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Vilnius cheers on Ukraine at NATO summit: ‘They’re fighting for our freedom’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:01:00 GMT

VILNIUS — The city’s walls were plastered in blue and yellow posters, streets teemed with Ukrainian flags, and locals commiserated with their own memories of Russian imperialism. Kyiv couldn’t have asked for a friendlier city than the Lithuanian capital to make its case to join NATO. Before meeting with NATO leaders for dinner on Tuesday evening, Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared at Lukiškės Square in central Vilnius, where thousands of locals loudly cheered him on and waved Ukrainian and Lithuanian flags. “Thanks Lithuania, thank you very much,” Zelenskyy said in English to loud applause, before continuing in Ukrainian to call for more support and a swift NATO accession by his country.“It was very emotional,” said Karolina Vitonienė, who watched alongside friends and her daughter.“We understand that they [the Ukrainians] are fighting for our freedom as well,” the Vilnius resident said. “Each of us remembers what it’s like to live under occupation, or ...

Germany loosens arms export restrictions to Saudi Arabia — but not on fighter jets

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:01:00 GMT

VILNIUS — The German government agreed Wednesday to soften its position on arms exports to Saudi Arabia while continuing to block deliveries of Eurofighter jets — a decision that risks upsetting the U.K. which is involved in producing the fighter plane.Germany imposed a weapons export embargo against Saudi Arabia in 2018 following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Riyadh’s involvement in the Yemen war. In recent months, there has been growing pressure from some in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government coalition — particularly from the business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP) — to reconsider exporting arms to Saudia Arabia after it reached a ceasefire with Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen last year.Weapon exports to conflict regions are a particularly sensitive issue for the Greens, one of the coalition partners of Scholz’s Social Democrats, alongside the FDP.The German government deviated from its longstanding position to not supply arms to war zones when...

US officials: Chinese hackers breached unclassified govt email by foiling Microsoft security

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:01:00 GMT

U.S. officials say state-backed Chinese hackers foiled Microsoft’s cloud-based security to break into unclassified U.S. government email systems at an unspecified number of agencies including the State Department.The extent of the hack was not immediately clear, but a person familiar with the hack investigation said U.S. military and intelligence agencies were not among those impacted. Another U.S. official said the State Department was the first agency to discover the breach.The officials spoke on condition they not be further identified.In a technical advisory Wednesday, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI said Microsoft had determined the hackers accessed and stole data “from a small number of accounts” by impersonating authorized users.Nevertheless, Senate intelligence committee chair Mark Warner issued a statement saying it was “closely monitoring what appears to be a significant cybersecurity breach by Chinese intelligence” tha...

Police say there’s no sign of crime by BBC anchor who allegedly paid teen for sexual photos

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:01:00 GMT

By BRIAN MELLEY (Associated Press)LONDON (AP) — There’s no evidence a BBC presenter who allegedly paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos committed a crime, London police said Wednesday as the broadcaster’s wife publicly identified him for the first time as veteran news anchor Huw Edwards.Metropolitan police decided to take no further action after speaking with the alleged victim and that person’s parents. The parents told The Sun newspaper last week that the presenter had been allowed to remain on air after the mother complained to the BBC in May that he paid the youth 35,000 pounds ($45,000) starting in 2020 when the person was 17.As the story topped the news in Britain all week and embroiled the BBC in scandal, speculation swirled about the identify of the presenter. Some of the BBC’s biggest on-air personalities publicly said it wasn’t them and others called on the unnamed presenter to come forward.Edward’s wife, Vicky Flind, named ...

From anise to zinnia, your summer dishes just got prettier

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:01:00 GMT

Nicole Hvidsten | Star Tribune (TNS)Pansies are among the most common edible flowers and can be found on everything from charcuterie boards to salad.We’ve long been tossing pansies in salads and sautéing squash blossoms. Roses, lavender and elderflower infuse water, syrups and oils; bergamot, bee balm and hibiscus add dimension to teas, tarts and tinctures.But there’s also room in the kitchen for geraniums, daylilies, marigolds and zinnias. Ditto daisies, orchids, snapdragons and lilacs. You’ll find that some of your garden favorites can pull double duty and turn your summer spreads into works of art.Use dahlias, impatiens and geraniums to decorate and flavor cakes. Press marigold petals into pasta, and fresh herbs into biscuits or savory scones. Don’t toss the blooms — those on chives, tarragon, basil, thyme, rosemary and more are edible and often mimic the herbal flavors.Before raiding flower beds and herb gardens, educate yourself and use common sense. Gently wash all parts of th...

5 things the Yankees need to do in the second half to become a World Series contender

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:01:00 GMT

The Yankees have their work cut out for them as they begin the second half of the season Friday night in Colorado. The Bombers’ many flaws were put on display throughout the first half of the season as they entered the All-Star break sitting one game outside the AL Wild Card picture.Granted, there have been some significant injuries — especially with superstar Aaron Judge (toe) being out since June 3 — that have changed the season for the worse.However, with a payroll just under $280 million (second in baseball behind the Mets) nobody is feeling bad for Aaron Boone’s Yankees as they go through a bit of adversity with their season hanging in the balance over the next handful of weeks.If the ship doesn’t get righted with the hopeful return of their captain, the Yanks could find themselves out of the playoffs for the first time since 2016.Here are five things the Yankees need to do in the second half of the season to get back on track:FIGURE OUT LEFT FIELD...

Recipes: Fruit salsas add pizzazz to virtually anything from the grill

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:01:00 GMT

Fruit-based salsas add pizzazz to so many off-the-grill dishes. Delectable spooned on grilled fish, poultry or pork, these tangy mixtures can often be made several hours (or days) in advance of serving and refrigerated. They are a summer blend of cool sweetness, sour citrus, and spicy heat.The cook has the option to make fruit salsa mild or spicy; it’s their choice. The desired amount of spicy heat varies from one palate to the next. And it is impossible to tell by looking at a fresh chili exactly how much capsaicin it contains. Capsaicin is that incendiary substance in chilies that produces the sensation of heat.When adding finely chopped fresh chilies to salsa, I like to start by omitting the seeds and adding half of the recommended amount. Over the years I’ve become more sensitive, more “chili delicate.”Then, after a taste of the salsa, I add more chili and/or seeds if needed. Easy. Summer calls out for fruit enjoyment. Fruit salsa is a seasonal must.Apricot-Pineapple Salsa is de...

Column: The MLB All-Star Game — with generic uniforms and a slew of new faces — has morphed from ‘Who’s who’ to ‘Who’s that?’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:01:00 GMT

Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodríguez was asked about his approach during his ninth-inning at-bat against Craig Kimbrel in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.“Oh, definitely trying to win it, honestly,” he said, according to the New York Times. “Once I saw the guy getting to first, my thought was just get a good pitch to drive and let’s try to win this game.”The “guy” Rodríguez referred to was his American League teammate Kyle Tucker, a Houston Astros outfielder, who had just walked.Hopefully Rodríguez momentarily forgot who batted in front of him and actually knew who Tucker was.But if he didn’t, he certainly was not alone. At an All-Star viewing party I attended Tuesday, most of the night was spent answering the same question: “Who’s that guy?”Commissioner Rob Manfred’s ignorant and widely reviled decision in 2021 to ditch the tradition of All-Stars wearing their own uniforms, combined with so many n...

5 lessons learned from 20 years of living with, through and beyond ovarian cancer

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:01:00 GMT

Cynthia Weiss | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkI was 33 when I first began experiencing aches and pains that led me to the doctor. It was 2003. I was never married, never pregnant, generally healthy and living life to the fullest. I didn’t expect a cancer diagnosis.The doctor told me I had stage 4 gynecologic cancer. Cervical or ovarian cancer? They couldn’t be 100% sure, as medical technology was not as advanced back then. Tests seemed to indicate cervical cancer, so I was given the choice of radiation therapy or a hysterectomy.After some soul-searching — and an appointment with a fertility specialist about freezing my eggs — I decided there were other ways to become a parent and opted for surgery.When I woke up after surgery, I was told cancer cells were “everywhere” — and doctors still couldn’t confirm where the cancer had started. My care team recommended radiation to target cervical cancer and chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. I accepted their recomm...

Roadway bombs planted by drug cartel in Mexico kill 4 police officers, 2 civilians

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:01:00 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A drug cartel set off a coordinated series of seven roadway bombs in western Mexico that killed four police officers and two civilians, officials said Wednesday, with a governor describing the violence as “a trap” for law enforcement personnel escorting volunteers to a supposed mass grave. Luis Méndez, the chief prosecutor of Jalisco state, said the blasts late Tuesday in the township of Tlajomulco were so powerful they left craters in the road, destroyed at least four vehicles and wounded 14 other people. It appeared to be the first time that a Mexican cartel killed law enforcement personnel with improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, and was the latest example of the increasingly open, military-style challenge posed by the country’s drug cartels.Méndez said the two dead civilians were in a vehicle that happened to be passing the spot when the IEDs detonated in Tlajomulco, near the state capital of Guadalajara. He suggested the bombs may have been remotely detona...