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Europe can’t afford to get war fatigue, Ukrainians tell Meloni

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:45 GMT

Senior Ukrainian politicians appealed to Europe to not abandon the country after the Italian prime minister unintentionally disclosed during a prank call that European leaders were growing weary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after the country’s unconvincing counteroffensive. “I see that there is a lot of fatigue … from all the sides,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said to two Russian comedians, pretending to be the president of the African Union in a hoax call, which was made public on Wednesday. “We [are] near the moment in which everybody understands that we need a way out.” Ukrainian politicians told POLITICO its soldiers are fighting for European values and warned of appeasing Russia. Oleksandr Merezhko, сhairman of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee on foreign policy, said that he was aware of some who support making concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin and are waiting to speak about it at the right moment.Abandoning Ukraine, he said, “would cos...

Tajardo France keeps family tradition going at Barnstable

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:45 GMT

BARNSTABLE – In the sports entertainment world of the WWE, the pro wrestling giant fashions a dominant family faction called “The Bloodline” led by Roman Reigns with ancestors down the line including Dwayne Johnson, Jey and Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and the old school Wild Samoans.Tajardo France would make Reigns, The Rock, and the rest of the Anoa’i family tree blush with his own dominant hierarchy at Barnstable High School.The last chapter of the France Football Family has always been the multi-faceted weapon fighting to be the head of the table in a sea of 16 descendants – 10 coming through Barnstable – as they’ve jumped over ropes and run through would-be tacklers down the hallways for the Red Hawks for over a decade.The chance to run the whole show is finally here for Tajardo France.“I’d say my awareness on the field is what I do best, but I could work on (defensive) pass protection and reading the plays,” said France. “I’m a leader on the field and I can get tea...

Paragas leads Winchester past Chelmsford

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:45 GMT

WINCHESTER – Despite a rough start, a grind-it-out defensive performance from 20th-seeded Chelmsford pushed No. 13 Winchester to the brink of an upset in a Div. 1 field hockey state tournament first-round matchup on Thursday. Annika Froude’s net was nearly impenetrable for the Lions.But with 54 seconds left in sudden-death overtime, junior Ava Paragas found a hole to propel the Red and Black (14-5) past the scare with a 2-1 win. Her move around the edge of the last defender in 7-vs-7 action gave her a wide-open lane, and she snuck the game-winning goal through the red-hot Froude’s pads.Winchester moves on to play the winner of Friday’s No. 4 Franklin/No. 29 Beverly matchup.“I just tried to pass it through her legs,” Paragas said. “I was nervous, but I was so happy (when it went in). … (This shows) even when it feels like it’s a really close game, we can pull through.”While Winchester seemed to control possession throughout the whole first quarter, in some of the fourth, and in most ...

New Delhi shuts schools and limits construction work to reduce severe air pollution

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:45 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — New Delhi’s government shut primary schools and banned polluting vehicles and construction work in an attempt to reduce the worst haze and smog of the season, which has posed respiratory problems for people and enveloped monuments and high-rise buildings in and around India’s capital.Authorities deployed water sprinklers and anti-smog guns to control the haze and many people used masks to escape the air pollution. The city government announced a fine of 20,000 rupees ($240) for drivers found using gasoline and diesel cars, buses and trucks that create smog, typically models 10 to 15 years old.The air quality index exceeded the 400 mark for tiny particulate matter, a level considered “severe” and more than 10 times the global safety threshold, according to the state-run Central Pollution Control Board. It can cause acute and chronic bronchitis and asthma attacks.Rajneesh Kapoor, a lung specialist, advised people to wear masks and avoid morning walks and j...

A small plane headed from Croatia to Salzburg crashes in Austria, killing 4 people

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:45 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A small plane flying from Croatia to Salzburg has crashed in Austria, killing four people, police said Friday.The Cirrus SR20 aircraft crashed Thursday afternoon near Lintsching in Austria’s Salzburg province, police said. It had taken off from the Croatian capital, Zagreb, about two hours earlier.Police said the bodies of the four people were recovered from the wreckage but had not yet been identified. Investigators ordered autopsies.The cause of the crash is not yet known, a police statement said.The Associated Press

In the news today: Trudeau visits Washington and Canadians could soon get out of Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:45 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Trudeau to talk trade, migration in WashingtonPrime Minister Justin Trudeau is in the U.S. capital today to represent Canada at the inaugural Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity summit. The White House meeting, hosted by President Joe Biden, marks the first official gathering of all 12 countries in the hemispheric trade framework. The partnership, known as APEP, marks the earliest beginnings of a north-south trade corridor meant to foster economic growth and strengthen supply chains.The White House is hoping that in turn, more stability in South America and the Caribbean will help ease the pressure from irregular migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. In addition to the U.S. and Canada, the framework includes Mexico, Chile, Barbados, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic.It’s not clear whether Biden and Tru...

Live updates | Israeli troops tighten encirclement of Gaza City as top US diplomat arrives in Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:45 GMT

Israeli troops tightened their encirclement of Gaza City on Friday as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to press for a humanitarian “pause” in the fighting with Hamas and for more aid to be allowed into besieged Gaza.Tensions continued to escalate along the northern border with Lebanon ahead of a speech planned later Friday by Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, a Hamas ally. It is his first public speech since Hamas attacked Israel last month, stoking fears the conflict could become a regional one.Roughly 800 people — including hundreds of Palestinians with foreign passports and dozens of injured — have been allowed to leave the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing under an apparent agreement among the U.S., Egypt, Israel and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas.Israel has allowed more than 260 trucks carrying food and medicine through the crossing, but aid workers say it’s not nearly enough. Israeli authorities have refused to allow fuel in.The Palestinian d...

Storm Ciarán sweeps into Italy with record rainfall, killing 3 and bringing toll to 10

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:45 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Record-breaking rain produced floods in a vast swath of Tuscany as Storm Ciarán pushed into Italy overnight Friday, trapping residents in their homes, inundating hospitals and overturning cars. At least three people were killed, bringing the storm’s death toll in western Europe to 10.Italian Civil Protection authorities said 200 millimeters (nearly 8 inches) of rain fell in a three-hour period, from the city of Livorno on the coast to the inland valley of Mugello, and caused riverbanks to overflow. Video shows at least a dozen cars getting pushed down a flooded road.The dead in Tuscany included an 85-year-old man found in the flooded ground floor of his home near the city of Prato, north of Florence, and an 84-woman who died while trying to push water out of her home in the same area, according to Italian news agency ANSA. The other victim was reported in Livorno.At least three people were missing Friday in Tuscany, and one person was reported missing in the mountains o...

Stock market today: Asian shares follow Wall St higher on hopes for an end to Fed rate hikes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:45 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian shares advanced on Friday after Wall Street roared higher on bets that market-rattling interest rate hikes are coming to an end. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 2.6% to 17,680.01, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.7% to 3,026.32. Tokyo markets were closed for a holiday.In China, a services industry survey showed a slight improvement in October, though retail sales hit its lowest level in 10 months. Similar surveys for the manufacturing sector released early this week showed more sluggish market conditions overall. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 1.1% to 6,978.20. South Korea’s Kospi surged 1.1% to 2,368.34. India’s Sensex was 0.6% higher and Bangkok’s SET rose 1.4%.Hopes that the Federal Reserve may finally be done with raising rates after it opted to keep its benchmark rate unchanged pushed shares higher around the world on Thursday. The Fed has jacked up rates furiously since early last year to try to slow the economy and starve high inflation of its fuel...

Statistics Canada to release October jobs report this morning

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:45 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada is set to release its October labour force survey this morning.RBC says it expects the economy added a modest 15,000 jobs last month, and that the unemployment rate ticked higher to 5.6 per cent.Strong population growth has bolstered Canada’s labour force, but the pace of job creation is trailing. The Bank of Canada’s aggressive interest rate hikes have dampened economic growth this year as people and businesses pull back on spending.Economists are watching for more evidence that this economic softness is spilling over into the labour market.The unemployment rate has risen by half a percentage point so far this year to 5.5 per cent and is expected to continue rising.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2023.The Canadian Press