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Poland smashes Russian spy ring, defense minister says

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:52:47 GMT

Poland’s security services have broken up a Russian spy network, the Polish defense minister said Thursday.“It was a spy group, they were collecting information for the benefit of those who attacked Ukraine,” Mariusz Błaszczak told public broadcaster PR1, adding that “the entire spy network had been dismantled.”Błaszczak did not specify the kind of actions the group was involved in, but said it represented a “real” threat. He said Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński would give more details at a press conference Thursday morning.The minister’s announcement is in line with previous reports from private radio broadcaster RFM, which said Wednesday — without identifying its sources — that six foreign nationals suspected of collecting information on behalf of the Russian secret service had been arrested by Polish intelligence services.According to RFM, the alleged spy ring had installed cameras on highways and railways — including near an air...

Vast majority of Europeans see Russia as an adversary, poll finds

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:52:47 GMT

Russia is widely seen as an “adversary” or “rival” by Europeans, while the EU is perceived as stronger than before the start of Moscow’s war on Ukraine, according to a report by the European Council on Foreign Relations published Thursday.On average, two-thirds of those polled across 10 European countries consider Russia as a rival to their own country, while 40 percent see it as weaker than before it invaded Ukraine.The “adversary” stance was strongest in Denmark (82 percent), followed by Estonia and Poland (both 79 percent), Britain (77 percent), Germany (69 percent), Spain (65 percent), France (59 percent), Portugal (57 percent) and Italy (54 percent). In Romania, 44 percent said Russia is an adversary or rival.The EU, meanwhile, is seen as stronger than a year ago everywhere — including in the post-Brexit U.K. — except Italy.Political scientists Ivan Krastev and Mark Leonard, who wrote the report, say the results show that the war in Ukraine has created three blocs in...

US military releases footage of Russian fighter jet forcing down American drone over Black Sea

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:52:47 GMT

(CNN) — US European Command released footage of the Tuesday encounter between a US surveillance drone and the Russian fighter jets as it played out over the Black Sea.The newly declassified video depicts critical moments in the mid-air encounter, which the Pentagon said lasted between 30 and 40 minutes.The video shows the camera of the MQ-9 Reaper drone pointed backward toward its tail and the drone’s propeller, which is mounted on the rear, spinning. Then, a Russian Sukhoi SU-27 fighter jet is shown approaching. As it draws closer, the Russian fighter jet dumps fuel as it intercepts the US drone.In another portion of the footage, the Russian jet makes another pass. As it approaches, it again dumps fuel. The video from the drone is then disrupted as the Russian fighter jet collides with the MQ-9 Reaper, damaging the propeller and ultimately forcing the US to bring down the drone in the Black Sea. Russia has denied that a collision occurred.When the ca...

Boston University warning students about dangerous ‘BORG’ alcohol trend

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:52:47 GMT

Boston University is warning students about a dangerous binge drinking trend ahead of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. BU’s Student Health Services is recommending against drinking “blackout rage gallons,” or “BORGS,” which involve mixing alcohol with water and flavorings in a plastic gallon jug.Earlier this month, UMass Amherst issued a similar warning when dozens of students were hospitalized after drinking BORGs during a pre-Spring Break bash.

Wellesley College in uncomfortable national spotlight over exclusionary gender policy

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:52:47 GMT

The elite liberal all-women’s Wellesley College finds itself in an uncomfortable position today – pressed by students and caught in a web of wokeness.Related ArticlesOpinion Columnists | Wellesley College students call for admission of trans men Students at the school – whose famous alumni include Hillary Clinton – are revolting over the administration’s exclusion of transgender males and some non-binary students, putting the national spotlight squarely on the famous campus in the hills west of Boston.If you are assigned at birth as a woman but identify as a man you can’t get into Wellesley. This policy can cause students to hide their true identity in order to be admitted to the campus, and stay in the closet.But if you are assigned at birth as a man and identify as a woman you are allowed to enroll.These policies are at the heart of the controversy at Wellesley, where students recently took a non-binding vote to change the school’s “transphobic” stance so transgend...

Hewitt: 7 March Madness storylines to watch, and predicting the bracket

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:52:47 GMT

This year’s men’s NCAA Tournament is as wide open as it’s ever been.As an Associated Press Top 25 voter, I can attest to that. Filling out a poll this season was a weekly challenge harder than past years. There are certainly a handful of favorites to cut down the nets in Houston in April, but there are no dominant teams. The gap has closed between high-major, blueblood programs and the rest of the pack. The extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic – making for more experienced teams across the landscape – and the introduction of NIL are among the factors.All of this is to say – this should be another incredibly exciting tournament. Let’s dive into some of the top storylines as the tourney begins Thursday with a 12:15 p.m. tip between Maryland and West Virginia.Can Kansas repeat?The defending champion Jayhawks had a terrific regular season even after losing Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun, winning the Big 12 regular-season title and winning 17 Quadrant 1 games – an NCAA m...

US releases video of Russian jet dumping fuel on its drone

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:52:47 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Pentagon has released footage of what it says is a Russian aircraft conducting an unsafe intercept of a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone in international airspace over the Black Sea.The 42-second video, released Thursday, shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the back of the MQ-9 drone and beginning to release fuel as it passes, the Pentagon said.The U.S. military said it ditched the MQ-9 Reaper in the sea on Tuesday after the Russian fighter jet poured fuel on the unmanned aerial vehicle, in an apparent attempt to blind its optical instruments and drive it out of the area, and then struck its propeller.The released excerpt does not show events before or after the apparent fuel-dumping confrontation.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley have spoken to their Russian counterparts about the destruction of the U.S. drone following the encounter with Russian fighter jets. The calls with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Sho...

Poland detains 9 people suspected of spying for Russia

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:52:47 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish authorities said Thursday that the nation’s security services have detained members of a Russian espionage ring, alleging that they were preparing acts of sabotage in Poland and had been monitoring railroad routes used for the transport of weapons into Ukraine.Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński said the Internal Security Agency had arrested nine people suspected of spying for Russia in the case. Three were detained on Wednesday.He said at a news conference in Warsaw that the suspects were preparing “sabotage actions aimed at paralyzing the supply of equipment, weapons and aid to Ukraine.”He said the security agents also seized cameras, electronic equipment and GPS transmitters, which the suspects planned to place on transports carrying aid to Ukraine.Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak suggested that the group had entered from neighboring Belarus, a Russian ally that borders NATO member Poland. “The threat was real,” Błaszczak said on state radio.Pr...

Bank turmoil casts shadow over Europe interest rate decision

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:52:47 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said last week that a big interest rate increase was “very likely” at Thursday’s meeting. That was before Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in the U.S. and European bank shares plunged as fears spread of more widespread troubles at a time when banks are adjusting to rapidly rising interest rates.Markets are watching to see if the ECB will stick to its path of steep rate increases aimed at fighting inflation or dial back to a quarter-point hike.Lagarde and the ECB have not made a public statement on the recent banking upheaval, including a stock plunge from major Swiss lender Credit Suisse and its move for financing from the Swiss central bank this week. ECB officials typically observe a silent period a week before a rate decision to avoid excessive market swings and speculation based on officials’ comments. European finance ministers have said that their banking system has no direct exposure to the f...

Taiwan chip pioneer warns US plans will boost costs

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:52:47 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — U.S. government efforts to shift production of processor chips from Asia to the United States will double their cost and slow the spread of their use in phones, cars and other products, the billionaire founder of the global industry’s biggest manufacturer warned Thursday.Morris Chang of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. said he supports U.S. efforts to slow China’s development of chip technology on security grounds. But Chang said he can’t understand why Washington wants to move so much manufacturing from efficient Asian sites to the United States.The Biden administration is promising tens of billions of dollars to support construction of U.S. chip foundries and reduce reliance on Asian suppliers, which Washington sees as a security weakness. TSMC is building an Arizona facility and plans a second for a total investment of $40 billion.TSMC has estimated chip costs in Arizona at 50% above its flagship production line in Taiwan, but the real level looks cl...