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Moldova needs €250 million to modernize armed forces - defence official

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:58 GMT

Moldova requires €250 million to modernize its armed forces after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. This was according to a top defense official in the pro-Western nation on Wednesday (12 April).Valeriu Mija, Secretary for State for Defence Policy, National Army Reform, in the defense ministry, said that the February 2022 shock was the starting point for public opinion changes towards the development and improvement of the defence sector. He spoke at a forum about national security in Chisinau.He stated that the romanticism associated with eternal peace is over and that a new approach was needed."We believe that €250m is needed to modernize the armed forces."Ex-Soviet Moldova, one of Europe's most impoverished countries, is seeking EU membership but is prevented from NATO membership due to the principle of neutrality in its constitution.The war in Ukraine has been denounced by the Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who has sent missiles to the conflict at the border with her country.Sin...

Word Game: April 17, 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:58 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — TOWARDS (TOWARDS: TORDS: In the direction of.)Average mark 18 wordsTime limit 30 minutesCan you find 23 or more words in TOWARDS? The list will be published tomorrow.SATURDAY’S WORD — ATTRIBUTE abet abut attire tabu tare tart tatter tattier taut tear teat tetra tier tire titer titter trait treat tribe tribute trite true tuba tube tuber rate rebut rite rube irate bait baiter bare bate batter bear beat beau beta betta bier biretta bite biter bitt bitter brat brit brut brute butt butter urea utter etuiTo 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, ...

Ask Amy: Is my rule about streaming entertainment foolish?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:58 GMT

Dear Amy: I am a retired woman in my late 60s who is an avid reader.For some reason I created a rule that reading during the day is acceptable, whereas watching even a very good show or series on a streaming service is somehow the behavior of someone who has “given up” and is wasting time during the day.I think this is because my elderly aunt would sit in her Barcalounger and watch soap operas during the day. I don’t want to turn into someone like that.There are so many great shows now, however, and only so many hours in the evening.I’d appreciate your thoughts.BetwixtRelated ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: My friends walked out of the funeral, and I was frozen in shock Advice | Ask Amy: Do I owe allegiance to my bullheaded husband? Advice | Ask Amy: My co-workers hurt my feelings. How much notice do I have to give that I’m leaving? Advice | Ask Amy: I’m devastated that I wasn’t discovered at the scho...

Harriette Cole: I never asked him to solve my problems but he won’t back off

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:58 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: Every time I try to tell my husband about something, he jumps in almost before I get out a sentence and starts trying to solve the situation for me.This is infuriating. I don’t need him to solve anything. I need him to listen.When I stop him and ask him to let me get my story out, he interrupts and tells me he understands the gist of what I am saying and doesn’t need me to go into detail. Instead, he feels the need to tell me what to do, something that he is certain will make the problem go away.That could be true, in the end, but what I need at the moment is for him to listen to me.When he has something happen to him, I have to listen as he drones on and on about the situation. I do it, though, because I know he needs to get it out. Why can’t he give me the same courtesy? This is really frustrating.Please ListenRelated ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: How do I tell him we’ll never be housemates? Advice | Harriette C...

‘We’re watching:’ Md. Attorney General eyes housing discrimination

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:58 GMT

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown wants to protect renters from discriminatory landlords in the Old Line State, but so far, the law has tied his hands.“Up until now, the Office of the Attorney General in Maryland had a very small role in enforcing federal and state civil rights laws,” Brown told WTOP after 100 days in office.That’s because for 53 years, the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights has been the only state entity allowed to fight discrimination.But that’s expected to change once Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signs the Civil Rights Enforcement bill (SB 540). The bill gives Maryland’s top prosecutor the power to protect residents from civil rights violations.“I’ll have a new tool to enforce federal and state civil rights laws to protect all Marylanders, much like I have in consumer protection,” Brown said.A report in 2022 found that more than 400 housing discrimination complaints were investigated by the Maryland Commission on ...

Dani Alves in court to testify in sexual assault probe

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:58 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Dani Alves was in court Monday to testify to a judge investigating a sexual assault accusation against him.Alves has been in jail since Jan. 20 after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a nightclub in Barcelona on Dec. 30. The Brazilian soccer player has denied wrongdoing and said sex with the accuser was consensual.The court has denied Alves’ request to be freed on bail while the investigation continues, saying he was a flight risk. A trial has not been set.Alves was detained based on evidence gathered from the initial probe by authorities and testimony from the player, the alleged victim and witnesses.Under Spain’s sexual consent law passed last year, sexual assault takes in a wide array of crimes from online abuse and groping to rape, each with different possible punishments. A case of rape can receive a maximum sentence of 15 years.The 39-year-old Alves won 42 soccer titles, including three Champions Leagues with Barcelona and two Copa America...

Incursión estadounidense en Siria resulta en la “probable muerte” de un alto líder de ISIS

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:58 GMT

Una incursión de helicópteros de las fuerzas estadounidenses en el norte de Siria la madrugada de este lunes resultó en la “muerte probable” de un alto líder del grupo militante Estado Islámico, dijo el ejército estadounidense.El Comando Central de Estados Unidos dijo en un comunicado que el líder del Estado Islámico, que no fue identificado, era “responsable de planear ataques terroristas en Medio Oriente y Europa”. Otros dos “individuos armados” murieron junto con el objetivo de la redada, dijo CENTCOM. El comunicado dijo que ningún civil o soldado estadounidense resultó herido en la operación.Cascos Blancos de Siria, un grupo de defensa civil que opera en áreas controladas por la oposición en el norte de Siria, dijo que transportó a dos personas heridas durante la redada a un hospital local, que luego dijo que habían muerto. Una tercera persona murió cuando las fuerzas estadounidenses desembarcaron para el ataque, dijeron los Cascos Blancos.Las Fuerzas Dem...

A Russian court sentences prominent opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:58 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court sentences prominent opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison.Source

Police investigation underway after targeted drive-by shooting leaves 2 uninjured

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:58 GMT

A drive-by shooting targeted a juvenile and another man in Pembroke Pines near Southwest Fifth Street and 110th Avenue. Both victims escaped the incident without any injuries.According to the police, around 7 p.m. on Sunday, a car drove up to the parked car of the victims and opened fire before speeding off. However, authorities have stated that this was not a random act of violence, and they are currently investigating the motive behind the attack. They urge anyone with information that could aid their investigation to come forward.As of now, the identities of the victims have not been released to the public. It is also unclear whether the police have any leads on the suspects involved in the drive-by shooting.

UK delays chips plan again as key minister seeks maternity cover

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:58 GMT

LONDON — The U.K.’s long-awaited semiconductor strategy has been held up again, this time by uncertainty over who will cover Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan’s maternity leave.While the EU is expected to press ahead with its own Chips Act Tuesday, business leaders are still awaiting the U.K.’s plans. The strategy is seen as crucial amid a global scramble to secure supply chains for semiconductors — used in everything from iPhones to advanced weapons — amid fears about relations with China.The government has been saying since last year that its strategy for securing semiconductor supply chains will be published “as soon as possible.” The announcement had been penciled into the government news grid for this Thursday, but has been pushed back again.The strategy has been held until No. 10 and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology decide who will cover maternity leave for Secretary of State Donelan, a Whitehall official told POLITICO. Donelan is due this month but no...