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Russia claims it repelled one of war’s most serious cross-border attacks

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:28:13 GMT

By SUSIE BLANN (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s military said Tuesday it quashed what appeared to be one of the most serious cross-border attacks from Ukraine since the war began, claiming to have killed more than 70 attackers in a battle that lasted around 24 hours.Moscow blamed the raid that began Monday on Ukrainian military saboteurs. Kyiv portrayed it as an uprising against the Kremlin by Russian partisans. It was impossible to reconcile the two versions, to say with certainty who was behind the attack or to ascertain its aims.The battle — which took place in southwest Russia’s Belgorod region, about 80 kilometers (45 miles) north of the city of Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine — was a fresh reminder of how Russia itself remains vulnerable to attack, in addition to Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.The region is a Russian military hub holding fuel and ammunition depots and was included in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order l...

Donald Trump to appear by video as judge in criminal case reinforces ban on attacking witnesses

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:28:13 GMT

By MICHAEL R. SISAK (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — A recent $5 million defamation verdict hasn’t kept Donald Trump quiet. Will a stern warning from the judge in his Manhattan criminal case?That’s the question looming over a hybrid hearing Tuesday where the former president is set be instructed on new rules barring him from using evidence in the hush-money case to attack witnesses who could testify against him.Trump won’t have to show up to court for the afternoon hearing at a Manhattan courthouse, avoiding the mammoth security and logistical challenges that accompanied his arraignment last month.Instead, the Republican will be connected by video conference, with his face beamed onto courtroom TV monitors. His lawyers and prosecutors must still appear in person.The hearing comes a day after the plaintiff in the defamation case, writer E. Jean Carroll, filed a new claim seeking an additional $10 million or more to hold Trump liable for remarks he made bashin...

Court rules against Prince Harry’s offer to personally pay for police protection in UK

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:28:13 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A London judge rejected Prince Harry’s bid to pay for his own police protection Tuesday, denying the royal’s request to challenge the U.K. government in court.The British government stopped providing security after Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, and his wife, the former actress Meghan Markle, quit their royal duties and moved to California in 2020. It then rejected his offer to pay for protection when he visits home.A lawyer for the government argued in court that it was not appropriate to allow hiring “police officers as private bodyguards for the wealthy.”Justice Martin Chamberlain said there was nothing “incoherent or illogical” in the government’s reasoning to deny the Duke of Sussex’s request to hire police bodyguards at his own expense. He said providing private protection for an individual was different from paying police as security at sporting and other events. Further, he said it could strain police resources, set a precedent and be s...

Peloton the rebrand: High end exercise bike maker says it’s now a health company for all

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:28:13 GMT

Peloton is undergoing a significant rebrand, dumping its identity as a seller of luxury exercise bikes and equipment to heath technology for all. “We’re shifting perceptions from in-home to everywhere, fitness enthusiasts to people at all levels, exclusivity to inclusivity across all Peloton members present and future,” Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Berland said in a written statement Tuesday. The company rolled out new pricing for tiered membership that ranges from $12.99 to $24 per month, and said that its app now offers the largest number of free classes since its launch in June 2018.CEO Barry McCarthy replaced founder John Foley just over a year ago to right a business that has had numerous stumbles, from marketing missteps to recalls. He has made a hard push to shift the company’s focus from high-priced hardware, to software and a fee-based app. In October the company announced it was cutting about 500 jobs on top of the nearly 800 layoffs it made in August. It als...

Governor’s new stance revives New Hampshire marijuana effort

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:28:13 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Gov. Chris Sununu’s recent shift to support marijuana legalization has inspired a last-minute push for new legislation.Though several bipartisan bills in support of legalizing recreational marijuana have cleared the House in recent years, Sununu opposed them and they ultimately failed in the Senate. But after the latest defeat earlier this month, Sununu announced that he would back legalization if lawmakers took a different approach.The House Commerce Committee voted Tuesday to amend an unrelated bill as a vehicle for a new plan where the state regulates marijuana the same way it controls the sale of wine and liquor, in line with what the Republican governor and potential presidential candidate outlined.The bill that was defeated in the Senate would have included a 12.5% tax levied at the cultivation level. The latest measure is similar to a plan lawmakers considered last year that would put the New Hampshire Liquor Commission in charge of regulating and selling...

Why Turkey’s president is strong election favorite despite economic turmoil

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:28:13 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has remained in power for 20 years by repeatedly surmounting political crises: mass protests, corruption allegations, an attempted military coup and a huge influx of refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war.Now the Turkish people and economy are being pummeled by sky-high inflation, and many are still recovering from a devastating earthquake in February made worse by the government’s slow response. Yet Erdogan — a populist with increasingly authoritarian instincts — enters a runoff election Sunday as the strong favorite against opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu after falling just shy of victory in the first round of voting. So, even with a weak hand, what explains his longevity and wide appeal?Erdogan, 69, has cultivated deep loyalty from conservative and religious supporters by elevating Islamic values in a country that has been defined by secularism for nearly a century. He has tightened his grip on power by dep...

DeSantis appoints Cuban-American female appellate judge to Florida Supreme Court

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:28:13 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed a Cuban-American woman to the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday, marking the first time in history the court will have three women as sitting justices.The Republican governor chose Meredith Sasso to replace Ricky Polston, who retired from the high court earlier this year. Sasso currently is the chief judge on the state’s 6th District Court of Appeal, a position she was appointed to by DeSantis earlier this year.DeSantis now has appointed five of the seven members of the Florida Supreme Court.Sasso, a Tallahassee native, attended the University of Florida for both undergraduate studies and law school, according to the governor’s office. After working in private law practice, she was chief deputy counsel for former Gov. Rick Scott and then was appointed to the appeals court based in Lakeland.““I am proud to appoint Judge Meredith Sasso to the Florida Supreme Court because her fidelity to the Constitution will help p...

Catholic clergy sexual abuse of kids was far more common than church acknowledged, Illinois AG finds

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:28:13 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois attorney general’s office investigation released Tuesday found that 451 Catholic clergy sexually abused nearly 2,000 children in the state over a nearly 70-year period, which was more than four times the 103 individuals the church named when the state began its review in 2018.Attorney General Kwame Raoul said at a news conference that investigators found that Catholic clergy abused 1,997 children in Illinois between 1950 and 2019. “It is my hope that this report will shine light both on those who violated their positions of power and trust to abuse innocent children, and on the men in church leadership who covered up that abuse,” Raoul said, crediting the accusers for making the review possible. “These perpetrators may never be held accountable in a court of law, but by naming them here, the intention is to provide a public accountability and a measure of healing to survivors who have long suffered in silence.”The lengthy report describes Illinois ch...

2 employees injured in fire at refinery in southern Oklahoma

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:28:13 GMT

WYNNEWOOD, Okla. (AP) — Two people were injured Tuesday at a fire in a refinery in southern Oklahoma, authorities said.The fire began about 8:20 a.m. at the refinery in Wynnewood, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of Oklahoma City, according to a statement from Sugar Land, Texas-based CVR Energy, which owns the refinery.The statement did not disclose the injuries suffered by the two employees or their conditions. All other employees are accounted for, according to the statement.“The source of the fire has been isolated and emergency crews are working to extinguish the fire,” CVR spokesperson Brandee Stephens said, but the cause was not identified. “Company officials are conducting a thorough investigation into this incident,” Stephens said.The statement said the fire began in a gasoline hydrotreater, which is used to remove contaminants during the refining process.Garvin County Emergency Management director Dave Johnson said during a news conference that the area is safe.“There&#...

Parents of Native American basketball players file federal complaint over racist taunts at game

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:28:13 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The parents of two Native American players on a North Dakota high school basketball team are seeking a federal investigation into racist taunts their sons endured during a game in January.The parents of Andre Austin and Teysean Eaglestaff filed a discrimination complaint earlier this month with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights seeking the investigation into an incident during a game between Bismarck High School and Jamestown High School on Jan. 31. Monkey noises and war whooping could be heard coming from the Jamestown student section during the game when the Native American Bismarck players handled the ball, the Bismarck Tribune reported. Austin is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux and Eaglestaff is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux.Tim Purdon, an attorney for the parents, Savannah Alkire and Quinn Austin, and Kate and Lance Eaglestaff, said the families are seeking accountability from the Jamestown School District and a meeting ...