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Germany approves new €2.7B package of arms for Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

Berlin is keen to expand its support to Ukraine as the government in Kyiv prepares for an anticipated counteroffensive against Russia’s invasion of the country. The German government has approved a new €2.7 billion package of weapons for Ukraine, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters on Saturday. The package is Berlin’s largest arms delivery to Ukraine since the beginning of the war in February 2022.The planned shipments include armored vehicles, drones and air-defense systems, Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said on Telegram on Saturday. The package also includes “a large amount of ammunition,” he said.The new package will be formally announced on Sunday in parallel with the presentation of the Charlemagne Prize to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Aachen, according to a report by Spiegel. Ukraine should receive the equipment in the coming weeks and months, the German news outlet said.Between January 1, 2022...

Thousands plan to attend Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s Mother’s Day Walk for Peace

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

Thousands of community members on Sunday will walk alongside families that have lost loved ones to homicide, letting them know they are not alone in their healing journey.The 4.3-mile walk through the streets of Dorchester continues the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s annual tradition of bringing the community together on Mother’s Day, with this year’s event focusing on “cultivating cycles of peace.”This will be the organization’s 27th edition of the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace, an event that started after Clementina “Tina” Chery founded the Peace Institute in memory of her son, Louis D. Brown, who was killed at age 15 in 1993.“Oftentimes, when we think about homicide we just count the victim, and there is a whole community that is impacted,” said Shaulita Francis, the institute’s communication and marketing manager.“There is a whole family that is left behind to deal with the emotional and practical impact. The walk is there as a way to just honor people’s experiences,...

Ed Markey proposes update to children’s online privacy law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

Social media platforms, like Twitter and Tik Tok, could soon be barred from collecting personal information from users who are 13 to 16 years old without providing notice and obtaining consent.This is just one of many proposals contained in legislation U.S. Sen. Ed Markey reintroduced earlier this month that would establish greater online privacy protections for children and teens. It would update the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 for the many changes the online world has seen in the last quarter-century.Markey laid out his requests Friday at Suffolk University alongside Rochelle Walensky, director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during a forum on social media’s role on children’s mental health.“For too long, big tech has put profits over privacy, money over mental health and greed over good,” Markey said. “Big tobacco damages our lungs. Big oil damages our environment. Big tech damages our young people.”The proposed Children and Teens’ Online...

Thousands along Bangladesh, Myanmar coast told to seek shelter as powerful Cyclone Mocha approaches

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Volunteers in Bangladesh’s coastal districts were using loudspeakers to urge people to seek shelter on Saturday as the delta nation braced for an extremely severe cyclone, which is expected to slam ashore in Bangladesh and Myanmar in the next 24 hours. Cyclone Mocha was moving toward the coasts of southeastern Bangladesh and Myanmar with wind speeds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour and gusts up to 175 kph (110 mph), the Indian Meteorological Department said. It’s projected to make landfall on Sunday evening in an area between between Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh and Kyaukpyu in Myanmar.Bangladesh, with more than 160 million people, has prepared more than 1,500 cyclone shelters. More than 1 million Rohingya refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar are on the cyclone’s path in sprawling camps in Cox’s Bazar, where local authorities and the United Nations were preparing for the storm’s impact. Bangladesh, which is prone to natur...

Liverpool set for Eurovision Song Contest final, with Sweden favored and Ukraine in spotlight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — What includes a Swedish diva, a Finnish rapper who loves pina coladas, a band of Croatian agit-rockers and an Austrian duo possessed by a long-dead writer? It could only be the Eurovision Song Contest.The grand final of the pan-continental pop music competition takes place Saturday in Liverpool. This year’s theme is “united by music,” and the event fuses the soul of English port city that birthed The Beatles with the spirit of war-battered Ukraine. Britain is hosting the event on behalf of Ukraine, which won last year’s competition, and the show is set to open with a performance by Kalush Orchestra, the Ukrainian folk-rap band that took the 2022 trophy with its lyrical and defiant song “Stefania.”As contestants from finalist nations enter in an Olympics-style flag parade there will be live performances from Ukrainian acts including Jamala, Tina Karol and Verka Serduchka — all past Eurovision competitors. Britain’s Sam Ryder, who came in second place last ye...

A Vision for a Democratic Turkiye in Europe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

As the EU Envoy of the Turkish president frontrunner Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and the head of the Republican People's Party (CHP) Representation to the EU, I am filled with confidence about the future of a democratic Turkiye in Europe - writes Kader Sevinç, Head of CHP Representation to the EU, PES Presidency Member.With the upcoming pivotal 2023 elections on Sunday, our six-party coalition bloc, the Nation Alliance, has outlined a roadmap for democratic transformation that will guide us towards a true European democracy.Under the leadership of presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the Nation Alliance coalition is committed to transforming Turkiye into a nation that upholds democratic values. As the second-largest political family represented in the EU, the Party of European Socialists (PES) has expressed its support for Kılıçdaroğlu's pledge to fast-track the EU visa liberalisation process for Turkish citizens. The PES sees Kılıçdaroğlu and the united opposition as a beacon of hope ...

Ask Amy: My husband refused to confiscate the handicap placard

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

Dear Amy: I have been happily married for 39 years. The few “disagreements” we’ve had always seem to center around my husband’s family.The latest has to do with my brother-in-law. He has always had a very entitled attitude.When my mother-in-law passed away in 2020, the car she recently bought was taken over by him. I was fine with that.However, she also had a handicap parking permit that was issued to her by the state of New York due to her deteriorating health issues.My husband’s brother has chosen to use that permit illegally for the past two years.I have always suspected the fraud but didn’t want to accuse him and cause problems in the event that he had gotten his own permit.This past week he left the area to visit another relative, and his car was left in our driveway while he was away.After checking the tag through the window, I confirmed that he has been illegally using my mother-in-law’s handicap permit tag. This left me furious.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: No...

Harriette Cole: Should I keep quiet about my friend’s teen daughter?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently discovered that my friend’s 19-year-old daughter is posting explicit content on a subscription-based website.My friend is not aware of her daughter’s activities, and I am afraid that she will be devastated if she finds out.I don’t want to cause any drama or harm their relationship, but at the same time, I don’t feel comfortable staying silent. I also worry about the potential consequences that this could have on the daughter’s future and reputation.What should I do? Should I talk to my friend about what I found, or should I stay quiet? Tricky SituationDEAR TRICKY SITUATION: By all means, talk to your friend, but do so with caution.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: Years ago, he threw dirt on my name. I haven’t forgotten. Advice | Harriette Cole: He said I could be his intern, but there’s something I didn’t tell him Advice | Harriette Cole: Is there anything I ...

A Nice Weekend Overall for Mother’s Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

The weekend is here and the forecast has trended drier and nicer compared to how it originally seemed earlier this week. The reason is due to an upper low that is still expected to pass to our south but dry air that will seep into South Florida from the north and east this weekend.Expect partly cloudy skies this Saturday with the chance for just a few spotty showers. It will remain warm and breeze with sustained winds up to 20 mph paired with high temperatures near average into the mid to upper 80s.Then on Sunday for Mother’s Day, expect a mix of sun and clouds with the chance for a few showers in some areas. Most of the area will remain dry given the 30% rain chance but there are still expected to be showers in spots. The day overall will be dry with high temperatures in the mid to upper 80s along with a lighter breeze.Now on Monday, this appears to be the day with the highest rain chance out of the next seven days due to more moisture in place, allowing for the development o...

US boosts military presence in the Middle East after Iran seizes tankers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

The U.S. military is working with allies to send more ships and aircraft to the Middle East as Iran escalates its seizures of merchant tankers, the National Security Council announced Friday.“Today, the Department of Defense will be making a series of moves to bolster our defensive posture in the Arabian Gulf,” NSC spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.The announcement comes after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized a Panama-flagged oil tanker called Niovi on May 3, as the ship was traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker left Dubai, and moved toward a UAE port when a dozen boats from the IRGC navy forced the tanker to head into Iranian waters.Another incident occurred April 27, when the Advantage Sweet tanker ship belonging to the Marshall Islands was also seized after colliding with an Iranian boat, which injured several crewmembers, according to Iran’s state media.Over the past two years, the IRGC has attacked or disrupted 15 tankers as tensions between Ira...