Putin's Warm Welcome in Vietnam Amid Euro 2024 Oddities

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to receive a warm welcome in Vietnam, despite being treated as a pariah by the West. Concurrently, Euro 2024 sees a variety of unusual happenings, from food wars between fans to a fan waking up in an empty stadium. These events highlight the diverse and unpredictable nature of international news.

Following is a summary of current odd news briefs.

Treated as a pariah by the West, Putin set for warm welcome in Vietnam

Russian President Vladimir Putin is widely portrayed as a pariah in the West, but he looks set to receive a warm welcome when he visits Communist-ruled Vietnam this week. Vietnam is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, and ties between Hanoi and Moscow have been strong for decades.

2024 US election vocab: Cheap fakes, Dobbs dads, lawfare

Every U.S. national election, a cottage industry of strategists, pollsters and organizers craft brand-new words and phrases to describe the mood of American voters and the politicking aimed at influencing them. From the 2000 election's "Nader traders" (ask a Generation X voter) to 2004's "Swift Boating," to the 2008 "Obama coalition," these terms provide a sort of snapshot of the U.S., illuminating unique, often temporary phenomena related to the battle to lead the world's most powerful democracy.

Soccer-Baguettes and spaghetti desecrated in Euro 2024 'food wars'

First it was Albanian fans taunting their Italian rivals by snapping uncooked spaghetti in front of them. Then the Austrians followed suit, breaking baguettes in the faces of French fans before their Euro 2024 clash.

Soccer-Where am I? England fan seen waking up in empty stadium

A worse-for-wear England fan woke up cold and confused in an empty stadium hours after the end of his team's Euro 2024 clash with Serbia, according to a video on social media. "I've just woken up. It's four o'clock in the morning," the unidentified fan says in the video showing rows of empty seats behind him at the stadium in Gelsenkirchen where England won 1-0 in their opening game on Sunday night.

Soccer-Fan's hand broken by shot from German striker Fuellkrug

A Germany fan missed the hosts' Euro 2024 tournament opener against Scotland on Friday after his hand was broken by a wayward shot from German striker Niclas Fuellkrug during the warmup. Kai Flathmann was sitting to the side of the German goal ahead of his team's 5-1 demolition of Scotland when he was hit on the hand by an effort from Fuellkrug which went wide of the target.

Soccer-Free sunscreen as fans dodge heavy rain at Euro 2024

Wear sunscreen is the advice at Euro 2024 from the Federal Office for Radiation Protection in Germany, which is doing all it can to protect fans from the dangers of UV radiation, but for now most are seeking shelter from the rain. For the massive number of fans flocking to 10 cities around Germany, sunscreen may not be top of their list when it comes to packing for the trip, but it is available free of charge.

Soccer-Swiss swap training base after new turf dies

Switzerland's squad have had to move their Euro 2024 training sessions ahead of Wednesday's Group A clash with Scotland because of the poor quality of the turf at their camp. Murat Yakin's team had been based at the home of lower-tier German club Stuttgarter Kickers but the newly laid turf began to die out, raising fears of players getting injured.

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