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Ukraine says it’s liberated 4 villages as counteroffensive intensifies

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:21:22 GMT

KYIV — Ukraine says it has liberated four villages in the Donbas region, as Kyiv’s counteroffensive ramps up. Marines from the Ukrainian army on Monday raised the blue-and-yellow flag over Storozhove in the Donetsk region — a village that has been occupied by the Russian army since March 2022, the brigade said in a video statement from the scene.“As a result of the clearing of the settlement, about fifty Russians were destroyed, and four were taken prisoners,” the marine brigade said.Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar referred to the liberation of Storozhove in a Telegram statement, adding: “To be continued.”During the weekend, the Ukrainian army also claimed to have liberated Blahodante, Makarivka, and Neskuchne villages in the Donetsk region, according to the different brigades involved and Maliar. The information could not be independently verified by POLITICO.Ukrainian forces have faced stiff resistance from the Russians, who...

MPs to wrap up Boris Johnson Partygate report after he quits with blast at ‘kangaroo court’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:21:22 GMT

LONDON — MPs will meet Monday to finalize a report on whether Boris Johnson misled the House of Commons, after the former prime minister quit parliament with a tirade at the investigation.The U.K. parliament’s privileges committee is examining whether Johnson knowingly misled parliament over coronavirus rule-breaking parties held on government property, in what become known as the Partygate affair.Johnson quit with “immediate effect” Friday after being sent an advance copy of the report, with two close allies — Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams — also announcing their exit from the Commons, triggering three tricky by-elections for the governing Conservatives.In his statement, Johnson said the “kangaroo court” committee has “still not produced a shred of evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled” MPs. He also trained fire on the committee’s chair, the Labour MP Harriet Harman.Made up of both Tory and Labour MPs, the privileges committee sai...

Shooting at California teen’s birthday party leaves 18-year-old woman dead, 6 wounded

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:21:22 GMT

ANTIOCH, Calif. (AP) — A shooting at a birthday party killed an 18-year-old woman and injured six others in Northern California early Sunday, police said. The Antioch Police Department responded to multiple 911 calls about a shooting just before 1 a.m., the department said in a statement.Multiple shots were fired after some people arrived uninvited at a birthday party for a 19-year-old man at a home in the city about 45 miles (72 km) northeast of San Francisco. Victims and a large crowd were found by officers outside the home, police said.The 18-year-old woman was transported to an area hospital, where she died, police said.The victims who suffered non-life-threatening injuries included an 18-year-old man and a 19-year-old man, two 19-year-old women and two 20-year-old women. Some of the victims transported themselves to area hospitals after “a panic where attendees … fled in multiple directions and into the neighborhood,” police said.The Antioch police said a suspect or suspe...

UBS completes takeover of Credit Suisse in deal meant to stem global financial turmoil

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:21:22 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — UBS said Monday that it has completed its takeover of embattled rival Credit Suisse, nearly three months after the Swiss government hastily arranged a rescue deal to combine the country’s two largest banks in a bid to safeguard Switzerland’s reputation as a global financial center and choke off market turmoil.A statement from the bank said that “UBS has completed the acquisition of Credit Suisse today, crossing an important milestone.”UBS had said last week that it expected to complete the acquisition worth 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.3 billion) as early as Monday.It’s a pivotal moment for the two Zurich-based rivals, whose combination has raised concerns about thousands of expected job losses, drawn rebukes and lawsuits over the terms of the deal, and stirred fears about the impact of creating a Swiss megabank that would be too big to fail.“This is a very important moment — not just for UBS, (but) for Switzerland as a financial location and for Switze...

Israel’s opposition leader and former prime minister testifies at Netanyahu’s corruption trial

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:21:22 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s opposition leader testified for the prosecution on Monday against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his corruption trial in Jerusalem.Yair Lapid, a former prime minister himself and a major Netanyahu rival, is testifying in one of three cases against Netanyahu. The indictment claims Netanyahu used his position of power to further Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan’s interests in exhange for gifts, representing a conflict between the premier’s public duties and personal friendship.Netanyahu did personal favors for Milchan, including asking U.S. officials to extend Milchan’s U.S. resident’s permit and extending Israeli regulations exempting Israeli returnees from declaring foreign income, according to the indictment.Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, denies claims of wrongdoing, saying he was not acting in Milchan’s personal interests and even occasionally acted against them. He says the exchanges of gifts were just friendly gestures....

Ukraine claims recapture of 4th village in eastern Donetsk as counteroffensive operations roll on

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:21:22 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian military officials said Monday their troops have retaken another southeastern village from Russian forces, among the first — small — successes in stepped-up counteroffensive operations against Moscow’s more than 15-month invasion of Ukraine. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram that Ukraine’s flag was again flying over the village of Storozhov, and she predicted the liberation of “all Ukrainian land” would the final outcome. A day earlier, Ukrainian officials said three other small villages clustered together south of the town of Velika Novosilke in the eastern Donetsk region had been liberated. The villages are located in the so-called “Vremivka ledge,” a section of the front line where the Russian-controlled area protrudes into territory held by Ukraine. The area has become one of several epicenters of intense fighting.The Russian Defense Ministry hasn’t confirmed the Russian retreat from the villages, but some military ...

Cash-strapped Pakistan welcomes arrival of first shipment of discounted crude from Russia

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:21:22 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Pakistani government on Monday welcomed the arrival of the first shipment of discounted crude from Russia under a key deal between Islamabad and Moscow.Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif hailed it as a “fulfillment of promises” to the nation while Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted that it marked a “true service” for the people. The cargo was being unloaded in the port city of Karachi, the country’s main hub for imports. Cash-strapped Pakistan had been in talks with Russia to import discounted crude since February 2022, when former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin. Khan’s visit coincided with the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — a visit that at the time strained relations between Pakistan and the United States. Moscow has since grappled with Western sanctions over the war, rerouting much of its supply to India, China and other Asian countries at discounted prices after Western cus...

Major air defense exercise starts in Germany, effect on civilian flights unclear

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:21:22 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — An air deployment exercise billed as the biggest in NATO’s history and hosted by Germany is getting underway on Monday. The Air Defender 23 exercise that is set to run through June 23 was long-planned but serves to showcase the alliance’s capabilities amid high tensions with Russia.Some 10,000 participants and 250 aircraft from 25 nations will respond to a simulated attack on a NATO member. The United States alone is sending 2,000 U.S. Air National Guard personnel and about 100 aircraft.“The exercise is a signal — a signal above all to us, a signal to us, the NATO countries, but also to our population that we are in a position to react very quickly … that we would be able to defend the alliance in case of attack,” German air force chief Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz told ZDF television.Gerhartz said he proposed the exercise in 2018, reasoning that Russia’s annexation of Crimea underlined the need to be able to defend NATO.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine i...

Karabakh photographs capture the devastation of war

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:21:22 GMT

After 30 years of occupation by Armenia, most of Karabakh was liberated by Azerbaijan in 2020. Much of the territory was devastated by war and restoration work, notably mine clearance, continues. The French photographer Gregory Herpe travelled to Karabakh after the liberation and an exhibition of his work has been held in the European Parliament in Brussels, writes Political Editor Nick Powell.Gregory Herpe’s Karabakh photographs have drama in their bleakness, even beauty. Indeed, he told the large gathering drawn to the opening of the exhibition of his photographs in the European Parliament that even when his subject is the devastation of war, “it is important to take beautiful pictures that grab the attention of the audience”.Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the European Union, Vaqif Sadiqov, said of the French photographer that “driven by a spirit of global citizenship, he went to heavily mined areas”. The resulting pictures were now being exhibited in the home of European democracy. T...

The Intersection of Art and Melody: Violin Virtuoso Anna Khalikova’s Innovative Music Projects

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:21:22 GMT

In the world of classical music, the name Anna Khalikova reverberates with the same warmth and resonance as the harmonious notes of her virtuoso violin playing. This violin maestra, with her distinctive flair for the instrument, has embarked on a mission to interlace the euphonious strands of music with the vibrant hues of visual arts.Anna Khalikova’s remarkable journey in the realm of music began in her homeland, Uzbekistan, where she served as the Concertmaster of the Youth Symphony Orchestra. Then, following her musical compass, she traversed a path to the United States at the tender age of 18. With no familiar faces in sight and an unfamiliar language to grasp, Anna relied on her tenacity and inner voice to navigate this new world.Her education speaks volumes about her formidable dedication to the violin. Holding a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance from Michigan State University, where she was the esteemed Teaching Assistant to the renowned Dmitri Berlins...