Finland officially became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday, marking a major shift in the security landscape in northeastern Europe that adds some 1,300 kilometers (830 miles) to the alliance’s frontier with Russia.

The Nordic nation’s accession was sealed during a formal ceremony at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg were on hand as the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pekka Haavisto, established Finland’s accession.

“Finland has today become a member of the defense alliance NATO. The era of military non-alignment in our history has come to an end. A new era begins,” the Finnish presidency said in a statement.

“Each country maximizes its own security. So does Finland. At the same time, NATO membership strengthens our international position and room for maneuver. As a partner, we have long actively participated in NATO activities. In the future, Finland will make a contribution to NATO’s collective deterrence and defense,” it added.

Finland’s acceptance into the US-led security alliance presents a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long sought to undermine NATO, and before invading Ukraine, demanded the bloc refrain from further expansion.

The invasion instead drove non-aligned Finland and Sweden to abandon their neutrality and seek protection within NATO, though Sweden’s attempt to join the bloc has been stalled by alliance members Turkey and Hungary.

On the eve of Tuesday’s ceremony, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg heralded the raising of the Finnish flag for the first time at the alliance’s headquarters in Belgium, saying “it will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole.”

But Russia has warned that further NATO expansion will not bring more stability to Europe, and on Monday said it would scale up forces near Finland if the alliance sent any troops or equipment to the new member country.

“We will strengthen our military capabilities in the west and northwest if NATO members deploy forces and equipment on Finnish territory,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Finland’s accession will force Moscow to “take counter-measures to ensure our own security, both tactically and strategically.”

Prior to Tuesday, Russia shared about 1,215 kilometers (755 miles) of land border with five NATO members. Finland’s accession more than doubles NATO’s land border with Russia.

Stoltenberg said Putin had “failed” in his attempt to “slam NATO’s door shut.”

“Today, we show the world that he failed, that aggression and intimidation do not work. Instead of less NATO, he has achieved the opposite – more NATO – and our door remains firmly open,” he added.

“Joining NATO is good for Finland. It is good for Nordic security and it’s good for NATO as a whole. Finland brings substantial and highly capable forces expertise on national resilience and years of experience working side by side with NATO allies.”

What it means for Finland and the alliance

Finland’s NATO membership guarantees the northern European nation access to the resources of the entire alliance in the event of attack.

It includes the protection offered by NATO’s Article 5 principle, which states that an attack on one member of NATO is an attack on all members. It’s been a cornerstone of the 30-member alliance since it was founded in 1949 as a counterweight to the Soviet Union.

NATO membership also better integrates Finnish forces in training and planning with NATO allies.

The country is no stranger to working with NATO, with its troops regularly participating in NATO exercises under a partner status.

The Finnish Defense Force also operate some of the same weapons systems as other NATO members, including US-made F/A-18 fighters, German-designed Leopard main battle tanks and K9 Howitzers used by Norway and Estonia among others.

Helsinki has also signed on the F-35 stealth fighter program, which will allow its air force to work smoothly with NATO members including the US, UK, Norway, Italy, Canada, Poland, Denmark and the Netherlands.

A November report from the Washington-based Wilson Center lists three key areas where Finland benefits NATO: reserve forces, technology access and artillery forces.

“Finland’s artillery forces are the largest and best-equipped in western Europe,” the report said.

“With some 1,500 artillery weapons, including 700 Howitzer guns, 700 heavy mortar, and 100 rocket launcher systems, the Finnish artillery has more artillery firepower than the combined militaries of Poland, Germany, Norway, and Sweden can currently muster,” it said.

The Wilson Center report also noted Finland’s strong cyber security record, pointing out the country is home to Nokia, “a major provider of 5G infrastructure,” and one of three major providers of 5G infrastructure in the world, along with Sweden’s Ericsson and China’s Huawei.

And it said Finland can muster 900,000 reserves who have been trained as conscripts in its armed forces. The wartime strength of Finnish forces is 280,000 troops, it says.

Sweden still waiting

Finland’s accession comes days after Turkey’s parliament voted to ratify the country’s membership, clearing the final hurdle for the country to join NATO and putting an end to months of delays.

Finnish and Swedish public support for joining NATO surged following the invasion of Ukraine. “Everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine,” outgoing Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said last April. “People’s mindset in Finland, also in Sweden, changed and shifted very dramatically.”

NATO has an open-door policy, meaning that any country can be invited to join if it expresses an interest, as long as it is able and willing to uphold the principles of the alliance’s founding treaty.

However, under the accession rules, any member state can veto a new country from joining.

An overwhelming majority of NATO members welcomed Finland and Sweden’s applications, but two countries – Turkey and Hungary – began to stall the process.

Turkey and Hungary later softened their stance on Finland’s accession, opening the door to its membership in March, while continuing to block Sweden’s membership application.

There is hope for Sweden’s bid, however. On Monday, Stoltenberg said Finland’s accession is “in itself something we should celebrate” but that it was also good for Sweden.

“It makes Sweden more integrated into NATO and makes Sweden even more safer,” Stoltenberg said. “At the same time we celebrate and enjoy that Finland is now a full-fledged member, we should continue work to finalize the Swedish accession process.”

Finland’s fold into the alliance also reignited calls from Ukraine to join.

“Finland’s accession is a clear message that the time to revise old strategies and old perceptions has come and there is no better solution to ensuring Euro-Atlantic security as a whole than eventual membership of Ukraine in NATO,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said as he was welcomed to the NATO headquarters by Stoltenberg on Tuesday.

World leaders welcome Finland’s accession

A chorus of NATO members congratulated Finland as it joined the alliance on Tuesday.

“Finland, welcome to NATO,” Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted. “This is a historic day for you and for our alliance. It’s a step that makes every one of us safer. All NATO members now need to take the necessary steps to admit Sweden, so we stand together as one to defend freedom in Europe and across the world.”

He also called on Turkey and Hungary to ratify Sweden’s bid for NATO membership.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also hailed Finland’s accession to NATO.

“Finland is now a member of #NATO – this is good news and a victory for transatlantic security. With #Finland, our defense alliance has gained a strong friend,” he tweeted.

Scholz also gave his backing to Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance.

Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, tweeted: “I warmly welcome the accession of #Finland to @NATO. This historic step will strengthen the Alliance, reinforce European & Transatlantic security and contribute to further fostering our #EU-NATO strategic partnership.”

“I felt a lot of hope just bringing the award to the kids,” Cheboi said. “For me, and for the community here, it really means a lot to be celebrated, to be seen.”

Like many of her students, Cheboi grew up in poverty, without access to education and proper nutrition. Her single mother was often unable to afford school fees.

“One of the hardest things about growing up in poverty is hopelessness. You think of yourself as less than,” Cheboi said. “I wanted to turn that into, ‘This can happen for you, too.’”

Cheboi’s nonprofit, TechLit Africa – which is short for Technologically Literate Africa – brings computer science to students using refurbished computers. Many of the children she serves had never used a computer before participating in Cheboi’s program.

“Digital skills provide global opportunities,” Cheboi said. “These kids are doing so much. They have Zoom calls with NASA. They are so worldly.”

Growing up, Cheboi watched her single mother work tirelessly so Cheboi and her siblings could attend school. She saw education as a means to end her own poverty and in 2012, Cheboi received a full scholarship to Augustana College in Illinois and began her studies with almost no computer experience.

“The only tool I had at the time was education,” Cheboi said. “I was able to rewrite my story within years.”

“I’m constantly looking for opportunities to show people this is Christina Cheboi and she happened to have four daughters, she’s worked really hard to educate them.”

“I looked at the audience, it was my mom screaming back at me,” Cheboi said. “This was someone who had no idea that all her hard work is going to amount to something. … I don’t think it can get any bigger than that.”

Cheboi not only won the award and a cash prize to continue her life-changing work, but she also received global accolades from people and places she never dreamed.

The president of Kenya congratulated her the next day, and her alma matter, Augustana College, where her passion for computers started, created a Nelly Cheboi Endowment Fund and has invited Cheboi to be this year’s commencement speaker.

Now in 15 schools, Cheboi’s goal for the year is to set up computer labs and TechLit Africa programs in 100 schools in rural Africa.

“I see a future in Kenya and in the rest of the continent where kids are becoming really tech literate. And then, in turn, becoming global citizens,” Cheboi said. “It’s a ripple effect. Some of them will help us in solving one of so many big challenges we have in the world today.”

For almost four decades, Fred Couples has made Augusta his second home, collecting several tournament records at various stages of his career.

And so, it seems fitting that Couples became the oldest golfer to make the cut at The Masters on Saturday, aged 63 years, six months and five days.

“I am excited to make the cut,” the 1992 Masters champion said Saturday, according to the PGA Tour website. “That’s why I come here … that’s my objective, and I did it.

“I’m going to try and compete. I can’t compete with Viktor Hovland or Jon Rahm or anybody, but I can compete with myself, and that’s really why I come. That’s what I like to do, is make the cut here at an older age.”

Couples carded a one-under 71 in the first round, the first time he has bettered par in the first round at this tournament since 2014.

When bad weather halted play on Friday, Couples had just hit a drive at the 18th hole and believed that he had to only make a bogey to make the cut.

“I had 230 [yards] to the hole. All night long I thought, just make a [bogey]. I wasn’t even thinking about a [par], and I made a [bogey],” he said afterwards, according to The Golf Channel.

In the end, he made a bogey on the last hole, recorded a two-over 74 in the second round and finished the first two rounds in a tie for 40th place.

Couples, who turned professional in 1980, has now made the cut an extraordinary 31 times at The Masters, second only to Jack Nicklaus with 37.

While Couples reached the tournament’s third round, several other stars did not, including Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas.

It remained in the balance for much of the morning as to whether Tiger Woods would make the cut at The Masters but after a nervy wait the five-time champion made it through to the third and fourth rounds in Augusta.

In his 25th appearance at the prestigious major, Woods equaled Gary Player and Fred Couples’ record of making 23 consecutive cuts at The Masters.

The 47-year-old, who had earlier in the week suggested that this could be his final appearance at the tournament, finished his delayed second round with a one-over 73.

As the rain poured down at Augusta National, Woods bogeyed the 17th and 18th holes to go three-over par for the tournament, which meant he needed others to drop shots for him to make the cut.

The weather made consistency difficult for the players on the course which, to an extent, worked in Woods’ favor as Justin Thomas shot a bogey on the 17th to move the projected cut to three over.

Thomas endured an awful back nine, dropping six shots, in a round that consisted of six bogeys, a double bogey and a birdie, which meant the PGA champion missed the cut.

Woods had completed 11 holes of his second round on Friday and was two-over par, then the projected cut, when play was suspended for the day due to bad weather.

He remained at two over until the final hole of the round, hitting two birdies and three bogeys in an improved performance on his first-round 74.

Koepka’s lead cut

Brooks Koepka, who finished his second round before the bad weather ended the play early on Friday, remained in the lead on 12 under after the completion of the second round, though world No. 3 Jon Rahm reduced his advantage to two shots.

Resuming on nine under on the 10th hole, Rahm carded a three-under 69, hitting five birdies and two bogeys in gloomy conditions.

As expected after an awful two days, world No. 2 Rory McIlroy missed the cut, finishing five over for the tournament.

The third round has already begun. Woods is set to tee off at 1.06 p.m E.T and playing so many holes on the same day – if the weather holds out – will be a real test for the 15-time major champion.

His competitive appearances have been sporadic since he suffered severe leg injuries in a serious car crash in 2021 and after his opening round on Thursday he said he was in “constant” pain on the hilly Augusta course.

Ethan Boyes, a winner of multiple cycling championships, died after he was struck by a car in San Francisco on Tuesday, according to police.

Boyes was a 10-time national champion and currently holds the world record for men aged 35-39 in the 1,000-meter time trial, according to USA Cycling, the governing body for cycling in the US.

Boyes was cycling on Arguello Boulevard, south of Washington Boulevard in San Francisco’s Presidio Park, at around 4 pm on Tuesday when a car hit him, according to United States Park Police on Saturday. The park police responded to the scene.

The driver of the vehicle was also transported to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

The U.S. Park Police are investigating the incident with the US Attorney’s Office.

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Ethan Boyes,” USA Cycling said in a statement on Friday, “His loss will be felt at local, regional, national, and world events for years, as he brought a mixture of competition and friendliness to every race. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”

The Velo Sports Center, where Boyes trained, praised his contributions to the sport of cycling.

“We are devastated and heartbroken to learn of the sudden and untimely loss of Ethan Boyes,” the center wrote on Instagram. “His trademark tuck and blender smooth stroke made him deceptively fast—ask anyone who raced against him. He loved riding and racing the track, and he was exceptional at it.”

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition also issued a statement mourning Boyes’ death.

“Today, we join the bicycling community in mourning Ethan Boyes, who was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike in the Presidio,” wrote the coalition on Friday. “Ethan was a champion bicycle racer and beloved figure in the bicycling community.”

The third round of The Masters was suspended for the rest of Saturday after a rain-soaked day at Augusta National.

Play had begun an hour earlier to allow several golfers to finish their second rounds after inclement weather had similarly suspended Friday’s action, where blustering winds saw three tall pine trees fall near spectators. No one was injured according to tournament organizers.

It meant affected players had mere hours between finishing their second rounds and beginning their third, including Tiger Woods – who made a record-equaling 23rd cut – and Jon Rahm, who teed off for his third round two shots behind overnight leader Brooks Koepka.

Amid a sea of umbrellas, four-time major winner Koepka was one of just 11 golfers to shoot under par as cold, wet, and windy conditions dampened many players’ hopes of rising up the leaderboard before the horn blew at 3:15 p.m. ET.

The third round will resume Sunday at 8:30 a.m ET, with the final round expected to start at 12:30 p.m. ET, The Masters said in a statement.

Koepka, Rahm, and amateur Sam Bennett made it through just six holes before play was suspended, with the American leader shooting one-under to stretch his lead at the summit to four strokes from Rahm. The Spaniard had started well with a birdie at the second hole but dropped to one-over after consecutive bogeys at the fourth and fifth.

Bennett, who had sparkled with two historic performances across the opening two rounds, made a nightmare start, opening with back-to-back bogeys.

However, a strong response saw the 2022 US Amateur champion steady the ship with four straight pars, leaving him seven shots adrift of Koepka in third.

With 12 holes remaining for the lead group, it looks set to be a grueling day of Sunday action if The Masters is to avoid just the sixth Monday finish in the major’s history.

The last time the major finished on a Monday was in 1983, when Seve Ballesteros won his second green jacket after heavy rain had postponed play.

Aside from Koepka, Patrick Cantlay and Matt Fitzpatrick returned to the clubhouse as the winners of the day. As scores tumbled around them, the duo shot a round-best three-under par to move into the quartet tied for fourth, world No. 4 Cantlay making it through 13 holes while reigning US Open champion Fitzpatrick managed 11.

They sit level at five-under par with Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland, who both completed seven holes before the horn blew.

Having narrowly secured his passage to the third round, Woods endured a torrid afternoon. His nine-over par after seven holes marked the worst score of the day by three strokes.

The five-time Masters champion’s struggles with movement, visible during the opening two rounds, appeared even more pronounced as the day wore on.

The weather pattern has been relentless in recent weeks. There have been more than 160 tornado reports since Friday, March 24, when 26 people were killed in severe storms and the town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi was hit the hardest.

In the past week alone, more than 30 people have been killed by storms. Combined, fatalities over the last two weeks account for more than half the number of tornado deaths we typically see in an entire year. It’s too many. Even one death is too many.

Communities in the South and mid-South have had nights filled with tornado warnings and sirens. Early mornings are filled with wondering about what’s left of their town. Families are forced to regroup and reset quickly before the next round of strong storms threatens.

And this week will be no different.

Researchers meet storms face-to-face

Tornadoes always feel random. Some towns are spared, and some are hit hard. Within those hard-hit towns, some homes are destroyed, and some are untouched. It is just one of the mysteries of these forces of nature.

The PERiLS project (Propagation, Evolution and Rotation in Linear Storms) is hoping to take some of the guesswork out of which storms will produce tornadoes and which ones will not. The two-year project is currently in its second season, which has been full of opportunities to research storms.

Chris Weiss, a meteorologist and professor at Texas Tech, has been helping to lead the charge on the PERiLS project, not only to improve lead times on storms, but to minimize false alarms when it comes to tornado warnings.

“You want to try to reduce those false alarms as much as possible because when you get repeatedly warned, and an event doesn’t occur, you tend to heed that warning less,” Weiss explained.

He and his crew have traveled more than 3,000 miles this season, placing instruments called “sticknets” out in front of the storms to take measurements and learn why certain storms produce tornadoes and others don’t.

Sticknets are portable weather stations used to sample the atmosphere. They measure temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction as well as air pressure. If placed perfectly, they will sample the changing atmosphere as the storm rolls over it.

“I was just thinking back to the Rolling Fork event from a couple of weeks ago. And one thing that struck me in real time there was how quickly the environment changes ahead of these storms,” Weiss explained. “As the storms got closer, you had this rapid destabilization, and the storm just really takes advantage of that. And that’s tricky for a forecaster that has to anticipate that.”

Weiss hopes with the work he and his team are doing, tornadoes will become easier to forecast, resulting in much more lead time for affected communities.

Weiss and his team have been out in some of the strongest storms this season and will be out again this week when severe weather threatens.

This week’s weather

Another strong storm system will take aim at the midsection of the country this week, threatening millions.

“Many of the areas that got hammered by the last severe weather outlook could be at risk again, so it’s imperative that everyone in this region closely monitor the latest local forecasts and be prepared to take cover if warnings are issued,” the Weather Prediction Center warned.

There’s a Level 2 “slight” chance of storms today, for portions of the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama. Popular beach destinations like Pensacola and Panama City need to be on the lookout for storms.

The bigger threat of storms this week will arrive on Tuesday.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed a Level 4 of 5 “moderate” risk of severe weather for portions of the Midwest, including northeastern Missouri, southeastern Iowa and western Illinois. Cities like Davenport, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City will be under the greatest risk.

A tornado watch vs tornado warning

“Moderate risk for severe weather again for our area on Tuesday as a volatile setup looks to be taking shape,” the National Weather Service office in the Quad Cities said. “The environment is primed for significant severe storms.”

The region had dozens of tornado reports Friday, and it could see more activity less than a week later. The weather service urged people to stay alert.

“We must remain vigilant and stay tuned to the forecast again,” the weather service urged.

There are also two areas labeled as a Level 3 of 5 “enhanced” risk of severe weather stretching from East Texas to southern Wisconsin. Cities like Des Moines, Springfield and Little Rock could once again be at risk of severe weather, including strong tornadoes.

Little Rock alone had at least 50 people hospitalized after a tornado swept through on Friday. Preliminary reports estimate the tornado was an EF-3 with winds up to 165 mph. It carved a path 20 to 25 miles long.

While severe weather and the talk of strong tornadoes will dominate the headlines across the southern side of this storm system, blizzard conditions will dominate the northern side as it affects the Rockies, the Plains and Midwest.

“A highly anomalous April snowstorm with blizzard conditions is expected from northwestern Nebraska and across the central Dakotas and then into northern Minnesota,” said the prediction center.

Blizzard warnings are in effect from northern Nebraska to central North Dakota through Wednesday.

The National Weather Service office in Rapid City is forecasting up to 20 inches of snow, along with 60 mph winds, making travel impossible for many.

The last few weeks have consisted of a steady string of violent storms, dozens of deaths and entire towns left in ruins.

The last few weeks have consisted of a steady string of violent storms, dozens of deaths and entire towns left in ruins.

There have been 494 tornado reports so far in 2023 – nearly double the average at this point in the year. Many of these storms have occurred outside “Tornado Alley,” which includes states across the Plains, but instead have carved miles of destruction across the Southeast and Midwest.

A deadly EF-4 tornado ripped through the town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on March 24, killing at least 26 people and injuring dozens more. One week later, another round of deadly storms ravaged neighborhoods in Little Rock and Wynne, Arkansas, killing at least 32 more people and leaving many more homeless.

Then the third round of deadly storms in less than two weeks hit the very same region on Tuesday, spawning nearly two dozen tornadoes, which killed at least five people in Missouri.

The numbers have been mind-blowing, yet severe weather season is far from over.

Severe weather season is becoming more deadly

There have already been at least 68 fatalities from severe storms in just over three months into 2023. This number is staggering, considering the average number of tornado deaths we see in an entire year is 71.

One reason this year has been so deadly is because many of these storms have swept through at night.

Research shows nighttime tornadoes are more than twice as deadly as tornadoes that occur in the daylight. Tornadoes are difficult to spot in the darkness, but the biggest reason is because people are sleeping.

“A breakdown in warning dissemination appears to coincide with the overnight hours as most people are asleep during this period and fail to receive critical warning information,” the study suggests.

Another reason we have seen more deaths simply has to do with where these storms are occurring. The Southeast and Midwest are much more densely populated than the Plains. More people have been in the path of these storms.

There also tend to be fewer basements and underground shelters in the Southeast because of the moist soil, which forces people to seek shelter above ground, making it more difficult to survive a violent tornado.

Why this year has been particularly active

There have been nearly 500 tornadoes so far in 2023, making it the third-highest tornado year behind 2008 and 2017, year-to-date. And 13 of the 15 weeks this year have brought severe weather.

Part of why this year has been so relentless is because of the steady stream of atmospheric rivers that have plagued the West.

What is an atmospheric river?

Those storms have held an incredible amount of moisture, with “lots of snow, lots of rain and tornadoes in Los Angeles,” said Bill Bunting, the chief of forecast operations at the Storm Prediction Center. And they have maintained their intensity has they have tracked east.

“These very strong wind fields, very strong surface cyclones developing can contribute to heightened severe weather potential as those systems get farther east,” Bunting said.

Winter was also warm across a large swath of the Eastern US, resulting in fewer cold fronts. Colder air tends to keep severe weather at bay since storms need warm air and moisture to thrive. With a warmer winter season, more ingredients were in place to create strong storms outside of the traditional severe season.

The traditional peak for severe storms across the US is April, May and June.

While storm fatigue might be setting in, this is the time of year when the most tornadoes typically occur, and the weather will most likely stay active for the next two months.

Tornado watch vs tornado warning

Climate change and tornadoes

Researchers have seen a shift in tornadoes in recent years. “Tornado Alley” is seeing a decrease in tornado activity, while the Southeast and Midwest are seeing an increase.

Tornado watches are on the rise across the South, with counties in Mississippi seeing the highest increase over the last 20 years, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

Until now, there has been very little evidence on how climate change could affect severe storms and tornadoes. But a recent study showed that rotating, supercell thunderstorms could be more frequent and intense in the future as planet-warming pollution continues to drive global temperatures higher.

It also suggests a shift in where these devastating storms will occur, as well as an earlier start to tornado season.

“Supercells are projected to become more numerous in regions of the eastern United States, while decreasing in frequency in portions of the Great Plains,” the study says. “Supercell risk is expected to escalate outside the traditional severe storm season, with supercells and their perils likely to increase in late winter and early spring months.”

As the outlook on severe weather looks grim, the best thing to do is to stay vigilant and be prepared. Having a plan now and knowing what to do could save your life when severe weather strikes.

What to do when severe weather threatens

This week in travel news: the world’s busiest airports, the best cities for public transit and why Mongolia should be on your 2023 wish list.

The aviation experience

Half of the world’s 10 busiest airports in 2022 were in the United States, thanks to a strong rebound in the domestic market. Passenger traffic at the top airport, a long-time Southern hub, was up nearly a quarter on the year before.

For a glimpse into aviation’s future, this year’s Crystal Cabin Awards short list highlights exciting new concepts that could one day hit the skies. The 2023 contenders include a cabin concept that eradicates the middle seat and a chic design that takes single-aisle aircraft business class to a new level. Award finalists are set to be announced next month. Winners are to be announced in June.

One thing we’re seeing fewer of these days: reclining seats. Once ubiquitous, there are now entire seat models that simply don’t have the option. Here’s why.

Off the radar

Relaxed entry rules now make it easier than ever to visit Mongolia. A shiny new airport has just opened as well as the epic new Chinggis Khaan National Museum. There’s even a glut of cool desert-based music festivals. Yes, Mongolian desert music festivals! Eat your heart out, Burning Man.

Surreal landscapes and China’s happiest city are among the top picks in our roundup of lesser-known Chinese destinations visitors should consider. Start working on your wish list.

A Belgian photographer has made off-the-beaten-track escapades his life’s work. David De Vleeschauwer’s book, “Remote Experiences: Extraordinary Travel Adventures From North to South,” highlights 12 exceptional spots around the world.

Food and drink

An Italian food historian caused huge controversy by declaring that pizza and carbonara are more American than Italian. Unsurprisingly, that didn’t go down well in Italy.

They aren’t the only foods with surprising histories. Ciabatta’s only as old as Diet Coke, nachos have been around only since World War II and “baby” carrots are usually just regular carrots cut down to size.

When it comes to contentious food, though, a gold medal has to go to this boiled bag of offal that’s banned in the United States but is a fine-dining delicacy in Scotland.

Law and order

Amsterdam’s tired of its reputation as a 24-hour party city.

As of April 1, its sex work businesses must close their doors three hours earlier and, in a separate move this week, Schiphol Airport declared that it wants to ban private jets and reduce noise pollution by closing overnight. However, the following day, a Dutch court nixed the airport’s previously announced plans to reduce the overall number of flights, so new solutions may need to be found.

Parisians have also had enough of transport nuisances: Residents have voted in favor of banning rental electric scooters in the French capital.

Finally, Bali’s most deported nationality has been revealed. Clue: It’s also the largest country in the world by area.

Destination inspiration

Solo female travelers

A UNESCO-listed subtropical island paradise in Japan’s Kagoshima prefecture, the Amami Oshima archipelago has white sand beaches, coral-strewn waters and a cornucopia of locally grown produce.

In case you missed it

A Tokyo ramen shop has banned customers from using their phones while eating.

Distracted eaters are slow eaters.

Time Out has named the “world’s best” cities for public transit.

Asian systems lead the way.

A woman went on 34 first dates in 19 countries over the past year.

Here’s what she’s learned.

This ancient site was once a city of 25,000 people.

Now hardly anyone knows about it.

Patricia Salazar first saw Aaron Toro running along the breathtaking Peekaboo Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.

Patricia was also tackling the trail, alongside two friendly women she’d just met. The July sun was blazing down and the surrounding copper rocks were bathed in a warm light.

The Peekaboo Trail is one of the most strenuous in Bryce Canyon. Patricia’s a hardcore runner and extreme sports enthusiast, but even she was finding it tough-going – so the fact that Aaron was running up the mountain like it was nothing was pretty impressive. Patricia couldn’t help but comment on his speed.

“Are you trying to be the fastest on the trail?” Patricia shouted at the stranger as he whizzed past.

Aaron stopped running, caught his breath, and smiled at Patricia. He brushed off the compliment, said a friendly hello, and offered to take a photo of Patricia and her new friends. The women thanked him, then he was off again, running into the distance. Patricia watched him go.

“I’m like, ‘Oh my God, he looks like a Hemsworth brother.’ He was tan and buff, with blond hair. And so I was like, ‘Gosh, what a hunk. That’ll be a good story for later.’”

Patricia assumed she’d never see the runner again. But then, mere minutes later, she spotted him on another bend in the trail.

“The girls were like, ‘Oh, my God, there he is, there he is.’ And again, I had nothing to lose, nothing to gain – at least so I thought. And so I just hollered at him, ‘Hey, are you single?’”

Aaron stopped, turned around, and grinned.

“Yeah,” he said. “Single as a one dollar bill.”

“At that point, in my mind I was like, ‘Oh, no, what’s my follow-up?’” recalls Patricia.

“Do you want my number?” Patricia asked Aaron, spontaneously.

“Are you from here?” said Aaron in response.

“No,” replied Patricia. “Does it matter?”

“No, I guess not,” shrugged Aaron.

And so they exchanged names and numbers. Patricia told Aaron she was from California, and in town for a vacation. Aaron said he was based in Virginia at the time.

Patricia saved Aaron in her cell phone as “Trail Aaron.”

“I said, ‘Okay, I’ll text you,’” recalls Patricia. “Never thinking that I would hear from him or we would connect. And he went on his merry way and kept running.”

A spontaneous invite

It was the summer of 2021. Patricia was 31 and enjoying what felt like a gradual return to “normal” following the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Patricia had never had much luck with dating apps. And meeting people in person in the Covid era felt pretty much impossible. That summer, she was feeling excited about the future and the opportunity to pursue her goals and dreams alone.

“I was just going to be the single endurance athlete. I loved cycling, I loved running, and that was just going to fulfill me enough, and that was great,” she says.

Patricia had also made a pact with herself: Each year, she’d take a solo trip somewhere to escape from the pressures of work and indulge her hobbies and passions. In summer 2021, with international travel still largely off the table, Patricia picked Utah as her destination. The state was home to some beautiful national parks, perfect for trail running. That July, Patricia drove to Utah from her home in California.

“That’s kind of where I was in life, just exploring on my own and being so happy to be in the driver’s seat – not only of my road trip, but of my life,” she says.

When he met Patricia, Aaron was in his late twenties. Like Patricia, Aaron was in a place in his life where he was focusing on himself, rather than dating. He was in the middle of a contract with the US Navy and had found being active-duty military didn’t lend itself to meeting prospective partners.

“We’re constantly traveling and moving and you’re all over the place all the time,” says Aaron.

He spent his down time enjoying endurance sports.

“I started training really hard. And I would devote all my time, essentially, to that – and I was okay with that,” he recalls.

In July 2021, Aaron was in his home state of Utah to catch up with his parents and sisters and to enjoy some quality time with loved ones before he started his next deployment.

“Going out to Utah, a week before I leave the country for six months – the last thing on my mind was meeting someone,” he says.

But Aaron was smitten with Patricia from the moment she’d unexpectedly hollered at him on the trail. He was delighted when she asked for his number.

“I left thinking, ‘Wow, she’s spectacular. Probably never hear from her ever again in my life.’ Because, you know, stuff like this doesn’t happen. So I’m like, ‘Oh, well, that was nice of her. But she’s probably just goofing with her friends. And I’ll probably never see her again.’”

Aaron kept running around Bryce Canyon, and eventually reunited with his family, who’d opted for a more leisurely hike. But as the group were leaving the park, Aaron saw Patricia again – now on her own, having bid farewell to the women she met earlier. Patricia said hi to Aaron and his family as she ran past.

“One sec, I’ll catch up with you,” Aaron told his parents, and, without really thinking, he decided to try to speak with Patricia again.

When he caught up with her – not easy, says Aaron, she’s super fast – Aaron asked if Patricia would like to walk the last half-mile together.

“We started talking,” recalls Aaron, “And it was a really good conversation. We both happened to be training for similar races at the same time. Obviously, she seems really cool. She’s way out of my league, so I was pretty surprised she was talking to me.”

Over the course of the conversation, Patricia and Aaron discovered they were both keen to run one of Bryce Canyon’s most famous trails – the beautiful Fairyland Loop – and agreed to meet the following morning to give it a go together.

“I felt like he could really be the adventure buddy I never thought I needed, but after meeting him, knew I wanted,” says Patricia.

From there, Patricia and Aaron went their separate ways. Patricia cycled back to her Airbnb, where she showered, put her feet up, and was just wondering where she could go for a drink and a bite to eat, when a text from “Trail Aaron” popped up on her phone.

Aaron and his family were hanging out at his uncle’s house that evening. He wondering if Patricia fancied joining for brisket?

“At that point, I’d eaten bar food and Clif bars for about a week and a half on the roads, I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, home-cooked meal, for sure,” recalls Patricia.

“That actually sounds amazing,” Patricia typed in response. “Count me in!”

When Aaron sent the invite, he just figured he had “nothing to lose.” He really liked Patricia, and when she said she was up for coming round, he was thrilled.

He put down his phone and tracked down his family, who were preparing food in his uncle’s kitchen.

“Hey guys, so you know that girl in the green shorts that ran by earlier? Well, she’s coming over,” he said.

“Wait, do you even know her?” asked his family, confused.

But Patricia fit in right away. It was like she and Aaron had known one another for years, not for mere hours.

“I spent the whole night just meeting his family and playing pickleball and cornhole,” says Patricia. “I think his family was a little shocked, but it was an awesome night.”

“They’re great people,” says Aaron. “So they were more than welcoming.”

“When I got to the house and started talking to his family, I was like, ‘Oh, man, he checks all the dream boxes – comes from an amazing family, is in between two girls, has two sisters, his mom is his best friend, loves to hike, loves to bike…’” says Patricia.

Hours later, Patricia and Aaron were sitting out in the backyard together, chatting.

“He reached over and he held my hand,” recalls Patricia. “The moment he held my hand, I knew I was going to fall in love with him.”

Aaron felt the same way.

“There’s just something about her, she was so gorgeous. We had so much fun just hanging out, we connected on so many levels and we were just best friends right off the bat,” he says.

“And I don’t know why, but something just clicked in my brain that day and that night where it was like – she’s worth the risk. Seeing how she interacted with my family… Like I said, it was just like, ‘Wow, there’s something special here.’”

Whirlwind romance

The next day, Aaron and Patricia ran the Fairyland Loop together. From there, Patricia was planning to head to Utah’s Park City to tackle more trails. She asked Aaron if he wanted to join her.

It was only then, when they were in the car en route, that Aaron mentioned he was in the military and was heading off on a six-month deployment in twelve days’ time.

When Aaron met potential partners, he never led with the fact he was in active service – he knew it wasn’t always an attractive prospect, given the inevitable long distance.

Patricia had never met anyone in the military. She wasn’t sure what to think. But she knew Aaron made her feel safe and excited for the future. She decided this news didn’t change anything.

When they stopped for gas, Patricia texted her best friend, “I met the man I’m going to marry on a trail,” she said.

“No you didn’t,” replied her friend.

“We drove for hours together, we’re staying in an Airbnb together,” said Patricia.

For her friend, this message was less exciting and more terrifying, setting off several alarm bells.

“Okay, well you need to send me your location,” she wrote back. “We’ve all heard this story before on whatever news network.”

After concluding her Utah trip, Patricia was planning to drive back to California, visiting family en route. Knowing that Aaron would be leaving the country within days, she decided to take a leap.

“Hey, I don’t want to waste any time,” she said. “Why don’t we just go together, and you can meet my family?”

Aaron said sure – she’d already met his family, after all – so Patricia rang her mom to tell her she was bringing along a plus one.

“I met this guy on a trail, I really like him,” she said. “I think this is it.”

“Wait, who is he?” asked Patricia’s mother, confused.

“I think I’m falling in love,” said Patricia. “This is crazy.”

En route to Patricia’s parents’ house, Patricia and Aaron stopped over in Salt Lake City. They stayed up into the early hours, talking.

“It was the night in Salt Lake that we decided to really go all in,” says Patricia. “We had a lot of serious conversations right off the bat – where we were financially, what our aspirations were, where we were politically, what our relationships with our family were like, and what we really wanted out of life if we were going to have another serious relationship.”

Aaron says it was clear the two were aligned, and also ready to meet each other where they were at.

“We were both very much on our own path, and we were both taking our lives and our careers very seriously,” he says. “So we just laid that all out on the table for each other. We both said, ‘If I do a relationship again, it’s for real, it’s not just dating around for fun.’”

Their talks were sometimes “heavy,” he adds.

“I think we were both at that same mental place, and we were both mature enough to just put that all out on the table.”

The two came up with a “five-year plan right off the bat,” as Aaron puts it. He knew he didn’t want to stay in the military indefinitely, for example, and both he and Patricia were keen to get married, but liked the idea of an elopement over a big wedding.

They’d covered almost everything when Patricia suddenly realized she’d forgotten to check just how long Aaron’s deployment would last.

He explained it would be six months, and he’d mostly be stationed in Spain.

Patricia had been expecting something way longer, and way further afield. Six months seemed doable.

“Let’s do this thing,” she said.

The two became official there and then.

“We had a pretty good foundation of what to expect out of each other, out of our relationship and out of our lives. So the rest was easy after that,” says Aaron.

“With that small hiccup in the middle,” says Patricia. “That whole cancer thing.”

Unexpected news

For the first few months, Patricia and Aaron found long distance relatively easy. They FaceTimed every day, enjoying more long, deep chats. Within weeks, they told one another they were falling in love. Patricia booked a trip to Spain for September. Their leap of faith back in July seemed to be paying off.

“It was really manageable – we felt very lucky how successfully we navigated long distance,” says Patricia.

Then fall came, and Patricia had an abnormal pap smear result. She didn’t think too much about it. She went on the planned trip to visit Aaron in Spain. Back in the US, Patricia’s doctor booked her in for a colposcopy. She kept Aaron in the loop.

“I wasn’t worried about it,” says Patricia. “I think in the back of his mind, he was a little more worried than I was.”

Then the results came through: Patricia had stage two cervical cancer.

She wanted to tell Aaron the news on FaceTime rather than via text. By then, he was based somewhere in Africa.

“I remember just waiting up late that night for him to wake up to tell him,” says Patricia.

She was in a state of shock. How could she tell this man she was falling for more and more each day, who was currently hundreds of miles away across oceans, that she had a crushing diagnosis and uncertain future?

“I sat in the living room, and FaceTimed him, and I said, ‘This is my diagnosis,” recalls Patricia.

In one of their deep conversations in Salt Lake City, both Patricia and Aaron had expressed a desire to have kids. Now, Patricia’s doctor had said it was unlikely she’d be able to have biological children. And the journey to recovery was set to be long, complicated and uncertain.

“If this isn’t the path that you want to walk on with me, I completely understand,” Patricia told Aaron that night. “I love you, you love me. And so it’s been fun, but I’m not going to make that choice for you.”

Aaron jumped in right away.

“No, I want you forever more than I want anything else,” he said.

“I wanted to reach through the phone, ‘What are you talking about?’” recalls Aaron today. “We’re in this for the long-haul, no matter what, cancer’s not going to get in the way of that, it’s just one more thing.”

So Aaron said all the right things, and did his best to comfort Patricia from afar. But he was horribly aware of the distance. And the creeping fear.

“There’s nothing I could do other than just try to comfort her through a phone,” he says today.

Over the next few months, Patricia had another biopsy, to determine the cancer hadn’t spread, and started fertility treatment, as she still hoped to have biological children one day. Aaron supported her throughout and was always there, even if he couldn’t be physically there.

“He was there every day for me and, I kid you not, there were nights that I cried myself to sleep with him on the phone, on FaceTime,” says Patricia.

“I hated to Google what the doctors were sending me and so he would Google for me and be like, ‘Don’t Google that.’”

Things “got worse before it got better,” as Aaron puts it.

At first, it seemed like a dose of radiation could target Patricia’s cancer. Then doctors started discussing surgery and concluded Patricia needed a hysterectomy. This would be an invasive procedure with significant recovery time.

Aaron was granted emergency leave to go home to the US to support Patricia in person in the weeks before, during and after the surgery. He’s eternally grateful for this.

In late 2021, Covid-related rules still restricted Californian hospital visitors. But whenever he was permitted to be in the building, Aaron was by Patricia’s side.

“That was a huge, I guess, strength-builder in our relationship,” says Patricia of this period. “I didn’t know if we could get stronger than we already were. And then that happened.”

While Patricia was in hospital, Aaron met Patricia’s grandparents, who she’s very close with, for the first time. Patricia’s grandmother immediately took Aaron aside.

“Her grandma takes me into the other room. And she gives me Trisha’s great-grandma’s engagement ring, which is a family heirloom ring,” recalls Aaron. “She’s like, ‘This is for when you ask Trish to marry her.’”

Aaron remembers sitting in his car in the hospital parking lot, turning the beautiful ring over in his hands.

“I had the family ring, and I was literally just sitting there for hours outside the hospital in the rain,” he says, getting emotional at the memory. “I knew as soon as she came out of hospital that I was going to ask her to marry me.”

On Christmas Eve 2021, Aaron proposed to Patricia.

“I was laying on the couch. We were in matching Christmas onesies,” recalls Patricia. “And on Christmas Eve, my family usually lets us open one Christmas present. So I said, ‘Let’s keep that tradition going, let’s open one Christmas present.’”

She gave Aaron a pair of slippers. Then he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him, presenting her with the family ring.

“I could barely move, nine days after my surgery. But I jumped up off of that couch so fast to say yes,” recalls Patricia. “It was very exciting, and our families were so thrilled for us.”

Over the first half of 2022, Patricia continued to recover from surgery and went through five weeks of radiation.

“I knew there was a finish line and Aaron would be waiting at it, so I took it day by day,” she says.

Then, in September 2022, Patricia and Aaron got married. As they’d always planned, they eloped. The ceremony took place amid the red rocks in Snow Canyon, Utah, not far from where their relationship first began.

“It was exactly what we wanted,” says Patricia, who took Aaron’s name, becoming Patricia Toro. “We left out of our vows, ‘through sickness and health,’ because we’ve already gone through that, we know we can accomplish that.”

Looking to the future

Fast forward to today, and Aaron’s finishing up his final navy deployment and Patricia’s in remission. The couple are looking forward to the future.

“The sky’s the limit. We’re not 100% sure where we’re going to end up but we have a few plans in place, and it’s all looking up from here,” says Aaron.

It’s not even two years ago that Patricia and Aaron first met, but the two feel like they’ve crammed a lifetime of ups and downs into their relationship so far.

It’s surreal to think about, especially when they consider the slim chances of them meeting in the first place.

“It doesn’t feel real, it feels like we’re living in a simulation, because it’s just ridiculous,” says Aaron. “We live on opposite coasts, we both happen to be in Utah, in the same National Park, same day.”

“I am not a super-religious person, and neither is Aaron. But we both feel that there was something that put us on that trail that day,” says Patricia. “And I don’t know if that something knew the struggles that I was going to go through three months later. Or if they knew that he’s going to need me in his life at one point. But we were there for a reason that day. And I know that my journey these last 17 months would have been a lot different had Aaron not been there.”