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Belarusians wary of being drawn into war with Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:19 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — For Ruslan, an engineer in the Belarus capital of Minsk, Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine suddenly seemed closer than ever when a conscription office recently sent him a summons for military training.It’s part of an effort that will see thousands of men in Belarus attend drills amid fears that the staunch Moscow ally could be drawn into the fighting.“They are telling us that Belarus won’t enter the war against Ukraine, but I hear Russian warplanes roar over my house heading to the Machulishchi air base outside Minsk,” the 27-year-old told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. He asked not to be fully identified out of concern for his personal safety.“Russian troops are already in Belarus, and I see the country gradually being turned into a military barracks,” he said. “Everybody fears that they won’t allow Belarusians to keep watching the war from a distance for too long.”Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has wel...

As Assad returns to Arab fold, Syrians watch with hope, fear

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:19 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrians living on opposite sides of the largely frozen battle lines dividing their country are watching the accelerating normalization of ties between the government of Bashar Assad and Syria’s neighbors through starkly different lenses.In government-held Syria, residents struggling with ballooning inflation, fuel and electricity shortages hope the rapprochement will bring more trade and investment and ease a crippling economic crisis.Meanwhile, in the remaining opposition-held areas of the north, Syrians who once saw Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries as allies in their fight against Assad’s rule feel increasingly isolated and abandoned.Turkey, which has been a main backer of the armed opposition to Assad, has been holding talks with Damascus for months — most recently on Tuesday, when the defense ministers of Turkey, Russia, Iran and Syria met in Moscow.And in recent weeks, regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia — which once backed Syrian rebel groups — has...

Cosmetic to critical: Blue states help trans health coverage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:19 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — For most of her life in New Mexico, Christina Wood felt like she had to hide her identity as a transgender woman. So six years ago she moved to Oregon, where she had readier access to the gender-affirming health care she needed to live as her authentic self. Once there, Wood, 49, was able to receive certain surgeries that helped her transition, but electrolysis, or permanent hair removal, wasn’t fully covered under the state’s Medicaid plan for low-income residents. Paying out-of-pocket ate up nearly half her monthly income, but it was critical for Wood’s mental health. “Having this facial hair or this body hair, it doesn’t make me feel feminine. I still look in the mirror and I see that masculine person,” she said. “It’s stressful. It causes anxiety and PTSD when you’re having to live in this body that you don’t feel like you should be in.” That is likely about to change. Oregon lawmakers are expected to pass a bill that would further expand insurance co...

Nuggets’ Jamal Murray says T-Wolves’ defensive narrative fueled Game 5 eruption

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:19 GMT

Jamal Murray sliced through the guts of Minnesota’s defense before flipping the ball, blindly, in the vague direction of the hoop.After his reverse layup fell on the first possession of the second half, Murray was planted on the baseline, preening at his circus shot and the foul that came along with it.“I mean, I do that sometimes,” he said from the postgame podium after torching the Timberwolves for 35 points in 41 minutes, ousting Minnesota from the playoffs with a gripping Game 5 win. Murray’s passionate, emotional brand of basketball was vital against a T-Wolves team that refused to quit, and on a night when Denver didn’t engage until the second half.Without Murray’s rare ability to perform when the pressure mounts, the Nuggets are probably headed back to Minneapolis for Game 6. Instead, they’ve bought themselves a handful of invaluable rest days before opening on Saturday against Phoenix in Game 1.Like Easter eggs buried throughout the lower bowl, Murray dropped little hi...

Colorado snow totals for April 25-26, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:19 GMT

The following Colorado snow totals have been reported by the National Weather Service for April 25-26, 2023, as of 12:30 p.m.Crested Butte, CO — 1 inch at 8 a.m. MDT – 4/25/2023Florissant, CO — 1.5 inches at 6 p.m. MDT – 4/25/2023Mount Crested But, CO — 3.5 inches at 7 a.m. MDT – 4/25/2023Mount Crested Butte, CO — 1.2 inches at 7 a.m. MDT – 4/25/2023Pitkin, CO — 2 inches at 7 a.m. MDT – 4/25/2023Sawpit, CO — 10.5 inches at 10:32 p.m. MDT – 4/25/2023Silverton, CO — 3.7 inches at 7 a.m. MDT – 4/25/2023Skyway, CO — 1.5 inches at 8 a.m. MDT – 4/25/2023St Marys Glacier, CO — 4 inches at 4:58 p.m. MDT – 4/25/2023Steamboat Springs, CO — 3 inches at 7 a.m. MDT – 4/25/2023Vallecito, CO — 5 inches at 6:28 p.m. MDT – 4/25/2023Woodland Park, CO — 5 inches at 8:20 p.m. MDT – 4/25/2023

Denver metro area school and government office closures for April 26, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:19 GMT

Denver metro area weather closuresOn days with severe weather, school closures and government office closures will be updated throughout the day.A status of “Other” means there is an early closing or some cancellations — check the website by clicking the name in the list.

New EU crypto rules are good news for consumers and fight against money laundering, but their heavy carbon footprint remains a major concern

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:19 GMT

The new EU legislative package on crypto-assets that was voted by the European Parliament on 25 April will ensure better protection of consumers and a more effective fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism. However, with this rapidly developing market, more action is necessary to offset risks, urge S&Ds. Furthermore, from an ecological point of view, a huge carbon footprint of crypto-assets remains a major concern. They use up as much energy as electric cars. Throughout the process of adopting this legislation, the S&D Group has been pushing for clearer and more stringent rules on the sustainability standards, but these efforts were unfortunately blocked by the conservatives and the liberals, with the support of the far-right in the Parliament. We will continue to strive for environment-friendly cryptocurrencies. Eero Heinäluoma, S&D negotiator on the EU legislation on Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), said: “The EU is a pioneer in regulating the cry...

Joint Forces Command Naples kicks off NATO Exercise Noble Jump 23

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:19 GMT

Demonstrating NATO’s commitment to defending every inch of NATO territory, elements of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) has commenced its deployment to Sardinia, ITALY. Exercise Noble Jump 23 will highlight NATO’s capabilities through an Operational and Tactical, Live and Command post exercise which will conclude with a Joint Allied Powers Demonstration Day (JAPDD), showcasing the readiness of NATO’s warfighting capabilities.This long planed exercise, under the command of Joint Forces Command Naples (JFC Naples), will meet the requirements set by Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe to exercise the VJTF as the lead elements of the NATO Response Force.The NATO Response Force (NRF) is a technologically advanced, multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and Special Operations Forces components that are rapidly deployable. It provides collective defence and a rapid military response to emerging crises. In addition, it can perform peace-support operations, p...

Agreement for new gas supply route signed by Azerbaijan and four EU countries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:19 GMT

A Memorandum of Understanding has just been signed in Sofia for the supply of additional gas to Europe from Azerbaijan through four EU countries, Climate+EnergyNews EU.Signed by Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Parviz Shahbazov, Minister of Energy of Bulgaria Rossen Hristov, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Energy of Romania Virgil-Daniel Popescu and Minister of Economy of Slovakia Karel Hirman, the agreement ensures the cooperation between the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and the four distribution system operators – Bulgartransgaz (Bulgaria), Transgaz (Romania), FGSZ (Hungary), Eustream (Slovakia).The agreement is part of the Solidarity Ring (STRING) initiative, proposed by Bulgaria and supported by the European Commission, to improve the security of natural gas supplies to the European Union.“Azerbaijan is a country that has been playing a strategic role in the reliable and stable energy supply of our partners fo...

Europe pioneering crypto-currencies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:19 GMT

“The new European rules for crypto-currencies are a quantum leap forward for all - for customers, investors, service providers and for innovation in Europe," said Stefan Berger MEP, who negotiated the new European regulatory framework for crypto-assets (MiCA), which were voted on by the European Parliament on 25 April.“We are paving the way for a harmonized market that will provide legal certainty for crypto-asset issuers, guarantee equal rights for service providers and ensure high standards for consumers and investors. With millions of Europeans already using Bitcoin and other digital assets, it was high time to set clear rules to ensure against abuses like fraud, money laundering and tax evasion”, Berger emphasised.So far, there have been no EU-wide rules for crypto-assets, only divergent national laws. “With this Regulation, we are providing the trust that young technologies need in order to develop further. We are bringing stability to a young, unpredictable industry,” accordin...