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Putin hosted Russian mercenary leader Prigozhin at the Kremlin after short-lived mutiny

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:55:40 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at the Kremlin days after the commander led a short-lived rebellion, a senior government spokesman said Monday, the latest twist in a baffling episode that has raised questions about the power and influence held by both men.The three-hour meeting took place on June 29 and also involved commanders from Prigozhin’s Wagner Group military contractor, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin gave an assessment of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine — where the mercenaries have fought alongside Russian troops — and of the revolt itself. The Wagner forces pledged loyalty to Putin, according to Peskov.The confirmation that Putin met face-to-face with Prigozhin, who led troops on a march to Moscow last month in order to demand a change of defense minister, was extraordinary. Though the Russian leader branded Prigozhin a traitor as the revolt unfolded and vowed harsh punishment, the criminal case aga...

The huge blob of seaweed headed for Florida has shrunk by 75%

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:55:40 GMT

(CNN) — Florida vacations are back on, sans stinky seaweed.The record-breaking mass of stinky seaweed that began appearing on Florida’s iconic beaches this spring, known as the Great Atlantic Sargassum Seaweed Belt, shrunk in the Gulf of Mexico by 75% last month, according to scientists from the University of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Lab.The seaweed, which smells like rotten eggs and emits toxic gases when it comes ashore, proved a nuisance for Florida beachgoers in the spring – which is also the start of the Sunshine State’s tourist season. In April, the seaweed set a record, with scientists identifying 3 million tons of sargassum in the Caribbean Sea.And while scientists expected the mass would shrink in June, last month’s dramatic decrease in the Gulf of Mexico was “beyond expectation,” according to a bulletin from the Optical Oceanography Lab.“Very little Sargassum was found by the end of June in the Straits of Florida and along the east coast of Florida,” the b...

Dutch MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld ‘most likely’ won’t run in 2024

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:55:40 GMT

Top Dutch European Parliament member Sophie in ‘t Veld is facing the end of a two-decade parliamentary career after Volt, the party she just joined, rejected her candidacy for the 2024 European election.Last month, in ‘t Veld quit her Dutch liberal party D66, citing policy disagreements, and joined Volt, a federalist movement with parties in all EU countries. But after making the switch, she needed a special dispensation to become a Volt candidate for 2024 as she had not been a party member for the requisite three months.Last week, the Dutch board of Volt rejected her request. “We have received a lot of WhatsApp messages, e-mails, calls, Workplace messages and letters in which Volt NL members shared their concerns about how we would deal with the possibility of granting dispensation,” Board co-Chair Rob Keijers wrote to members in a letter shared with POLITICO.“It’s their decision. There’s not a whole lot I can do about it,” in ‘t Veld told POLITI...

Thanks to viral megatests, a ‘cold’ may not be so common anymore

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:55:40 GMT

(CNN) — Got a stuffy nose and a cough? If you go to an urgent care or ER, chances are that you may be able find out exactly what type of germ is making you sick, thanks to newer tests that don’t look for just one pathogen at a time but sometimes screen for 18 to 20 viruses and bacteria.Use of these so-called multiplex tests has become more common in recent years. They were especially handy last fall and winter, when the US was contending with surges of at least three respiratory infections at the same time: Covid-19, respiratory syncytial virus and the flu.They help doctors in busy settings make faster diagnoses, but experts say they can also be a mixed blessing. On one hand, you may be able to identify exactly which virus or viruses are making you sick. On the other, it may not do you or your doctor much good, since most viruses don’t have any specific treatments.And it can add to patient angst. If it’s no longer just a cold, it’s adenovirus or bocavirus – what exactly do...

Erdogan says Turkey could approve Sweden’s NATO membership if Europeans ‘open way’ to EU membership

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:55:40 GMT

By KARL RITTER and SUZAN FRASER (Associated Press)VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday introduced a new condition for approving Sweden’s membership in NATO, calling on European countries to “open the way” for Turkey to join the European Union.The surprise announcement by Erdogan before departing to a NATO summit in Lithuania’s capital added new uncertainty to Sweden’s bid to become the alliance’s 32nd member, which Turkey initially blocked saying Sweden was too soft on Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considers security threats.It was the first time that Erdogan linked his country’s ambition to join the EU with Sweden’s efforts to become a NATO member.“Turkey has been waiting at the door of the European Union for over 50 years now, and almost all of the NATO member countries are now members of the European Union,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul. “I am makin...

These trails are closed due to excessive heat warning

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:55:40 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Several hiking trails in the Cleveland National Forest are closed due to extreme heat in the forecast.Starting Monday, the San Diego River Gorge, Cedar Creek Falls, Three Sisters Falls and Eagle Peak trails were closed due to excessive heat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service announced. Excessive Heat Warning issued for these areas in San Diego County The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for San Diego County deserts and mountains beginning Tuesday morning and lasting through Sunday. The NWS forecasts dangerously hot conditions with temperatures that could reach 117 degrees in the deserts and 101 degrees in the mountains. People in these areas are advised to keep out of the sun, drink lots of fluids and seek air conditioning.

AFN chooses interim national chief ahead of annual meeting

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:55:40 GMT

The Assembly of First Nations has appointed a new temporary leader as the advocacy organization tries to forge a path forward after the tumultuous tenure and ousting of its national chief.Joanna Bernard, who is the regional chief for New Brunswick, has been chosen as the interim national chief until a new one is elected in December.“It is crucial that the Assembly of First Nations resume its important work of advancing First Nations’ priorities,” Bernard said in a news release Monday. The decision comes ahead of this week’s annual general assembly in Halifax where hundreds of Indigenous leaders are set to gather for the first time since former national chief RoseAnne Archibald was ousted from the organization’s helm. Archibald has said she may attend the meeting, scheduled to take place Tuesday through Thursday, and is asking for chiefs to reinstate her.Archibald was voted out during a special chiefs assembly on June 28 that also dealt with a human resources ...

Two injured in possible road-rage shooting near busy downtown Toronto intersection

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:55:40 GMT

TORONTO — Two people are in hospital with serious injuries after a shooting in downtown Toronto that police say could be the result of road rage following reports of street racing.Police say they were called to 7 Charles Street West, just one block south of Toronto’s busy Yonge and Bloor intersection, just after 6 a.m. this morning for a drive-by shooting.Duty Insp. Michelle Olszevski says officers arrived to find a man and a woman in their 20s suffering from gunshot wounds.Olszevski says they were taken to nearby hospitals where they are currently in serious, but non-life-threatening condition.She says that before the shooting, police got a call about stunt driving taking place on Yonge Street shortly before 6 a.m. and the vehicles and occupants involved were also at the scene of the shooting.Olszevski says it’s possible the shooting occurred as a result of road rage. Nearby condo resident Aiman Fatima says she saw a group of ten to twelve people, mostly in their 20s, t...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts ahead of updates on inflation, profits

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:55:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting on Wall Street Monday ahead of a week with updates on where inflation and corporate profits are heading.The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher in morning trading, coming off just its second losing week in the last eight. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 148 points, or 0.4%, at 33,883, as of 10:45 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% lower.FMC, an agricultural sciences company, tumbled 12.2% for the biggest loss in the S&P 500 after it warned of a sudden drop in business across most of the world toward the end of May as partners burned through inventory levels. It said the “unforeseen and unprecedented” declines would hurt its results for the spring and full year.On the winning side of Wall Street was Helen of Troy, which said profit and revenue fell by less last quarter than analysts expected. The company behind OXO, Hydro Flask and other brands jumped 15.6%. But it also warned of a expectations for a slower economy.The big que...

James Spader bids farewell to an intriguing criminal mastermind as ‘The Blacklist’ finale approaches

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:55:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Raymond “Red” Reddington is finally hanging up his famous black fedora and — fitting for a manipulative genius — he’s doing it on his own terms.“The Blacklist” ends its 10-year NBC run Thursday with a two-hour send-off, and star James Spader says the cast and crew relished the chance to take their time saying goodbye.“I was very, very glad we were able to end it exactly the way we wanted to end it. It was deliberate and we weren’t taken by surprise in terms of when the ending was going to come,” he tells The Associated Press. “You’ll see that the ending has conviction and we commit to it.”The end of “The Blacklist” is a swan song for Reddington, one of the most intriguing and delicious characters on television. A master of brokering shadowy deals for criminals, he offered his help to the FBI tracking down the world’s most dangerous criminals.Spader reveals that the show — filmed mostly in New York City with an embrace of international characters — went overseas...