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The reason U.S. response to the Russia rebellion has been decidedly cautious

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:49:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — On the surface, the turmoil in Russia would seem like something for the U.S. to celebrate: a powerful mercenary group engaging in a short-lived clash with Russia’s military at the very moment that Ukraine is trying to gain momentum in a critical counteroffensive.But the public response by Washington has been decidedly cautious. Officials say the U.S. had no role in the conflict, insist this was an internal matter for Russia and decline to comment on whether it could affect the war in Ukraine. The reason: to avoid creating an opening for Russian President Vladimir Putin to seize on the rhetoric of American officials and rally Russians by blaming his Western adversaries.Even President Joe Biden, known for straying from talking points, has stayed on script.Biden told reporters Monday that the United States and NATO weren’t involved. Biden said he held a video call with allies over the weekend and they are all in sync in working to ensure that they give Putin “no excus...

Wagner private jet lands in Belarus: reports

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:49:54 GMT

A plane belonging to Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group landed at a military airfield some 20 kilometers from Minsk, Belarus, on Tuesday morning, according to reports.The plane “landed at the Machulishchi military airfield near Minsk at 07:40,” said the Belarusian Hajun project, which monitors the country’s airspace.According to data from the flight tracking website flightradar24 shared by the Hajun project, the Embraer Legacy 600 jet took off from a southwestern Russian region bordering Ukraine.Hajun added that another Russian private jet — which took off from St. Petersburg — had landed at the military airfield less than 20 minutes after the Wagner plane did.Billionaire-turned-warlord Prigozhin resurfaced on Monday afternoon, posting an audio message to social media after going silent for two days following his aborted attempt to lead Wagner’s paramilitary troops to Moscow.He has not been seen since leaving the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday ...

Ex-Audi boss convicted of fraud after pleading guilty in German automaker’s diesel emissions scandal

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:49:54 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A German court found ex-Audi boss Rupert Stadler guilty of fraud in connection with the automaker’s diesel emissions scandal Tuesday, making him the highest-ranking executive convicted over cars that cheated on emissions tests with the help of illegal software. The Munich regional court handed Stadler a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and ordered him to pay a large fine as part of an agreement between his lawyers, the judge and prosecutors after he pleaded guilty last month, German news agency dpa reported.The former head of Volkswagen’s luxury division admitted wrongdoing and regret for his failure to keep rigged cars off the market even after the scandal had become public knowledge.Three lower-ranking managers also took plea deals in the 2 1/2-year-long trial in Munich. Stadler had been charged with fraud and false certification by prosecutors who said he let cars with rigged software be sold even after the scheme was uncovered by the U.S. Environmental ...

Whereabouts and fate of Russian mercenary leader remain a mystery after revolt

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:49:54 GMT

The whereabouts of mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin remained a mystery Tuesday after Russian President Vladimir Putin once again blasted organizers of a weekend rebellion as traitors who played into the hands of Ukraine’s government and its allies.The Kremlin has said Prigozhin would be exiled to neighboring Belarus, but neither he nor the Belarusian authorities have confirmed that. An independent Belarusian military monitoring project Belaruski Hajun said a business jet that Prigozhin reportedly uses landed near Minsk on Tuesday morning. The media team for Prigozhin, the 62-year-old head of the Wagner private military contractor, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Prigozhin’s short-lived insurrection over the weekend — the biggest challenge to Putin’s rule in more than two decades in power — has rattled Russia’s leadership.Putin on Monday night sought to project stability and control in a short, nationally televised address, in which he critici...

Corruption trial begins for former Indonesia IT minister over mobile phone tower project

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:49:54 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s anti-graft court on Tuesday began a trial for a former communication and information technology minister who was charged with corruption over the construction of mobile phone transmission towers in remote parts of the country.Prosecutors allege that Johnny G. Plate changed the terms of the 8 trillion rupiah ($533 million) procurement project and the number of construction sites without conducting feasibility studies and that he personally enriched himself with 17.8 billion rupiah ($1.2 million).Anang Achmad Latif, the director of an agency under the Communications and Information Ministry, and Yohan Suryanto, a development expert from the University of Indonesia, were indicted alongside Plate for similar charges.Prosecutors also said Plate asked Latif for 500 million rupiah ($33,353) a month from March 2021 to October 2022, with the money coming from a consortium company that worked for the project. Plate, who was part of the government coalitio...

The reason US response to the Russia rebellion has been decidedly cautious

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:49:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — On the surface, the turmoil in Russia would seem like something for the U.S. to celebrate: a powerful mercenary group engaging in a short-lived clash with Russia’s military at the very moment that Ukraine is trying to gain momentum in a critical counteroffensive.But the public response by Washington has been decidedly cautious. Officials say the U.S. had no role in the conflict, insist this was an internal matter for Russia and decline to comment on whether it could affect the war in Ukraine. The reason: to avoid creating an opening for Russian President Vladimir Putin to seize on the rhetoric of American officials and rally Russians by blaming his Western adversaries.Even President Joe Biden, known for straying from talking points, has stayed on script.Biden told reporters Monday that the United States and NATO weren’t involved. Biden said he held a video call with allies over the weekend and they are all in sync in working to ensure that they give Putin “no excus...

Congo fashion show hopes to inspire peace, creativity in region affected by conflict

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:49:54 GMT

GOMA, Congo (AP) — As she puts the final touches on her latest collection, a fashion designer in Congo sees the pinning, sewing and ironing as a way to send a message to the world. “Through art, all the colors that we will express, through our clothes, it will be full of emotions, trying to explain what we are going through in our country,” Flore Mfuanani Nsukula says in her Goma workshop.Conflict in eastern Congo has gone on for decades as myriad armed groups fight for control of valuable mineral resources. There are frequent mass killings, and the violence has triggered an exodus of refugees.On Saturday, organizers held the ninth edition of the Liputa fashion show, which they say is an opportunity to inspire peace and peaceful coexistence across Africa.“Africans must be one, be united. It is true that we have a very wide cultural diversity, but this diversity must bring us together,” Cameroonian fashion designer Délia Ndougou said. She presented a collection inspired by her ...

Farmers markets thrive as customers and vendors who latched on during the pandemic remain loyal

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:49:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Farmers markets gave people something they desperately sought during the pandemic: A place to shop outdoors, and at the same time support smaller, often local businesses.The markets are now building on that goodwill as the customers that became regulars and the vendors who set up shop in 2021 and 2022 return for the new season. Back in 2020, the markets were deemed non-essential and had been forced to close. Small vendors ranging from farm stands to dog treat makers say the markets offer them access to customers and a connection to the community.Taylor Choi, operations manager at Green City Market in Chicago, said the Green City Saturday market used to bring in 5,000 to 10,000 shoppers pre-pandemic. Now that figure is 8,000 to 15,000. Green City is one of nearly 7,000 farmers markets listed in the USDA local food directory, up from about an estimated 2,000 in 1994, per the the Farmers Market Coalition.Some shoppers shy away from farmers market vendors because prices ...

Extreme heat 'disproportionately' impacts people with disabilities says human rights watchdog

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:49:54 GMT

People with disabilities in Spain and other European countries have been disproportionately affected by unprecedented heat extremes, a leading human rights watchdog said on Monday (26 June), urging authorities to provide adequate support.Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report that people with disabilities faced risk of death, physical, social, and mental health distress due to extreme heat particularly if "left to cope with dangerous temperatures on their own".Some people with disabilities are more likely to have health conditions or use medication that can affect the body's ability to respond to heat. Having to stay home due to the heat can also lead to social isolation, HRW said.Jonas Bull, assistant disability rights researcher at HRW, said that inaccessible urban spaces exacerbated the problem. Bull said his research focused on Spain but can be applied to other nations in Europe, which according to scientists is the fastest warming continent on the planet.The report said lack...

Single family residence sells for $2.4 million in Pleasanton

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:49:54 GMT

1387 Bordeaux Street – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 1300 block of Bordeaux Street in Pleasanton has new owners. The 2,430-square-foot property, built in 1991, was sold on May 23, 2023, for $2,350,000, or $967 per square foot. The property features four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a garage. It sits on a 0.4-acre lot.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:In August 2022, a 3,328-square-foot home on Locke Court in Pleasanton sold for $2,660,000, a price per square foot of $799. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.On Grant Court, Pleasanton, in March 2023, a 3,357-square-foot home was sold for $3,200,000, a price per square foot of $953. The home has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.A 3,396-square-foot home on the 4100 block of Grant Court in Pleasanton sold in July 2022, for $3,500,000, a price per square foot of $1,031. The home has 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.