-digging contest where teams raced to dig regulation graves for a cash prize, a display organizers say spotlights the dignity of the trade and aims to break old taboos. On Saturday, thirty-eight men in 19 teams descended on the cemetery in northern Hungary, competing to see who could […] The post Hungarian grave-digging contest digs into tradition and taboos appeared first on American Almanac .
Hungary’s public cemetery in Nyergesújfalu hosted a grave-digging contest where teams raced to dig regulation graves for a cash prize, a display organizers say spotlights the dignity of the trade and aims to break old taboos. On Saturday, thirty-eight men in 19 teams descended on the cemetery in northern Hungary, competing to see who could dig the fastest, deepest, and most precisely measured grave. The event was organized by the Hungarian Association of Cemetery Maintainers and Operators, which described the contest as a way to “showcase the grave-digging trade and its skills” and to “shake off death-related taboos.” Contestants used only picks and shovels, working under the sun to meet strict size requirements: 1.6 meters…Open
A 24-year-old pilot was arrested in Hungary after allegedly taking a small plane into restricted airspace near the nation’s largest nuclear plant, prompting a fighter jet response and a crash landing that left the plane wrecked but the facility unharmed. Hungarian authorities are investigating how a young pilot managed to take a Cessna 172 from […] The post Hungarian police arrest 24-year-old after unauthorized plane enters nuclear plant airspace, crashes in field appeared first on American Almanac .
A 24-year-old pilot was arrested in Hungary after allegedly taking a small plane into restricted airspace near the nation’s largest nuclear plant, prompting a fighter jet response and a crash landing that left the plane wrecked but the facility unharmed. Hungarian authorities are investigating how a young pilot managed to take a Cessna 172 from Kalocsa Airport, fly into a no-fly zone surrounding the country’s main nuclear power station, and crash in a sunflower field just four miles from the sensitive facility. The incident triggered a military radar alert and sent fighter jets scrambling to intercept the unauthorized aircraft, according to reporting by The U.S. Sun . Officials say the pilot was uninjured and was taken into custody at…Open
Wildfires burning across Europe have begun igniting and exposing buried munitions from both world wars, forcing firefighters to dodge explosions while battling blazes on former battlefields. Blasts from old bombs and mines have been reported in France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands this wildfire season, as flames sweep through forests and peat bogs that have […] The post Europe's wildfires are detonating buried World War bombs, turning old battlefields into live minefields appeared first on American Almanac .
Wildfires burning across Europe have begun igniting and exposing buried munitions from both world wars, forcing firefighters to dodge explosions while battling blazes on former battlefields. Blasts from old bombs and mines have been reported in France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands this wildfire season, as flames sweep through forests and peat bogs that have concealed unexploded ordnance for decades. In Belgium's eastern province of Liege, Governor Hervé Jamar confirmed that "a few sporadic detonations" were recently heard in a fire zone sitting directly atop ground fought over during the Battle of the Bulge. Emergency crews have had to adjust their operations to account for the munitions buried beneath them, the Associated Press…Open
