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Lucas: Good to see renewed support for veterans on Beacon Hill

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:33 GMT

Massachusetts has not had a military veteran serve as governor in more than 30 years.That last veteran to serve as governor was U.S. Army veteran Michael S. Dukakis (1955-1957) who served as an enlisted man in Korea after the Korean War ended in 1953. He left the governor’s office in 1990.So it is of interest that Gov. Maura Healey, a non-veteran and a progressive, would take an interest in the well-being of Massachusetts men and women who served their country.Progressives as a rule tend to shun all things military.Dukakis, 89, who enlisted following graduation from Swarthmore College, was a 21-year-old radio operator on the DMZ, the armistice line that still separates the two Koreas.The Korean war, often referred to as “The Forgotten War”—lodged as it was between World War II and Vietnam– began on June 25, 1950, when the Communist North Korea, later abetted by Communist China, invaded South Korea, then a fledgling democracy and a U.S. ally and protectorate.It ended back where...

Russia claims Ukraine is launching major attacks; Kyiv accuses Moscow of misinformation

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:33 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Moscow officials claimed that Ukrainian forces were making a major effort to punch through Russian defensive lines in southeast Ukraine for a second day Monday. Kyiv authorities didn’t confirm the attacks and suggested the claim was a Russian misinformation ruse. Vladimir Rogov, a Moscow-installed official in southeast Ukraine’s partly-occupied Zaporizhzhia province, said fighting resumed there early Monday after Russian defenses beat back a Ukrainian advance the previous day.Rogov claimed that “the enemy threw an even bigger force into the attack than yesterday.” The new attempt to break through the front line was “more large-scale and organized,” he said, adding: “A battle is underway.”Rogov’s comments came after Moscow also claimed to have thwarted large Ukrainian attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, another of the four regions that President Vladimir Putin claimed as Russian territory last fall and partially controls.Russia’s Defense Mini...

Weekend drivers demand answers after DVP, Gardiner shut down longer than expected

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:33 GMT

Toronto drivers are demanding answers after the city’s two main thoroughfares into downtown were shut down longer than anticipated over the weekend.Both the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway were scheduled to be closed off for 14 hours on Sunday to make room for thousands of cyclists taking part in a charity bike ride, the Bike for Brain Health, which raises money and awareness to help defeat dementia.But several drivers who called in to the CityNews 680 traffic centre expressed dismay after the major routes remained closed hours after the scheduled reopening time at 4 p.m.. Some drivers even noted they were running out of gas as they were left stuck in traffic backlogs that they thought would be cleared up by the early evening.“There’s a lot of people running out of gas because it’s at a complete standstill,” says one caller to the traffic centre who says they were left stuck on westbound Lakeshore Boulevard near Jameson Avenue during the ...

Turkish forces arrive in Kosovo to bolster NATO-led peacekeepers after recent violence

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:33 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — The Turkish commando battalion requested by NATO has arrived in Kosovo to assist in quelling recent violent unrest in the Balkan country.The Turkish Defense Ministry shared a video Sunday showing troops wearing the insignia of the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force departing Turkey and arriving in Kosovo. Violent clashes with ethnic Serbs last Monday left 30 international soldiers — 11 Italians and 19 Hungarians — wounded, including fractures and burns from improvised explosive incendiary devices.The clashes grew out of a confrontation that unfolded earlier after ethnic Albanian officials elected in votes overwhelmingly boycotted by Serbs entered municipal buildings to take office and were blocked by Serbs.Around 500 Turkish troops would be deployed, a defense ministry official said last week. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with ministry regulations. “The first convoy of the commando battalion attached to the 65th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Comma...

Prince Harry a no-show on first day of court showdown with British tabloid publisher

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:33 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry’s phone hacking trial against the publisher of the Daily Mirror kicked off without him present in court — and the judge was not happy.Harry’s lawyer said the Duke of Sussex would be unavailable to testify after opening statements because he’d taken a flight from Los Angeles on Sunday after the birthday of his 2-year-old daughter, Lilibet. “I’m a little surprised,” Justice Timothy Fancourt said, noting he had directed Harry to be in court for the first day of his case.Mirror Group Newspaper’s lawyer, Andrew Green, said he was “deeply troubled” by Harry’s absence on the trial’s opening day.Harry was scheduled to testify Tuesday, but his lawyer was told last week the duke should attend Monday’s proceedings in London’s High Court in case the opening statements concluded before the end of the day. The case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror is the first of the prince’s several lawsuits against the media to ...

Texas woman killed in parked car, 3 children hurt in gunfire outside apartment complex

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:33 GMT

SUNNYVALE, Texas (AP) — A woman was fatally shot and four members of her family, including three children, were wounded in their car after they parked at a Texas apartment complex.Police said they were searching for at least two suspects in the shooting shortly before 6 p.m. Sunday in the town of Sunnyvale, about 15 miles (24 km) east of Dallas. “Everybody was shot in the car,” Sunnyvale Police Chief Bill Vegas said, noting that numerous shots were fired. “It’s a horrific scene,” Vegas said at a news conference near the scene, where a white car with bullet holes was in the parking lot. A man and a woman were in a black car that followed the family into the parking lot. As the family were sitting in their vehicle, at least one of the suspects got out and opened fire, Vegas said. The woman died at the scene. A man and the children, ages 8 to 10, were taken to hospitals. Their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, Vegas said. The Associated Press

Hong Kong police arrest woman accused of killing 3 young daughters

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:33 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police arrested a woman accused of killing her three young daughters on Monday in a case that has shocked many in the city, where violent crime is rare. The three girls, aged 2, 4 and 5, were unresponsive when officers arrived at their apartment after receiving a call from the woman, who told police that they had been killed by her husband, police said. Police Superintendent Alan Chung said the woman and her husband had been separated for about a year, and they believe the woman was guilty of the killings. The children were declared dead at a hospital. Chung said no wounds were found on their bodies and no sharp objects or drugs were found at the scene. He said a bloodstained pillow was found and it was possible it was used to smoother the children. An investigation indicated that the case was linked to family relationship problems, Chung said. “This is a very serious family violence case,” he said. The woman and the girls lived in a small apartment in Sha...

How much of yourself do you reveal in a poem? Griffin Poetry Prize nominees weigh in

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:33 GMT

TORONTO — All five poets shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize this year write in the first person, oftentimes about their lives. But they say it would be a mistake to take their work as non-fiction. Below, The Canadian Press asked the nominees — along with the winner of the Griffin’s First Canadian Book prize — to reflect on the role of the “self” in poetry.Ada Limon, nominated for “The Hurting Kind”The Canadian Press: How do you decide how much of yourself to show in a poem?Limon: To be honest, I don’t think it’s a decision. The poem guides me and at some point during the writing process I begin to follow where it leads. Sometimes the “I” is ever present and sometimes the larger world is the ultimate subject. My job is to listen to the poem and see where it takes me.CP: In all artistic pursuits, but in poetry especially, there is the potential to be misunderstood. How do you grapple with that when writing about the personal?...

Premiers need to keep talking about the health-care crisis: medical associations

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:33 GMT

OTTAWA — The Canadian Medical Association and 14 other organizations representing health workers are urging premiers to keep health care at the top of the agenda at their next meeting in July.The provincial and territorial leaders met several times last year to compare notes on the health-care crisis and call on the federal government to give them more money to fix it.In February, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a deal that will see Ottawa give $196 billion for the Canada Health Transfer over the next 10 years.All provinces except Quebec have agreed to the deal in principle.In a press release on behalf of several doctors’ and nurses’ associations, the Canadian Medical Association says the deals are a positive step but the health-care crisis has not ended.They say excessive wait times, a lack of primary care, a shortage of workers and overcapacity in emergency rooms should all be on the premiers’ agenda.This report by The Canadian Press was first published J...

Shared sentence: Separation takes toll on incarcerated moms and their kids

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:33 GMT

LINCOLN, Ill. (AP) — Dressed in her Sunday best — pink ruffled sleeves and a rainbow tulle tutu — Crystal Martinez’s 4-year-old daughter proudly presented her with a multicolored bouquet of carefully crafted tissue paper flowers. With her 5-year-old son nestled on her lap, laughing in delight, Martinez held out her arms and pulled the girl into a hug so tight that her glasses were knocked askew.“I want you! I don’t want the flowers,” Martinez said, smiling and holding her children close.Martinez’ five children, including the three aged 13, 10 and 6, last month traveled for three hours from Chicago to visit her in Logan Correctional, Illinois’ largest state prison for women and transgender people, on the Reunification Ride. The donation-dependent initiative buses prisoners' family members 180 miles (290 km) from the city to Logan every month so they can spend time with their mothers and grandmothers.Myla Martinez, 6-year-old, enthusiastically greets her mother Crystal Martinez as she...