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Dismayed by Moscow’s war, Russian volunteers are joining Ukrainian ranks to fight Putin’s troops

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:48:13 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — When Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ignited into war, back in Moscow, a young Russian who now goes by the name of Karabas was plunged into despair. Shocked by images of what was happening to Ukrainians in Russian-occupied areas, he decided to act — against Russia, his home and country.Karabas said he knew that what he was doing was drastic. He packed his bags and decided to find a way to get to Ukraine to join the ranks of Kyiv’s troops fighting Russian forces. It took him almost a year to make it happen. Today, he is part of the Siberian Battalion, a unit made up of Russians who have joined Ukrainian military ranks to fight against their homeland, hoping someday to help oust Russian President Vladimir Putin. Its members hail mostly from ethnic minorities from Russia’s far east.“I was disillusioned with my own people,” recounted Karabas, who like other fighters in the battalion spoke to The Associated Press on condition that only his military call sign be us...

With inflation down, people are talking rate cuts. The European Central Bank may say not so fast

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:48:13 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The inflation plaguing European shoppers has fallen faster than expected. The economy is in the dumps. That has people talking about interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank, perhaps as soon as the first few months of next year. No rate move is expected at the bank’s policy meeting Thursday, and analysts say ECB President Christine Lagarde is highly unlikely to confirm any plans to cut. She may even warn that it’s too early to declare victory over inflation despite how it’s improved.Like the ECB, the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks are running into market expectations that they will trim rates to support flagging economic growth now that price spikes have eased. But central bankers just finished drastic rate rises and want to ensure inflation is firmly contained.Inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro currency surprisingly fell to 2.4% in November. That is not too far from the ECB’s goal of 2% considered best fo...

Bank of England is set to hold interest rates at a 15-year high despite worries about the economy

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:48:13 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England is set to join its peers in the U.S. and Europe in keeping borrowing rates unchanged at its policy meeting Thursday despite mounting worries over the state of the British economy.The central bank is expected to keep its main interest rate at a 15-year high of 5.25%, where it has stood since August. Holding that high rate follows two years of hikes that targeted a surge in inflation, first stoked by supply chain issues during the coronavirus pandemic and then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which pushed up food and energy costs.Its decision comes during a busy pre-Christmas bout of central bank activity, with the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank also set to keep their main borrowing rates on hold at multiyear highs.The Bank of England is widely thought to be further away from cutting rates than the Fed or the ECB, with inflation in the U.K. higher than in the U.S. or across the 20 European Union countries that use the euro currency.Th...

Mikko Rantanen, Valeri Nichushkin power Avalanche past Sabres for second straight win

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:48:13 GMT

In a season of peaks and valleys to this point, a raucous third-period rally earlier this week might have sparked another surge for the Colorado Avalanche.The Avs used a dominant first period and some strong goaltending in the middle frame Wednesday night to dispatch the Buffalo Sabres, 5-1, in Erik Johnson’s emotional return to Ball Arena.“No wins are easy,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “It’s not just about winning for me. I always say I’m not going to judge our team just on the results. It’s about how we play and our conscience and are we going to play the right way and develop the habits we need to win at the most important time?“I thought we made a big step in the right direction over the last two games and we got rewarded for it.”Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists for the second consecutive game. Valeri Nichushkin had maybe his best game of the season with two goals. Sam Malinski continued to make a strong impression ...

New ECFR poll: Europeans open to Ukraine joining the EU despite security risks, but cool on further enlargement of the bloc ahead of crucial European Council summit

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:48:13 GMT

●    ‘Flash poll’ by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) reveals Europeans are open-minded to Ukraine’s accession, despite economic and security risks from such a move. There is also considerable support for Moldova and Montenegro joining the EU.●    There is widespread opposition, however, to Turkey joining the EU, and cool responses to the candidacies of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia.●    The poll suggests there is a clear divide between ‘old’ and ‘new’ EU members on the timing of any enlargement of the bloc - with a prevailing view, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and France that the EU should not be looking to add any new member states at this moment, compared to Romania and Poland, where support for enlargement is strong.●    ECFR senior fellows, Piotr Buras and Engjellushe Morina, argue that, while the geopolitical arguments in favour of enlargement are stronger today than they were 20 years ago, public opinion has not k...

Police searching for suspected stolen vehicle suspect

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:48:13 GMT

Police are searching for the driver of a suspected stolen vehicle after they led officers on an erratic, dangerous and high-speed chase through the San Fernando Valley Wednesday night.  The pursuit started at around 9: 30 p.m. when officers with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Van Nuys Division attempted to stop the suspected stolen vehicle. The driver failed to yield and then reportedly crashed into three vehicles near Roscoe Boulevard and Haskell Avenue at the start of the chase.  The suspect and a passenger made their way to the 405 Freeway and then wound their way across several other SoCal freeways, at one point reaching speeds of 125 miles per hour before exiting at Nordhoff Street.  Ground units pulled back from the pursuit due to high speeds, but police continued to track the driver from the air.  On surface streets, the suspect continued to drive erratically, blacking out the car’s headlights, squeezing through traffic, making U-turns in front o...

California tech exec accused of forcing assistant to sign sex 'slave contract': lawsuit

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:48:13 GMT

A San Francisco technology company's former CEO, Christian Lanng, was slapped with a bombshell lawsuit accusing him of sadomasochistic-style rapes and torture.Lanng's accuser is identified in court documents as "Jane Doe." She claims Lanng hired her as his executive assistant at Tradeshift, manipulated her into signing a sex "slave contract," and sent her life down into a "dark abyss" of "sexual horrors.""This is a case about Christian Lanng, who was the powerful CEO of a billion-dollar market cap 'unicorn' Tradeshift, a cloud-based supply-chain software tech company—entering into a slave contract with a female employee, Jane Doe," the lawsuit states.The lawsuit, filed Thursday in San Francisco Superior Court, accuses Lanng, Tradeshift, and other Tradeshift executives of sex trafficking, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and sexual assault.A Tradeshift spokesperson told Nexstar's KRON on Tuesday, "Tradeshift denies the allegations in the claim insofar as they are made ag...

Banners calling for end to war in Gaza destroyed

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:48:13 GMT

(KRON) -- Viral video shows a man with a knife slashing a banner in San Jose calling for an end to the war in Gaza.The video (above) was shot on Sunday, but this was not the first time the banners and volunteer group that hung the banners have been messed with in the past month. San Jose police said they are investigating.In the video, a voice can be heard saying, "Sir, you have no right to do this," as a man slashes and tears down the pro-Palestine banners hung on Park Avenue overcrossing 880."I felt really intimidated, threatened and unsafe," a Muslim community volunteer who wished to remain anonymous told KRON4. "There were several times where I thought he was going to pull out a gun and I genuinely was afraid for my life.The volunteer said for weeks, his group has been putting up these banners around San Jose."The message itself calls for the end of violence in the Gaza strip; the end of the genocide against the people in Gaza," the volunteer said. "This person decided to walk o...

Attempted burglary reported at Atherton home

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:48:13 GMT

(KRON) -- Police are investigating an attempted burglary on Tuesday evening at an Atherton home, the Atherton Police Department announced in a news release. The burglary happened around 6:12 p.m. at a home on Fairview Avenue. Draymond Green suspended indefinitely by NBA Multiple suspects tried to enter the residence through a broken window of a bedroom on the ground floor, according to Atherton police. Police did not specify how many suspects. No description of the suspects was released. No other information about Tuesday's attempted burglary was immediately available. The attempted burglary comes the same week KRON4 reported that an arrest warrant was issued for an 18-year-old Cupertino resident who allegedly trespassed Stephen Curry's Atherton home. The alleged trespassing happened on Oct. 15, and the suspect was supposed to appear in court on Dec. 7 but didn't show up. Forbes: This is California’s favorite dog breed Earlier in the year, Stephen and Ayesha Curry opposed a town...

Nichushkin scores twice, Avalanche beat Sabres 5-1 as Erik Johnson makes return to Colorado

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:48:13 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin scored twice, Nathan MacKinnon reached 800 career points with two assists and the Colorado Avalanche rode a fast start to a 5-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.Nichushkin, Mikko Rantanen and Miles Wood paved the way with first-period goals, while defenseman Sam Malinski scored his first NHL goal in the third period. He also had an assist. Ivan Prosvetov was stellar in his start over a scuffling Alexandar Georgiev and made 29 saves. The Avalanche wrapped up a five-game homestand with a 3-2 mark.Zach Benson scored for the Sabres on an emotional night for teammate Erik Johnson. He was honored in the first period with a video tribute after playing parts of 13 seasons for the Avalanche and helping them to the 2022 Stanley Cup title. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen finished with 24 saves. MacKinnon’s big assist night allowed him to become the fifth player in franchise history to reach the 800-point mark. MacKinnon also extended his point streak to...