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G7 countries pledge long-term support for Ukraine

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:34:43 GMT

VILNIUS — G7 countries want to show they’re with Kyiv for the long haul. On the sidelines of a NATO summit in Vilnius — which has so far proved disappointing for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. on Wednesday presented a plan to organize bilateral, long-term security commitments to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s aggression. “Today we are launching negotiations with Ukraine to formalize … our enduring support to Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity, rebuilds its economy, protects its citizens, and pursues integration into the Euro-Atlantic community,” a G7 statement reads. “While we are on our way to NATO membership, Ukraine needs effective security guarantees on the way to the Alliance. We now have an appropriate package of guarantees, and I ask you to support and join it,” Zelenskyy tweeted.For the past few weeks, the U.S., the U.K., France ...

Restaurant review: Paolo’s Idea

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:34:43 GMT

Avenue d’Auderghem 48What’s good: If you are looking to treat yourself to a tasty lunch break in the Schuman area, Paolo’s Idea has you covered. The menu offers a wide variety of pizzas, antipasti and pasta options. Except for the pizzas, all the dishes vary daily depending on the availability of the ingredients, which are imported from the sunny Neapolitan coast. The staff is friendly and loud … exactly what you would expect from a Neapolitan pizzeria! And bravo for being one of the few restaurants in town to offer gluten and lactose-free pizza options!We ordered a margherita with smoked mozzarella and mixed salad as a side. Both tasted delicious. The espresso at the end of the meal was also a treat.What’s not: Not an ideal spot for sharing confidential information with your colleagues over lunch. The small venue and the Italian pizzaioli talking loudly behind the kitchen counter will inevitably lead to you raising your voice as well.Vibe: The atmosphere is cheerf...

Webb telescope shares stunning new image of star birth to mark its first anniversary

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:34:43 GMT

(CNN) — The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning new image of the closest star-forming region to Earth, located 390 light-years away.The release of the image marks the first anniversary since the space observatory began observing the universe.Webb’s detailed closeup showcases the chaos of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, where crisscrossing jets from young sunlike stars hit interstellar gas and cause it to glow.Some of the stars are wreathed in shadows that hint at circumstellar disks, the swirling rings of gas and dust where planets are born.The cloud complex contains 50 stars similar in mass to our sun, which means these future planetary systems may resemble what our own solar system looked like in the very beginning.The darkest parts of the image are where stars that are still forming are cocooned in dust, while the jets of molecular hydrogen make bold splashes in red.“Webb’s image of Rho Ophiuchi allows us to witness a very brief period in the stellar life...

Nearly 80 years after going MIA in WWII, US soldier accounted for

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:34:43 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A U.S. Army soldier from Massachusetts reported missing in action while his unit was involved in fighting against German forces in Italy during World War II has been accounted for, the military said.The remains of Pvt. Wing O. Hom, of Boston, were identified in April using both anthropological and mitochondrial DNA analysis, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Tuesday.Hom, 20, went missing in February 1944 during fighting near the town of Cisterna di Latina, south of Rome.A member of Company B, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, Hom’s body was not recovered and he was never reported as a prisoner of war, officials said. He was declared dead in February 1945.A set of remains recovered near the hamlet of Ponte Rotto, about 3 miles (5 kilometers) west of Cisterna di Latina, could not be identified and were ultimately buried at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy.Those remains were disinterred and sent for analysis and identifica...

FBI director faces GOP critics at hearing focused on Trump, Hunter Biden and more

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:34:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As FBI Director Chris Wray faced congressional critics Wednesday, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee recited from a recent judge’s ruling against the government’s handling of misinformation on social media — kicking off a long list of GOP grievances against the Justice Department. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said he is trying to stop what Republicans call the “weaponization” of the federal justice system that they say is tilted against conservatives, including Donald Trump, the former president. However, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, said the hearing was “little more than performance art” by the Republicans who are launching what he called baseless investigations too far-fetched to be true. Even the start of the hearing showcased the contention to come when a simple Pledge of Allegiance brought raised voices from the audience on the final lines, “liberty and justice for all.”It’s just the lat...

Iran’s president begins a rare visit to Africa to ‘promote economic diplomacy’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:34:43 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Iran’s president has begun a rare visit to Africa as his country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen other partnerships around the world.President Ebrahim Raisi’s visits to Kenya and Uganda on Wednesday represent the first to the African continent by an Iranian leader in more than a decade. He is also visiting Zimbabwe.Africa is a “continent of opportunities” and a great platform for Iranian products, Raisi told journalists in Kenya. He didn’t take questions. “None of us is satisfied with the current volume of trade,” he said. Iran’s leader specifically mentioned Africa’s mineral resources and Iran’s petrochemical experience, but the five memoranda of understanding signed on Wednesday by the Islamic Republic and Kenya appeared not to address either one. Instead, they addressed information, communication and technology; fisheries; animal health and livestock production and investment promotion.Kenyan Presi...

Stock market today: Wall Street rallies after inflation cools

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:34:43 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is climbing Wednesday after a report showed inflation cooled a bit more than expected last month, which hopefully takes some more pressure off the economy.The S&P 500 was 1.1% higher in morning trading and on track for its seventh winning week in the last nine. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 272 points, or 0.8%, at 34,533, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.4% higher.The rally was widespread, and everything climbed from stocks of flashy Big Tech behemoths to banks to staid utility companies. The U.S. government’s latest update on inflation showed that consumers paid prices for gasoline, food and other items that were 3% higher overall in June than a year earlier. That’s down from 4% inflation in May and a bit more than 9% last summer. Perhaps more importantly, it was a touch lower than economists expected.High inflation has been at the center of Wall Street’s problems because it’s driven the Federal Reserve to jack ...

Evidence seized from home of man charged in Cleveland shooting that wounded 9

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:34:43 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — Authorities seized evidence from the home of a man charged in a downtown Cleveland mass shooting over the weekend that wounded nine people, though the motive for the attack remained unclear Wednesday.Federal marshals and city police arrested Jaylon Jennings, 25, of Lorain, without incident at a home in that Cleveland suburb at around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday. A search warrant was then executed at Jennings’ home and items were seized, but authorities didn’t disclose further details.Jennings is due to make an initial court appearance Thursday in Cleveland Municipal Court, and it wasn’t clear Wednesday if he had retained a lawyer. He’s charged with attempted murder, and additional charges are expected.Cleveland police Chief Wayne Drummond said Jennings is believed to have opened fire on a group of people who were standing outside a bar in the downtown Warehouse District shortly before 2:30 a.m. Sunday as the clubs were closing. Seven men and two women ...

Police announce another arrest in Kansas nightclub shooting that injured more than 11

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:34:43 GMT

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police have arrested another person in a Kansas nightclub shooting earlier this month that injured nearly a dozen people. A 23-year-old Wichita man was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of attempted murder, assault and battery, Wichita police said. He is one of three people in custody for their suspected roles in the July 2 shooting at City Nightz in downtown Wichita, in which nine people were shot and two others were trampled in the chaos. No one died. Police said details of the investigation have been sent to Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett, who will determine any charges against the suspect. Bennett did not immediately respond Wednesday to messages seeking comment.The Associated Press typically does not name people arrested for crimes unless they’ve been charged.Two other Wichita men have been charged in the shooting. John Houze, 27, and Ameir King-Ingram, 19, are charged with several gun and aggravated assault counts. King-Ingram is al...

CP NewsAlert: Prince Albert, Sask., officer charged with criminal negligence

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:34:43 GMT

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — Police in Prince Albert, Sask., say an officer has been charged with criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessities of life after a man died in custody in November 2021. More coming.The Canadian Press