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Most EU countries oppose Polish-led calls to keep Ukraine grain curbs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:36 GMT

Most EU countries are against extending an import ban on Ukrainian grain beyond mid-September, four EU diplomats told POLITICO, pushing back against calls by five eastern member countries to keep the restrictions in place.Ukrainian grain products — wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds — are banned from the markets of Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia under a deal struck with the European Commission earlier this year to protect their farmers from an influx of cheaper produce from their war-torn neighbor. The restrictions are due to expire on September 15, but the front-line five have been advocating for their extension until at least the end of the year.At a meeting with the Commission on Wednesday, EU ambassadors from the remaining 22 member states either openly opposed the idea of extending the restrictions or remained deeply skeptical, a senior EU diplomat said. France and Germany were among the countries most critical of the extension, the diplomat s...

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Back-to-school physicals essential for all ages

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:36 GMT

(TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkDEAR MAYO CLINIC: I always have a million things to do before my three children return to school. How important are back-to-school physicals, and is it critical to schedule one for my college-bound child and my younger kids?ANSWER:Late summer is often a busy time of purchasing school supplies, finding new clothes, and wrapping up summer vacations. Most kids need a well-child visit every year from age 3 to 21. So, adding a back-to-school physical to your list is valuable, especially for your older child, since there are increased risks for adolescents with some illnesses.Getting a back-to-school physical done before summer ends is essential for many reasons.Monitoring developmental processDuring a routine physical, your primary care team will evaluate all your child’s body systems to ensure there are no apparent problems. It is a great time to review eyesight, hearing and growth concerns. This lets you catch any problems early and get your child th...

Dangers and deaths around Black pregnancies seen as a ‘completely preventable’ health crisis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:36 GMT

Sandy West | (TNS) KFF Health NewsHOUSTON — Tonjanic Hill was overjoyed in 2017 when she learned she was 14 weeks pregnant. Despite a history of uterine fibroids, she never lost faith that she would someday have a child.But, just five weeks after confirming her pregnancy, and the day after a gender-reveal party where she announced she was having a girl, she seemed unable to stop urinating. She didn’t realize her amniotic fluid was leaking. Then came the excruciating pain.“I ended up going to the emergency room,” said Hill, now 35. “That’s where I had the most traumatic, horrible experience ever.”An ultrasound showed she had lost 90% of her amniotic fluid. Yet, over the angry protestations of her nurse, Hill said, the attending doctor insisted Hill be discharged and see her own OB-GYN the next day. The doctor brushed off her concerns, she said. The next morning, her OB-GYN’s office rushed her back to the hospital. But she lost her baby, Tabitha Winnie Denkins.Black women are less lik...

Prosecutors in Trump’s Georgia election subversion case estimate a trial would take 4 months

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:36 GMT

By KATE BRUMBACK (Associated Press)ATLANTA (AP) — Prosecutors in the Georgia election subversion case involving former President Donald Trump said Wednesday that a trial would likely take four months.The estimate from special prosecutor Nathan Wade came during a hearing Wednesday before Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on attempts by two of those indicted to be tried separately. The hearing was broadcast live on television and on the judge’s YouTube channel, a marked difference with the other three criminal cases against Trump, where cameras have not been allowed in the courtroom during proceedings.Wade said his estimated trial length did not include jury selection, and he said the state would call more than 150 witnesses.Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis last month used the state’s anti-racketeering law to obtain a wide-ranging 41-count indictment and said she wants to try all 19 defendants together. But the legal maneuvering that has already begun in the t...

How much does landscaping cost?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:36 GMT

Dina Cheney | (TNS) Bankrate.comYou’re finally ready to tackle that yard redo but you have a lot of questions: what to plant, where to plant it and — last but not least — how much green you should spend on your green space.The latter in particular is tricky to answer, because, among home renovation projects, landscaping is one of the most varied out there — there’s a lot of ground to cover, estimate-wise. To give you a rough sense, the average cost of landscaping per square foot (as it’s generally calculated) ranges from $4.50 to $12, according to contractor search site Angi.That equates to $1,500-$5,000 for the average front yard ($3,496 is the average spend) and $15,000 to $50,000 for the average backyard (a full redo). Backyards are harder to average, since landscaping can vary so, from swimming pools to covered patios, from a few new plants to an elaborate, solar-paneled pergola. But for just the basics, figure on $3,000 to $15,000 for sod, walkways, bushes and trees. Fixr.com p...

A Russian strike on a market in eastern Ukraine kills 17 and wounds dozens, officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:36 GMT

By SAMYA KULLAB (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian missile struck an outdoor market in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing 17 people and wounding dozens, officials said. The deadly attack came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv and was expected to announce more than $1 billion in new American funding for Ukraine in the 18-month-old war.Associated Press journalists at the site of the attack in the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region saw covered bodies on the ground and emergency workers extinguishing fires at market stalls, with blackened and mangled cars nearby. Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said 17 people were killed, and another 32 were wounded. The Defense Ministry said the market was hit by a ballistic missile.Firefighters extinguished blazes that burned about 30 pavilions at the market, he added.Twenty shops, power lines, an administrative building and the floor of an apartment building were damaged, according t...

Mayo Clinic Minute: How young athletes can reduce their risk of injury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:36 GMT

Alex Osiadacz | Mayo Clinic News Network (TNS)More than half of children in the U.S. ages 6 to 17 participate in sports. With participation also comes the painful reality of injuries that happen during gameplay.Dr. Wes Troyer, a Mayo Clinic physical medicine and rehabilitation physician, explains how to reduce children’s risk of sports injuries.From strikes and strains to footwork and fractures, injuries can happen to any young athlete.Reducing the risk of injury starts with an annual physical to make sure children can participate. When it’s time to play, warm up muscles by stretching, and use protective equipment, when appropriate.“It’s important to try out your equipment before you get into game-time situations to make sure it works properly, so that it’s actually protecting you when you’re going out there to perform the sport,” says Dr. Troyer.Try to avoid overusing certain muscles over others. Repeated motions can happen around growth plates and may require young ath...

Legal fight looms in Massachusetts for ballot question reversing ban on rent control

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:36 GMT

Ballot questions nixing the MCAS as a graduating requirement for students and reversing a statewide ban on rent control cleared a major hurdle Wednesday when they received an initial green light from Attorney General Andrea Campbell.But celebrations among supporters of both questions were met with the realization that there is still a long road ahead before their ideas can end up before voters during the fall 2024 elections. First, they face the immediate need to collect more than 75,000 signatures in roughly three months.The year-away 2024 election is gearing up as one that could give voters the potential to shape a wide range of public policy — from questions on legalizing  psychedelics to the classification of app-based workers — for years to come.Several initiatives, including the rent control question backed by state Rep. Mike Connolly, are sure to garner a fight on the way to the ballot, with multiple organizations already vowing to explore legal action.Standing on...

Virginia lawmakers pass long-overdue budget bill with tax rebates, extra aid for schools

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:36 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The politically divided Virginia General Assembly approved long-overdue budget legislation Wednesday, voting in an unusually fast-paced special session to both reduce taxes and boost spending on public education and mental health as part of the package. Lawmakers spent just a few hours in the Capitol considering the compromise plan before overwhelmingly adopting it and sending it to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. He can sign it as is, or seek amendments. “I’m really pleased with the budget we have before us today. The negotiations have been very intense and very extended. But the outcome is both fair and balanced towards the priorities of both the House and the Senate,” said Democratic Sen. Janet Howell of Fairfax County, who co-chairs the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. Howell was among a small group of negotiators holding closed-door budget talks since the Legislature’s regular session ended without agreement on adjustments to the two-year ...

Greek ferry captain, 3 seamen charged over death of tardy passenger pushed into sea by crew member

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:36 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek prosecutor brought criminal charges Wednesday against an island ferry captain and three of his crew over the death of a tardy passenger whom a crew member pushed into the sea as he tried to board the departing vessel in Greece’s main port of Piraeus.One crew member was charged with homicide with possible intent, and the other two with complicity, while the captain was charged with severe breaches of shipping regulations, state-run ERT television reported.Greece’s minister for merchant marine, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, expressed “shock, horror and sorrow” at the incident, and identified the victim as Andonis Kargiotis, 36.The incident late Tuesday, captured on a video and shared on social media, sparked anger across the maritime country. It showed the passenger running onto the Blue Horizon ferry’s loading ramp, which was still down and in place on the quay, as the ship had cast off its moorings and was about to leave. He tried to push past two crew ...