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Ukraine’s democratic dilemma: When to hold elections

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:37 GMT

KYIV — If Russia hadn’t invaded, Ukraine was meant to hold parliamentary elections next month and a presidential vote in March 2024.Whether elections could or should happen is once again a lively topic of discussion in Kyiv, after U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham in late August called for Kyiv to organize “free and fair” elections even when it is under all-out assault from Russian attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is strongly suggesting he wants to run for a second term. “In 2024, if the war continues and if elections are held, I will never in my life abandon my country. Because I am the guarantor of the Constitution, and I will defend it in any case,” he said in a recent interview with the Portuguese public broadcaster RTP.Zelenskyy responded to Graham by saying he is ready — if parliament agrees — to overturn the martial law that bans the country from holding elections in time of war, but it’s a ...

EU enlargement can combat Putin’s influence, France says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:37 GMT

The European Union should help countries stand up to Vladimir Putin by sending a clear message about their prospects for joining the EU, French Europe Minister Laurence Boone told POLITICO.The EU is preparing for a potential wave of expansion that could bring as many as eight new members, including Ukraine and six Balkan countries, into the fold in the years to come.Several of these countries are prime targets for Russian influence campaigns that aim to weaken support for the EU and keep them out of the bloc — which is why the EU needs to be “clear and balanced” about what’s required for them to join, Boone said. “There is a lot of disinformation and interference in these [candidate] countries. It’s an issue,” she told POLITICO on the phone from Paris. “Vladimir Putin, in addition to his territorial ambitions, also aims to weaken the European Union. That’s a factor we need to take into account and fight against.”She added th...

The specter of Liz Truss still haunts Britain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:37 GMT

LONDON — A year is a long time in politics — but the reverberations of the surreal fall of 2022 are still being felt across the U.K.Wednesday marks the first anniversary of Liz Truss’ ill-fated appointment as prime minister — a year on from that rainy day in September when she stood outside No. 10 Downing Street and vowed to “transform Britain” with free market shock therapy. Truss’ £45 billion package of unfunded tax cuts — with the promise of more to come — instead sunk the pound, sent interest rates soaring, caused chaos on the bond markets and forced the Bank of England to prop up failing pension funds.Humiliated, Truss had little choice but to junk her entire economic program and less than four weeks later she was gone — the U.K.’s shortest-ever serving prime minister, famously outlasted by a supermarket lettuce.The legacy of the period still is fiercely debated among Britain’s left and right-wing commentariat. In Westminster, some Tory faction...

Rishi Sunak could make it two trips to India — in search of cricket and trade deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:37 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak heads to India this week for the first time as U.K. prime minister — and is already planning a glitzier return trip this fall.The British PM — born in England to parents of Indian heritage — will travel to New Delhi later this week for the G20 summit, where he will take part in a series of bilateral meetings with fellow world leaders. Hopes that a highly coveted post-Brexit trade deal with India would be signed in time for the summit have evaporated. But there has been sufficient progress that U.K. and Indian government officials are increasingly confident an agreement can be hammered out by the end of the year.And that means Sunak could get an opportunity to combine one of his favorite pastimes away from politics with a trade deal which would be highly politically expedient.No. 10 Downing Street is tentatively lining up a second Sunak trip to India in as many months, four people with knowledge of the plans — three lobbyists and a government offic...

Search for ‘elusive’ emu in Lakeville continues into third day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:37 GMT

An emu is on the loose in Lakeville, and police said the bird has been evading capture for almost three days since its former owner moved out of the state.An animal control office posted on social media that the emu was last seen in the woods near Lang St. and County Road, in driveways and snacking on a garden. However, no one has been able to capture the bird. People in Lakeville said it’s not uncommon for an animal to get loose here, but an emu is not a traditional farm animal. “That’s not your normal pig or cow or farm animal,” a neighbor said.“So it’s just running around? I live just up the street and I’ve got eight and a half acres,” another neighbor said. “I wonder if it will make it up there?”Angel Costa has been following the emu sightings on Facebook. “It’s been on the move, and it’s pretty elusive,” Costa said. The last sighting was on Tuesday morning.“The guy that was walking through the woods following it, and he was trying to get somebody out there to catch it...

One dead, another seriously injured after fiery rollover crash in Foxboro

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:37 GMT

A serious rollover crash in Foxboro Tuesday evening killed one driver and seriously injured another, Massachusetts State Police said.The two-car crash happened around 5:15 p.m. on Route 495 southbound, and after the crash, one of the vehicles was engulfed in flames. A 24-year-old woman from Mansfield was transported to the hospital, where she later died. A 30-year-old man from North Easton was also transported with serious injuries.All lanes were temporarily closed while MassDOT inspected the overpass and other officials investigated. Around 9:30 p.m., MSP said the scene was clear and all lanes were reopened.Officials said the crash is under investigation.

Giancarlo Stanton drills 400th home run in Yankees’ win over Tigers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:37 GMT

Giancarlo Stanton achieved a personal milestone in typical fashion on Tuesday, drilling a ball to left field for the 400th home run of his career.Stanton’s two-run blast off Tigers reliever José Cisnero traveled 451 feet at 116.8 miles per hour. It also broke a 1-1 tie in what became a 5-1, series-opening win for the now-.500 Yankees.Stanton, who has struggled for most of the season, received a loud curtain call ovation following the dinger. It was a nice moment for a player who has heard his fair share of boos throughout his Yankees tenure.Stanton, playing in the 1,520th game of his career, became the fourth-fastest player to reach 400 longballs. The only players ahead of him are Mark McGwire (1,412 games), Babe Ruth (1,475) and Alex Rodriguez (1,489). Stanton also became the 58th player in baseball history to record the round number, and the 10th to do so as a Yankee.Now 33 years old, he has a shot at 500 homers, too.While Stanton had the most significant bomb of the ni...

Sidewalk vending returns to parts of San Diego after summer break

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:37 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Sidewalk vending across much of San Diego can resume again after a summer break. Vendors can return to some public parks and along the beach, but they will need to follow a set of rules outlined by the city’s vending ordinance.  Vendors will need to obtain a Sidewalk Vending Permit before conducting business and follow the rules or risk being fined. Most vendors FOX 5 spoke with are complying with the permit, but not all agree with having to obtain one.  Teahrae “Happy,” the owner of Happy Everyday By Teahrae in Mission Beach, is a spiritual healer with her own clothing line.  “I’m a teacher of love, what we put out is what we put back, so I’m setting up my T-shirts,” Happy said. Happy was the first vendor back at Mission Beach on Tuesday afternoon after the summer moratorium. The break meant no public vending in certain public parks and beaches from Memorial Day to Labor Day in San Diego.  Now with the vendors returning, they will need to have a Sidewalk Vending Permit...

Trump critic takes an early lead in a Utah special congressional primary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:37 GMT

A moderate former state lawmaker with a record of criticizing Donald Trump took an early lead on Tuesday in a Utah special congressional primary that could offer a glimpse into how Republican voters feel about a string of indictments against the former president as he seeks another term.The special election primary to replace longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart pitted Becky Edwards against Celeste Maloy, who was Stewart’s chief legal counsel and has his endorsement, and Bruce Hough, a committeeman for the Republican National Committee for over a decade.Edwards led Maloy and Hough in early returns soon after polls closed, with results for most counties yet to be reported.Stewart, a six-term Republican and veteran of the U.S. Air Force, set off a scramble to fill his seat when he announced in May he was resigning because his wife is ill. He plans to step down Sept. 15 after 10 years in office. The primary winner will be the favorite against Democratic state Sen. Kathleen Riebe...

Viking-themed B.C. performers made mud dragons at Burning Man quagmire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:37 GMT

Hjeron O’sidhe has been leading a group of Viking-themed performance artists to the Burning Man festival in Nevada for 13 years running, and he wasn’t about to let the rain and mud this year dampen their good time. British Columbia resident O’sidhe and almost 100 other performers — Canadians, Australians, Americans, Norwegians and others — make up the group known as MythMaker. They travelled in a convoy to the Nevada desert, including O’sidhe’s bus that doubles as a stage, adorned as a dragon-headed Viking ship.There has been rain in the past, but O’sidhe said they weren’t necessarily prepared for the weather this year that turned the festival grounds, known as Black Rock City, into a muddy mess. “We weren’t concerned because the forecast said don’t worry about it, and then we got here and it rained a little bit and then the forecast changed,” he said. “When it rains out here, everything shuts down.”O̵...