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EU-led military exercises begin in Spain

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

Presented by ASD By CALEB LARSON with LAURA KAYALI, JOSHUA POSANER, VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA and PIETER HAECK PRESENTED BY View in your browser or listen to audioSNEAK PEEK— Nine European countries kicked off week-long military exercises in Spain, the first lead by the EU independently of NATO.— EU countries and the European Commission will assess semiconductor technology, AI, quantum and biotech, but EU insiders tell POLITICO the Commission risks a rushed evaluation process.— Steadfast Noon, NATO’s annual nuclear exercise, begins today. Good morning and welcome to Morning Defense. Tips to [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] or follow us at @joshposaner, @LauKaya and @calebmlarson.DRIVING THE DAYMILITARY EXERCISE IN SPAIN: As of today, 31 military units and 2,800 military personnel from nine EU countries — including 1,800 from Spain, 600 from France and 200 from P...

Poland waits for final election result after ruling party and opposition claim a win

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland faced a period of political uncertainty Monday after Poles voted in huge numbers in an election in which opposition parties appeared to gain a combined majority. But the ruling nationalist conservative party won more votes than any single party and said it would try to keep governing.The final results have not reported by the state electoral commission. But the polling agency Ipsos released a so-called late exit poll on Monday morning, which combines the results of an exit poll carried out during Sunday’s election and 50% of the votes counted.It showed that the ruling nationalist conservative Law and Justice party with 36.6% of the votes cast, the opposition Civic Coalition led by Donald Tusk with 31%, the centrist Third Way coalition with 13.5%, the Left party with 8.6% and the far-right Confederation with 6.4%.In order for a government to pass laws, it needs at least 231 seats in the 460-lower house of parliament, the Sejm.According to Ipsos, the...

2026 Olympic organizers forced to look outside Italy for ice sliding venue after project funds cut

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

MUMBAI, India (AP) — A big-ticket project for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics has been dropped because the Italian government no longer wants to help fund it, organizing committee officials said Monday.Bobsled, luge and skeleton events now need to be held outside Italy, likely either at the sliding track in Igls, Austria or St. Moritz, Switzerland.The historic Eugenio Monti track at Cortina d’Ampezzo – built 100 years ago, used for the 1956 Winter Games, and shut down 15 years ago – was planned to be rebuilt but expected costs spiraled from the original 50 million euros ($53 million) estimate.“Recent years’ dramatic international scenario has forced a reflection on the resources regionally allocated by the Italian government as investment for this specific venue,” organizing committee leader Giovanni Malago said at the International Olympic Committee’s annual meeting being held in Mumbai, India.“This venue has been at the center of a long and controversial process,” Malago ack...

Stock market today: Asian shares sink as investors brace for Israeli invasion of Gaza

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Shares fell in Asia as investors braced Monday for an expected invasion by Israel in the Gaza Strip.U.S. futures edged higher while oil prices were little changed. Israeli forces, supported by a growing deployment of U.S. warships in the region and the call-up of some 360,000 reservists, have positioned themselves along Gaza’s border and drilled for what Israel said would be a broad campaign to dismantle the militant group. More than a million people have fled their homes in the besieged enclave in the past week, ahead of the expected invasion meant to eliminate Hamas’ leadership after its deadly Oct. 7 attack. “Who can blame markets for being jittery,” RaboResearch Global Economics and Markets said in a commentary. “The world now holds its breath as Israel prepares for a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza, with only unseasonal torrential rain delaying the seemingly inevitable.”The conflict has jolted oil markets, adding to uncertainties already hanging over th...

France and the Gulf region: A new vision

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

France’s influence and role in its traditional spheres of influence in West Africa have diminished rapidly in recent times. Although matters have not settled and have not resolved conclusively in this region, which has become an arena for international conflicts, Paris considers that maintaining its international standing and weight requires flexible and swift responses to these strategic changes, writes Salem AlKetbi, UAE political analyst and former Federal National Council candidate.On the flip side, the strong partnership relations between some of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE on one hand, and France on the other hand, are well-established and have grown clearly in recent years. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE, recently made an official visit to France, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also made an important visit to the French Republic.France is one of the traditional strategic partners of the Gulf Coo...

Former Warriors GM Bob Myers offers his thoughts on Klay Thompson’s contract negotiation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

With the Warriors’ regular season beginning a week from Tuesday, Klay Thompson could begin the year without a new contract.ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sunday that it’s not looking likely that the two sides will come to an agreement anytime soon.“I’m told that there has been absolutely no progress on a Klay Thompson extension in Golden State,” Wojnarowski said. “They are both still apart on years and money, and there’s a very real possibility that Klay Thompson goes into free agency next summer without a deal.”Thompson, who turns 34 in February, is nearing an end to the five-year, $190-million maximum contract he signed on July 10, 2019.Former Warriors general manager Bob Myers, now working as an ESPN analyst, offered his assessment of the situation.“This is why I left,” Myers said jokingly. “A lot of time people will say, ‘this is just business.’ But this is not just a business situation. T...

Missing Steph Curry and Chris Paul, Warriors mount 15-point comeback to beat Kings in OT

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

SACRAMENTO — Even without Steph Curry and Chris Paul, and playing in a game that means nothing in the standings, the Warriors and Sacramento Kings played some entertaining preseason basketball at the Golden 1 Center on Sunday night.The Warriors overcame a 15-point deficit in the third quarter to force overtime, then knocked off the Kings with a 121-115 victory to move to 3-0 in the preseason.“Guys are doing a great job closing games to win two straight close ones with clutch play down the stretch,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “It’s fun to see.”Jonathan Kuminga continued his dominant preseason by scoring a game-high 28 points and Lester Quinones, the 22-year-old Summer League star who signed a two-way contract in July, scored 18 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime that sank the Kings.“These are the moments we’re being tested,” Quinones said. “These are the moments where (Kerr) locks in and sees, ‘I can trust them in this situation.’ Or he looks for the future...

Martti Ahtisaari, former Finnish president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, dies at 86

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland and global peace broker awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008 for his work to resolve international conflicts, died Monday. He was 86.The foundation he created for preventing and resolving violent conflicts said in a statement it was “deeply saddened by the loss of its founder and chair of board.”“It is with great sadness that we have received the news of the death of President Martti Ahtisaari,” Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö said in a statement. “He was president in times of change, who piloted Finland into a global EU era.”In 2021, it was announced that Ahtisaari had advanced Alzheimer’s disease.Among his most notable achievements, Ahtisaari helped reach peace accords related to Serbia’s withdrawal from Kosovo in the late 1990s, Namibia’s bid for independence in the 1980s, and autonomy for Aceh province in Indonesia in 2005. He was also involved with the Northern Ireland peace process in the late 1990s, b...

Gaza’s crowded hospitals near breaking point as Israeli ground invasion looms

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians in besieged Gaza crowded into hospitals and schools on Monday, seeking shelter and running low on food and water. More than a million people have fled their homes ahead of an expected Israeli ground invasion aimed at destroying Hamas after its fighters rampaged through southern Israel.Much of Hamas’ military infrastructure is concealed in urban areas, where street-by-street fighting would likely cause mounting casualties on both sides. Israel has given no timetable for a ground incursion. All eyes were on the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, where the U.S. and international mediators appeared close to reaching a deal for a humanitarian cease-fire that would allow aid in and allow foreigners to exit Gaza. Rafah was shut down nearly a week ago because of Israeli airstrikes.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Monday there was no cease-fire “at the moment.”The enclave’s food, water and me...

Migrant boat sinking off Greek island leaves 3 dead, 2 missing, 8 rescued

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A search and rescue operation was underway Monday after a dinghy carrying migrants sank overnight off the coast of the small eastern Greek island of Symi, leaving at least three people dead, the coast guard said.Eight people were rescued, with two of them transported to a hospital on the nearby island of Rhodes and the rest transferred to the main port in Symi, according to the coast guard.Authorities said they recovered the bodies of two men and one woman from the sea. Survivors said two more people in the dinghy were believed to have managed to reach the shore on their own.Two coast guard vessels, four private boats and an air force helicopter were searching the area for the two missing people. The nationalities of those on board the dinghy were not immediately known.Greece lies along one of the most popular smuggling routes for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia and trying to get into the European Union.Many use small din...