Author: Tyson Holmes

Wars are fought in many ways. In trenches, behind the wheel of tank, at the trigger of an artillery piece, in the rear supporting the troops. But the war in the Ukraine also fights with guile and disguise, deceit, surprise and humor. No intelligence, cold warriors, or secrecy but the unmistaken conviction of bringing the fight to the Russian regime. The team is led by a quirky former academic, a housewife, a gifted arty-farty guy, an editor, some journalists and a few volunteers. There is a cat-lady, a Thor of thunder, a bunch of nerds working out the quirks, and…

The first to come up with the idea was French President Emmanuel Macron – long before it was clear that Donald Trump would win the US elections. As early as March 2023, he proposed not only new weapons, but ground troops in the Ukraine to send. They were supposed to relieve Ukrainian front troops in the hinterland, train the Ukrainian army on site, but not fight themselves. Macron has been heavily criticized for this in France and abroad. At that time nobody was ready to jump to his side. Now against it, reports Le Monde citing confidential sources, secretly negotiated Paris and London through a coalition of states…

The news of Jennifer Lopez’s NYC penthouse sale comes days after Ben Affleck bought a $20 million house in Los Angeles. Although the pair are still entangled in marital woes, Lopez has finally moved on from one aspect of her past. According to city property records released on Monday, the “Marry Me” star reportedly sold her Madison Park penthouse in New York City recently for $23 million. The final sale came seven years too late after the singer first put it on the market, per The New York Post’s reporting. The news of JLo’s duplex sale comes just days after husband snapped…

Israel is set to send a delegation to Cairo for talks with Hamas on a new ceasefire proposal aimed at securing the release of hostages held in Gaza as the conflict lingers on for nearly seven months now. The delegation, composed of security officials, will depart on Tuesday to discuss the deal with Egyptian brokers, an Israeli government source told Xinhua. A Hamas delegation left Egypt after the talks and will “return with a written response” to the latest truce proposal, according to Egyptian sources quoted by Al-Qahera News, a site also linked to Egyptian intelligence services. Abdul Latif al-Qanou,…

China’s foreign policy is either amazingly adept, delicately threading the needle of friendship with both Russia and the U.S., in effect eating its cake and keeping it too, or it’s putting at risk its relationship with the U.S. in a way that will be hard to repair, depending on who you ask.  China’s pro-Putin policy has arguably caused it as much diplomatic harm as the spy balloon, South China Sea spats, espionage crackdowns, alleged human rights abuses and de-risking put together. It’s not that the U.S. is highly principled in its foreign policy, far from it. After all, the imprimatur…

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today signed legislation that will further bolster New York City’s life sciences and biotech sectors by offering a tax incentive for growing biotech companies to create jobs in New York City. The new law builds on significant progress the Adams administration has made to create and attract accessible jobs in life sciences and delivers on a key recommendation to invest in the sector from Mayor Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s “New’ New York: Making New York Work for Everyone” plan. “Employing more than 20,000 New Yorkers and counting, biotech and life sciences…

Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer who has cultivated an identity as a bipartisan consensus builder over three terms in Congress, announced on Monday that she will run for Virginia governor in 2025 instead of seeking reelection next year. Spanberger, 44, made the announcement in a campaign video, pledging to work to lower prescription drug prices, grow the middle class and ease inflation. Spanberger also vowed to focus on recruiting and retaining teachers “and stopping extremists from shredding women’s reproductive rights.” “Our country and our Commonwealth are facing fundamental threats to our rights, our freedoms, and to…

United Airlines has announced the launch of the first direct air link between Faro and New York/Newark (USA) on May 24, 2024. “The new flight will make it easy for U.S. customers to visit Portugal’s Algarve region, home to some of the country’s most scenic beaches and striking historic sites,” the American airline says in a statement released this Thursday. The flight will operate four times a week on a Boeing 757-200, featuring a total of 176 seats – 16 flat-bed seats in United Polaris business class and 160 in economy, including 42 Economy Plus seats with “added legroom and…

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will not be getting help with his legal bills from many of the big-money donors who financed his 2008 campaign for president, according to people familiar with the matter. Giuliani was beloved by several business titans when he was mayor of New York City, who supported his 2008 presidential campaign that raised more than $60 million, according to those familiar with the matter and data from the nonpartisan OpenSecrets. Yet, many of the donors who backed the former mayor in 2008 are opting not to help him pay for his growing legal bills as…

Winners from the 2023 Dairy Products Competition were recently announced, with a Capital Region-based dairy farm taking home the gold for best chocolate milk in the state. Dygert Farms Creamery was named the best chocolate milk in the state. Winners were honored at the 2023 NYS fair on Thursday. The Dairy Products Competition looks at New York’s dairy industry to celebrate the best dairy producers and processors the state has to offer with gold or silver honors, as well as an award of excellence. Dygert Farms Creamery is located at 243 Dygert Rd, Palatine Bridge. “Coming from a family of…