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Ukraine renews push for NATO membership

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:51 GMT

BRATISLAVA — Ukraine is upping its campaign to get a firm promise of NATO membership eventually, working to sway wary allies before a key meeting this week.The foreign ministers of NATO member countries will gather for an informal meeting in Oslo on Wednesday and Thursday, where they are set to debate Kyiv’s request to join the defense alliance. And while there is broad understanding that Ukraine cannot join NATO so long as it’s actively battling Russia, Ukrainian officials want NATO leaders to make a concrete political gesture of putting Kyiv on the path to membership during the alliance’s upcoming Vilnius summit in July. Kyiv’s NATO campaign was on full display in Bratislava this week, where senior politicians and officials from across Europe are gathering for the annual GLOBSEC forum to discuss defense and geopolitical challenges. “Vilnius should give a clear signal that politically, Ukraine is invited to join NATO,” Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s deputy prime ...

NATO deploys more troops to Kosovo amid violence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:51 GMT

NATO on Tuesday deployed additional forces to Kosovo, a day after peacekeeping troops were injured in clashes with Serb protesters in the country.11 Italian and 19 Hungarian soldiers belonging to Kosovo Force (KFOR), a NATO-led peacekeeping mission, were wounded in northern Kosovo while working to contain violent demonstrations. Three of the Hungarian soldiers were injured by the use of firearms, according to KFOR. NATO condemned the attacks and called “on all sides to refrain from actions that further inflame tensions, and to engage in dialogue.” In a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Allied Joint Force Command Naples said NATO is sending the Operational Reserve Forces (ORF) for the Western Balkans to Kosovo. “JFC Naples is closely monitoring the situation in Kosovo, and will continue to coordinate with KFOR to ensure that they have all the capabilities and forces they need to impartially ensure a safe and secure environment and the freedom of movement for all communiti...

Arrest Putin, South Africa’s opposition urges government

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:51 GMT

The last time an accused war criminal visited South Africa, he had to cut his visit short or risk being arrested. Now, the South African opposition wants to do the same thing to Vladimir Putin. South Africa’s leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), said Tuesday it had taken legal action to force the government to arrest Putin if the Russian president were to visit the country.Putin is currently under an international arrest warrant, issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in March, over the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia as part of Moscow’s full-scale invasion.The DA has now launched a court application requesting Putin be “detained and surrendered” to the ICC if he were to arrive in South Africa to attend a BRICS summit in August, the party said in a statement.“The DA is seeking this declaratory order to ensure that there is no legal ambiguity relating to the procedure to be followed, and the obligatio...

Bidens mark eight years since Beau Biden’s death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:51 GMT

(CNN) — President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden on Tuesday attended a memorial mass for Beau Biden marking eight years since his death from cancer, according to the White House.The Bidens attended the morning service at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Church in Wilmington, Delaware, before visiting the site of Beau Biden’s grave, which is located behind the church.During his Memorial Day address from Arlington National Cemetery, the president mentioned Beau Biden’s death as he discussed the measures his administration has taken to help veterans. Beau Biden, who served as Delaware’s attorney general before his death, served a tour in Iraq as a member of the Delaware National Guard.“Tomorrow marks eight years since we lost our son Beau,” he said. “Our loss is not the same – he didn’t perish in the battlefield, it was cancer that stole him … after being deployed as a major in the United States Army National Guard in Iraq. As it is for so many of you, the pain...

Your attention span is shrinking, studies say. Here’s how to stay focused

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:51 GMT

(CNN) — I’ve been working steadily for hours but feel as if I haven’t even started. My attention is being pulled from my assigned task — writing this story — by a myriad of what I believe are necessary work interruptions. (OK, a couple were from my cat, who also firmly believes in their necessity.)My kids and I call days like this “squirrel days” in honor of Dug, the talking dog in (squirrel !!) the 2009 Pixar movie “Up,” who (squirrel !!) was constantly distracted by well, just about (squirrel !!) …Unfortunately, all too many of us are having “squirrel” days, according to Dr. Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, who studies how digital media affects our lives. In her book “Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity,” Mark explains how decades of research have tracked the decline of the ability to focus.“In 2004, we measured the average attention on a screen to be 2½ minutes,” Mark said. “...

What is permitting reform? The critical energy provision buried in debt-ceiling negotiations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:51 GMT

(CNN) — Tucked into a bipartisan debt ceiling deal is a critical energy provision that Democrats and Republicans in Washington both want – at least in theory.Energy permitting reform, which aims to cut down the time it takes for new projects to get approved, is one of the few bipartisan measures to emerge from a debt limit deal. But it is not without controversy.Here’s what to know.What is energy permitting?Energy permitting may sound dry, but it’s an important and necessary step for any plan that intends to bring new sources of energy to our homes and businesses. It’s the shorthand term for all the environmental and technical approvals needed for a major energy project like a wind farm, massive solar array, electrical transmission line, or gas pipeline.Essentially, it’s the key hurdle to getting new energy projects built in the United States.In the US, this process is particularly complex because there are multiple layers of governm...

D.J. Reed bullish on potential of Jets’ defense: ‘I feel like we can be No. 1’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:51 GMT

A year ago, the Jets’ defense looked to improve from being the worst unit in the NFL.Not only did Gang Green accomplish that goal, but it also finished with a top-five defense.Despite their success on the defensive side of the ball, Jets players believe there’s still room for improvement.“We are a top-five defense, so I feel like we can be No. 1” Jets cornerback D.J. Reed said. “But we gotta put the work in. I just think it comes down to being just deliberate and just communicating and just having that swag when we’re out there.”In Robert Saleh’s first season as coach of the Jets, they finished dead last in yards and points allowed during the 2021 season. After a few additions, including signing Reed and drafting Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, the Jets defense significantly improved last year.Gang Green’s defense finished fourth in yards (311.1) and points (18.6) allowed. In part, because of their stout unit, Gardner, defensi...

‘Humbling and sobering moment’ for Liam Hendriks as Chicago White Sox fans show their love in his return to the mound

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:51 GMT

Liam Hendriks walked to the bullpen before the fifth inning Monday. Fans held up letters in the left-field bleachers that spelled, “TEAM LIAM.”Hendriks tipped his hat as he received a thunderous standing ovation.The Chicago White Sox closer announced in January he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He was back in a big-league game Monday, pitching the eighth inning of a 6-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels in front of 23,599 at Guaranteed Rate Field.Hendriks allowed two runs on three hits with one walk. But the stats were a small part of the remarkable story.“It was great being back out there,” Hendriks said. “Getting back, putting cleats on, running out, doing all that. I felt good, I felt strong, I felt comfortable out there.“Unfortunately for me I wasn’t able to get the two-strike pitch where I wanted to. That was the bit for (Monday). It was get ahead, generally, and then struggle to put them away.“There were some positives fro...

9 injured in Memorial Day shooting at Florida beach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:51 GMT

By TERRY SPENCER (Associated Press)HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) — Nine people were injured when gunfire erupted along a beachside promenade in Hollywood, Florida, sending people frantically running for cover at the crowded beach on Memorial Day.Police and witnesses said the shooting began as a group of people fought in front of a busy stretch of shops on the Hollywood Oceanfront Broadwalk about 7 p.m. Monday.The sound of gunshots sent witness Alvie Carlton Scott III ducking for cover behind a tree before he fled on foot at the command of a police officer. Another witness, Jamie Ward, said several young men were fighting when one of them pulled a gun and started firing. The shooting upended busy holiday weekend festivities at the popular beach destination where there was already a heavy police presence to oversee the big crowds. Police spokesperson Deanna Bettineschi said four children between the ages of 1 and 17 were hit, along with five adults between 25 and 65. All of the victims w...

Man dead after trying to board moving Green Line trolley: MBTA

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:51 GMT

A man died after falling under a Boston subway train early Tuesday, authorities said.The man apparently wanted to board a moving Green Line trolley at North Station at 12:18 a.m., Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan said in a statement.As the northbound trolley was departing on its way to the Medford/Tufts station the man kicked its side, the statement said, and he “lost his balance and fell under the trolley as it was in motion.”His name wasn’t made public. No other information was released.The North Station stop serves the TD Garden, where the Boston Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference championship series about an hour and a half before the death.