ATHENS, Ohio (AP) — Football coach Brian Smith was fired Wednesday by Ohio University, which cited “serious professional misconduct.”

Smith had been placed on indefinite leave on Dec. 1. The university said it terminated Smith’s contract for cause following an administrative review that found him “engaging in serious professional misconduct and participating in activities that reflect unfavorably” on the school. It did not provide specifics.

Rex Elliott, who is Smith’s attorney, said in a statement that: “We vigorously dispute Ohio University’s grounds for the termination for cause of Coach Brian Smith.

“He is shocked and dismayed by this turn of events, and we plan to fight this wrongful termination to protect his good name. Coach Smith is an ethical man who has done an exemplary job for the University. He wants nothing but the best for the players, coaches, and the entire Bobcat community.”

The 45-year old Smith was named the head coach on Dec. 18, 2024, after Tim Albin left to become the coach at Charlotte. Smith came to Ohio as running backs coach and passing game coordinator in 2022, then was promoted to associate head coach in 2023 and offensive coordinator in 2024.

The Bobcats went 9-4 under Smith, including a win in last year’s Cure Bowl over Jacksonville State and a 17-10 victory over West Virginia this season.

Defensive coordinator John Hauser will serve as interim coach for the Frisco Bowl on Dec. 23 against UNLV. The search for a permanent coach is underway.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia’s goals in Ukraine are unchanged and will be accomplished either through negotiations or by further military advances if diplomatic efforts fail.

Putin, speaking at an annual board meeting of the country’s Defense Ministry, touted Russia’s military progress on the battlefield and technological advancements as his war in Ukraine grinds on into a fourth year.

“The goals of the special military operation will undoubtedly be achieved,” he said, using the Kremlin’s term to refer to Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion.

“We would prefer to accomplish this and address the root causes of the conflict through diplomatic means. However, if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means,” the Russian leader told military officials, according to a transcript of the speech released by the government.

PUTIN CALLS TRUMP’S PEACE PLAN A ‘STARTING POINT’ AS HE WARNS UKRAINE TO PULL BACK OR FACE ‘FORCE’

Putin also took aim at Kyiv and its European allies for “whipping up hysteria” about Moscow as the Trump administration works to end the war. 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned allies last week that Russia could be ready to use military force against the alliance within five years and urged members to boost defense spending and production, so their armed forces have the resources to protect their homelands.

Putin referred to European leaders as “piglets” during the Defense Ministry meeting, according to a translated video of the remarks posted by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev.

TRUMP TOUTS ‘TREMENDOUS PROGRESS’ BUT SAYS HE’LL MEET PUTIN AND ZELENSKYY ‘ONLY WHEN’ PEACE DEAL IS FINAL

The comment was part of a broader tirade against the West, with Putin accusing European governments of helping Washington try to weaken and divide Russia.

“They were hoping to profit from the collapse of our country. To get back something that was lost in previous historical periods and try to take revenge,” said Putin. “As it has now become obvious to everyone, all these attempts and all these destructive plans towards Russia completely failed.”

The remarks come as U.S., European, Russian and Ukrainian officials engage in a flurry of diplomacy over potential paths to ending the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his negotiating team met in Berlin Sunday with Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.

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Witkoff and Kushner previously held a five-hour meeting in Moscow with Putin and top foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov in early December to hash out elements of a revised peace proposal after the original leaked 28-point draft drew criticism for being too favorable to the Kremlin.

Ushakov said the Russian side received four documents from the U.S. envoys during the meeting, including one that consisted of 27 points, but he declined to go into detail of what they contained.

Published on
17/12/2025 – 17:39 GMT+1

The European Parliament has approved a non-binding resolution asking to establish a fund to help women with no access to safe abortions in their home country.

This financial mechanism, which MEPs endorsed in a vote on Wednesday, would enable EU members to provide access to the termination of pregnancies for any woman who is legally barred from doing so in her home country, which is the case in several EU states.

It would be open to all EU countries on a voluntarily basis and supported by European funds. Member states would provide abortion care in accordance with their domestic laws.

The request addresses the fact that many women in Europe lack full access to safe and legal abortion, according to the resolution.

Some EU countries have highly restrictive laws on abortion rights. A total ban is in force in Malta, where abortion is not allowed under any circumstances, while in Poland it is permitted only when conception follows sexual violence or when there is a risk to the woman’s health.

In January 2021, the Polish Constitutional Tribunal banned abortions in cases of fetal malformation, which until then had been the most frequent reason for terminating pregnancies in the country.

Other countries have more relaxed laws, but they lack legal protections that fully decriminalise abortion, wide service availability, national health coverage, or government-led information on the matter.

According to the European Abortion Policies Atlas 2025, several EU countries have taken steps to guarantee the right to safe abortions. France, for instance, made it a constitutional right, while Luxembourg and the Netherlands have removed mandatory waiting periods.

But other member states have recorded new restrictions, increased harassment of abortion providers, and the spread of disinformation on the topic.

Splitting the centre

The European Parliament drafted its resolution as an answer to a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), “My voice my choice”, which collected 1,124,513 signatures across all the 27 countries and asked to improve access to safe abortion in Europe.

ECIs are tools that allow common citizens to call on the EU institutions to propose new legislation.

If an initiative gets the support of at least 1 million people across at least seven EU countries, it must be discussed by the European Parliament, while the European Commission has a timeframe to either set out legislative measures or provide justification for not doing so.

The Parliament’s text, which clarifies its position on the matter, was adopted by 358 votes to 202 and with 79 abstentions.

Liberals, Socialists, and leftist groups of the Parliament voted in favour, while right-wing and far right groups were mostly against. The European People’s Party, the largest one in the Parliament, was split between MEPs in favor and against.

In the resolution, the Parliament also reiterated its call to include the right to abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, a request that was approved for the first time by the Parliament in April 2024.

Pro-life organisations criticised the resolution. Italian NGO Pro Vita & Famiglia labelled this mechanism an “abortion Erasmus” and condemned it as “an incentive that will push states to compete to attract EU funds by promoting the suppression of innocent lives”.