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Russia’s Wagner boss says more than 20,000 of his troops died in Bakhmut battle

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:30:22 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The head of the Russian private army Wagner says his force lost more than 20,000 fighters in the drawn-out battle for Bakhmut, with about 20% of the 50,000 Russian convicts he recruited to fight in the 15-month war dying in the eastern Ukrainian city.The figure was in stark contrast with claims from Moscow that it lost just over 6,000 troops in the war, and is higher than the official estimate of the Soviet losses in the Afghanistan war of 15,000 troops between 1979-89. Ukraine hasn’t said how many of its soldiers have died since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.Analysts believe the nine-month fight for Bakhmut alone have cost the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers, among them convicts who reportedly received little training before being sent to the front.Russia’s invasion goal of “demilitarizing” Ukraine has backfired because Kyiv’s military has become stronger with the supply of weapons and training by its Western allies, Wagner ch...

Super Typhoon Mawar passing over Guam as Category 4 storm with strong winds, rain

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:30:22 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — Typhoon Mawar barreled into Guam as a powerful Category 4 storm Wednesday, pummeling the U.S. Pacific territory with high winds, heavy rains and a dangerous storm surge that swamped low-lying areas as residents hunkered down in homes and shelters.The typhoon’s center passed over the northern tip of Guam on Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service said. It is the strongest storm to hit the U.S. Pacific territory of over 150,000 people in decades.The weather service earlier warned of a “triple threat” of winds, torrential rains and life-threatening storm surge, and officials were bracing for “considerable damage” including non-reinforced concrete walls being blown down, fuel storage tanks rupturing and overturned cars.The weather service said the storm was a Category 4 “super typhoon,” meaning maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (241 kph) or greater.The storm’s center hit Guam around 9 p.m. Wednesday, which is Wednesday morning in the continental United Sta...

Japan to provide 100 military vehicles to Ukraine

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:30:22 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan held a ceremony on Wednesday marking its planned donation of about 100 military vehicles to Ukraine, as Tokyo seeks to provide equipment that can be of broader military use than its earlier shipments of helmets and hazmat suits. In a ceremony at the Defense Ministry at which two half-ton trucks were on display, Japanese Vice Defense Minister Toshiro Ino handed a document to Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Korsunsky listing the three types of vehicles included in the donation.“We hope the invasion ends as soon as possible and peaceful daily lives return,” Ino said. “We will provide as much support as we can.”The donation, which also includes 30,000 food rations, comes as Japan’s government is seeking to ease its military equipment transfer policy under a new national security policy that allows its military a greater offensive role, in a major break from its post-World War II self-defense-only principle.While other countries have provided Ukraine with tanks, miss...

Polish ruling party wants commission to investigate Russian influence; critics fear witch hunt

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:30:22 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s ruling party is pushing for the creation of a commission which it says would investigate Russian influence. Critics view it as an attempt to create a powerful and unconstitutional tool that would help the party continue to wield power even if it loses elections this fall.A vote on the bill could come as early as Wednesday.Some fear the ruling party could use the planned commission to eliminate opposition leader Donald Tusk from political life. Tusk is the main opposition leader and the greatest threat to the ruling party, Law and Justice, as it seeks a third consecutive term in the vote expected in October.Opposition senators dubbed it “Lex Tusk,” using the Latin term for “law,” and rejected it earlier this month in the upper house, where they hold a majority. It now returns to the more powerful lower house of parliament, the Sejm, where the ruling party can usually muster a slim majority.The bill foresees the creation of a commission...

Bodies of 18 Afghan migrants who died while being smuggled into Bulgaria returned to Kabul

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:30:22 GMT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The bodies of 18 Afghan migrants who died while being smuggled into Bulgaria were returned to Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Taliban government’s Foreign Ministry said. Bulgarian authorities discovered the bodies in a secret compartment below a load of lumber in the back of a truck left on a highway not far from the capital, Sofia, in February.They confirmed all 18 had died of suffocation. A Bulgarian senior police official called the case the country’s deadliest involving smuggled migrants. Bulgarian authorities detained seven people in connection to the deaths.Borislav Sarafov, director of Bulgaria’s National Investigation Service, said the migrants were “pressed against each other like in a tin can” which had caused their slow and painful deaths. He described it as “an extraordinary human tragedy.”The ministry’s deputy spokesman in Kabul, Zia Ahmad Takal, said his government paid for the repatriation of the bo...

Target pulls some LGBTQ+ merchandise from stores ahead of June Pride month after threats to workers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:30:22 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Target is removing certain items from its stores and making other changes to its LGBTQ+ merchandise nationwide ahead of Pride month, after an intense backlash from some customers including violent confrontations with its workers.“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target said in a statement Tuesday. ”Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.”Target declined to say which items it was removing but among the ones that garnered the most attention were “tuck friendly” women’s swimsuits that allow trans women who have not had gender-affirming operations to conceal their private parts. Designs by Abprallen, a London-based company that designs and sells occult- and satanic-themed LGBTQ+ clothing and accessories, have also...

Editorial Roundup: Pennsylvania

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:30:22 GMT

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 22, 2023. Editorial: Ban handheld devices while drivingPennsylvania is the only state among its neighbors to permit the use of handheld wireless electronic devices while driving. It’s time for the commonwealth to ban this risky habit, too. Sen. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe, has again introduced legislation to bring Pennsylvania in line with 25 other states — and safety recommendations — by banning driving “while holding or supporting any electronic wireless device.” The Senate Transportation Committee passed the bill, 13-1, setting up a bipartisan push to make the state’s roads safer.Distracted driving kills and maims. Fourteen percent of fatal car crashes involve cell phone usage. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that more than 3,500 people died needlessly in distracted driving incidents in 2021, up more than 20% from 2,800 in 2018. Cell phones are implicated in a smaller number of distracted driving accidents, but the Insurance In...

Top Toronto mayoral candidates to debate vision for Scarborough

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:30:22 GMT

The race for mayor of Toronto will ramp up on Wednesday with three debates scheduled that will tackle issues including the arts, housing, and the future of Scarborough.The six leading Toronto mayoral candidates are set to square off in an evening debate where they’ll get a chance to outline their vision for Scarborough. CityNews political affairs specialist Cynthia Mulligan will moderate the 90-minute debate, which will be broadcast on Citytv and CityNews 24/7 starting at 6:30 p.m.The debate organized by a number of local community groups and is being held at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus. The east-end region of the city is shaping up to be a key battleground in the upcoming byelection.The debate will feature former NDP parliamentarian Olivia Chow, city councillor Josh Matlow, ex-police chief Mark Saunders, former deputy mayor Ana Bailão, councillor Brad Bradford and former Liberal MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood Mitzie Hunter, who resigned her seat at Queen’...

Beitar Jerusalem to get trophy belatedly after fans rush field after soccer tournament win

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:30:22 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s president said Wednesday he would belatedly present the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team the State Cup at his official residence, after ecstatic fans disrupted the original ceremony and forced him off the field following the club’s victory. Thousands of Beitar Jerusalem supporters charged the pitch after the team’s 3-0 win against Maccabi Netanya on Tuesday evening, before the trophy ceremony. Some participants burned the nets in the goals to take pieces as mementos and made off with medals intended for the players, according to Israeli public radio Kan.Herzog, who was by the stage where Beitar players were to be given the trophy, was rushed off the field, surrounded by his security detail. Herzog expressed dismay in a statement Wednesday, saying that fans “blew up the joyous occasion so that the trophy could not be awarded.” Police said that 18 people were arrested on various charges related to entering the field. It remained to be seen...

3 ways to pay for your summer vacation

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:30:22 GMT

A summer vacation can feel like a seasonal rite of passage — a sacred time to break away from the demands of everyday life in favor of fun and relaxation.But summer can also be an expensive time to travel, which makes it hard to budget enough money for your vacation.Though it’s best to pay in cash for nonessential travel, there are financing options available, including credit cards, “buy now, pay later” plans and vacation loans. Consider the interest rate and how long you’ll be in debt when deciding which to choose.THE CHALLENGES OF BUDGETING FOR SUMMER TRAVELTravel demand is in “near-record territory” with all indicators pointing to a “very robust summer leisure travel season,” the U.S. Travel Association , a nonprofit that monitors the U.S. travel industry, said in an email. According to the association, demand has driven up prices in sectors like airfare and lodging.Even without higher prices, travel is tough to budget for, says Jake Northrup, a certified financial planner in Br...