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Cuban ‘mercenaries’ join Russia’s war on Ukraine for citizenship and a better life

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:08:50 GMT

What César really wanted was to get out of Cuba. A bartender struggling to make ends meet in Havana, he tried last year to reach Miami in a rickety boat but was forced to abandon the attempt when he was intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard.He’s now preparing a second escape attempt: with a direct flight to Moscow. His ticket has been paid for by a Russian recruiter but it comes with a hefty price tag nonetheless: As part of the deal, he will have to join the Russian army and fight in Ukraine.“If this is the sacrifice I have to make for my family to get ahead, I’ll do it,”  said César, who turned 19 this year and whose name has been changed to protect his identity.“You can be a nuclear physicist and still die of hunger here,” he said. “With my current salary I can barely buy basic things like toilet paper or milk.” He said he hoped he would be allowed to work as a paramedic.The news of Cuban fighters in Ukraine splashed across global headlines earlier this month when Havana annou...

EU commissioner, in China, calls for more balanced trade and warns that Ukraine could divide them

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:08:50 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — The European Union’s trade commissioner called for a more balanced economic relationship with China on Monday, noting a trade imbalance of nearly 400 billion euros ($425 billion), while also warning that China’s position on the war in Ukraine could endanger its relationship with Europe.Valdis Dombrovskis, in a speech at China’s prestigious Tsinghua University, said that the EU and China face significant political and economic headwinds that could cause them to drift apart.“The strongest, yet not the only, headwind is Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and how China positions itself on this issue,” he said, according to a prepared text of his remarks.Dombrovskis is in China to co-chair high-level economic and trade talks on Monday with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. EU leaders have expressed concern about the bloc’s growing trade deficit with China, which reached 396 billion euros last year. European Commission President Ursula von der...

Stock market today: Asian shares mostly lower after Wall St has its worst week in 6 months

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:08:50 GMT

Shares in Asia were mostly lower on Monday, with Tokyo the only major regional market to advance, after Wall Street wheezed to more losses with its worst week in six months. U.S. futures and oil prices edged higher. Worries over China’s property sector, a U.S. government shutdown and the continued strike by American autoworkers were weighing on investor sentiment. Troubled property developer China Evergrande sank 17.3% after announcing it was unable to raise further debt due to an investigation into one of its affiliates, a predicament that might imperil plans for restructuring its more than $300 billion in debt. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.5% to 17,794.49, while the Shanghai Composite index declined 0.5% to 3,116.17. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was up 0.9% at 32,689.87. In Seoul, the Kospi lost 0.5% to 2,496.65, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.1% to 7,064.30.On Friday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.2% to 4,320.06 while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 0.3% at...

Shirtless suspect with dog leads police in golf cart pursuit

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:08:50 GMT

A shirtless man wanted for robbery and grand theft auto led officers on a slow-speed pursuit with a dog in his lap from behind the wheel of a golf cart Sunday night in the San Fernando Valley, authorities confirmed to KTLA.  The pursuit, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, started just after 9 p.m. in the 18700 block of Ventura Boulevard and ended approximately 10 miles away near the intersection of Oxnard Street and Laurel Canyon Boulevard at around 9:44 p.m.  Video of the pursuit obtained by KTLA showed the shirtless suspect driving a golf cart marked with the word “security” on its side weaving through traffic, moving into lanes on the wrong side of the road as several marked patrol vehicles trailed him, all while holding a medium to large size dog on his lap.  The footage also showed people out in the street taking photographs of the suspect as he passed by.  A shirtless man with a dog in his lap, seen here, leading police in a pursuit behind the ...

McDaniels says he has confidence in offense, despite opting for FG late in game

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:08:50 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels insists the confidence he has in his offense is intact.He just didn’t necessarily show it Sunday on a crucial fourth down with 2:25 left in the game and the Raiders trailing 23-15 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.McDaniels sent kicker Daniel Carlson onto the field for a 26-yard field goal to make it a five-point game.Though they got the ball back on their own 15-yard line with 12 seconds left, it wouldn’t matter as Pittsburgh cornerback Levi Wallace intercepted Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to help the Steelers secure a 23-18 win.“No! No!” McDaniels answered emphatically when asked if going for the field goal showed a lack of confidence in his offense. “You’re going to need another possession anyway. It’s not a lack of confidence. We went for it multiple times.”Twice, the Raiders went for it on fourth down earlier in the game, converting once.Once, the Raiders went for it on fourth down in their first two games.Fact is, wi...

México llega a un acuerdo con Estados Unidos para deportar a migrantes de sus ciudades fronterizas mientras un alcalde advierte que su ciudad está en “un punto de quiebre”

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:08:50 GMT

(CNN) — México llegó a un acuerdo con Estados Unidos para deportar a migrantes de sus ciudades fronterizas a sus países de origen y tomar varias medidas para disuadir a los migrantes como parte de un nuevo esfuerzo para combatir el reciente aumento en los cruces fronterizos.Funcionarios mexicanos se reunieron con funcionarios de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de Estados Unidos el viernes en Ciudad Juárez, México, al otro lado de la frontera con El Paso, Texas, luego del reciente aumento de cruces ilegales hacia Estados Unidos que cerró temporalmente un puente internacional y detuvo el principal sistema de trenes de carga de México.Como parte del acuerdo, México acordó “despresurizar” sus ciudades del norte, que limitan con El Paso, San Diego y Eagle Pass, Texas, donde el alcalde ha declarado el estado de emergencia. También implementarán más de una docena de acciones para evitar que los migrantes arriesguen sus vidas al utilizar el sistema ferroviario para llegar a la fronter...

European Week of Regions and Cities

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:08:50 GMT

The Aragon region in Spain spearheads the development of a cutting-edge industrial ecosystem known as the ‘Hydrogen Valley’’ This initiative is centered around harnessing the potential of hydrogen technology to drive decarbonization efforts within the production sector.Meanwhile, in Skellefteå, in the Nordbotten region of Sweden, the construction of Europe’s first home-grown gigafactory dedicated to lithium-ion battery cells is underway.Across the Baltic Sea, in Estonia’s Ida Viru region, another cutting-edge project is unfolding. A rare-earth magnet factory is being established, set to supply a staggering 50 percent of the European Union’s magnet requirements by the year 2026.From Spain to the Baltic, Europe’s regions are at the forefront of tackling the biggest challenges the Continent is facing today. Thanks to Cohesion Policy funds, they are the drivers to achieve the net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy and the EU strategic autonomy.At the same time...

Greece’s leftist Syriza gets new leader: An ex-banker

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:08:50 GMT

ATHENS — In an unlikely move for a party founded on an anti-banker platform, Greece’s main opposition Syriza party elected former Goldman Sachs trader Stefanos Kasselakis as its new leader on Sunday.“I will never betray you,” Kasselakis told the supporters who gave him a rock-star welcome outside of his party’s headquarters late on Sunday.With 75 percent of the votes counted on Sunday night, Kasselakis led his rival Effie Achtsioglou on 56.69 percent to 43.31 percent.Syriza’s ballot came after the left-wing party suffered two crushing election defeats at the hands of conservative New Democracy this summer, leading Alexis Tsipras to resign after 15 years at its helm.Newcomer Kasselakis appeared virtually out of nowhere when he announced his candidacy in late August, and managed to forge ahead of ex-Labor Minister Achtsioglou, the first woman to compete for the post and until then the favorite to win the leadership.Kasselakis, the first openly gay party leader ...

Senior Australian public servant steps aside during probe of encrypted texts to premiers’ friend

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:08:50 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A senior Australian public servant has stepped aside, authorities said Monday, while an investigation is underway into allegations that he sent encrypted messages in order to undermine some ministers and promote others to further his own career.Michael Pezzullo has been secretary of the Department of Home Affairs since it was created in 2017, bringing together the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, Australian Federal Police and Immigration and Border Protection.On Sunday and Monday, a television network and newspapers owned by Nine Entertainment published messages that he had allegedly exchanged over a period of five years, starting from 2017, with businessman Scott Briggs, who was close to former conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his predecessor, Malcolm Turnbull.Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said she had referred the allegations to the Australian Public Service Commission which will investigate the matter. Pezzullo’s j...

Thailand receives the first Chinese visitors under a new visa-free policy to boost tourism

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:08:50 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Top Thai officials welcomed hundreds of Chinese tourists at Bangkok’s international airport on Monday, the first day of a new visa-free entry program that officials say will boost the country’s tourism industry that was badly damaged by the coronavirus pandemic.Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin handed out gifts and posed for pictures as his tourism minister and other VIPs greeted about 300 travelers from Shanghai. The surprised tourists were entertained by Thai traditional dancers and drummers inside the arrivals area at Suvarnabhumi Airport.“We are confident that this policy will greatly boost the economy,” Srettha told reporters. He said that the government plans to promote Thailand’s smaller cities as destinations for Chinese tourists to encourage them to stay longer and spend more.Addressing safety concerns among tourists, Srettha said it was the top priority of the authorities. There have been reports and rumors widely circulating on Chinese social media abou...