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Fighting ‘through hell.’ To reclaim Bakhmut, a Ukrainian brigade must first survive the forest

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:32:09 GMT

ANDRIIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — The Russian bullet struck the sergeant just above the left ear. The leader of the Ukrainian platoon was down. Headquarters radioed a battlefield promotion to the private who had called him “brother” — a man known as Courier.Courier knew the platoon’s orders were to move forward through the forest, on the road to Bakhmut. He hesitated near his mortally wounded commander. Then he decided: There would be no turning back. “Forward!” he howled.The men stumbled through the charred spindles of trees toward the village of Andriivka — the objective of the 3rd Assault Brigade since the start of Ukraine’s counteroffensive this summer, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) south of the city of Bakhmut.Days later, as he prepared for Gagarin’s funeral, Courier predicted his own future, his pale eyes unfocused.“This forest is taking our friends away, and this is the worst,” he said. “And when I think about how far we still need to move forward … most likely some...

Cisco buying cybersecurity firm Splunk for $28 billion, bolstering defenses as use of AI widens

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:32:09 GMT

Cisco is buying the cybersecurity firm Splunk in a $28 billion deal as it bolsters its defenses against potential security threats that may be heightened by the widening use of artificial intelligence. The Silicon Valley networking tech giant will pay $157 per Splunk Inc. share. “Our combined capabilities will drive the next generation of AI-enabled security and observability,” Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins said in a prepared statement. “From threat detection and response to threat prediction and prevention, we will help make organizations of all sizes more secure and resilient.” Dan Ives of Wedbush sees the transaction as a smart move for Cisco.“Cisco is focused on the next generation of AI-enabled security and observability and Splunk’s well regarded unique platform makes this the right move at the right time for Cisco in our view and an aggressive strategic play in cybersecurity,” he wrote in a note to clients. “For Cisco this is a shot across the bow at Palo Alto, Checkpoint...

UK prosecutors have charged 5 Bulgarians with spying for Russia. They are due in court next week

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:32:09 GMT

LONDON (AP) — British authorities on Thursday charged five Bulgarians living in the U.K. with spying for Russia.The Crown Prosecution Service said it had authorized charges of conspiracy to conduct espionage against three men and two women.The five — Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, Katrin Ivanova, 31, Ivan Stoyanov, 31, and Vanya Gaberova, 29 — are accused of “conspiring to collect information intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy,” namely Russia, between August 2020 and February this year.Roussev lives in the eastern England seaside town of Great Yarmouth, and the others in the London area.All five were arrested early this year by counterterrorism detectives on suspicion of an offense under the Official Secrets Act. Roussev, Dzhambazov, and Ivanova were charged in February with having false identity documents. During a court appearance in July, prosecutors said they had 34 ID documents, some of which were suspected to be false, from the U.K., Bulgaria, F...

Ancient ‘power’ palazzo on Rome’s Palatine Hill reopens to tourists, decades after closure.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:32:09 GMT

ROME (AP) — An ancient Roman imperial palazzo atop the city’s Palatine Hill was reopened to tourists on Thursday, nearly 50 years after its closure for restoration.The nearly 2,000-year-old Domus Tiberiana was home to rulers in the ancient city’s Imperial period. The sprawling palace allows for sweeping views of the Roman Forum below. The public is now able to tour it, following decades of structural restoration work to shore the palace up for safety reasons. Excavations uncovered artifacts from centuries of Roman life following the decline of the empire.The director of the Colosseum Archeological Park, which includes the Palatine Hill, in a written description of the restored palazzo, dubbed it “the power palace par excellence.” On the eve of the reopening, the official, Alfonsina Russo, quoted a first-century Roman poet as saying the sprawling palace seemed “infinite” and that “its grandiosity was just like the grandiosity of the sky.”Although the domus, or residence, ...

A suspected serial killer pleads guilty in Rwanda to killing 14 people

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:32:09 GMT

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — A suspected serial killer in Rwanda on Thursday pleaded guilty at a court on Thursday, saying he killed 14 people. Most of the victims were women.Denis Kazungu, 34, admitted guilt to charges that included murder, rape and robbery. He appeared at the Kicukiro Court in the capital, Kigali, and didn’t appear to show any emotion during the hearing.Kazungu smiled as police led him into the courtroom. Police discovered 12 bodies on his property, but he said he killed an additional two people whose bodies haven’t been found. Kazungu said that he killed his victims because he said they intentionally infected him with HIV. But he offered no evidence of this.The victims include 11 women and one man, authorities said. The sex of the other two people Kazungu said he killed wasn’t immediately clear.He said he could remember the names of only three of his victims. Kazungu requested that his trial be conducted behind closed doors so that details about the ca...

Suspect in family’s killing in suburban Chicago dies along with passenger after Oklahoma crash

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:32:09 GMT

A suspect in the shooting deaths of a suburban Chicago family died following a fiery crash in Oklahoma, along with a passenger, police said.Nathaniel Huey Jr., of Streamwood, Illinois, tried to elude authorities after a digital license plate detector spotted him Wednesday in Catoosa, Oklahoma, but he crashed the vehicle, and it caught fire, police said. It’s unclear whether the crash, or gunfire officers heard at the crash scene, killed him and the woman who was his passenger.Huey, 32, was suspected in the deaths of Alberto Rolon, Zoraida Bartolomei and their two sons, ages 7 and 9. They were believed shot between Saturday night and early Sunday in their home in Romeoville, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.Police were asked to check on the family Sunday night after one member did not show for work that morning and phone calls went unanswered, police said.The names of the children have not been released. Three dogs were also found dead, news outlets reported....

Russia strikes cities from east to west in Ukraine ahead of key Zelenskyy meetings in US

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:32:09 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missiles and artillery pounded cities across Ukraine early Thursday, sparking fires, killing at least three people and trapping others under the rubble of destroyed buildings, authorities said, as Poland said it would stop providing weapons to its ally amid a trade dispute.The early-morning wave of missile strikes on what’s known as the International Day of Peace was Russia’s largest in over a month, and came as world leaders meet at United Nations General Assembly in New York. In a speech there, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced Russia as “a terrorist state.”Zelenskyy was to meet Thursday with President Joe Biden and congressional leaders in Washington with an additional $24 billion aid package hanging in the balance.Poland, which has been a major supporter of Ukraine, said it would stop transferring weapons to its neighbor as it works to modernize its own military, but denied the decision was linked to a simmering dispute over a tempora...

Lebanon launches probe into late-night shots outside US Embassy that caused no injuries

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:32:09 GMT

AUKAR, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanese security agencies are investigating a late-night shooting outside the heavily fortified U.S. Embassy just north of Beirut, officials said Thursday. No one was hurt in the small-arms fire.The shots erupted near the entrance to the embassy compound in Beirut’s northeastern suburb of Aukar on Wednesday night. No one claimed responsibility for the shooting and the motives behind it were not known. After the shooting, the Lebanese army took measures and launched the investigation, including analyzing security camera footage from the area, a Lebanese official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.Lebanese military police marked at least five bullet holes in the wall next to the embassy entrance. Heavier-than-usual security measures were in effect, but the road leading to the embassy was not closed.“There were no injuries, and our facility is safe,” U.S. Embassy spokesperson Jake Nelson said. “We are in close contact with host coun...

Rupert Murdoch stepping down as chair of Fox and News Corp.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:32:09 GMT

(The Hill) -- Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is retiring in November as the chairman of Fox and News Corp., a notable shift for a company that has significantly shaped political discourse across the country -- particularly on the right -- for decades.Murdoch, 92, will transition into a new role as chairman emeritus for both companies, and his son, Lachlan Murdoch, will become sole chairman of News Corp and continue as CEO and executive chairman of Fox Corporation.Murdoch insisted he was stepping down at a point where the companies are in good health after a turbulent year that saw Fox News, the crown jewel of his conservative media empire, agree to pay $787 million to Dominion Voting Systems to settle claims of defamation out of court in connection with false statements the network aired about the company’s software being promoted by former President Donald Trump and his allies. “Our companies are in robust health, as am I,” Murdoch wrote Thursday in a note to employees announcing the n...

Moose charges, headbutts and stomps on woman walking her dog on Colorado trail

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:32:09 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A woman walking her dog on a wooded trail in Colorado's Rocky Mountains spooked a cow moose Wednesday and it charged, headbutting the hiker and stomping on her before she escaped back down the trail, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.Authorities said the woman was taken to a hospital but they declined to provide information on the woman's injuries or condition. They said the moose had stomped on her “several times” and that the dog had minor injuries. Woman injured by moose while walking dog on Boulder County trail The moose attack occurred just west of Boulder and was the third in Boulder County this year, said Kara Van Hoose, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. She added fatal encounters are rare.Hoose said the animals are often aggressive with dogs, which they perceive as a threat. They also become more aggressive during mating season — called the rut — which is just beginning in Colorado.“If a moose thinks a dog is a threat it’s going t...