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Biden’s team fears the aftermath of a failed Ukrainian counteroffensive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

The Biden administration is quietly preparing for the possibility that if Ukraine’s spring counteroffensive falls short of expectations, critics at home and allies abroad will argue that America has come up short, too.Ukraine’s ever-imminent counteroffensive will attempt to retake Russian-seized territory most likely in the east and south, though for operational reasons no senior officials from Kyiv have detailed specifics.Publicly, President Joe Biden’s team has offered unwavering support for Ukraine, pledging to load it up with weapons and economic aid for “as long as it takes.” But, if the impending fighting season yields limited gains, administration officials have expressed privately they fear being faced with a two-headed monster attacking it from the hawkish and dovish ends of the spectrum.One side will say that Ukraine’s advances would’ve worked had the administration given Kyiv everything it asked for, namely longer-range missiles, fighter jets and more air defenses. The ot...

Russia bombards Kherson after reports of Ukrainian advance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

KYIV — Russian forces carried out a massive attack Sunday on the Ukraine-controlled part of the Kherson region following reports that Ukrainian troops had advanced on the Russian-occupied side of the Dnipro River. According to Natalia Humeniuk, Ukrainian Army South Command’s spokesperson, on April 23 Russian troops launched six guided aerial bombs and 14 Lancet kamikaze drones on populated areas of the Kherson region. They drew together new artillery units and launched an aerial attack against Ukrainian positions. “Although 50 percent of the drones were destroyed, there were hits. More than 30 residential buildings and a school in one of the settlements were destroyed. There are dead and wounded civilians,” Humeniuk said.She added that the shelling barrage was provoked by “overblown news reports about Ukrainian troops establishing new positions on the left bank of Kherson region.”On Saturday, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War think tank repo...

UN food relief agency ‘stands ready’ to help EU shift glut of Ukraine grain 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) “stands ready” to help the EU clear a glut of Ukrainian grain disrupting markets in Eastern Europe and deliver it to countries that need it most, Martin Frick, director of the WFP Global Offices in Brussels and Berlin, told POLITICO.Officials from the European Commission met with representatives from five Eastern European countries on Sunday to discuss proposals to address a vast influx of Ukrainian grain and other food products after four of them — Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria — imposed import bans. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and blockade of its Black Sea ports left Ukrainian grain exports stuck inside the country, driving up global prices and pushing countries in the Global South reliant on Ukrainian grain toward hunger. The EU quickly lifted tariffs and set up transit corridors through Eastern Europe. As a result, grain imports into these countries have shot up — much to the anger of farmers. “Shipping grain to ...

Cool Pattern, Few Showers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

It was a Sunday soakah for sure as 1-3″ of rain fell across much of the state. Although some towns/cities across eastern Mass were under an 1″, the bottom line was that it was an overall beneficial rain for much of Southern New England as the month of April had been quite dry. Today, we start off with a lot of clouds, but not a lot of rain. A few peeks of sun from time to time do appear today as highs head for the mid 50s to near 60. With some moisture and instability in the air, a few isolated, brief showers pop up, but much of the day stays rain free. The them of the several afternoons remains the same… cool, more clouds than sun, with a few scattered showers as highs hold in the mid to upper 50s. A few degrees below average, but a fairly typical April pattern. Rain totals from today – Thursday generally run near/under .25″, so don’t expect big rains, just enough to dampen that freshly planted grass seed from time to time. Friday looks like the ...

American Airlines plane engine catches fire after possible bird strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

(CNN) — An American Airlines plane was forced to return to the airport Sunday morning in Columbus, Ohio, after a possible bird strike may have sparked an engine fire.The Boeing 737 designated Flight 1958 had departed Columbus for Phoenix before the crew reported a possible bird strike at around 8 a.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration said.The plane made a safe return to John Glenn Columbus International Airport, the FAA said.“Emergency crews responded to an aircraft incident at CMH this morning involving a reported engine fire. The aircraft landed safely and the airport is open and operational,” John Glenn Columbus International Airport said in a statement posted on Twitter.The FAA is investigating.The flight made a safe return to Columbus “due to a mechanical issue.” American Airlines said in a statement.“The flight landed normally and taxied safely to the gate under its own power. The aircraft was taken out of service for maintena...

Mass. lawmakers pushing for free rides on the MBTA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

Massachusetts lawmakers are once again pushing for free rides on the MBTA.Senator Ed Markey and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley are set to announce the reintroduction of legislation to offer fare-free public transportation on Monday. Markey and Pressley first introduced the legislation in 2020 and have filed the bill multiple times, but it failed to make its way through congress. Boston Mayor Wu and LivableStreets Alliance Executive Director Stacy Thompson will join the lawmakers for a news conference at Ruggles Station at 1 p.m.

Police: Skeletal remains found in swamp believed to be missing Hampstead, NH man

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

Hampstead, New Hampshire police say they recovered skeletal remains in a dense area of a swamp on Sunday and believe that they belong to a man who has been missing for over nine months. Multiple agencies had been searching for 79-year-old John Matson when a drone picked up what looked like skeletal remains and clothing, police say. Officers waded through thick brush and chest-deep water to reach the remains and say it took three hours to remove them. Police say there is “a very high probability” that the remains are Matson, who was last seen leaving his Hampstead home in July. Police say they hope a positive ID will bring Matson’s family some closure.

ASK IRA: Is Haywood Highsmith next man up for the Heat?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

Q: Ira, with the Heat so shorthanded, any chance of the Heat taking the mothballs off Nikola Jovic? He has been out a very long time with back spasms? – Joel.A: No chance. That’s not the direction you go, with an untested rookie, at such a high-stakes moment. With Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo out, it could come down to whether Erik Spoelstra just goes eight deep, with Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson as the reserves (assuming Kevin Love again starts), or whether he adds another player into the mix. That player could be Haywood Highsmth, as another element of perimeter defense. As it is, the Heat basically are down to 11 available players, with Herro and Oladipo out, two-way players Jamal Cain and Orlando Robinson ineligible for the playoffs, Udonis Haslem not a rotation element and with Jovic dealing with very real back spasms. So if you are starting Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Love, and then if you utilize Lowry, Martin and Robin...

Orioles reset: How a mechanical tweak to his ‘nasty’ stuff turned Yennier Cano into one of Baltimore’s best relievers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

Yennier Cano’s Orioles debut last season could not have gone worse.Pitching in a blowout loss to the Red Sox in September, Cano couldn’t locate his pitches. He walked three batters in the ninth inning, including one with the bases loaded, and was replaced by outfielder Ryan McKenna.The command issues were nothing new for Cano. The right-hander has always displayed the stuff — the heavy sinker, whiffling changeup and sharp slider — to get hitters out, but whether he could find the plate enough to have a big league career was in question.That question, it appears, has been answered.Since he was called up 10 days ago, Cano hasn’t just vaulted himself into a setup role as one of Baltimore’s best bullpen arms; he’s been one of the most dominant relievers in the major leagues, retiring all 17 batters he’s faced across six innings, striking out seven and, miraculously, walking none.“The main thing is just trusting that my stuff is good ...

France bangs pots and pans in fresh anti-pension protest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:49 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A country renowned for its cuisine is turning to pots and pans to express discontent with French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms.French demonstrations against raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 have morphed from lobbing paving stones, dodging tear gas and brandishing banners to something nearer the soul of the gastronomic nation: Making noise by banging kitchen saucepans.This very Gallic culinary cacophony – called the “casserolade” — began last week in during a televised speech by Macron. In front of some 300 town halls, including Paris, Marseille, Toulouse and Strasbourg, gatherings formed in an effort to drown out his voice.The pan beating is taking place across France once more Monday evening at 8pm at the behest of ATTAC, an anti-capitalism activist group.Reacting to the din, Macron proclaimed during his visit to Alsace last week that “it’s not saucepans that will make France move forward.”Yet that only fanned the flames underneath the sauce...