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Finland joins NATO — Ukraine foreign minister in Brussels — EU’s China visit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:36 GMT

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Google Play EN_Google_Podcasts_Badge Created with Sketch. Stitcher .st0{fill:#EB8A23;} .st1{fill:#FAC617;} .st2{fill:#612368;} .st3{fill:#3792C4;} .st4{fill:#C33727;} Acast This week, Finland joins NATO while Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, joins us here in the POLITICO studio to talk about his own country’s NATO ambitions. We also follow EU chief Ursula...

Ukraine is preparing to strike back against Russia. Timing will be key

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:36 GMT

(CNN) — Weather the storm, exhaust the enemy and then strike back.That has been the mantra of Ukraine’s military for months, one echoed by senior US and NATO officials since the winter.So much for the idea. But can it be executed and if so where, when and with what? Even the Ukrainians themselves may not yet know as they study the 1,000-kilometer front line for Russian vulnerabilities, just as they did when suddenly launching the surprise September offensive in the northeast region of Kharkiv.But they are aware it will be a crucial chapter in the conflict. Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, said in an interview last month that Russia and Ukraine will fight “a decisive battle this spring, and this battle will be the final one before this war ends.”That suggests the Ukrainians may take their time to maximize capabilities. Predictions are a fool’s errand; there will be plenty of bluff and disinformation about ...

For the ages: Heat’s Erik Spoelstra turns to a bench duo that is 71 years old

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:36 GMT

When it comes to depth, Erik Spoelstra has leaned on veterans throughout his Miami Heat coaching tenure, from older contributors such as Ray Allen, Shane Battier and Chris Andersen to even a pre-retirement Dwyane Wade.At the moment, Spoelstra is bringing a duo for the ages off his bench, having moved to 37-year-old Kyle Lowry and 34-year-old Kevin Love as his first two reserves.It has added, Spoelstra said, an element of trust.“I mean, they’re both so highly decorated in terms of experience level and their skill level, their ability to read defenses and know how to manipulate defenses,” Spoelstra said ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. “When you get that kind of experience together you don’t have to overcoach it. They’re going to make it all work.“And that’s been a tremendous boost for our second unit. They’ve really helped stabilize that group and helped that group be much ...

Bungled exercise: Army special-ops team bursts into wrong Boston hotel room and detains guest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:36 GMT

An Army special-ops team stormed the wrong Boston hotel room during a nighttime training exercise, bursting in and detaining a hotel guest, the FBI said.“First and foremost, we’d like to extend our deepest apologies to the individual who was affected by the training exercise,” said a statement from Lt. Col. Mike Burns of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. No injuries were reported.The bungled raid occurred around 10 p.m. Tuesday at the Revere Hotel Boston Common, in the downtown business area. “Based on inaccurate information, they were mistakenly sent to the wrong room and detained an individual, not the intended role player,” said the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which was assisting in the exercise. Burns said the training “was meant to enhance soldiers’ skills to operate in realistic and unfamiliar environments.”A Boston police incident report said officers were called to the hotel around 12:20 a.m. Wednesday and were met by the federal agents.Local news r...

Justice Thomas reportedly took undisclosed luxury trips

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has for more than two decades accepted luxury trips nearly every year from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow without reporting them on financial disclosure forms, ProPublica reports.In a lengthy story published Thursday the nonprofit investigative journalism organization catalogs various trips Thomas has taken aboard Crow’s yacht and private jet as well as to Crow’s private resort in the Adirondacks. A 2019 trip to Indonesia the story detailed could have cost more than $500,000 had Thomas chartered the plane and yacht himself, ProPublica reported.Supreme Court justices, like other federal judges, are required to file an annual financial disclosure report which asks them to list gifts they have received. It was not clear why Thomas omitted the trips, but under a judiciary policy guide consulted by The Associated Press, food, lodging or entertainment received as “personal hospitality of any individual”...

This San Diego beach is considered 'the most beautiful' in the U.S.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:36 GMT

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Picture perfect beaches can be found along San Diego's coastline, but one particular beach is considered to be "the most beautiful" in the entire country.A new study by Florida Rentals, a vacation rental marketplace, analyzed the number of Instagram hashtags for the most visited beaches in the U.S. and then compared this with each beach’s length to see which beaches had the highest number of hashtags per meter, the company explained. This San Diego beach town made Forbes’ ‘Best Places to Travel in 2023’ list Taking the crown as the "most beautiful beach in the U.S" is La Jolla Cove, which garnered a whopping 4,257 hashtags per meter, according to the study. Florida Rentals said this San Diego beach had over 366,000 hashtagged Instagram posts about the area as of April 6, 2023.This may come as no surprise for San Diegans as the secluded cove is great for swimming and sunbathing. It's also located near La Jolla Village, which has a variety of restaurants an...

Quebec hydro crews race to restore power to more than one million after ice storm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:36 GMT

MONTREAL — Hydro crews in Quebec and Ontario were racing on Thursday to restore power ahead of the Easter long weekend after a fierce storm system that brought thunder, snow and freezing rain left more than one million customers in the dark.Freezing rain sent ice-laden tree branches crashing down onto power lines, streets and cars, knocking out power to more than a million homes and businesses in Quebec, the province’s electric utility said. More than 1,100 hydro workers were on the ground across the province to restore power. Hydro-Québec said in a morning news conference it expected to restore power to between 300,000 and 350,000 clients by the end of the day, and to 70 or 80 per cent of affected customers by midnight Friday.“I can already confirm to you that there will be some, unfortunately, where it will go into the Easter long weekend, possibly Saturday, depending on some areas that are more complex,” said Régis Tellier, a vice-president of operations and mai...

AFN seeks more time to develop plan implementing UN declaration on Indigenous rights

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:36 GMT

OTTAWA — The Assembly of First Nations passed a resolution today that calls on the federal Liberals to extend the deadline to finalize a plan on the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.First Nations chiefs gathered for a special meeting this week to discuss the draft plan the Department of Justice published last month, and spent more than an hour debating a resolution setting out their response. The document seeks to lay out the first steps in Ottawa’s blueprint for aligning Canadian laws with the UN declaration, which affirms the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and to their language, culture and traditional lands.A law passed by the Liberal government in 2021 required the federal government to return to Parliament with an implementation plan by this June, but chiefs decided that timeline should be extended so as to allow for better consultation. Justice Minister David Lametti said in an address to the chiefs ...

US ambassador and Russian diplomat discuss arrested reporter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:36 GMT

The U.S ambassador to Russia and a top Russian diplomat met Thursday to discuss a Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested last week on espionage charges, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.In the meeting with U.S. Ambassador Lynne T. Tracy, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stressed “the serious nature of the charges” against American journalist Evan Gershkovich, according to a ministry statement.“It was emphasized that he was caught red-handed while trying to obtain secret information, using his journalistic status as a cover for illegal actions,” the statement said. The ministry added that “the hype in the United States around this case, which is aimed at putting pressure on the Russian authorities and the court, which should decide the fate of Gershkovich, is hopeless and senseless.” Gershkovich, 31, was arrested in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, on March 29. He is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained for alleged spying. R...

Ford government to allow cities to expand boundaries for housing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:36 GMT

Ontario is proposing to allow municipalities expand their settlement boundaries more quickly and easily in order to open up more land for housing.Legislation introduced Thursday by Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark would also allow farmers to build three new lots on their land.The bill would also require 29 of the province’s largest municipalities to plan for growth near transit station areas and downtowns.As well, the legislation aims to increase the supply of building inspectors by redesigning a qualification program and freezing exam fees.The changes are part of the province’s plan to build 1.5 million homes by 2031.The province’s recent projections show while there were about 100,000 homes built in 2022, the number of housing starts in the next few years may only reach upwards of 80,000 annually.