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Ukraine’s forces say NATO trained them for wrong fight

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:52 GMT

Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe. Did NATO screw up when training Ukraine’s counteroffensive units? Did it train them for the wrong battlefield?These questions are at the heart of a raging debate about why, after three months of grueling fighting, the counteroffensive in southeast Ukraine hasn’t yet managed to punch through to the Sea of Azov, cutting off the so-called land bridge that connects annexed Crimea with southern Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.With progress painstakingly slow on the Zaporizhzhia front — the main axis of three lines of attack — there’s been plenty of second-guessing and armchair generalship going on, apportioning blame, identifying missteps or highlighting things that could have been done better.But among them, the most intriguing thinking is coming from soldiers on Ukraine’s front lines, or those who have newly returned, and they fault NATO for preparing them for a different fight.Of course, Ukraine has been encountering cr...

Polish FM: We will continue to back Ukraine, but we must protect our farmers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:52 GMT

Zbigniew Rau is the Polish foreign minister.In February 2022, millions of victims of the unprovoked and unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine — primarily women and children — found safety in neighboring Poland.Poland was the first to come to Ukraine’s aid.And in what has turned out to be Kyiv’s most valuable resource, Poles made their own territory available as strategic depth for Ukrainian defense, establishing a critical military hub for arms supplies from around the world.Above all, however, Poland believed in Ukraine’s victory as other allies concluded it was too late to arm the country. Polish-donated tanks helped defend Kyiv, and Polish-made howitzers helped liberate Russian-occupied territories in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions.This came at a tangible price for Poland. Of all the allies, Poles took upon themselves the heaviest burden when it came to helping Ukraine — equivalent to over 3 percent of the country’s GDP, nearly four times as much as wealthy Germany and a...

Hungary’s baby-making summit dominated by paranoia, not policy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:52 GMT

BUDAPEST — The children’s tricycle parade began a little past 10 a.m. on a cool, overcast Saturday morning across from Vajdahunyad Castle in the Budapest City Park.The dirt path around the faux-gothic castle was dotted with newly erected booths, set up to sell baked goods or provide children’s entertainment. A low rumble drifted across the bridge that spanned the castle’s moat, growing steadily louder, until a wave of furiously pedaling children burst into view, parents running beside them.The parade opened the third, and final, day of the Budapest Demographic Summit — Viktor Orbán’s biannual get-together of right-wing thought leaders who gathered to discuss Europe’s declining population and falling birth rates. But the family festival, which featured face painting, carnival games, and a petting zoo, cut a sharp contrast with the siege mentality that pervaded the gathering of politicians and conservative luminaries over the previous two days.“We live in an era wher...

FAA investigating after laser pointed at helicopter landing at a Boston hospital

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:52 GMT

The FAA will investigate after a helicopter crew reported being hit by a laser while landing at a hospital in Boston Thursday night, officials said. The FAA in a statement said the crew reported the incident around 8 p.m. No one was injured, according to the FAA, and local authorities were notified. No further information was immediately available about the incident Thursday night. This, though, came hours after the FAA said two JetBlue flight crews reported being illuminated by a laser around 5:40 a.m. Thursday near Boston. As with the incident Thursday night, the FAA said no one was hurt in the early-morning laser strikes. Later speaking with 7NEWS, aviation expert and former Massport Director Tom Kinton said incidents involving lasers and aircraft “(are) happening way too often.” “It’s a very dangerous way to play around that can cause injury to the pilots and loss of sight at a critical phase of flight could involve an accident or a missed approach,” Kin...

Biden administration seeks to remove medical bills from credit reports

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:52 GMT

(CNN) — Millions of Americans with unpaid medical bills would no longer have that debt show up on credit reports under proposals being considered by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.The agency, which is soliciting feedback from small businesses that may be affected, expects to issue a proposed rule next year, the bureau said Thursday.If the rule is finalized, consumer credit companies would be barred from including medical debt and collection information on reports that creditors use to make underwriting decisions.Creditors would only be able consider non-medical information when evaluating borrowers’ loan applications. And debt collectors would no longer be able to use the listing of medical debt on credit reports as leverage to pressure consumers into paying questionable bills, the bureau said.“Research shows that medical bills have little predictive value in credit decisions, yet tens of millions of American households are dealing with medical debt on their...

Wakefield girl battling brain cancer wins national hat design contest

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:52 GMT

A Wakefield girl battling brain cancer can now add the title of fashion designer to her resume after her sparkly hat design won a national contest. The hat 11-year-old Leah Ellis created will be sold to benefit other children battling cancer. Speaking with 7NEWS, Ellis and her family said they were delighted by the honor. “Everybody was pretty psyched about winning,” said Ellis’ father Neal Ellis. “Love Your Melon” is an outdoor and lifestyle brand dedicated to giving a warm beanie to every child battling cancer. This year, Love Your Melon decided to hand over the creative reins for the first time to the children themselves through a contest. “She was so excited,” said Ellis’ mother, Elena Proakis, describing her daughter’s reaction after winning the contest.  Ellis has been battling brain cancer for the last 2.5 years. After this contest, Ellis and the rest of her family are proudly wearing her beanie, which includes sparkles, her favorite co...

Prisoner charged with murder after death of cellmate

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The cause and manner of death of an inmate who died last year from an assault while in his own cell at the San Diego Central Jail has been determined, authorities said.Derek Baker, 56, died due to blunt force head trauma, Lt. Anthony O'Boyle with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) said in a news release Thursday. His death was confirmed as a homicide.Baker's cellmate, 28-year-old Patrick Ferncase, was charged Tuesday, facing one count of murder, according to law enforcement.On March 12, 2022, Baker was reported injured by another incarcerated person, prompting deputies to go to his cell, where Baker was found injured, per the sheriff's department.Later that month, Baker died from his injuries as a result of the assault. 4,500 more Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in San Diego vote to strike During the investigation, authorities named Ferncase as a suspect in Baker's death.Ferncase was initially arrested on Dec. 21, 2021 by Carlsbad police and booked ...

Biden deal with tribes promises $200M for Columbia River salmon reintroduction

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:52 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Biden administration has pledged over $200 million toward reintroducing salmon in the Upper Columbia River Basin in an agreement with tribes that includes a stay on litigation for 20 years. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and Spokane Tribe of Indians signed the deal with federal officials on Thursday, The Seattle Times reported. The funds from the Bonneville Power Administration will be paid over 20 years to implement a plan led by the tribes to restore salmon and steelhead in the basin. Constructing the Grand Coulee Dam about 80 years ago in eastern Washington, and Chief Joseph Dam downstream, stopped salmon from migrating into the basin and through tribal lands, cutting off tribal access to the fish, which leaders say has caused devastating cultural harm. Salmon runs in the Upper Columbia had been abundant for thousands of years and were a mainstay of tribal cultures and trade. The Upper Columbia United Tribes,...

UNGA Briefing: Netanyahu, tuberculosis and what else is going on at the UN

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:52 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — It’s Day 4 of the U.N. General Assembly high-level meeting that brings world leaders together at U.N. headquarters in New York. Here are the highlights of what happened Thursday at the U.N. and what to keep an eye on Friday. WHAT HAPPENED AT THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON THURSDAY— The Security Council met to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh on an emergency request from Armenia and France.— The head of Guinea’s junta recharacterized the recent coups in Africa as attempts by militaries to save their countries from presidents’ “broken promises.”— Two permanent observers addressed the General Assembly: European Union representative Charles Michel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.— Speech count: 38WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON DAY 4— Key speeches: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry— Netanyahu returns to the General Debate for ...

British royals sprinkle star power on a grateful French town with up-and-down ties to royalty

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:52 GMT

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — As they do every day at noon, the town hall bells played a cheeky little tune about a king who put his pants on back to front. Perhaps a good thing then, for French-British friendship and all of that, that King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived a little too late to hear it. The British royal couple swept into Saint-Denis just after its midday chimes, coming to sprinkle a little of their star power on the town north of Paris that drank up the attention on Thursday.After all, it’s not every day that VIP visitors venture out here — one of the poorest and toughest parts of the Paris region. Residents were thrilled, welcoming the royals as a boost for the town with a reputation for crime, deep pockets of economic hardship, and where many are deprived of the wealth and opportunities that nearby Paris enjoys. “When people speak of Saint-Denis, they say, ‘Oh ! Don’t go!,'” said Yannick Caillet, an assistant mayor. “We want to de-stigmatize the town...