Sweden to Knight Blinken for His NATO Role

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg are set to be knighted in Sweden for their significant contributions to Sweden's successful bid to join NATIO. Former Finnish leaders Sanna Marin and Pekka Haavisto will also receive the Royal Order of the Polar Star, an honor bestowed on non-Swedish citizens for outstanding service to Swedish interests.

"The awards are an expression of our great gratitude for the efforts of these people," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated on Tuesday. Sweden's NATO membership concludes its long-standing tradition of non-alignment post-World War II; it joined nearly a year after Finland did. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)