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Sorry Russia, the Baltic Sea is NATO’s lake now

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:10 GMT

VILNIUS — A resurgent NATO is set to tighten its grip on the Baltic Sea, complicating a vital transit route for Vladimir Putin’s navy in Russia’s backyard. This week’s alliance summit in Vilnius was Finland’s first as a NATO member. On the summit’s eve, Turkey agreed to back Sweden’s bid to join — paving the way for a strategic shift in a region Moscow once dominated. “[Sweden and Finland] make NATO much more geographically coherent. The Baltic Sea becomes a NATO lake, which is generally useful, also because of the Arctic’s increased importance,” said Ulrike Franke, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. NATO has steadily increased its control of the Baltic Sea — a crucial maritime gateway for the Russian fleet which has bases near St. Petersburg and in the heavily militarized Kaliningrad exclave. During the Cold War, only Denmark and Germany at the far western edge of the Baltic were in the alliance. Poland joining NATO in 19...

Mookie Betts’ return to Fenway highlights intriguing second half slate for Red Sox

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:10 GMT

All season long it’s felt like the Red Sox are walking a tightrope. As injuries have piled up there’s been a sense among portions of the fanbase that doom is lurking just around the corner.And yet, here they are, still in the hunt past the season’s midway point.For all the bad vibes that have surrounded the Red Sox at times, all of the club’s goals are still within reach. Boston goes into the second half still last in the AL East, yes, but also five games over .500 at 48-43 and only two games out of the last AL Wild Card spots. The club is also getting healthier, so it’s entirely possible we could look up a week from now and the Red Sox could be not only back in the postseason field, but pushing the Baltimore Orioles for a chance to host a first-round playoff series.The next few months are shaping up to be really interesting, so here are a few storylines to follow as the Red Sox move into the second half.Save the datesIn a little over a month Mookie Bet...

Sudan’s neighbors meet in Cairo at summit seeking to end raging conflict

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:10 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Leaders from Sudan’s six neighboring countries met in Cairo on Thursday for the most high-profile peace talks since conflict erupted across the northeastern African country in mid-April.The meeting, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, was attended by the leaders of Ethiopia, South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, the Central African Republic and Libya.Sudan has been rocked by violence since Apr. 15 when tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces burst into open fighting.The conflict has killed more than 3,000 people and wounded more than 6,000 others, Health Minister Haitham Mohammed Ibrahim said last month. The actual death toll is likely much higher, doctors and activists say.The fighting has forced more than 2.4 million people to flee their homes for safer areas inside the country, according to the International Organization for Migration. Around 738,000 others have crossed into neighboring countries, the agency said.Thursday’s meeti...

Tens of thousands of doctors in England start ‘longest’ strike in health system’s history

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:10 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s state-funded health care service is facing what is being described as its longest-ever strike as tens of thousands of doctors in England launched a five-day walkout over pay on Thursday.So-called junior doctors, those who are at the early stages of their careers in the National Health Service in the years after medical school, started their latest strike at 7 a.m., with many of them making their case for a 35% pay rise in picket lines outside hospitals across England.The British Medical Association, the doctors’ union, has asked for a 35% pay rise to bring junior doctors’ pay back to 2008 levels once inflation is taken into account. Meanwhile, the workload of England’s 75,000 or so junior doctors has swelled as patient waiting lists for treatment are at record highs in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.“Today marks the start of the longest single walkout by doctors in the NHS’s history, but this is still not a record that needs to go into the h...

Driver in hospital with serious injuries after crashing into tree in Forest Hill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:10 GMT

A woman is in hospital with serious injuries following a single-vehicle crash in Midtown Toronto.Officers responded to the collision at Spadina and Archer Road around 8 p.m. for reports of a vehicle crashing into a tree.The driver was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Paramedics confirmed the victim was a woman but would no specify her age.There is no word on what led to the crash.COLLISION: (UPDATE)Spadina Rd & Archer Rd7:58pm– victim has been transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries#GO1623085^se— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) July 13, 2023

Kevin Spacey testifies in his own defense in his sexual assault trial at a London court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:10 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Kevin Spacey testified Thursday in his sexual assault trial, swearing in a clear and loud voice to tell the “full truth and nothing but the truth” in what could be the most consequential speaking part of his life.Spacey began by discussing how he got involved in the theater, joking that his mother would say he began acting the moment he emerged from the womb.The testimony provided some light history on his life before delving into the serious matter before the court. Four men have accused the two-time Oscar winner of sexually assaulting them between 2001 and 2013, describing disturbing encounters that escalated from unwanted touching to aggressive crotch grabbing.One man who called Spacey a “vile sexual predator” said he passed out or fell asleep at the actor’s London flat and woke up to find the actor performing oral sex on him.Spacey has denied the charges and is expected to provide a vigorous defense.The 63-year-old American actor was one of the biggest stars of the...

Venezuela government’s ban on longtime foe draws attention to the opposition’s presidential primary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:10 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Maria Corina Machado has been a longtime foe of Venezuela’s government, and not exactly a unifying figure for its critics. But the government’s move to ban her from public office has helped rally the fractured opposition and focus much-needed attention on their effort to hold an independent presidential primary. The ban was issued just days after she entered the race, and Machado says it shows that the government knows that it could face defeat.“If anyone had doubts about the strategic importance, the value, of the primaries, … the actions of the regime have made this clear: The primary is an opportunity to build civic and citizen strength,” Machado told reporters. Opposition factions have been organizing a primary since late last year to choose a candidate for the arduous task of facing President Nicolás Maduro in the 2024 election under a system that independent observers say gives all the advantages to his socialist party. Disagreements over who can vote...

Sweden’s highest court rejects extradition requests for two men wanted by Turkey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:10 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden’s highest court rejected extradition requests Thursday for two men wanted by Turkey, saying the Scandinavian country does not criminalize the act they are accused of committing.The men, who are refugees in Sweden but otherwise were not identified, cannot be sent to Turkey because “the requirement of dual criminality is not met,” the Swedish Supreme Court said in a statement. Turkey wants the men because it says they have joined the movement of United States-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen “by downloading and using a mobile application, which is used by the movement’s members.” Turkey blames Gulen for the failed 2016 coup and lists his network as a terror organization. “Downloading and using a mobile application cannot in itself be considered to constitute such participation as is required for criminality under the Terrorist Crimes Act,” the court said.In May, Sweden tightened its anti-terrorism laws, a move expected to help persuade Turkey to approv...

Kim vows to boost North Korea’s nuclear capability after observing new long-range missile launch

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:10 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further bolster his country’s nuclear fighting capabilities as he supervised the second test flight of a new, powerful intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the mainland United States, state media reported Thursday.Kim’s statement suggested North Korea would ramp up weapons testing activities to expand its arsenal in response to recent U.S. steps to enhance its security commitment to ally South Korea.“(Kim) clarified again that there will be no change and vacillation in the strategic line and policy of (the North Korean) government to steadily accelerate the development of more developed, effective and reliable weapon system,” the Korean Central News Agency said.Kim said North Korea is compelled to bolster the country’s “nuclear war deterrent” because the security environment on the Korean Peninsula “is being seriously threatened by the hostile forces every moment.”The Korean Central News ...

Record monsoon rains have killed more than 100 people in northern India this week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:10 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Schools and colleges were closed after record monsoon rains led to massive waterlogging, road caves-in, collapsed homes and gridlocked traffic in large parts of northern India this week, killing more than 100 people, officials said Thursday.At least 88 people died and more than 100 were injured in the worst hit-mountainous Himachal Pradesh state where cars, buses, bridges and houses were swept away by swirling flood waters, a state government statement said. The region is nearly 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of New Delhi.Twelve people have died of rain-related incidents since Wednesday in Uttar Pradesh state, said Shishir Singh, a state government spokesman.Nine of them drowned, two died after being struck by lightning and one was killed by a snake bite, Singh said.One person died in New Delhi and four were killed in the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir, officials said.Authorities used helicopters to rescue nearly 300 people, mostly tourists, who were strande...