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Ukraine Blocks Journalists From Front Lines With Escalating Censorship

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:11 GMT

After Ukrainian forces regained control of the port city of Kherson last November, following eight months of Russian occupation, some journalists entered the liberated city within hours. Without formal permission to be there, they documented the jubilant crowds welcoming soldiers with hugs and Ukrainian flags. Ukrainian officials, who tightly control press access to the front lines, responded by revoking the journalists’ press credentials, claiming that they had “ignored existing restrictions.” In the months since then, as Ukraine has sought to liberate more territory occupied by Russia, the Ukrainian government has intensified its efforts to control the narrative of the war by tightening journalists’ access to the conflict. “After that, things started getting worse. … They have tried to place more control on journalists,” Katerina Sergatskova, editor-in-chief of Zaborona Media, an independent Ukrainian publication, told The Intercept. “Now it’s really hard to make reports from...

At least 5 hospitalized after crash on SR-836 causes small fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:11 GMT

Several victims were rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital after a crash on State Road 836 caused a small fire on the highway, Wednesday night. Officials said at least five people were hospitalized after a collision occurred around 11:50 p.m. on the eastbound lanes of SR-836 near Northwest 42nd Avenue in Miami. One person recorded a video of the scene as they passed by the area. The footage showed a fire on the shoulder of the highway that may have been caused by a motorcycle involved in the crash. Florida Highway Patrol troopers, along with police from the City of Miami and Miami-Dade, responded to the scene. Miami Fire Rescue also provided aid to the victims. Another video from 7News traffic cameras showed the entire highway shut down for several hours. Dispatchers called in the incident and stated 13 people were involved in the collision but that information has yet to be confirmed.Details of the crash are limited as authorities work to determine the cause and investigate the inci...

Police investigating area in NW Miami-Dade after hit-and-run leaves 1 critical

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:11 GMT

Miami-Dade Police officers responded to an area in Northwest Miami-Dade after a pedestrian was hit by a car that fled the scene. Officials said around 3:45 a.m. Thursday, someone was struck in the area of Northwest 32nd Avenue and 103rd Street. Once fire rescue crews arrived, they transported the victim to Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition. Police do not have a description of the vehicle. Authorities have closed off Northwest 32nd Avenue from 103rd Street as they continue to investigate the incident. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Scholz to NATO: Focus on boosting Ukraine’s military power, not membership

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:11 GMT

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday that next month’s NATO summit should focus on strengthening Ukraine’s military power instead of opening a process for the country to join the transatlantic alliance.In a speech to lawmakers in the Bundestag, Scholz urged fellow NATO leaders to look “soberly” at Ukraine’s bid to join the alliance and argued that Kyiv itself had said “that joining NATO is out of the question” as long as Russia’s war against the country continues to rage on.“Therefore, I advocate that we focus in Vilnius on what is now an absolute priority: Namely, to strengthen the real fighting power of Ukraine,” the chancellor said in reference to a NATO leaders’ summit in the Lithuanian capital on July 11-12.He added that EU and G7 countries would work in parallel on “effective and long-lasting security guarantees” for Ukraine, which should be ensured by continued supplies of modern Wes...

Search for the missing Titanic submersible nears the critical 96-hour mark for oxygen supply

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:11 GMT

The race against time to find a submersible that disappeared on its way to the Titanic wreckage site entered a new phase of desperation on Thursday morning as the final hours of oxygen possibly left on board the tiny vessel ticked off the clock.Rescuers have rushed more ships and vessels to the site of the disappearance, hoping underwater sounds they detected for a second straight day might help narrow their search in the urgent, international mission. But the crew had only a four-day oxygen supply when the vessel, called the Titan, set off around 6 a.m. Sunday.Even those who expressed optimism warned that many obstacles remain: from pinpointing the vessel’s location, to reaching it with rescue equipment, to bringing it to the surface — assuming it’s still intact. And all that has to happen before the passengers’ oxygen supply runs out.The full area being searched was twice the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut in waters as deep as 13,200 feet (4,020 meters). Captain J...

Battenfeld: Michelle Wu anything but most ‘transparent’ mayor in history

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:11 GMT

Progressive darling Michelle Wu, who promised transparency and honesty when she was elected mayor, is emerging as the least transparent mayor in recent Boston history.She’s got nothing on Marty Walsh and Tom Menino, both old-school mayors who may have had flaws but at least followed public records laws. The late Menino was probably Boston’s most accessible mayor ever.The latest evidence of Wu’s shady relation to the truth is her reaction to the disturbing news that a 32-year-old woman posed as a Boston high school student while enrolled in at least three schools.“We don’t have any evidence at this point of any harm or risk to the young people. Thank goodness,” the ever-smiling Wu said.Really? A woman in her 30s with possible criminal intent enrolls as a student and there’s no “risk” to the kids?How could Wu possibly determine that? Did you ask alarmed parents for their input? The incident clearly raised concerns about the safety and security of students and teachers in B...

The Orioles haven’t been swept in over a year. They credit their culture as the reason.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:11 GMT

Two weeks ago, the Orioles woke up early for a day game, coming off two of their worst losses of the season. The previous day, Baltimore was clobbered by the Milwaukee Brewers, a defeat made worse by the extra-inning, walk-off loss the night before.A sweep looked inevitable as the Orioles trailed 3-0 in the seventh inning of the series finale. But they rallied late, as they have many times this year, for the comeback win.The seemingly ordinary victory in early June was more than that, though. It was emblematic of the type of team the Orioles have been since they turned the corner last season and transformed from a rebuilding club into a playoff contender.It’s been more than a year since Baltimore was swept in a series — the longest active streak in the major leagues. Orioles players and manager Brandon Hyde credit their culture, mentality and developing maturity as the reasons why, but there’s one other obvious explanation.“Well, we’re a better team,...

Live updates | Search for the missing Titanic submersible

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:11 GMT

Follow along for live updates on the submersible that vanished while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. ____THE SEARCH FOR THE SUBMERSIBLE IS NEARING THE CRITICAL 96-HOUR MARKThe search is nearing the critical 96-hour mark when breathable air is expected to run out, reaching a vital moment in the intense effort to save the five people aboard.The Titan submersible was estimated to have a 96-hour supply of breathable air when it launched Sunday morning in the North Atlantic. That means the deadline to find and rescue the sub is roughly between 6 a.m. (1000 GMT) and 8 a.m. (1200 GMT) on Thursday based on estimates the U.S. Coast Guard and company behind the expedition have provided.Experts say that the oxygen supply number is an imprecise estimate and could be extended if passengers have taken measures to conserve breathable air. And it’s not known if they survived since the sub disappeared Sunday morning.Officials have expanded the coverage area to thousands of miles...

Russia-backed officials say explosion damages bridge linking Ukraine’s mainland to Crimea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:11 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An explosion damaged a bridge that is one of the few links between Crimea and Ukraine’s mainland, Russia-backed officials said Thursday, as the early stages of a Ukrainian counteroffensive unfold.Russian forces in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, use the Chongar bridge to reach southern Ukraine’s Kherson province. Russia and Ukraine control different sides of the province, which is a focus of fighting and attacks as Ukrainian troops try to reclaim Russian-occupied territory.Ukrainian authorities have said that for the country’s nearly 16-month war to end, Moscow must withdraw its forces from Crimea as well as from areas they seized during last year’s full-scale invasion. The damage to the bridge was not severe and likely will be repaired within several days, Vladimir Konstantinov, chairman of the parliament of Crimea, said. Vladimir Saldo, the Russia-appointed head of the occupied parts of Kherson province, said the explosion appeared to h...

Climate activist Nakate urges rich countries to cancel debt, grant climate finance at Paris summit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:11 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Facing an audience packed with world leaders and finance officials in suits, Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate silenced the room, then made everyone listen to some uncomfortable facts.Speaking at a two-day summit aimed at seeking better responses to tackle poverty and climate change issues by reshaping the global financial system, the UNICEF ambassador and campaigner was in a somber mood and asked for a moment of silence.Dressed in a black with the slogan “Divest Now” on her t-shirt, Nakate said the silence was for “people around the world who are already suffering, starving, being displaced, jumping out of school, being forced into child marriages, losing their cultures and history, those who are already helpless, hopeless and dying due to the devastating impact of the climate crisis.”Speaking right after French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted the summit, Nakate then urged delegates to put people first instead of profits, to make polluters pay, to can...