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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says ‘counteroffensive and defensive actions’ under way against Russia

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:13:08 GMT

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday appeared to confirm that his country’s much-anticipated counteroffensive against Russia’s invasion has begun, but he said Ukraine would refrain from giving details about the operation.“Counteroffensive and defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine; at which stage I will not talk in detail,” Zelenskyy said at a joint press conference in Kyiv on Saturday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was on an unannounced visit to Ukraine.“I am in touch with our commanders,” the Ukrainian leader was quoted as saying. “Everyone is positive.”Zelenskyy’s comments came after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Kyiv’s long-expected counteroffensive was already failing. Reports earlier this week said the counteroffensive was under way, with Ukraine battling to retake territory occupied by Moscow’s forces.In his nightly address late Saturday, Zelenskyy thanked Ukrainian troops on the front lines...

German shepherd injured in Ukraine gets new start with Hungarian police

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:13:08 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — After a rocket attack in eastern Ukraine, half of Rambo’s face was mangled and bloody. Shrapnel had ravaged the right side of his head, and it was uncertain if he would survive. The 3-year-old German shepherd, who had accompanied Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines of the war, received emergency surgery that saved his life. Now, Rambo is training with the Budapest police department in neighboring Hungary and serving as a reminder that dogs — and people — with disabilities can do great things.Recovered from his brush with death in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv province, Rambo is learning how to interact with children, older adults and disabled people at police demonstrations and rehabilitation institutions, according to Lt. Col. Maria Stein with the Budapest Metropolitan Police.Demonstrating the tasks performed by canine units is part of the department’s crime prevention program, with a goal of teaching young people to be more tolerant an...

Ukraine’s dam collapse is both a fast-moving disaster and a slow-moving ecological catastrophe

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:13:08 GMT

KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam was a fast-moving disaster that is swiftly evolving into a long-term environmental catastrophe affecting drinking water, food supplies and ecosystems reaching into the Black Sea.The short-term dangers can be seen from outer space — tens of thousands of parcels of land flooded, and more to come. Experts say the long-term consequences will be generational. For every flooded home and farm, there are fields upon fields of newly planted grains, fruits and vegetables whose irrigation canals are drying up. Thousands of fish were left gasping on mud flats. Fledgling water birds lost their nests and their food sources. Countless trees and plants were drowned. If water is life, then the draining of the Kakhovka reservoir creates an uncertain future for the region of southern Ukraine that was an arid plain until the damming of the Dnieper River 70 years ago. The Kakhovka Dam was the last in a system of six Soviet-era dams on the river...

Shootout in northwest Pakistan, along Afghan border, kills 3 soldiers, 3 militants, army says

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:13:08 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Militants attacked a security checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan, along the border with Afghanistan, triggering a shootout that left three soldiers and three militants dead, the army said Sunday.Four militants were also wounded, the military said in a statement.The overnight shootout early Saturday took place in the Miran Shah tribal area of North Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, a militant group also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP.The Pakistani army carried out search operations to hunt down those responsible for the attack. They seized a cache of ammunition from the dead militants.The military said it was “determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism.”Although the army says it has cleared North Waziristan of militants, occasional attacks and shootouts continue, raising concerns that the Pakistani Taliban are regrouping in the area.Though a separate group, the TTP remains a cl...

European leaders hope to restore stability in Tunisia, a major source of migration

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:13:08 GMT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia is hosting the leaders of Italy, the Netherlands and the European Union on Sunday for talks aimed at smoothing the way for an international bailout and restoring stability to a country that has become a major source of migration to Europe.Tunisia’s increasingly autocratic president is balking at conditions for $1.9 billion in stalled International Monetary Fund support, which include cuts to subsidies on flour and fuel, cuts to the large public administration sector, and the privatization of loss-making public companies. President Kais Saied warns such moves would unleash social unrest, and bristles at what he calls Western diktats. But Tunisia’s economy is teetering toward collapse. The population is already restive, and disillusioned with both Saied’s leadership and the country’s decade-long experiment with democracy.That has pushed more and more Tunisians to risk dangerous boat journeys across the Mediterranean to seek a better life in Europe. Tunisi...

Julien Alfred wins 100, 200 as Texas women take title at NCAA outdoor track and field championships

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:13:08 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Julien Alfred won the 100 meters, the 200 and ran the opening leg of the 4×100 meter relay for the Texas women and the Longhorns won fifth team title in program history Saturday night at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships. Alfred won the 100 meters with a wind-aided time of 10.72 seconds to become just the sixth woman in NCAA history to win the event in back-to-back years — the first at Texas — and ran the fastest all-conditions mark in collegiate history to win the 200 in 21.73 and become the first woman since 2016 to win both the 100 and 200 and just the third in the last 25 years. Texas finished with 83 points — a program record at the outdoor championships — 32 more than second-place Florida. Arkansas finished third with 46. The Longhorns’ 4×100 meter relay team of Alfred, Ezinne Abba, Rhasidat Adeleke and Kevona Davis defended its 2022 title in 41.60, just 0.05 seconds off its NCAA record set Thursday in the semifinals. The win m...

Detienen en Moscú a ciudadano estadounidense por narcotráfico tras comparecer ante el tribunal

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:13:08 GMT

(CNN) — Un tribunal de Moscú confirmó la detención de un ciudadano estadounidense al que ha llamado “Travis Michael Leek” por cargos de drogas en un comunicado publicado este sábado por la tarde en el canal oficial de Telegram de los tribunales de jurisdicción general de Moscú.El comunicado del tribunal confirma que “el Tribunal del Distrito de Khamovniki de Moscú adoptó una medida preventiva contra un ciudadano estadounidense. El exparacaidista y músico está acusado de dedicarse al negocio de los estupefacientes mediante la captación de jóvenes”.El comunicado dice que el ciudadano estadounidense compareció ante el Tribunal del Distrito de Khamovniki de Moscú el 10 de junio, y que “se adoptó una medida preventiva en forma de detención contra Travis Michael Leek”.CNN se puso en contacto con la familia del ciudadano en Estados Unidos y fue informada, por su propia madre, que ella estaba al corriente de los informes sobre la detención de su hij...

Minor earthquake shakes Johannesburg, South Africa’s biggest city

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:13:08 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — An earthquake shook South Africa’s biggest city, Johannesburg, early Sunday.The U.S. Geological Survey, which records earthquakes around the world, recorded a 5.0 magnitude earthquake at 2:38 a.m. local time. It said the epicenter was 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from Alberton, a town on the southeastern outskirts of Johannesburg..There were no immediate reports of casualties or any significant damage. An earthquake of that strength is classified as minor but would be clearly felt and might cause small damage to buildings.An Associated Press journalist who lives close to the epicenter said the shaking felt like being on a moving train and lasted for about a minute.Many South Africans in Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg, said on social media they awoke to find the walls of their homes shaking. Local media published videos showing the moment the quake struck.Earthquakes are rare in South Africa. The last one to measure 5.0 magnitude or higher was in ...

Novak Djokovic goes for Grand Slam title No. 23 in French Open final against Casper Ruud

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:13:08 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic is just one win away from his men’s-record 23rd Grand Slam singles championship.He will face Casper Ruud in the French Open final on Sunday.It is the No. 3-seeded Djokovic’s 34th major title match and No. 4 Ruud’s third. By winning Sunday, Djokovic would break a tie with Rafael Nadal, who has 22 Slam trophies — including 14 at Roland Garros — but has been sidelined since January with a hip injury and had surgery during this French Open.“I put myself, again, in a position to fight for another Grand Slam trophy. I’ve been very fortunate that most of the matches in tournaments I’ve played in the last few years, there is history on the line,” Djokovic said after eliminating No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. “I like the feeling. It’s a privilege.”The only two people in tennis history with 23 majors or more are Serena Williams, who retired after last season with 23, all during the Open era, and Margaret Court, who won 2...

Amanda Nunes beats Irene Aldana to retain bantamweight title at UFC 289, announces retirement

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:13:08 GMT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Amanda Nunes beat Irene Aldana by unanimous decision at UFC 289 on Saturday night to hold on to her bantamweight title before announcing her retirement.Nunes dominated the fight, landing far more hits than her opponent, while Aldana’s corner repeatedly encouraged their fighter to go on the offensive.“It went exactly how I pictured it in my mind. I did what I was supposed to do,” Nunes said about her win. “When I started to mix it up. … (Aldana) wasn’t able to do anything.”Nunes entered the post fight press conference on crutches, revealing she has suffered nerve damage in one leg for some time.“I did everything, I broke a lot of records,” she said about her reputation, adding she wants to be remembered as the greatest female fighter of all time.Nunes said she’d like to stay involved in mixed martial arts in the future and would like to train a female champion, but will first take time to spend time with her wife and family in Brazil.Aldana su...