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Germany stands with Ukraine in its existential struggle

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:27 GMT

Jens Plötner is foreign and security policy advisor to the German Federal Chancellor. Andriy Yermak is the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.The world is currently navigating turbulent waters, facing what some describe as a “perfect storm” of geopolitical, geostrategic and economic challenges. At its eye sits Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, with its wide-ranging global implications for food and energy security, supply chains, macro-financial stability, inflation and economic growth.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine presents a daunting security challenge. It has left an indelible mark on the map of Europe, reshaping its political and economic dynamics. In his speech on February 27, 2022, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described Russia’s war of aggression as a Zeitenwende — a watershed moment after which the world would no longer be the same. Indeed, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war has shattered peace on the Continent, constituting a “...

Netanyahu’s opponents dither as he plots how to survive

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:27 GMT

Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe.Israel’s embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to hang on as his political foes circle, trying to fathom when and how they can call time on his long, tempestuous political career — and, of course, muster the political courage to do so.Much like the Charles Dickens character Wilkins Micawber, Bibi is now left waiting for an assault, planning how to duck and weave, while hoping something that will turn up to shift the tide of his personal fortune. His ruling Likud party much like Micawber’s long-suffering wife, Emma, who pawns family heirlooms as she stands by her man despite his financial exigencies.Lawmakers from his ruling Likud party fear they too may be pawning the party’s future in standing by Bibi — if recent opinion polls are any indication. But none has the temerity to raise the flag of rebellion and risk angering the man who has dominated their party for 20 years and reshaped it in his image.Last month, it lo...

Top EU stories of 2023 — POLITICO’s guide

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:27 GMT

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Google Play EN_Google_Podcasts_Badge Created with Sketch. Acast Amazon Music Our last episode of 2023 is a bumper edition, reviewing some of the key stories that drove the conversations in Brussels and throughout Europe this year.Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by a roundtable of POLITICO’s policy editors including Joanna Roberts, Aoife White and Jan...

On defense, French lawmakers don’t want to be wedded to Germany

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:27 GMT

PARIS — France can’t be the only faithful partner in its defense marriage with Germany. Paris needs to look beyond Berlin for partnerships to avoid becoming isolated, the chair of the French National Assembly’s defense committee Thomas Gassilloud told POLITICO.“Given the state of the world, Franco-German relations have never been more necessary,” said the lawmaker from President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party. However, “we have to be constantly aware of the need to speak to everyone and not let ourselves be too consumed by the Franco-German relationship. We try to divide our efforts between the different players.”French presidents have historically made nurturing the relationship with Germany — the couple franco-allemand, as it’s known in French — one of their key priorities, and that especially applies to very expensive joint defense projects. Paris and Berlin are engaged in (bumpy) industrial cooperation deals to build the next-generation battle t...

School bus involved in chain-reaction crash in Hyde Park

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:27 GMT

Multiple people were hurt and multiple vehicles were damaged Thursday when a school bus crashed into a series of cars in front of the Henry Grew School in Hyde Park According to Boston police, only the driver was onboard the school bus when it allegedly struck multiple vehicles as well as a pedestrian by 40 Gordon Ave around 8:15 a.m.7NEWS learned the pedestrian was a parent who had been dropping her child off at the school when the crash occurred. The parent’s mother-in-law, Michelle Legette, later said it appeared a malfunction on the bus led to the crash, adding that the driver had tried to lessen the impact before the pileup.Legette described the moment of impact in an interview, saying her daughter had just dropped her granddaughter off and was coming back to her car when she was hit.“[The driver] couldn’t stop the bus, so he had no other choice but to turn the bus off to stop the bus,” she said. “But by the time he did that, he had a mess out ...

Jackknifed tractor trailer blocks part of Dorchester Ave.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:27 GMT

A jackknifed tractor trailer blocked part of Dorchester Avenue in Boston Thursday night, drawing an emergency response to the scene. The crash happened on the overpass carrying Dorchester Avenue over the southbound side I-93. In an initial post on X near 9 p.m., the state Department of Transportation asked drivers to seek alternate routes around the area. Crews remained on scene, with the road still closed near 10:30 p.m. The truck appeared to be stuck between the curbs of the overpass and crews could be seen working to free it. While Dorchester Avenue was closed, there were no significant traffic backups in the area.There was no further information immediately available on the cause of the crash of the timeline for Dorchester Avenue to reopen.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Holiday Helping: Sam Bleiweis’ Chanukah Sugar Cookies

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:27 GMT

7News Holiday Helping is back! In this edition, Sam Bleiweis is making her Chanukah Sugar Cookies.Order new 2023 recipes from the 7News team to get all of their favorite holiday recipes! Your donation will help Project Bread feed hungry families right here in Massachusetts.Did you try this recipe out? Tell us what you think.Check out other Holiday Helping recipes from the 7News team.

Family continues lawsuit against Brigham and Women’s, says they never received remains of baby who died after being born prematurely 

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:27 GMT

The family of a baby who passed away shortly after being born prematurely in 2020 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital is continuing their fight for answers as they say they never received their baby’s remains. The family filed a lawsuit in 2022 with the hope of learning where their daughter Everleigh ended up and how this could have happened. Their lawyer spoke to 7NEWS this week, saying the family is still working to get the answers they seek.“Unfortunately, at this point, the hospital has not been providing the type of discovery that we’ve been asking for and they’ve been hiding behind something called ‘the peer review privilege,’” said attorney Greg Henning. Henning said Everleigh’s body was thrown out after her family baptized her and went home to grieve. Years later, a memory box is all the family has to hold on to reminding them of their baby girl. As their lawsuit moves forward, Henning said the family has received some information and video evidence from the hosp...

Are the Chicago Bears suddenly one of the NFC’s better teams? 12 eye-catching numbers for their Week 15 game.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:27 GMT

Dreams are growing in Chicago. Playoff chatter is amplifying. With a recent stretch of quality play and wins over the Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions over the last four games, the Bears are allowing themselves to imagine a storybook ending to their once-dispiriting season. Players and coaches know a microfocus will be needed, specifically toward Sunday’s game against the Browns, to keep such dreams alive. But hey, life has begun to feel more fun again at Halas Hall and around Chicago.As we head for Week 15, here’s a snapshot look at 12 notable facts and figures.12Rank of the Bears defense, which has allowed 314.5 yards per game this season. That’s a major improvement from a year ago, when the Bears ranked 29th in total defense (375.9 ypg). Over the last five games, the Bears have climbed from 23rd to 12th in total defense and 13th to second in interceptions. They also own the No. 2 rushing defense, allowing 83.7 yards per game.1NFL rank of th...

Belgian tourist dies in an animal attack at Mexico’s Pacific coast resort of Zihuatanejo

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:27 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Belgian tourist was killed in an attack Thursday by either a shark or a crocodile at Mexico’s Pacific coast resort of Zihuatanejo, officials said. The civil defense office in the southern state of Guerrero said a man and a woman were bitten in the legs by an unidentified animal. The man was reported dead at the scene, while the woman was taken to a hospital. State officials said the man was from Belgium and the woman’s nationality was not immediately clear. The office said it was studying the wounds to determine whether they were bitten by a shark or a crocodile, both of which inhabit the area.If confirmed as a shark attack, it would be the second such fatality this month on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast.In early December, a Mexican woman died after she was severely bitten in the leg by a shark just off the beach town of Melaque, west of the seaport of Manzanillo. In 2019, a U.S. diver survived a shark bite on the forearm in Magdalena Bay...