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Serbia will increase supplies of Russian natural gas to Hungary if Ukraine pulls out of transit deal

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:10:50 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Serbia will provide Hungary with increased shipments of Russian natural gas if Ukraine follows through on ending a gas transit agreement with Russia, Hungary’s foreign minister said Sunday. Speaking in a taped message, Peter Szijjarto said Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, had met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest, and assured him that Serbia would be able to supply more Russian gas to Hungary if Kyiv declines to extend an agreement allowing its transit across Ukrainian territory. “We’ve heard in recent days that Ukraine would like to terminate the previously concluded natural gas transit agreement with Russia,” Szijjarto said. “Today, the Serbian president made it clear that if Hungary would like to increase natural gas shipments through Serbia to Hungary, then Serbia can ensure the necessary shipment capacities.”The deal came after Ukraine’s energy minister, German Galushchenko, indicated Kyiv was unlikely t...

Ecuadorians are choosing a new president amid increasing violence that may scare away voters

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:10:50 GMT

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador is holding a special election Sunday to pick a new president, with police and soldiers on guard against unprecedented violence, including the assassination of a candidate this month. Front-runners include an ally of exiled former President Rafael Correa and a millionaire with a security background promising to be tough on crime.Authorities have deployed more than 100,000 police and soldiers to protect the vote against more violence. Voting in Ecuador is mandatory for most voters, but turnout could be affected because of people’s fears of leaving their homes. The country’s top electoral authority, Diana Atamint, on Sunday urged voters to unite against violence. Atamint, president of the National Electoral Council, marked the start of the election telling Ecuadorians that voting “should be a strong democratic message of unity and hope to face the violence that threatens our country, even though pain overwhelms us.” Candidate Fernando Villavicenc...

Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashes into the moon, ending its bid to reach the lunar south pole

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:10:50 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit, the country’s Roscosmos space agency said Sunday. The pilotless spacecraft was aiming to be the first ever to land on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe there could be important reserves of frozen water and precious elements. It had been expected to land Monday. However, Roscosmos said it lost contact with the Luna-25 on Saturday after the spacecraft ran into difficulties and reported an “abnormal situation ”.“The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon,” read a statement from the agency.The Luna-25 was in a race with an Indian spacecraft launched on July 14 to be the first to reach the south pole. Both were expected to reach the moon between Aug. 21 and 23.The lunar mission was Russia’s first since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Only three governmen...

The Netherlands and Denmark will give F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, the Dutch prime minister says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:10:50 GMT

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands and Denmark announced Sunday that they will give F-16 warplanes to Ukraine, in a long-awaited announcement that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an important motivation for Ukraine’s forces, which are embroiled in a difficult counteroffensive.The timeline depends on how soon Ukrainian crews and infrastructure are ready for the powerful U.S.-made jets, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told Zelenskyy as the two visited a Dutch air base.Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge. It recently launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery. Zelenskyy welcomed the ‘’historic” announcement and praised Rutte for making the Netherlands the first country to offer the planes. The announcement came minutes after the two leaders inspected two gray F-16 jets parked in a hangar at ...

A bus hits a van and catches fire in Pakistan, killing 20 people and injuring 11 others

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:10:50 GMT

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — A bus in Pakistan caught fire after hitting a van parked on the shoulder of an intercity highway in eastern Punjab province, killing at least 20 people and injuring 11 others, police and rescue officials said Sunday. The accident occurred early Sunday near Pindi Bhattian, where the Islamabad-bound bus hit a van parked on the shoulder of the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway, senior police officer Fahad Ahmed said. The van was carrying fuel drums, which caused an inferno that engulfed the bus, Ahmed said.There were more than 40 passengers on the bus, Ahmed said. Those who were rescued were badly burned, including several in critical condition. Other passengers were slightly injured with burns after escaping through the windows. The drivers of both vehicles died, police said. Mohammad Jawed, a medical officer at a hospital in nearby Faisalabad district, said two of the seriously burned injured died in the hospital, taking the death toll to 20 with 11 hospitalized. Ehsa...

Gunmen kill at least 23 in an attack on a village in central Mali

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:10:50 GMT

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Armed gunment killed at least 23 people and wounded 12 in an attack on a village in central Mali, officials said Sunday.Sidi Mohamed El Bechir, governor of the Bandiagara region where the attack took place, said unidentified men killed dozens of people and set fire to several homes in the village of Yarou on Friday.“The assailants stayed in the village until 7 p.m. and burned down part of the village, smashed stores and took away the villagers’ cattle,” said Amadou Lougué, president of the regional youth organization, on Sunday. The attack has not been claimed.Communities across central and northern Mali have been in the grips of protracted armed violence since 2012. Extremist rebels were forced from power in the West African nation’s northern cities the following year, with the help of a French-led military operation. But they regrouped in the desert and began launching attacks on the Malian army and its allies.Friday’s attack in the central Mopti region took pl...

Potential holy wars in Big 12 with BYU becoming league’s 3rd private Christian school

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:10:50 GMT

There could be some new holy wars brewing in the evolving Big 12 Conference. With BYU coming in this season, the Big 12 has three private Christian schools from different denominations. The Cougars, the 1984 national champions who played the past 12 seasons as an independent, are now in the same league with Baylor and TCU — whose 118-game “Revivalry” in Texas dates to a scoreless tie in 1899. “I think that will be really intriguing to see … is there more of a long-term interest amongst TCU and Baylor fans in BYU as an opponent compared to some of the other Big 12 teams that are coming in,” said Northern Kentucky professor Joe Cobbs, an expert in sports rivalries. BYU was founded by and still supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church. Baylor is the world’s largest Baptist university, and TCU partners with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). All three schools were founded in the 1800s. There can be commonality a...

Union for Philadelphia Orchestra musicians authorize strike if talks break down

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:10:50 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Musicians authorized a strike against the Philadelphia Orchestra if bargaining breaks down for an agreement to replace the four-year deal that expires on Sept. 10.Local 77 of the American Federation of Musicians said Sunday that 95% of voting members approved the strike authorization a day earlier. In addition to an agreement on compensation and benefits, the union said it wants 15 vacant positions filled.Base salary in 2022-23 was $152,256, including electronic media agreement wages, the union said. Each musician received a supplemental payment of $750 or $1,500 in each year of the contract.“We are disappointed in the decision by AFM Local 77 and the musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra to authorize a strike,” management said in a statement. “We will continue to negotiate in good faith towards a fiscally responsible agreement that ensures the musicians’ economic and artistic future.”The orchestra completed its summer residency at the Saratoga Perfor...

Libya’s central bank announces reunification after nearly a decade of division due to civil war

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:10:50 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Libya’s central bank announced Sunday its reunification after being split for nearly a decade due to the country’s long-running civil war that resulted in two rival administrations, in the east and the west.The bank said in a terse statement that it has become a “unified sovereign institution” following a meeting in the capital, Tripoli, between Central Bank Governor Sadiq al-Kabir and his deputy in the country’s east, Marai Rahil.The bank said the meeting crowned efforts by Libyan parties and marked the unification of the bank. Al-Kabir and Rahil said they would continue their efforts to address repercussions of the yearslong division, according to the statement. They didn’t provide further details.The bank is the repository for billions of dollars annually in oil revenue as well as foreign reserves. In 2014, it splintered along the country’s broader political fault lines. The bank’s internationally recognized headquarters remains in Tripoli, while an eastern branch al...

Sunday Forecast: Areas under Heat Advisory, humidity rises

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:10:50 GMT

Sunday: Partly cloudy skies today with temperatures warming quickly into the low 90s. Temperatures will remain a bit cooler, in the mid to upper 80s, along the lake. Humidity continues to rise today and heat index values expected into the triple digits for inland areas. Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Sunday Night: Many under a heat advisory from 1pm until 8pm today. A lake breeze later today will drop our temperatures and dewpoints quickly and we'll have a comfortable evening ahead. Monday: Week starts out mild with highs in the low 80s. Temperatures trend back into the upper 90s for the latter half of the work week.