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Poland’s election: Big hopes but no quick fixes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:47 GMT

WARSAW — The campaign language ahead of this year’s Polish general election is apocalyptic — painting it as an existential battle for the soul of the EU’s fifth most populous country — but the likeliest outcome is a chaotic stalemate.If the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) hangs on to power for a third term there isn’t much more it can do to wreck Poland without quitting the EU — and there’s little prospect of that. If the opposition pulls off a stunner and wins it will be so hemmed in by PiS-controlled courts and institutions and by a hostile president that it won’t be able to do much more than tweak the optics rather than surgically remove the growths added by Law and Justice.Internationally, Poland is too important to be kept in the deep freeze forever; with a fast-growing economy, a big military and a key role in supplying Ukraine, it is no Slovakia. A PiS win will mean greater efforts to find some accommodation with Warsaw; an opposition vi...

In Granada, backlash grows against Ukraine’s EU accession

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:47 GMT

GRANADA, Spain — French President Emmanuel Macron will aim to rally countries behind a historic expansion that would integrate war-torn Ukraine and several other candidate countries into the European Union during a gathering of leaders in the Spanish city of Granada that kicks off Thursday.But concerns among member states about the mechanics and viability of such a large expansion present a serious threat to a project Macron and other leaders, like European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, have staked their credibility.The French leader will make a joint push with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to kick start difficult EU enlargement talks at the third meeting of the European Political Community, a forum created in response to the Russian invasion that includes European leaders from beyond the EU to build a broader, more inclusive European network. Beyond the key question of EU accession for Ukraine, informal meetings will be dominated by high-stakes diplomatic talks about o...

Kemi Badenoch’s conference charm offensive

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:47 GMT

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — The bookmakers’ favorite to become the next Conservative leader launched a dual-pronged assault at the party’s annual conference this week.Publicly, Kemi Badenoch focused her efforts at the Manchester gathering on preaching to Tory grassroots members; privately, she spent a hectic few days courting business representatives from some of Britain’s largest firms.And it was the public utterances of the business and trade secretary rather than her backroom cajoling of well-paid lobbyists and executives which were to prove the most revealing.With speculation at fever pitch that the Manchester event could well be the last major chance for future leadership hopefuls to court party members before a potential leadership contest, all eyes were on the unofficial race leader.And Badenoch did not disappoint, with a range of red in tooth and nail performances on the conference stage and addressing packed fringe meetings.Anyone under the impression that talk of a future contes...

Rishi Sunak slows Mexico and Canada trade talks as he eyes pre-election UK/US pact

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:47 GMT

LONDON — Crucial talks on Britain’s future trade with Canada and Mexico have been deprioritized as Rishi Sunak’s government pursues a pre-election agreement with Joe Biden’s U.S. administration.POLITICO reported this week that the U.K. and U.S. are preparing a “foundational” trade agreement designed to be wrapped up before both the U.S. president and U.K. prime minister face re-election next year.But the drive threatens to further squeeze the time that already-pressed British negotiators can commit to securing continued market access to Canada and Mexico as key elements of post-Brexit deals with each of those two countries expire.British negotiators’ agendas were so full in June that Sunak personally asked for renewed Canadian and Mexican deals to “be taken forward on a slower timeline than previously planned,” according to a memo circulated within the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and obtained by POLITICO.Expiry of parts of the Canada and Mexico agreements — which were ro...

5 things to watch in the Chicago Bears-Washington Commanders game — plus our Week 5 predictions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:47 GMT

The Chicago Bears will try to halt their 14-game losing streak when they visit the Washington Commanders for “Thursday Night Football.”The game comes just four days after the Bears dropped to 0-4 after blowing a 21-point second-half lead against the Denver Broncos. Meanwhile, the Commanders (2-2) are coming off an overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.As kickoff approaches at FedEx Field, here’s our snapshot look at the game.Players in the spotlightThe Bears offensive lineThe Commanders have a formidable front four of defensive tackles Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen and defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young. The quartet has combined for 8 1/2 sacks and 19 quarterback hits.That makes for a big challenge for the Bears offensive line and quarterback Justin Fields, who has been sacked 17 times this season.“Guys are just going to have to be great on double teams, sustain blocks for a long time and really just protect,” Fields said. “We k...

Crew hand Revolution painful 2-1 loss on a late goal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:47 GMT

The New England Revolution had their 15-game home unbeaten streak snapped by a potential postseason rival that jumbled the MLS Cup playoff picture in the East.Crew defender Malte Amundsen leisurely chipped home the winner off Diego Rossi’s corner kick in the 86th minute to secure a 2-1 victory over the Revolution on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium.The Revolution (14-7-10) dropped from third to fifth in the MLS standing with three games remaining while the Crew (15-9-8) slid into fourth place. The Revolution wrap up a stretch of three games in eight days at second place Orlando FC on Saturday night. The Revolution are 1-2-1 under interim head coach Clint Peay.“The corner could have been defended better, it’s a play where you have to attack the ball and we didn’t,” said Peay. “I thought we had some quality stretches on both sides of the ball. We dictated stretches of the game but we made two really poor mistakes that cost us.”Despite the busy stretch of games, Peay made minimal bu...

Stock market today: Asian shares rise buoyed by Wall Street rally from bonds and oil prices

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:47 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Thursday, boosted by a cheaper yen that’s a plus for exporting economies in the region, although it recovered slightly in Asian trading. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 edged up 0.9% in morning trading to 30,794.97. Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 0.5% to 6,925.50, while South Korea’s Kospi added 0.6% to 2,420.74. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong gained 0.6% to 17,295.62. Trading was closed in Shanghai for Chinese national holidays, the Mid-Autumn Festival and China’s National Day, continuing through the rest of the week. Oil prices declining overnight on Wall Street also came as positive news, although they regained some of the losses in Asian trading. A cheaper yen works as a plus for Japan and other Asian economies by boosting the value of their nations’ exports when converted from dollars into yen. The S&P 500 climbed 0.8% to claw back more than half its sharp tumble from a day earlier, which sent it to a four-...

Philippine boats breach a Chinese coast guard blockade in a faceoff near a disputed shoal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:47 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Two Philippine supply boats breached a Chinese coast guard blockade in the South China Sea on Wednesday in a recurring confrontation near a disputed shoal some fear could spark a larger security crisis that could draw in the United States.Two Philippine coast guard ships escorted the smaller supply boats, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether the ships were blocked by the Chinese coast guard from coming closer to the Second Thomas Shoal, where a small contingent of Filipino marines has stood guard for years aboard a long-marooned but still actively commissioned warship, the BRP Sierra Madre.China also claims the shoal and has surrounded it with its coast guard ships and militia vessels to prevent the Philippines from delivering construction materials that Beijing fears could be used to reinforce the Sierra Madre and turn it into a permanent territorial outpost.“Despite attempts by a significant number of China coast guard and Chinese maritime milit...

Japan has issued a tsunami advisory after an earthquake near its outlying islands

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:47 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has issued a tsunami advisory after an earthquake near its outlying islands. Officials say a potential tsunami could reach one meter in height. The advisory, which appears to be the lowest level of warning, asks people on islands in the Izu chain, which stretches south from the center of the main Japanese island of Honshu, to stay away from coasts and river mouths, according to NHK TV. Japan is one of the most earthquake prone places on earth. A massive quake in 2011 caused a tsunami that destroyed huge swaths of northern Japan and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. The Associated Press

Fukushima nuclear plant starts 2nd release of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:47 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said it began releasing a second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea on Thursday after the first round of discharges ended smoothly.Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said workers activated a pump to dilute the treated water with large amounts of seawater, slowly sending the mixture into the ocean through an underground tunnel.The plant’s first wastewater release began Aug. 24 and ended Sept. 11. In the second discharge it plans to release another 7,800 metric tons of treated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean over 17 days. The wastewater discharges, which are expected to continue for decades, have been strongly opposed by fishing groups and neighboring countries including South Korea, where hundreds of people staged protest rallies. China banned all imports of Japanese seafood, badly hurting Japanese seafood exporters. Japan’s government has set up a relief fund to find new mark...