Author: Reporter

Poland is deploying thousands of troops to its border with Belarus, calling it a deterrent move as tensions between the two neighbors ratchet up. Those tensions between Poland — a NATO and European Union country — and Belarus, which is Russia’s ally in its war on Ukraine, have been building up in recent months on the border. Here is why: ORIGINS OF THE TENSIONS Poland has been backing the Belarusian opposition ever since the 2020 presidential elections, where pro-Russian Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term in a vote that Poland and the wider Western community saw as...

It is the season of giving thanks. And it turns out humans have been doing it for a long, long time. As more researchers dig into the science of gratitude, they have found the feeling likely played a key role in helping our ancestors band together and survive. That legacy continues today, as being in the mood for gratitude shapes who we are as a species and how we connect with the people around us. “This is something that is part of our human DNA,” said Sarah Schnitker, a psychologist at Baylor University. “It is a glue, in a...

The late crush of holiday travelers is picking up steam, with about 2.7 million people expected to board flights on November 22 and millions more planning to drive or take the train to Thanksgiving celebrations. Airline officials say they are confident they can avoid the kind of massive disruptions that have marred past holiday seasons, such as the meltdown at Southwest Airlines over last Christmas. And as of mid-day on November 22 that appeared to be the case. U.S. airports were reporting only five flight cancellations and 364 flight delays, according to FlightAware, a tracking service. But snow showers...

The Biden administration proposed new regulations in late July to make state and local government websites and apps for services like libraries, parking, transit, and court records more accessible for people with disabilities. The new Justice Department rule would establish certain accessibility standards for websites and app-based services maintained by state and local governments, the White House announced. Those could include providing text descriptions for photos for the visually impaired who use screen readers, and captioning for government videos. Administration officials say such websites and government services have not been as accessible as they should be for people with...

Senior Hamas officials said on November 21 that an agreement could be reached soon in which the militant group would release hostages and Israel would free Palestinian prisoners. Israel, the United States, and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas, have been negotiating for weeks over a hostage release that would be paired with a temporary cease-fire in Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid. Similar predictions of a hostage agreement in recent weeks have proven premature. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced meetings of three key decision-making bodies to discuss “the issue of the release of hostages.” “On...