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EU observers came under fire on Azerbaijan border, officials report

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:17:53 GMT

YEREVAN — Observers with the EU’s civilian monitoring mission in Armenia were caught up in a firefight along the country’s border with Azerbaijan on Tuesday, their operational headquarters confirmed.In a statement posted on social media, the EU mission in Armenia said one of its patrols “has been present to the shooting incident in our area of responsibility.” Some 100 unarmed staff have been deployed under the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy to observe the tense frontier in the wake of a brief war between the two South Caucasus countries last year.The confirmation came after Armenia’s defense ministry reported that gunfire from Azerbaijani positions had “targeted the EU observers” patrolling close to the border village of Verin Shorzha and their vehicle. But in a bizarre twist, the confirmation came only after the EU mission categorically denied the Armenian claim, going as far as to publish a graphic branding the in...

Clashes between rival militias in Libya leave 27 people dead, authorities say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:17:53 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Clashes between rival militias in Libya’s capital killed at least 27 people and left residents trapped in their homes Tuesday, unable to escape the violence, medical authorities said. The fighting appears to be the most intense to shake Tripoli this year. In addition to the 27 deaths, over 100 people were injured in the fighting, Libya’s Emergency Medicine and Support Center, a medical body that is deployed during humanitarian disasters and wars, said early Wednesday.The clashes erupted late Monday between militiamen from the 444 brigade and the Special Deterrence Force, according to local media. Tensions flared after Mahmoud Hamza, a senior commander of the 444 brigade, was allegedly detained by the rival group at an airport in Tripoli earlier in the day, the reports said. It is unclear how many of the dead were militiamen or civilians. The Red Crescent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Throughout the fighting Tuesday, the Health Ministry urged the w...

UK inflation falls to 17-month low of 6.8% but unlikely to derail another interest rate rise

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:17:53 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The rate of inflation in the U.K. fell sharply in July to a 17-month low largely on the back of lower energy prices, official figures showed Wednesday, a welcome development for hard-pressed households struggling during the cost of living crisis. The Office for National Statistics said the annual rate of inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, was 6.8% in July, its lowest level since February 2022, the month Russia invaded Ukraine and sent energy prices surging. The decline from June’s 7.9% rate was in line with economists’ expectations.The statistics agency said the fall was largely driven by lower energy prices as last year’s sharp increases fell out of the annual comparison. It said that food price inflation, which also spiked sharply in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, eased too. Though the decline in the headline rate of inflation will be welcome news for hard-pressed households, it’s unlikely to derail market exp...

Nigeriens prepare for war against regional countries threatening to invade, 3 weeks into the coup

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:17:53 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Nigeriens are preparing for war against regional countries threatening to invade, three weeks after mutinous soldiers ousted the nation’s democratically elected president.Residents in the capital, Niamey, are calling for the mass recruitment of volunteers to assist the army in the face of a growing threat by the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, which says it will use military force if the junta doesn’t reinstate the deposed President Mohamed Bazoum. ECOWAS has activated a “standby force” to restore order in Niger after the junta ignored a deadline to reinstate and release Bazoum. The initiative, spearhead by a group of locals in Niamey, aims to recruit tens of thousands of volunteers from across the country to register for the Volunteers for the Defense of Niger, to fight, assist with medical care, and provide technical and engineering logistics among other functions, in case the junta needs help, Amsarou Bako, one of the founders, told The ...

Warmth and Sunshine Wednesday; Heat Dome Building

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:17:53 GMT

The rain tallies are in from Monday's storm system from across the Chicago metro area. The spread in totals with Monday storms was even evident between the big airports here in the city. MIDWAY recorded 2.81" reports Frank Wachowski, veteran National Weather Service observer responsible for the measurements there. On the city's Northwest Side at O'Hare, the city's official weather observation site, the Monday tally was 1.00". Oak Park reported nearly 4" of rain while DeMotte, Lowell and Wheatfield, Indiana had rains measured in hundredths of an inch—typical of the wide spread in warm season rains which are so common.A period of showers and possible t-storms next reaches the area Thursday morning—but should sweep across the area expeditiously. Drier air and a beautiful Thursday afternoon and Friday follow.Temps warm nicely Wednesday with the generous sunshine predicted to return to the 80s after morning lows Wednesday in the mid 50s inland and 60 here in the city.The majority of mode...

BBC Travel: A road trip through Kazakhstan's immense landscapes

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:17:53 GMT

Photographer Yulia Denisyuk returned to the land of her birth to discover how Kazakhstan's endless steppes and rugged mountains tell the nation's rich story. "Sipping black tea with milk from a blue-and-white piala ceramic bowl, I felt like a child again. We'd arrived at Saty, a small village in southern Kazakhstan, after driving all day from Almaty through an otherworldly terrain of wide steppe grasslands, narrow gorges and snow-capped mountains. I was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan's former capital and its biggest city. Although I moved to Estonia when I was three years old, I returned to Kazakhstan every summer to visit my grandmother. "Yet, until now, I had barely explored the rest of the country outside the city limits. The sky-scraping peaks of the Tian Shan mountain range form a natural barrier between Kazakhstan's south-eastern corner and neighbouring Kyrgyzstan and China. It's here, in the Almaty region, where the country's most spectacular landscapes lie. After years abroad, I...

Single-family residence in Danville sells for $2 million

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:17:53 GMT

571 Indian Home Road – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 500 block of Indian Home Road in Danville has a new owner. The 2,728-square-foot property, built in 1972, was sold on July 28, 2023, for $2,000,000, or $733 per square foot. This two-story home offers a spacious layout with five bedrooms and three baths. On the exterior, the house is characterized by the use of wood shake roofing / shingles. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. Additionally, the house includes an attached three-car garage, offering generous space for vehicles and storage requirements. The property occupies a sizable 10,080-square-foot lot which provides abundant outdoor space, including a pool.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:A 2,820-square-foot home on the 300 block of Merrilee Place in Danville sold in November 2022, for $2,500,000, a price per square foot of $887. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Bridgewater Circle, Danville, in July 2022, a...

North Korea confirms presence of missing US soldier King

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:17:53 GMT

By Gawon Bae, Oren Liebermann and Natasha Bertrand | CNNNorth Korea on Wednesday confirmed publicly for the first time that US Army Private Travis King crossed into its territory.A statement from the country’s government-controlled Korean Central News Agency claimed King had expressed “his willingness to seek refugee” in North Korea or a third country. It also claimed King confessed that he had decided to enter North Korea as “he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army.”King crossed the military demarcation line from South Korea into North Korea in July during a tour of the Joint Security Area inside the demilitarized zone. King, a junior enlisted soldier assigned to US Forces Korea, had faced assault charges in South Korea and was due to return to Fort Bliss, Texas and be removed from the military just one day before he crossed into North Korea, CNN has reported.KCNA added that he had admitted of “illegally” intruding into th...

Australia e Inglaterra se juegan el paso a la final contra España en el Mundial de Fútbol femenino

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:17:53 GMT

(CNN) — Australia e Inglaterra se enfrentan este miércoles en un partido decisivo en el que cada equipo busca sellar una aparición histórica en la final del Mundial Femenino de Fútbol 2023.Ninguno de los equipos se ha clasificado nunca antes para una final del Mundial Femeni de Fútbol y, en un torneo tan abierto, ambos tendrán aspiraciones de llegar hasta el final.Y este miércoles la lucha está en pasar a la gran final que enfrentará al rival, España, que este martes venció 2-1 a Suecia, en un partido de locura que dejó a las dirigidas por Jorge Vilda en la final del mundial femenino por primera vez en la historia.Esta es una Copa del Mundo para recordar por muchas razones y el partido de este miércoles en el Estadio Australia en Sydney es el último encuentro en una rivalidad ferozmente reñida en numerosos deportes entre las dos naciones.El partido se jugará a las 6:00 am hora del este de EE.UU.España venció a Suecia y alcanzó la final del Mundial Femenino de Fútbol por primer...

Las Vegas and New York square off in battle of top offenses

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:17:53 GMT

New York Liberty (24-6, 13-3 Eastern Conference) at Las Vegas Aces (27-3, 15-1 Western Conference)Las Vegas; Thursday, 10 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: The WNBA’s top two scoring offenses face off in a meeting between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty.The Aces are 15-0 on their home court. Las Vegas ranks third in the WNBA with 39.7 points in the paint led by A’ja Wilson averaging 12.1.The Liberty are 12-2 on the road. New York is 8-4 against opponents over .500.TOP PERFORMERS: Wilson is scoring 21.3 points per game with 9.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists for the Aces. Kelsey Plum is averaging 19 points and 5.1 assists over the past 10 games for Las Vegas.Breanna Stewart is scoring 23.3 points per game and averaging 9.2 rebounds for the Liberty. Sabrina Ionescu is averaging 3.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for New York.LAST 10 GAMES: Aces: 9-1, averaging 94.2 points, 34.9 rebounds, 20.8 assists, 9.3 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.2% from the field....