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Putin opens talks with Belarus leader, no public mention of Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Belarus counterpart Alexander Lukashenko to Moscow on Wednesday (5 April) for two days of talks, but in their opening public remarks both men steered clear of the war in Ukraine.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week the two leaders would discuss Lukashenko's call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. Last month Putin said Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus."I must say that we have done a lot as a result of our joint work in all areas," Putin told Lukashenko in comments broadcast by state television."We will discuss all of this tomorrow - this applies to our cooperation in the international arena and jointly solving questions of ensuring the security of our states."Moscow is Minsk's closest political and financial backer. Lukashenko allowed Putin to use the territory of Belarus as a launch pad for the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Russia and Belarus are formally part of a Union State, a borderless union a...

Word Game: April 7, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — SAINTLY (SAINTLY: SAINT-lee: Holy.)Average mark 29 wordsTime limit 40 minutesCan you find 38 or more words in SAINTLY? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — PRINCIPLE pencil peril perp pier pile pincer pine pinier pipe piper plie plier prep price prince rein relic rice ricin rile ripe ripen ripple icer icier irenic nipper nipple clip clipper cripple lice lien line liner epicTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at k...

Ask Amy: I let a petty thing extinguish my crush, and I feel terrible

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

Dear Amy: I have met a number of friends online, especially since COVID. One of these friends is a guy I became attracted to.He makes me laugh, he’s kind, and I genuinely have a good time talking to him. Although we had been friends for the better part of a year, our communication was only over text. He had seen photos of me; I had no idea of what he looked like.I don’t consider myself to be a shallow person. I have always believed it’s what’s on the inside that counts.Well, we finally video-chatted last night, and I have no attraction to him at all.I tried convincing myself that the lack of attraction wasn’t a big deal, but I couldn’t do it.There’s nothing wrong with the way he looks, he’s just a lot older than I thought and drastically different from what I pictured.I feel like a terrible person and have been berating myself all day. How dare I suddenly dislike this wonderful guy who I had a great connection with over such a tiny reason?Honestly, I also feel embarrassed for having...

Harriette Cole: I’d get more pay with this new job, but I worry about the employer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I work for a freelancer who has a lot of clients. One of these clients recently offered me a job, separate from the work I do for my current boss.The pay would be more than what I make now. My boss has shared how difficult the client can be.I am conflicted as to whether or not it would be considered betrayal of my current boss if I take the job offer. I feel like if I take the job, it might create tension between us, and I was hoping to remain friends with my boss after my departure.I also don’t particularly wish to deal with a difficult employer, having watched my boss struggle with this person firsthand.What should my next step be?ConflictedRelated ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: My co-worker blatantly shuns me, even when I speak directly to her Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m rattled by my friend’s unexplained death Advice | Harriette Cole: We were brides at the same time. Now she’s happy and I’...

Kansas approves bill to end gender-affirming care for minors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators in Kansas approved a plan early Friday to end gender-affirming care for transgender youth, capping a week of intensifying efforts to rolling back LGBTQ rights like other states with GOP-controlled legislatures. The Kansas House voted 70-52 to pass a bill requiring the state’s medical board to revoke the licenses of doctors who provide gender-affirming care to minors, even though many professionals who deal with transgender youth see such care as vital to preserving their mental health and preventing suicides. The Senate then voted 23-12 to approve the measure, sending it to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.The governor is expected to veto it, having promised LGBTQ youth during a Statehouse lobbying day last month that she would protect their rights and reject any measure “that aims to harm or discriminate against you.” Supporters were well short of the two-thirds majorities in both chambers needed to override a veto. LGBTQ-rights adv...

Chinese man who chained, abused woman sentenced to 9 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese man on Friday was sentenced to nine years in prison for abusing and unlawfully detaining a woman who was shown chained in a viral video that sparked an outcry in China last year.The abuse of the woman, “Xiaohuamei,” or Little Plum Blossom, raised widespread concerns in China in February last year and at times overshadowed Beijing’s Winter Olympics online. Her story appeared in Chinese social media despite digital and human censors and prompted commentators to exhort national media to highlight the scandal.After the announcement of the sentencing on Friday, the case became one of the most searched topics on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, with many people complaining that nine years imprisonment for the man was too lenient of a punishment for what he did to her.The court in Xuzhou city that handed down the sentence said in a statement that Dong Zhimin and his late father bought Little Plum Blossom in the late 1990s for 5,000 yuan ($727) and tha...

Enfrentamientos entre Israel y Líbano conlleva un alto riesgo de “derivar en un conflicto mayor”, advierte coordinadora especial de la ONU

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

(CNN) — El enfrentamiento armado entre Israel y Líbano en las últimas 24 horas conlleva un alto riesgo de “derivar en un conflicto mayor”, declaró este viernes en un tuit la coordinadora especial de la ONU, Joanna Wronecka, quien añadió que ya hay informes de heridos en Israel.“Estoy muy preocupada por la peligrosa escalada a través de la Línea Azul tras el lanzamiento de múltiples cohetes desde Líbano hacia Israel”, dijo Wronecka, refiriéndose a la frontera de facto entre los dos países.“El imperativo inmediato es contener la situación. Hago un llamamiento a todas las partes para que actúen con la máxima moderación y colaboren con la FPNUL para ayudar a restablecer la calma”, añadió. La FPNUL es la fuerza de mantenimiento de la paz de la ONU en Líbano.Israel ataca la franja de Gaza luego de que se dispararan decenas de cohetes desde el Líbano a IsraelEl enfrentamiento también tuvo una respuesta diplomática de Líbano, que presentará una quej...

Maryland lawmakers approve AG prosecution powers over police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The Maryland General Assembly approved a measure on Thursday to give the state’s attorney general independent authority to bring criminal charges against police officers after investigating deaths when officers are involved.The Maryland House voted 99-37 for a bill already passed by the Senate, sending it to Gov. Wes Moore, who said he will sign the bill.The legislation expands on a package of police reforms approved two years ago in response to concerns about police accountability after the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.The Independent Investigations Division was created in the attorney general’s office to investigate deaths of civilians when police are involved. Current law empowers the division to probe the cases and provide facts to local prosecutors, who then decide whether to prosecute.Supporters of the new bill say it aims to end potential conflicts of interest between local prosecutors and police. Opponents say it’s an over...

Israeli medics: Palestinian shooting attack in West Bank kills 2 people, hours after Israeli strikes on Lebanon, Gaza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli medics: Palestinian shooting attack in West Bank kills 2 people, hours after Israeli strikes on Lebanon, Gaza.Source

Cámara de Tennessee expulsa a 2 demócratas en represalia por protesta por el control de armas. Esto es lo que sabemos y lo que sigue

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

(CNN) — Dos miembros demócratas de la Cámara de Representantes de Tennessee fueron expulsados, mientras que un tercer representante se salvó de una expulsión por parte de los legisladores republicanos, una medida que el trío demócrata denunció como opresiva, vengativa y con motivaciones raciales.Manifestantes abarrotaron el capitolio estatal este jueves para denunciar las expulsiones de los representantes Justin Jones y Justin Pearson y abogar por medidas de reforma de porte de armas. Esto ocurrió más de una semana después de que un tiroteo masivo devastara una escuela de Nashville.Luego de su expulsión, que los republicanos de la Cámara dijeron que fue en respuesta al liderazgo de los representantes en las manifestaciones de control de armas en el pleno de la Cámara la semana pasada, Jones y Pearson pidieron a los manifestantes que regresaran al Capitolio cuando la Cámara vuelva a estar en sesión el próximo lunes.La representante Gloria Johnson, que es blanca y sobrevivió a l...