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France, US relations grow tense over Niger coup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:08:59 GMT

The coup in Niger is injecting fresh tension into the France-U.S. alliance.The two countries are at odds over how to respond to the ouster of the West African country’s president in July. France is refusing to diplomatically engage with the junta and strongly supports a regional body that has threatened military intervention. The U.S. has dispatched an envoy to meet with the junta leadership and held back from officially declaring the takeover a coup — insisting there’s still a negotiated way to restore democracy.French officials also support a peaceful resolution, but they are bristling at the U.S. approach, saying engaging the junta empowers it.“Perhaps in order to avoid bloodshed, the U.S. was quickly keen to talk to the putschists. Maybe the better reaction should’ve been to put some conditions or guarantees before opening those channels,” said a French official familiar with the situation in Niger. The official, like others who spoke for this story, was granted anonymity to dis...

Netherlands, Denmark confirm US has approved sending Ukraine F-16 jets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:08:59 GMT

The Netherlands and Denmark confirmed Friday they received approval from the U.S. to hand over F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as soon as pilot training is complete. Ministers from both countries, the leaders of an international coalition to help Ukraine obtain the jets, thanked Washington for the green light, although it remains unclear when any F-16 transfers will take place.Outgoing Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said she welcomed the U.S. decision “to clear the way for delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine,” which would allow the coalition “to follow through on the training of Ukrainian pilots.”Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in May said the Netherlands was seriously considering providing Ukraine with F-16s, as it is currently phasing out the fighter jets from its own armed forces. However, Ollongren did not want to specify how many F-16s will go to Ukraine.Washington’s decision was reported on Thursday by POLITICO, with two U.S. officials saying that Secretary of Sta...

Russia arrests head of election watchdog, shuts human rights group

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:08:59 GMT

The head of Russia’s last independent election-monitoring campaign group has been arrested and a human rights group was shuttered, as the Kremlin carries out a major crackdown on democratic bodies. “Grigory Melkonyants, co-chairman of the ‘Golos’ movement, has been detained and is being questioned by the Investigative Committee as a suspect,” the Russian vote-monitoring group Golos announced Thursday. Melkonyants’ home was searched Thursday morning and he was then detained.The crackdown has not only targeted Melkonyants but also “14 of his associates in eight regions, including Moscow, Kazan and St. Petersburg,” Russian state newswire RIA Novosti said, citing an anonymous source.According to the AP, which spoke with Melkonyants’ lawyer, the watchdog chief will appear in Moscow’s Basmanny District Court on Friday. He faces a maximum sentence of six years in prison for working with what Russia branded “undesirable”...

Man arrested in connection with deadly shooting in Roxbury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:08:59 GMT

A 21-year-old Boston man has been arrested in connection with a deadly shooting in Roxbury last month, Boston police announced. Police said officers arrested Xavier Pena-Guerrero in the area of Morton Street and Theodore Street in Dorchester on Thursday evening. Police previously responded to the intersection of Weldon and Quincy Streets in Roxbury around 11 p.m. on July 30 after an initial report of a person shot. On scene, police said, officers found a man later identified as Moises Ortiz-Santiago, 27, of Dorchester suffering from gunshot wounds. Ortiz-Santiago was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Pena-Guerrero was wanted on warrants for murder and unlawful possession of a firearm at the time of his arrest, according to police. He is expected to be arraigned in Roxbury District Court at a later date.

Feds hand Boston and Massachusetts $1.9M to deal with migrant shelter, transport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:08:59 GMT

The Federal Emergency Management Agency handed the Healey and Wu administrations $1.9 million to expand shelter and transportation services in Massachusetts for newly-arrived migrant families.The federal funds are flowing to Massachusetts and Boston a week after Gov. Maura Healey made a public plea for help from the Biden administration to deal with overflowing emergency shelters and an influx of migrants from other counties.But the funds may not be a direct answer to Healey’s call for help despite the timing. Boston officials applied for the funding earlier this summer with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services as a sub-applicant, according to a Healey administration statement sent on Friday.The city plans to use the money to transport eligible families between shelter and service providers, “as well as fund temporary hotel rooms for eligible people, which will be staffed by contracted emergency housing service providers, the Healey administration said.State officials s...

Patriots rookie Malik Cunningham has taken on another expected role on offense

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:08:59 GMT

Patriots rookie Malik Cunningham is already playing quarterback, wide receiver and gunner, but he’s taken on another responsibility among his rookie class: mentor.Wide receivers coach Ross Douglas said Friday that Cunningham is helping out fellow rookie wideouts Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. All three players have been standouts for the Patriots this summer.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Why Patriots’ coaching braintrust is optimistic after ‘really beneficial’ week New England Patriots | Where is Patriots CB Jonathan Jones? Assistant coach answers Friday New England Patriots | Patriots-Packers joint practices Day 2: Mac Jones shines, Ezekiel Elliott ramps up, defense fights New England Patriots | Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers made his presence known in chippy joint practice with Packers New England Patriots | Jahlani Tavai urges fans to support Hawaii after Patriots lend help...

Mystery travel lets you focus on the fun, not the details

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:08:59 GMT

By Sam Kemmis | NerdWalletTravel planning can be a real chore. Booking flights, deciding on the right hotel and building an itinerary might be fun for some, but others dread it. That’s why some travelers are opting for an unorthodox travel strategy that eliminates the planning stage altogether. It’s called “mystery” or “suprise” travel, and the destination isn’t revealed until the day of departure.This idea isn’t new. Some friend groups plan regular mystery travel vacations, with one person or family planning and booking the itinerary for everyone else.Lanie van der Horst, a travel blogger, asked her husband to plan a trip. He decided to keep the destination — Byron Bay, Australia — a secret.“I literally cried when he told me that he had a trip planned that I didn’t have to think about,” van der Horst says.Let a travel company plan your tripAs these surprise trips have become more popular, travel booking companies have begun offering them. Customers pay a flat fee for the trip...

US, Japan and South Korea open summit to bolster security over objections of Beijing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:08:59 GMT

CAMP DAVID, Md. (AP) — President Joe Biden opened a historic summit with Japan and South Korea at Camp David on Friday focused on strengthening security and economic ties at a time of increasing concerns about North Korea’s persistent nuclear threats and China’s provocations in the Pacific.“Our countries are stronger and the world will be safer as we stand together. And I know this is a belief that all three share,” Biden declared at the start of the meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the presidential retreat in Maryland. Addressing his fellow leaders at what he called the first standalone summit of the three nations, the American president said, “I want to thank you both for your political courage that brought you here.”Yoon said as the three appeared before reporters that “today will be remembered as a historic day, where we established a firm institutional basis and commitments to the trilateral partnership.”...

Some issues remain as Kentucky school district restarts classes after busing fiasco

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:08:59 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s largest school district restarted classes for some students Friday after a bus transportation debacle forced officials to cancel school last week. Jefferson County Schools, a public district with more than 90,000 students, drew up new bus routes and staggered school start times under a new plan that officials hoped would alleviate issues caused by driver shortages.Instead, it led to a shutdown of schools for more than a week. Officials decided to return elementary and middle school students Friday and high school students Monday.District officials apologized to outraged parents after the bus disruptions and pledged to add resources to help with delays. Media reports around the city Friday morning indicated fewer transportation issues than on the first day of school Aug. 9. School officials adjusted some stops and gave bus drivers with complicated routes a ride-along person to help with navigation. Officials also were using an app that shows wh...

Chess chiefs ask why it’s still mostly a man’s game. Culture, but hormones and endurance too?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:08:59 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — A top global chess official on Friday called for more research into whether factors such as hormone levels and physical endurance might have an impact on players’ abilities at the game, which has traditionally been and remains dominated by men.The world chess federation FIDE stirred controversy with its decision, announced this week and set to take effect Monday, to prohibit transgender women from its official events for women until the federation makes an assessment of the issue. Critics have derided what they call an unnecessary and “discriminatory policy” that appears to foster “trans panic,” with one former British women’s champion calling for the world federation to reverse its decision.Dana Reizniece-Ozola, the deputy chair of the federation’s management board, insisted that the goal of the new regulations was “actually to increase the rights of the transgender persons and allow them being registered under their new gender” in its official direc...