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Enlargement’s back on the political agenda

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:21 GMT

Nathalie Tocci is director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali, Europe’s futures fellow at IWM, Vienna and a part-time professor at the European University Institute. Her latest book, “A Green and Global Europe,” is out with Polity.As NATO heads to Vilnius in July, where it will need to respond to Kyiv’s aspiration of entering the alliance, and the European Union gears up for accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, the political dynamic behind enlargement is shifting.Since the 2010s, the enlargement of Euro-Atlantic institutions had almost ground to a halt, with fatigue kicking in across Europe as the bloc grappled with internal constitutional, economic and political crises. Though formally ongoing, the accession policy was practically dead. And though the geographic freezing of NATO wasn’t quite as stark, with new members joining from the Balkans, as Russian President Vladimir Putin became increasingly confrontational toward the West, many allies — notably in Western Europe — g...

How Kosovo’s prime minister became America’s ardent frenemy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:21 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti has achieved the impossible in American politics: consensus among Democrats and Republicans.Unfortunately for Kurti (and his country), the point of agreement is that Kosovo’s leader is a stubborn, and at times, reckless politician who has undermined the joint U.S.-European effort to achieve a lasting solution for peace between Kosovo and Serbia.Washington has laid the blame for the recent outbreak of violence between Kosovo authorities and the Serb-majority communities in the north of the country squarely at Kurti’s feet and has tried — so far without success — to rein him in with public criticism. The conflict, which concerns the future status of the Serbian areas in North Kosovo and Pristina’s demand that Belgrade finally recognize its sovereignty, has spun further out of control in recent days, with Serbia arresting three Kosovar border guards and Kosovo closing the main crossing to Serbian trucks.Kurti’s critics ...

Lightning strike damages Hudson fire station

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:21 GMT

One of the Hudson Fire Department’s fire stations was left with serious damage over the weekend after it was struck by lighting, officials said. Chief Bryan Johannes in a statement said the fire station at 1 Washington Street was struck on Saturday around 3:30 p.m. during a thunderstorm. While no one was hurt, Johannes said the strike took out computers, the phone system and the building’s fire alarm. Fire crews will be now unable to occupy the building until the fire alarm is back up and running, according to Johannes. Johannes separately shared photos with 7NEWS showing some of the damage on the Washington Street fire station’s bell tower after the lightning strike. Johannes said the department is working to get a full damage assessment from the town’s insurance provider. He continued, saying there was no estimated date for operations to return to the 1 Washington Street station as of Monday. Crews are responding out of Hudson Fire Department’ headqua...

Pickup truck catches fire at gas station in Boston

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:21 GMT

Emergency crews responded in Boston Monday after a pickup truck caught fire at a gas station in South Bay plaza. Police said they were called to the Stop and Shop gas station in the plaza around 8:15 p.m.Boston fire officials separately said a sprinkler system helped extinguish the flames. The truck was later towed away and fire officials said no one was hurt. No further information was available as of Monday night.

Mets Notebook: Grant Hartwig makes big league debut in win over Houston Astros

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:21 GMT

HOUSTON — Grant Hartwig’s decision to forego medical school has seemingly paid off. The right-hander was called up to the Mets from Triple-A Syracuse on Monday and made his major league debut in the 11-1 win over the Houston Astros.Hartwig allowed one hit and a walk in the ninth inning to secure the blowout victory in Houston.Syracuse Mets manager Dick Scott told Hartwig about the call up after the team returned from a series in Buffalo on Sunday. It was unexpected, but then again, Hartwig’s entire career has been a little unexpected.“Dick Scott told me right after we got off the bus yesterday,” Hartwig said Monday at Minute Maid Park before the Mets began a three-game series against the Houston Astros. “We came back from Buffalo last night and then found out around all of my teammates. It was a great experience got to call my parents afterwards.”When Hartwig was playing college baseball at Miami (Ohio), a professional career wasn’t on...

Verdugo’s bases-clearing triple helps Red Sox beat Twins 9-3, win fifth straight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:21 GMT

Jovani Moran is probably sick of seeing Alex Verdugo at this point.When the Minnesota Twins reliever last faced Verdugo back on April 18, the Red Sox outfielder got ahold of an 84 mph changeup and barely kept it fair down the right field line for a walk-off single.Facing off once more Monday with two outs and the bases loaded in a 3-3 game, Moran got ahead 0-2 before Verdugo took him down the right field line again for what wound up being the game-winning three-run triple. Verdugo tacked on a fourth RBI later to lead the Red Sox to a decisive 9-3 win.The Red Sox (38-35) have won five straight and now stand only 1.5 games behind the idle New York Yankees for the final American League Wild Card spot. Verdugo’s play has been a big reason for the club’s recent surge, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he’s excited by the way Verdugo has responded since being benched last week for not hustling on a ground ball.“I want Dugie to play at (a high) level, I do believe ...

Poor villagers risk their lives in danger zone as Philippines’ most active volcano erupts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:21 GMT

CALBAYOG, Philippines (AP) — Delfina Guiwan’s heart was pounding as she snuck back to her village, now abandoned and eerily quiet, in the fertile foothills of gently erupting Mayon volcano in the northeastern Philippines.When patrolling police spotted her, they warned that the village is off-limits because of the danger of a violent eruption at any time. Guiwan, 47, said she knew the risks but begged to stay a few minutes more to get her daughter’s school uniform from their shack and feed her pigs.“I’m scared. We saw lava flowing down one night and a boulder rolled down, sounding like thunder,” Guiwan told The Associated Press. “I’m praying this eruption won’t get worse because our livelihood is here and it’s difficult to stay in the evacuation camp with few toilets for so many, and the heat. Children are getting sick there.”Her village, Calbayog, lies in Mayon’s northeastern foothills and is well within the 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius from the volcano’s crater that official...

Ex-PM Cameron says the UK focused too much on flu rather than other potential pandemics before COVID

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:21 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain made a mistake in focusing too much on preparations for a flu pandemic rather than considering other types of pandemic in the years before the COVID-19 outbreak, former Prime Minister David Cameron told a public inquiry Monday. Cameron, who led Britain’s Conservative government from 2010 to 2016, was the first politician to be questioned by the wide-ranging inquiry into the U.K.’s preparedness for the coronavirus pandemic, how the government responded and what lessons can be learned for the future.The U.K. had one of the highest COVID-19 death tolls in Europe, with the virus recorded as a cause of death for almost 227,000 people.Giving evidence under oath, Cameron said that during his time in office, officials were too narrowly focused on the dangers of an influenza pandemic. Not enough questions were asked about the possibility of an outbreak of other highly infectious respiratory diseases, he said.“So much time was spent on a pandemic influenza an...

Macron urges Europe to develop its own air defense systems and not rely on the US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:21 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron called on European nations Monday to seek more independence on airspace defense and advocated against relying too much on the U.S., a long-divisive issue that takes on new urgency because of Russia’s war in Ukraine.Macron made his case for Europeans building their own airspace protection strategy in the closing speech of a conference in Paris gathering defense ministers and other representatives of 20 European countries.The talks included anti-drone combat and ballistic missile defense, French organizers said, noting that Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shown the importance and effectiveness of such equipment. Nuclear weapons deterrence was also on the agenda.“We need to know what the threat situation is … And then, what are we, Europeans, able to produce? And what do we then need to buy?” Macron said.He warned against purchasing immediately “what’s on the shelves.”Among nations who took part in the meeting ...

Police investigating fatal shooting at Etobicoke apartment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:21 GMT

Toronto police are investigating a fatal shooting at an apartment complex in Etobicoke on Monday night.Police were called to Dundas Street West and Avonhurst Road at around 7:03 p.m. for reports of someone shot.Police located a victim who was later pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not said if the suspect and victim knew each other.A suspect is in custody, but police have not released any further details or announced any charges at this point.Investigators say a gun has been recovered.SHOOTING:Dundas St W & Avonhurst Rd7:03 pm– reports of someone shot– police o/s located victim– @Toronto_Fire o/s– @TorontoMedics o/s– victim has been pronounced deceased on scene– suspect in custody– Homicide will take carriage of the investigation#GO1411799^sc— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) June 19, 2023