Day: February 18, 2025

News Explorer — Australian Regulator Takes Aim at 13 Crypto Firms  Decrypt
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Black Trans Liberation Kitchen, led by hosts Qween Jean and Gia Love, hosted a Trans Day of Love event at Judson Memorial Church near Washington Square Park on Valentine’s Day.
The Feb. 14 event featured food and performances, as well as entertainment by guest DJs Armana Khan and Lita Da Doll.
“They can’t erase us and they will never erase us,” Qween Jean said, alluding to the overwhelming transphobia engulfing American society and the White House’s executive orders deliberately denying the existence of trans individuals.
Gia Love, standing alongside Qween Jean, encouraged community members to have an enjoyable time in a safe space.
“This is a moment for entertainment,” Gia love said. “Let’s really enjoy ourselves because the world, unfortunately, is against us and we need to use this opportunity to organize, mobilize, and come together.”
See some photos below:

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February 18, 2025 12:25 ET  | Source: The Rosen Law Firm PA The Rosen Law Firm PA
NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of FTAI Aviation Ltd. (NASDAQ: FTAI) between July 23, 2024, and January 15, 2025, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”), of the important March 18, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline.
SO WHAT: If you purchased FTAI securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the FTAI class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=33693 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than March 18, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants, throughout the Class Period, failed to disclose to investors that: (1) FTAI reported one-time engine sales as Maintenance Repair & Overhaul revenue when FTAI only performs limited repair and maintenance work on the engine assets sold; (2) FTAI presents whole engine sales as individual module sales, thereby overstating sales and demand; and (3) FTAI depreciates engines that are not on lease, which misleadingly lowers the reported cost of goods sold and inflates EBITDA. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the FTAI class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=33693 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor’s ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Contact Information:
Laurence Rosen, Esq.
Phillip Kim, Esq.
The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-1060
Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
Fax: (212) 202-3827
case@rosenlegal.com
www.rosenlegal.com

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OpenSea has suspended listing and bidding XP rewards after criticism.
Non-fungible token (NFT) giant OpenSea has halted its newly introduced airdrop reward system following widespread criticism from its user base.
The move comes after concerns were raised regarding the platform’s experience points (XP) system, which users claimed encouraged wash trading, prioritized fee generation, and failed to support builders within the ecosystem.
OpenSea launched the beta version of its upgraded marketplace, OS2, on January 28, introducing a points-based mechanism to determine user eligibility for an upcoming airdrop of its native token, SEA.
However, community backlash quickly followed. Many argued that the XP system was flawed and did not align with the long-term sustainability of the NFT space.
In response, OpenSea co-founder and CEO Devin Finzer announced that the platform would be pausing XP rewards for listing and bidding activities. Acknowledging the strong sentiments surrounding point-based reward systems, Finzer stated that while liquidity incentives remain important for a competitive marketplace, OpenSea is taking a step back to reevaluate the best approach.
“We’ve heard the feedback on the current XP system, and we’re putting a pause on XP given directly for listing and bidding. While we don’t think liquidity rewards are inherently bad, we understand that there are a lot of strong emotions towards point systems, and that the NFT market as a whole is in a unique spot right now. we’re building OS to support this space long term, so we’re pausing this part of the rewards program while we think through the best path forward.”
Instead of continuing with the criticized XP system, OpenSea will focus on “XP shipments,” a newly introduced mechanism that aims to reward broader participation in OS2. Users who engaged with the beta version early and provided feedback via Discord have already received the first round of shipments.
A second round is now being distributed to users who have purchased NFTs on OS2, with additional XP multipliers for those holding assets from top-volume projects for over three months.
The latest controversy comes a month after a report revealed that 7 million email addresses were leaked during OpenSea’s 2022 data breach. The breach involved NFT marketplace’s email service provider, exposing the emails of industry professionals, including Binance founder Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao.
Security expert “23pds” warned that the leak could further endanger the privacy and assets of crypto users. OpenSea initially disclosed the breach in June 2022 and attributed it to an employee of its vendor, Customer.io. However, the full extent of the leak only surfaced last month which left users vulnerable to scams and malicious attacks.
Chayanika has been working as a financial journalist for six years. A graduate in Political Science and Journalism, her interest lies in regulatory implications with a focus on technological evolution in the crypto realm. Contact:Linkedin

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Sports stats
February 18, 2025 – Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release

SUGAR LAND, TX – The defending Triple-A National Champion Sugar Land Space Cowboys have announced their full promotional schedule for the 2025 season at Constellation Field. With the promotional schedule announced, single-game tickets for all 75 home games will go on sale on Thursday, February 20 at 10 am, while flex plans are currently available for purchase here.

In a celebration of their first Triple-A National Championship, the Space Cowboys will have Championship Weekend presented by Visit Sugar Land on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12. Highlights of Championship Weekend include a Replica Championship Jersey giveaway presented by Constellation (April 11) and a Replica Championship Ring giveaway presented by Visit Sugar Land (April 12). The Space Cowboys will have two more replica championship ring giveaways on Saturday, May 3 presented by Constellation and on Friday, May 16 presented by Frost Bank.
Fans will be treated to another fantastic set of giveaways in 2025, including an Arrighetti Spaghetti Bobblehead presented by Republic Services (May 2), an Orion’s Kids Lunchbox (August 3) and four different Astros giveaways. Sugar Land will also have a variety of specialty jerseys as giveaways in 2025, ranging from a Space Cowboys Anime Jersey (May 17) to a Space Cowboys Military Replica Jersey presented by Houston Tents & Events (May 26), a Space Cowboys Tacky Christmas Sweater Jersey presented by Houston Methodist (July 18) and a Harry Potter Jersey (September 5).
Constellation Field will host three postgame concerts tied into theme nights throughout the year, including a Queen of Tejano postgame concert as part of Copa de la Diversión (June 7), a return by Spazmatics as part of ’80s Night (August 2) and Y’all Out Boy for Emo Night (August 30). Sugar Land will wear seven different custom jerseys that will be auctioned off in 2025, including special Championship Jerseys (April 11-12), Oat Milkers (May 2), Military (May 26), Patriotic (July 3), Margaritaville (July 19), Star Wars (August 17) and Harry Potter (September 5).
The Space Cowboys are continuing their participation in Minor League Baseball’s ‘Copa de la Diversión,’ and will be launching a new Copa identity in 2025. The new identity will make its on field debut on Friday, June 6 as part of a Copa de la Diversión Weekend presented by Verizon, including a Replica Jersey giveaway (June 6) and an Orion Kids Piggy Bank (June 8). Sugar Land will wear their Copa identity one more time in 2025 as part of the Space Cowboys Hispanic Heritage Celebration presented by Goya (September 19 and 20).
Sugar Land’s home schedule features 15 different fireworks shows in 2025, including fireworks for Memorial Day Weekend presented by Hunton Group (May 25) and as part of the Space Cowboys Independence Day Extravaganza presented by Grace After Fire (July 3). Theme nights for 2025 range from Princess Day (March 30) to I Suck at Fantasy Football Night (May 24) to Emo Night (August 30). The Space Cowboys are returning some of their popular promotional nights from the past including Tech Night (April 10), Youth Sports Day (April 13 and June 21), AAPI Heritage Night (May 16), Scout Night (May 16), Girl Scout Night (June 21), Pride Night (June 5), Faith & Family Night presented by Thrivent (August 31), Black Heritage Night (June 20), Sugar Land Holiday Lights in July (July 18), ’80s Night (August 2), Orion’s Birthday (August 3), In My Baseball Era Night (August 16), Harry Potter Night (September 5) and Fan Appreciation Day (September 21). New theme nights for 2025 include Jewish Heritage Night presented by the Jewish Baseball Museum (May 18), Peanut Free Night (June 17), Women in Sports Night (June 21), an appearance by Bluey (June 22), Augtoberfest (August 1), Fantasy Football Night (August 29) and Barbie Game Day (September 6).
The Space Cowboys have four midweek day games, including two Baseball in Education games presented by McDonalds (April 30 & May 14), Super Splash Day (June 18) and a special 1:05 pm first pitch on Memorial Day (May 26). Sugar Land will also recognize and offer special deals for members of the community including Nurse Appreciation Night presented by Houston Methodist (May 1), two Teacher Appreciation Nights presented by Brazos Valley Schools Credit Union (May 22 & July 31), First Responders Night presented by Brazos Valley Schools Credit Union (September 7) and Military Appreciation Night (September 18). To help raise awareness, Sugar Land is hosting Breast Cancer Awareness Night presented by Houston Methodist (May 23), Prostate Cancer Awareness Night presented by Houston Methodist (June 20), Disability Pride Night (July 20), Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness Night (September 4) and Childhood Cancer Awareness Night (September 17).
Daily promotions for 2025 include the return of Fireworks Friday for every Friday home game, including Opening Day (March 28). The Space Cowboys will also return a tradition from 2024 with Fauxback Fridays starting on May 16, with the Space Cowboys donning special fauxback uniforms. Tuesdays will remain Silver Stars Tuesday, while Wednesday sees the return of Dollar Hot Dog Night presented by Texas Chili. Every Thursday is Thirsty Thursday presented by Eureka Heights with discounted beers, and each Sunday is Orion’s Kids Day. New for 2025, Waggin’ Wednesday presented by Hollywood Feed will be on one select Wednesday each month.
Th full list of giveaways includes:
March 29 – Space Cowboys Home Jersey presented by Pepsi
April 11 – Replica Championship Jersey presented by Constellation
April 12 – Replica Championship Ring presented by Visit Sugar Land
May 2 – Arrighetti Spaghetti Bobblehead presented by Republic Services
May 3 – Replica Championship Ring presented by Constellation
May 16 – Replica Championship Ring presented by Frost Bank
May 17 – Space Cowboys Anime Jersey
May 23 – Astros Giveaway
May 26 – Space Cowboys Military Replica Jersey presented by Houston Tents & Events
June 6 – Copa de la Diversión Replica Jersey presented by Verizon
June 8 – Orion Piggy Bank to the first 1,000 kids presented by Verizon
June 20 – Black Heritage Jersey presented by Shell Federal Credit Union
June 21 – Astros Giveaway presented by Houston Methodist
July 3 – Replica Space Cowboys Patriotic Jersey presented by Amaro Law Firm
July 18 – Space Cowboys Tacky Christmas Sweater Jersey presented by Houston Methodist
July 19 – Margaritaville Jersey
July 20 – Affiliates Cap
August 1 – Astros Giveaway presented by Houston Methodist
August 3 – Orion’s Lunch Box to the first 1,000 kids presented by Constellation
August 15 – Space Cowboys Camo Hat presented by Regions Bank
August 29 – Space Cowboys Football Jersey
September 5 – Harry Potter Jersey
September 19 – Astros Giveaway presented by Houston Methodist
September 20 – Hispanic-Themed Jersey presented by Goya
All promotions for 2025 are subject to change.
For the first time in franchise history, the Space Cowboys will open their season at home when they begin their campaign as the defending Triple-A National Champions by hosting the Oklahoma City Comets on Friday, March 28 at 7:05 pm as part of Opening Weekend presented by Constellation. Prior to the start of the season, the Space Cowboys will take on the Houston Astros for two exhibition games at Daikin Park on March 24 and 25. 2025 Season Memberships, including Full and Partial Season membership plans, can be purchased online.

• Discuss this story on the Pacific Coast League message board…

Pacific Coast League Stories from February 18, 2025

• 2025 OKC Comets Single-Game Tickets on Sale Now – Oklahoma City Comets
• Full Promotional Schedule Announced for 2025 Space Cowboys Season – Sugar Land Space Cowboys

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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Stellant Systems has a heritage in microwave vacuum assemblies, components and subsystems dating back over 90 years. Stellant’s products support critical industries such as Space, Defense, Medical, Communications, and Science. As an industry leader in production and process management, Stellant can innovatively advance frequency and output power while maintaining industry leading size, weight and power (SWaP).
As production and launch capabilities have rapidly transformed the satellite industry over the past several years, the demand for complimentary technology is ever increasing. With smaller satellites having smaller buses and payloads, the need for efficiency and reduced size in all aspects of the on-board electronics is critical. Stellant Systems has been consistently investing in such advances and are poised to remain a key player in the “new” satellite age. Stellant has long been depended on by the space industry with thousands of components and subsystems in flight.
In addition, Stellant’s participation in the non-space, defense sector provides the expertise to understand the tradeoffs with different levels of screening depending on the specific mission. Stellant’s recent developments include the nanoMPM®, which allows for inflight phase combining up to mission specific power levels. The Digiflex EPC provides state of the art flexibility to support many bus power configurations with a powerful digital interface. Lastly, Stellant continues to push into higher frequency bands as the need for data throughput will continue to grow exponentially.
Stellant’s nanoMPM® opens the door for new orbital applications previously not achievable by SSPAs (not enough power) or LCTWTAs (too big). By enabling a satellite K-band phased array at record high total RF output power and efficiency, end users have a single satellite that can be used across almost any orbital slot and with almost any kind of coverage area for power and flexibility, including tracking mobile objects such as cruise ships. Communications is evolving very rapidly, and the market is demanding more flexibility. We're providing products that enable that flexibility. Stellant has now shipped two flight sets of nanoMPMs, including the first flight set of nanoMPMs to Airbus in support of the OneSat mission.
Some of the Design Features of the nanoMPM® include:
In addition to the nanoMPM®, Stellant designs and manufactures traditional space TWTs and TWTAs all the way up to 200–300 W. These high-efficiency heritage Space TWTAs are available from L-band to Q-band. We also offer a V-band TWTA with in-orbit heritage to 80 W.
In addition to TWTs, Stellant designs and manufactures the necessary power conditioners (EPCs) needed to create a full TWTA subassembly. Having this capability internally reflects Stellant’s commitment to vertical integration and fully controlling the critical pieces of our products. The satellite industry is deadline driven with critical launch dates dependent on trustworthy suppliers like Stellant.
With a proven track record providing ultra-reliable high-voltage electronic power conditioners (EPCs) for Space applications (over 4000 modern Stellant EPCs in orbit with over 300 million operating hours), Stellant is now introducing its Digiflex EPC to address the wide variety and flexibility needed in the Space payload market. This next-generation EPC will have a digital interface and significantly expanded on-orbit capability while maintaining Stellant’s excellence in EPC reliability, efficiency, size, and mass.
Some of the design features of the Digiflex EPC include:
Traveling-Wave Tubes / Traveling-Wave Tube Amplifiers for Space
Stellant is the only company in the world to design, manufacture, integrate, test, and ship complete Space-qualified linearized traveling-wave tube amplifiers (LCTWTAs). With over 3500 all-Stellant LCTWTAs in orbit from L-band to V-band having accumulated over 250 million operating hours, Stellant has an outstanding legacy of in-orbit performance and reliability.
As the Ku-band and K-band satellite frequency bands are becoming more and more congested, Stellant is prepared for the future with products to cover the Q/V-band and even W-band downlink bands. These higher frequency bands will be utilized by the next generation of High Throughput Satellite (HTS) programs. By moving backhaul links between a satellite and its hubs from the Ku/K-band to the Q/V-band, significantly more bandwidth can be made available for users and the number of hubs can be reduced, helping drive down cost per bit. Stellant’s latest development, a W-band downlink (71 – 76 GHz) TWTA produces 50 W saturated RF output power at up to 40 percent efficiency.
Stellant also offers the matching uplink TWTs for both Q/V-band communications (47 – 52 GHz) and W-band communications (81 – 86 GHz). The Q/V-band uplink TWT has recently been upgraded in RF output power, delivering 150-W CW power over the full 47.2 – 51.4 GHz uplink band, with a saturated peak power of 300 W. Our E-band uplink offering can provide up to 100-W of CW output power over the 81 – 86 GHz uplink band.
With capabilities covering TWT manufacturing, EPC manufacturing, chip-in-wire LCAMP manufacturing, and MMIC-based SSPAs, Stellant offers the widest array of Space-qualified products to enable upcoming architectures.
Facilities:
Stellant produces the above space products at facilities in Torrance, CA and Folsom, CA. Additional facilities in Williamsport, PA and Milford, NY produce our non-space products. Internal expertise is the key to Stellant’s success over many decades. Some of these specific disciplines include:

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Break was reported on Tuesday morning
Break was reported on Tuesday morning
Break was reported on Tuesday morning
A large water main break was reported in Bethel Park on Tuesday morning.
The break was reported around 5 a.m. at PA-88 and Beagle Drive.
Crews were able to turn the water off but there were road restrictions Beagle drive to Berryman avenue.
Rob Frost lives nearby said he felt the ripple effects of the break.
“I was aware that something was going on because of an unusual amount of traffic going up on a dead end street. It was just like car after car after car passing and then turning around but there was nowhere to go from there,” Frost said.
The situation left dirt, debris, and icy roads.
Officials with Pennsylvania American Water said 25 customers along with several businesses are without water.
While Frost said he didn’t lose water he added he used to work for Pennsylvania American Water before retiring and said something like this can take time.
“What we’re trying to do is obviously there’s a main break. They have to, you know, expose the main and see what kind of repairs are necessary to fix it. Hopefully it’s just a situation where they can cut out a piece of pipe and put in a clamp, and that would go relatively quickly. You know, it’s a large size main not here. So it’s still going to take a while no matter what,” Frost said.
Officials said the repair is expected to take 8-10 hours.
Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.

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Watch CBS News
February 18, 2025 / 11:39 AM EST / CBS/AP
South Korean actor Kim Sae-ron’s death this week has triggered an outpouring of grief and calls for changes to the way the country’s celebrities are treated in the public arena and on social media, which critics say can foster a culture of harassment.
The 24-year-old, who began her career as a child actor and earned acclaim for her roles in several domestic films, including the 2010 crime noir “The Man from Nowhere,” was found dead by a friend at her home in the country’s capital, Seoul, on Sunday. Her death was assumed to be a suicide. National Police Agency has said it does not suspect foul play and that Kim left no note.
Once among the brightest stars on South Korea’s vibrant movie and television scene, Kim struggled to find work after a 2022 drunk driving incident, for which she was later fined in court.
Kim last appeared in the 2023 Netflix series “Bloodhounds,” according to her IMDB page. However, Variety reported that most of her role was edited out due to the drunk-driving incident.
Online posts in South Korea are notoriously harsh toward celebrities who make missteps, especially women, and Kim faced constant negative coverage from news organizations that capitalized on public sentiment.
Newspapers and websites criticized her whenever she was seen partying with friends, or when she complained about her lack of work and nasty comments on social media. She was even criticized for smiling while filming an independent movie last year.
Following Kim’s death, several of the country’s major newspapers on Tuesday published editorials and opinion pieces lambasting the toxic online comments about the actor. Some invoked the 2019 suicide deaths of K-Pop singers Seol-li and Goo Hara and the 2023 death of “Parasite” actor Lee Sun-kyun while calling for a change in the “harsh, zero-tolerance” culture toward celebrities.
The Hankook Ilbo newspaper said the country’s media outlets were part of the problem, lamenting that some outlets continued to exploit Kim for clicks even after her death, using provocative headlines that highlighted her past struggles.
The watchdog Citizens’ Coalition for Democratic Media on Tuesday criticized news organizations for blaming social media without considering their own “sensational and provocative reporting.”
Born in 2000, Kim began her acting career at age 9, with the 2009 film “A Brand New Life,” portraying a girl’s struggles to adjust to a new life after being left at an orphanage by her father. 
She rose to stardom with “The Man from Nowhere,” which was one of the biggest hits in the South Korean movie scene that year and won her a domestic acting award.
In her career, Kim displayed versatility in a range of acting roles and won several other film awards, including best actress in 2015 for her performance in “A Girl at My Door,” according to her IMDB page.
She starred in various movies and TV shows before the 2022 drunk driving incident.
Gold Medalist, Kim’s former management agency, did not immediately answer calls for comment.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.
For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.
© 2025 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright ©2025 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.

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TOLEDO, Ohio — Imagination Station is set to open its doors again on Wednesday following a water line break in late January.
The science center says it will open at 10 a.m. and Barry Bagels located inside will open at noon for lunch.
“We sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding of our members and community during this closure,” Lori Hauser, chief executive officer of Imagination Station said. “We are thankful for everything the City and Kokosing have done to get us back open. Now, we can’t wait to welcome everyone back into the science center and show off our newest exhibition HOCKEY: Faster Than Ever on opening day.”
Imagination Station has been closed since Jan. 23 after staff found a leak in the private water line on Jan. 22, according to Hauser. The break caused little damage to the building and exhibits but did affect the first and second floors, and an outdoor patio space, she said.
Imagination Station will celebrate the debut of its hockey exhibition by handing out rally towels on Saturday, Feb. 22 and Sunday, Feb. 23 to the first 250 visitors each day to the exhibit.
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US and Russian officials have wrapped up the first round of talks on ending the Ukraine war. While Washington has talked about “concessions” on all sides, Moscow has appeared to draw some of its red lines – and Volodymyr Zelenskyy has since cancelled an upcoming visit. Follow updates here.
Tuesday 18 February 2025 16:43, UK
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France has called for a second summit to discuss Ukraine and Europe’s security, diplomatic sources have told the Reuters news agency.
It comes after European leaders gathered in Paris for talks on Monday in an effort to establish a united position on peace talks.
The reported summit will include NATO allies that were not invited on Monday, three sources told Reuters.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeated calls for Ukraine and Europe to be included in any peace negotiations.
Speaking earlier alongside Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, the Ukrainian leader said talks couldn’t take place “behind our backs” after US and Russian officials met today in Saudi Arabia.
Now, posting on Telegram, Zelenskyy says it’s of “fundamental importance” that negotiations include “key actors affected by the consequences of Russian aggression”.
“Ukraine, Europe – in a broad sense, which includes the European Union, Turkey and Britain – must be involved together with America in the talks and development of the necessary security guarantees that concern the fate of our part of the world,” he said.
Zelenskyy was due to visit Saudi Arabia himself tomorrow but ha postponed the trip until next month. 
Two sources told Reuters this was in order not to give any “legitimacy” to the US-Russia meeting.
By James Matthews, US correspondent
The elephant in the room is the country that isn’t, still.
For all the assurances by a US secretary of state that Kyiv will be involved in talks over its future, there’s precious little evidence of it.
Similarly, Ukraine will take precious little encouragement from the discussions in Riyadh.
Consider the debrief from Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov: “I have reason to believe that the American side has started to better understand our position, which we have once again outlined in detail, using specific examples, based on President Putin’s repeated speeches.”
Is to “better understand” to go beyond a position whereby Ukraine cedes territory and all ambition of NATO membership?
That’s the ground already put up for grabs by the Americans – to hear Russia further reassured does nothing to enhance the notion that Ukraine and European allies will be involved and influential.
Having been given a seat back at the table, literally, the Russians framed these talks as an effort to improve US-Russia relations.
It’s a vision shared by the Americans. The US secretary of state shared the vision and spoke of restoring staff to their respective embassies and exploring closer economic cooperation.
He even invoked Russian interests in having European countries drop sanctions, stating: “The European Union is going to have to be at the table at some point because they have sanctions as well that have been imposed.”
On Ukraine, Rubio spoke of creating a “high-level team” to support Ukraine peace talks, but there’s every impression of a low-level priority for Ukrainian interests.
The US secretary of state said concessions would have to be made on all sides – it doesn’t square with Ukraine’s starting point for negotiations, that concession must come from the aggressor.
It is the awkward discussion that doesn’t fit the framework of enhanced US-Russia relations, something that’s fast emerged as Washington’s main priority.
Those in Donald Trump’s orbit talk about his broader ambitions around a resetting of the geopolitical structure that has closer ties with Moscow at its heart.
The same people say that Ukraine is a small part of that picture.
Nothing that happened in Riyadh contradicts that message.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says his country could host talks on ending the war between Ukraine and Russia.
“Turkey will be an ideal host for the possible talks between Russia, Ukraine and America in the near future,” he said following a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Erdogan called previous Russia-Ukraine talks held in Turkey in 2022 “an important reference point and the platform where the parties came closest to an agreement”.
He also said he supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent 
A veteran foreign minister of 20 years, Sergei Lavrov is not one for big emotions. So when he says the talks were “not unsuccessful”, that’s diplomatic speak for “we’re pretty chuffed”.
And the Russians have plenty of reasons to cheer.
The imagery for starters – after three years in the international wilderness, they once again have a seat at the table. Quite literally.
And this wasn’t just any table. This was superpower to superpower. A visual representation of respect from Washington, that will go a long way in Moscow.
I think Russia will also be extremely pleased by the noises that have come from the other side of the table.
The Kremlin’s got the US talking about geopolitical and economic cooperation. The State Department even mentioned “historic investment opportunities” in the same sentence as an end to the war.
That suggests, to me, the removal of sanctions and the resumption of relations with Moscow is all tied into a peace deal, which I think Russia will count as a victory already.
And while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of all sides needing to make concessions, there hasn’t been any sign of that from Moscow. Quite the opposite.
In his comments after the talks finished, Lavrov took the chance to reassert Russia’s red lines – no NATO membership for Ukraine and no NATO member troops there either.
Normally a negotiation is about give-and-take, but at the moment, Ukraine will no doubt feel like it’s the US giving and Russia only taking.
By Ed Conway, economics and data editor
Deep under the ground in the east of Ukraine sits a veritable mineral motherlode: rich reserves of coal, dense concentrations of iron ore and, further west in Nikopol, some of the world’s biggest resources of manganese – as well as other, more exotic minerals.
The geological riches of the Donbas and its neighbouring regions have long been looked at with envy by the country’s friends, enemies and neighbours as a prize. 
In the 19th century, Tsar Alexander II pinpointed the basin of the Donets River as the ideal spot for iron and steelworks – in large part because of the dense deposits of coal and iron. 
In the Second World War, Adolf Hitler coveted Ukraine’s natural resources and eventually ended up invading the region for them – though Ukrainians spent most of the occupation refusing to mine and smelt them.
Now Donald Trump is the latest world leader with his eye on Ukrainian minerals, in this case as a form of reparations for the billions of dollars America has spent supporting the country following Russia’s invasion.
Read Ed’s full analysis on the saga in the link below…
We’ve just heard from Volodymyr Zelenskyy who has been speaking in Turkey.
He called for “fair” peace talks on Ukraine after officials from the US and Russia met for talks today in Saudi Arabia (see last post).
Zelenskyy arrived in Turkey by plane last night and has been involved in talks throughout today with Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
We’re now hearing from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been meeting Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He first speaks about the talks between US and Russian officials happening today in Saudi Arabia.
“We want no one to decide anything behind our backs … No decision can be made without Ukraine on how to end the war in Ukraine,” he told reporters.
Zelenskyy, who has announced he has postponed his visit tomorrow to Saudi Arabia until 10 March, insists Europe should also be involved in the discussion about the end to the war in Ukraine.
Erdogan, meanwhile, reiterated Turkey’s “full support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty”.
It’s 2.30pm in the UK, 5.30pm in Saudi Arabia.
If you’re just joining us, US and Russian officials have finished their first round of talks on the war in Ukraine.
Here’s a brief summary of everything you need to know this afternoon…
 We’ve just heard from Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov after meeting US officials in Saudi Arabia.
Reflecting on the talks, he says they were useful, adding both sides showed “commitment to find solutions”.
US and Russian officials agreed to form a process for a settlement in the war in Ukraine, Lavrov says, adding “we also agreed to create conditions to restore our cooperation in full”.
Turning more specifically to the situation around NATO, Lavrov said Russian officials explained to the US delegation that expansion of the alliance is a “direct threat to Russia”.
“We’ve told the US that deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine, even under other flags, is unacceptable for Russia,” he added.
For context: Sir Keir Starmer said he is prepared to put “our own troops on the ground if necessary” in Ukraine if there is a deal to end the war with Russia.
Speaking before European leaders met in Paris yesterday, Starmer said he was “ready and willing” to put British troops into a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
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