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Belarus shows off a military camp to host Russia’s Wagner mercenaries after a failed mutiny

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:40:59 GMT

NEAR TSEL, Belarus (AP) — The Belarusian military on Friday showed off a field camp it has offered to Russia’s Wagner military contractor if it relocates to Belarus under a deal that ended its mutiny.Maj. Gen. Leonid Kosinsky, an assistant to Belarus’ defense minister, told international reporters that Wagner troops could use the former Belarusian army camp near Tsel, about 90 kilometers (about 55 miles) southeast of Minsk.Journalists were shown rows of empty tents that Kosinsky said could accommodate up to 5,000 troops at the camp in the Asipovichy district that was used by the Belarusian army before it was handed over to the territorial defense forces. Kosinsky said Wagner representatives haven’t yet inspected the camp to see whether it meets their needs. “When the Wagner Group makes a final decision on whether to deploy to Belarus or not, they will see where and how to deploy,” he told reporters.Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that mercenary chief Ye...

South Korea vouches for safety of plans to release Fukushima wastewater but citizens’ fears persist

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:40:59 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s government on Friday formally endorsed the safety of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean as it tried to calm people’s fears about food contamination.Seoul’s assessment was based on a 22-month review by government-funded scientists and aligned with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s views. The agency greenlit the Japanese discharge plans this week, saying the treated wastewater would meet international safety standards and pose negligible environmental and health impacts.South Korea’s review focused on any impact the wastewater release might have on South Korea, and “the result showed that its effect on our waters would be insignificant,” Bang Moon-kyu, the minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said during a news conference.Even before Friday’s announcement, South Korean officials were actively working to reduce public unease about the ...

At least 1 dead, 5 wounded after shooting inside Lebanon mosque, security official says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:40:59 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A shooting inside a mosque during prayers left at least one person dead and five wounded Friday, a Lebanese security official said. The reason behind the shooting in the eastern town of Bar Elias was not immediately clear.The state-run National News Agency said more gunfire broke out later between Lebanese troops and the shooting suspect, who was wounded in that exchange.A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the man killed and the five wounded were all Syrian citizens. The town is home to many Syrian refugees who fled their country’s 12-year conflict.Lebanon is home to more than 1 million Syrian refugees and anti-Syrian sentiments have been on the rise since Lebanon’s economic meltdown began in October 2019. The decline is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement by the country’s ruling class. Three-quarters of the country’s 6 million people live in poverty. Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press

Poland starts observances of WWII massacres by Ukrainians that have marred neighbourly ties

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:40:59 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s prime minister and Catholic church leaders opened days of observances Friday to honor victims of World War II massacres of tens of thousands of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists, which have marred the tightening strategic relations between the neighboring nations. “We can say that for many years this has been an unhealed wound in Polish-Ukrainian relations,” said spokesperson for Poland’s ruling right-wing party, Rafal Bochenek. “We would expect truth to be told and things to be called by their proper name,” Bochenek said. Poland says the 1943-44 massacre of some 100,000 Poles by Ukrainian nationalists was genocide. The killings took place in Volhynia and in other regions of what was then eastern Poland under Nazi German and then Soviet occupation, and which are now in western Ukraine.Warsaw is among the staunchest supporters of Kyiv in its war against Russia’s aggression and the increasingly close ties seem to provide an opportunity fo...

2-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova advances to the 3rd round. Keys and Kostyuk also win

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:40:59 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Petra Kvitova reached the third round at Wimbledon for the second year in a row, nine years after winning the second of her two titles at the All England Club.The 33-year-old Czech, who was injured in a knife attack at her home in 2016, beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-2 Friday on Day 5 of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.The left-handed Kvitova first won the Wimbledon title in 2011 and then added another in 2014. She has only reached one other Grand Slam final, losing to Naomi Osaka in the deciding match at the 2019 Australian Open.Madison Keys, an American who won the Eastbourne International title on grass ahead of Wimbledon, also reached the third round. The 25th-seeded Keys defeated Viktorija Golubic 7-5, 6-3. Keys will next face Ukrainian player Marta Kostyuk. She advanced when Paula Badosa retired from their match with a back injury with Kostyuk leading 6-2, 1-0.Badosa is dating Stefanos Tsitsipas and social media has been filled with photos an...

Is this the climate tipping point?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:40:59 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, we’ve known for decades the world is warming, so it shouldn’t come as a shock when some records get broken along the way. But what has set off alarm bells among the scientists who study our changing climate recently is just how fast it’s happening, in ways that don’t match up with any previous models. From ocean temperature to sea ice, forest fires to heat domes and the world’s daily average temperature record being broken at least twice just this week, warning lights are flashing.Is this truly the tipping point for our climate crisis? What does that even mean in this context? And as the bad news rolls in, is there another tipping point coming — a moment in which we collectively realize we can’t survive without massive change?GUEST: Catherine Abreu, Executive Director of Destination ZeroYou can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.

Humanoid robots say they could be better leaders but they will not rebel against human creators

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:40:59 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Robots told reporters Friday they could be more efficient leaders than humans, but wouldn’t take anyone’s job away and had no intention of rebelling against their creators.Nine AI-enabled humanoid robots sat or stood with their creators at a podium in a Geneva conference center for what the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union billed as the world’s first news conference featuring humanoid social robots. Among them: Sophia, the first robot innovation ambassador for the U.N. Development Program; Grace, described as the world’s most advanced humanoid health care robot; and Desdemona, a rock star robot. Two, Geminoid and Nadine, closely resembled their makers.The event was part of the AI for Good Global Summit, meant to illustrate how new technology can support the U.N.’s goals for sustainable development.Reporters were asked to speak slowly and clearly when addressing the robots, and were informed that time lags in resp...

B.C. port strike enters day seven as union, employers association trade barbs

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:40:59 GMT

VANCOUVER — The strike by thousands of workers at more than 30 British Columbia ports has entered its seventh day, as their union and the association representing B.C. maritime employers trade barbs about the stalled contract negotiations.The president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, which represents about 7,400 striking workers, told a solidarity rally on Thursday that the BC Maritime Employers Association has walked away from the table three times.Rob Ashton told the crowd the employers are waiting for the federal government to do their “dirty work instead of treating workers with respect” by negotiating.The BC Maritime Employers Association later issued a statement saying it has learned of layoffs in related industries due to the job action and the strike has potentially disrupted $4.6 billion worth of cargo.The association called on the union to return to bargaining under “a voluntary mediation-arbitration process.”Dock workers ...

Knocks, hard falls: Thousands -- including Americans -- take part in Spain's running of the bulls

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:40:59 GMT

PAMPLONA, Spain (AP) — Thousands of thrill seekers took part Friday in the first running of the bulls at the San Fermín festival in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona.Several runners took knocks and hard falls in the 8 a.m. event but no one was gored by the beasts, a frequent feature of the spectacle.The festival attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists. Nearly 1.7 million people visited Pamplona for the celebrations in 2022, and forecasts are higher for this year with all COVID-19 constraints ended.In the run, six bulls guided by six tame oxen charged along a route through Pamplona’s streets for around two minutes and 30 seconds before reaching the bull ring.The festival was made famous by Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel “The Sun Also Rises.” This year marks the 100th anniversary of Hemingway’s first visit to the festival. Vietnam bans ‘Barbie’ movie for its map depicting South China Sea Friday’s run was the first of eight scheduled. The rest of the day usually includes mass...

Dean's Weekender: Dave Mathews Band, 'The Who's Tommy' and more

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:40:59 GMT

Check out Dean's Weekender for the latest events coming to the Chicagoland area this weekend.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!