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Ballsy EU Commission moves to make Russia pay for Ukraine

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:59:57 GMT

LONDON — The European Commission has a plan to help pay for the reconstruction of war-torn Ukraine using Russian state assets. It’s a daring move and a sign of a shift toward something that once looked impossible.It would be an unprecedented legal feat, one strongly advocated by Ukraine and its allies but which is already kicking up a storm among governments. The EU executive’s intention to throw its weight behind such a move — confirmed by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday —  will require some delicate politics over the next few months.The plan is fraught with political, legal and economic risks. It has consequences for the role of foreign reserves in stabilizing currencies, as well as for the international protection of state property — and potentially could be endlessly litigated in court. The idea of making the aggressor pay for war damages isn’t new, but to go after foreign reserves frozen under Western sanctions would be. “On one hand, it&#...

West eyes Romania as possible F-16 training site for Ukrainian pilots

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:59:57 GMT

A coalition of Western countries is eyeing Romania as a possible location to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets, according to a current and a former Defense Department official with knowledge of the effort.Specifically, the group is working to negotiate a contract to conduct the aircraft training at a site in Romania, said the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss the contours of an agreement that has not yet been finalized. It’s likely that Lockheed Martin, which builds the F-16, would conduct the training, the people said.Details about the training program have been slow to emerge since President Joe Biden lent his support to the effort last month. The Netherlands and Denmark are leading the multinational training effort, but the partners have not yet settled the question of which countries would provide the aircraft required for training.European officials would neither confirm nor deny that the proposal to train Ukrainian pilots in Romania is under disc...

The US Coast Guard is bringing in more ships, vessels to search for lost Titanic tourist submersible

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:59:57 GMT

A Canadian surveillance vessel has detected underwater noises in the area where rescuers are searching for a submersible that went missing in the North Atlantic while bringing five people down to the wreck of the Titanic, authorities said Wednesday.Coast Guard officials were bringing in more ships and other vessels to search the more narrowly defined area, though the exact location and source of the sounds has not yet been determined. The full scope of the search was twice the size of Connecticut in waters 2 1/2 miles deep, said Captain Jamie Frederick of the First Coast Guard District.“This is a search and rescue mission, 100%,” Frederick said. “When you’re in the middle of a search and rescue case, you always have hope.”But even those who expressed some optimism warned that many obstacles remain: from pinpointing the vessel’s location, to reaching it with rescue equipment, to bringing it to the surface — assuming it’s still intact — before the passe...

Lab-grown meat is cleared for sale in the United States

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:59:57 GMT

New York (CNN) — Cultivated meat, also known as lab-grown meat, has been cleared for sale in the United States.Upside Foods and Good Meat, two companies that make what they call “cultivated chicken,” said Wednesday that they have gotten approval from the US Department of Agriculture to start producing their cell-based proteins.Good Meat, which is owned by plant-based egg substitute maker Eat Just, said that production is starting immediately. Cultivated or lab-grown meat is grown in a giant vat, much like what you’d find at a beer brewery.Good Meat, which has been selling its products in Singapore, advertises its product as “meat without slaughter,” a more humane approach to eating meat. Supporters hope that cultured meat will help fight climate change by reducing the need for traditional animal agriculture, which emits greenhouse gases.The company had previously announced that it was partnering with chef and restaurateur José Andrés ...

Explosion hits a building in Paris, injuring 24. Police are trying to determine the cause

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:59:57 GMT

By SYLVIE CORBET and ANGELA CHARLTON (Associated Press)PARIS (AP) — A strong explosion hit a building in Paris’ Left Bank on Wednesday, leaving 24 injured and igniting a fire that sent smoke soaring over city monuments and prompted the evacuation of surrounding buildings, police said. The cause of the blast was not immediately known. The facade of a building in the 5th arrondissement, or district, collapsed, and emergency services were working to determine if anyone was still inside, a Paris police official said. The explosion happened near the historic Val de Grace military hospital.Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said the building where the explosion occurred was a private school, the Paris American Academy, which was founded in 1965 and offers teaching in fashion design, interior design, fine arts and creative writing.The fire was contained but not yet extinguished. Some 270 firefighters were involved in putting out the flames and 70 emergency vehicles were on the sc...

Ask the Pediatrician: What does the research say about social media and your child’s mental health?

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:59:57 GMT

Megan A Moreno, MD, FAAP and Jenny Radesky, MD, FAAP | (TNS) American Academy of PediatricsSocial media plays an important role in the lives of many tweens and teens. More than one-third (35%) of 13- to 17-year-olds reported using social media sites such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook “almost constantly” in 2022. And while many social media platforms set a minimum age of 13 to sign up, 38% of kids ages 8-12 say they have used social media.All this media use can influence young people in a variety of ways. And with a reported rise in depression and anxiety among teens, you may wonder how social media may impact your child’s mental health. Research suggests it depends on how they use it. Understanding potential connections between social media and mental health can help you guide your kids toward healthy social media habits.One of the ways kids use social media is for social connection. Sharing photos and comments on social media platforms can h...

Yankees star Aaron Judge up for Best Male Athlete at ESPYs after breaking AL home run record

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:59:57 GMT

All Rise at the ESPYs!Yankees captain Aaron Judge has been nominated for Best Male Athlete, ESPN announced Wednesday.The hulking slugger broke Roger Maris’ American League single-season home run record last season blasting 62 on his way to winning American League MVP honors. Judge, 6-7, capitalized on his monster campaign by inking a nine-year, $360 million contract this winter and was also named the franchise’s first captain since Derek Jeter retired.Judge will battle it out with recently-crowned NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and World Cup winner Lionel Messi for the award handed out by the World Wide Leader.The career Bomber smacked the final two homers of his epic chase on the road. His 61st came at Rogers Centre in Toronto against the Blue Jays on Sept. 28. Then, he smoked his record-breaking 62nd at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on Oct 4 just days before the season came to an end.“It...

Bankrate: Why is portfolio diversification important for investors?

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:59:57 GMT

Portfolio diversification involves investing in many different securities and types of assets so that your overall return doesn’t depend too much on any single investment. Financial experts often recommend a diversified portfolio because it reduces risk without sacrificing much in the way of returns. In fact, you may ultimately earn a higher long-term investment return by holding a diversified portfolio.Here’s how diversification works, why it’s so important and how to diversify your portfolio.Key takeaways—Diversification involves spreading your money across a variety of investments and asset classes.—A diversified portfolio helps to reduce risk and may lead to a higher return.—Investments that move in opposite directions from one another will add the greatest diversification benefits to your portfolio.What is diversification?Diversification means owning a variety of assets that perform differently over time, but not too much of any one investment or type. In terms of stock investi...

Bruins release pre-season schedule

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:59:57 GMT

The Bruins announced their six-game preseason schedule that runs from September 24 through October 25.Sunday, September 24 (TD Garden) — vs. New York Rangers, 5 p.m.Tuesday, September 26 (KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY) at Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m.Friday, September 29 (TD Garden) vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m.Monday, October 2 (Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA) at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m.Tuesday, October 3 (TD Garden) vs. Washington Capitals, 7 p.m.Thursday, October 5 (Madison Square Garden, New York, NY) at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.

Prime Day, competing sales offer first shot at holiday shopping

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:59:57 GMT

Amazon has announced the dates for its ninth annual Prime Day sale: July 11 and 12.As in recent years, there’s a ton of hype around the sale, and for good reason. Prime Day deals rival Black Friday prices, according to NerdWallet’s 2022 analysis. Like last year, other retailers like Target and Walmart are likely to feature competing sales that overlap with Prime Day but have not made announcements yet.Prime Day “has absolutely become its own phenomenon,” says Claire Tassin, lead retail and e-commerce analyst at Morning Consult, a company specializing in global market research and survey data. Although summer sales have been around for a while as a way for retailers to clear out summer inventory and make way for fall and holiday shopping, “Amazon really does set the calendar at this point,” says Tassin.Last year, shoppers spent a record $11.9 billion during the two-day Prime event, according to data from Adobe Analytics.There’s some mystery as to what products and categories wi...