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‘No final decision’ yet from NATO on Ukraine’s alliance terms

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:51:15 GMT

VILNIUS — NATO allies are still negotiating how to address Ukraine’s demand for concrete progress on its membership application, the alliance’s secretary-general said Monday as diplomats raced to find a last-minute compromise. Speaking as NATO leaders prepare to gather for a summit in Lithuania on Tuesday, Jens Stoltenberg said “consultations are going on” but that he is “confident that all allies will agree on a very clear message.” He also put pressure on Turkey to lift its block on accepting Sweden as a member.While all allies agree that Ukraine cannot join NATO while the war with Russia continues, there is more readiness by many allies to accept Ukraine into the fold once hostilities end. However, the U.S. and Germany have expressed caution about offering Kyiv a concrete path to membership. “The time is not right at this summit for an invitation to Ukraine, for concrete steps toward membership. There is no consensus on this among the allies either,” sa...

Aging leaders Biden, King Charles III zero in on climate change in Windsor Castle meeting

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:51:15 GMT

WINDSOR, England. (AP) — President Joe Biden and King Charles III, two aging leaders who’ve waited decades to reach the pinnacle of their careers, used their first meeting in their respective roles Monday to highlight the generational issue of climate change as they prod private companies to do more to bolster clean energy in developing countries.The meticulously choreographed gathering at Windsor Castle injected substance into the type of encounter between president and monarch that historically has been more about the pomp and circumstance. After the arrival formalities were dispensed with, Biden and Charles participated in a climate-focused roundtable with officials from the financial and philanthropic sectors. John Kerry, the U.S. envoy on climate, attended.The 74-year-old Charles, who was crowned in May, has already made the environment a significant part of his policy legacy and has long fought to protect wildlife and battle climate change. Biden, for his part, identifie...

Stock market today: Markets hold steady ahead of a busy week of updates

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:51:15 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are largely standing still on Wall Street ahead of a week with updates on where inflation and corporate profits are heading. The S&P 500 was up 0.1% in early trading Monday. The Dow rose 79 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite was little changed. The big question hanging over markets is whether the U.S. can avoid a long-predicted recession despite much higher interest rates meant to tame inflation. The hope is that inflation is easing enough for the Federal Reserve to stop raising rates. A report Wednesday will offer the latest monthly update on inflation at the consumer level. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Trading is uneven on Wall Street as the corporate earnings season kicks off and ahead of new inflation data for the Federal Reserve to consider before its next policy meeting later this month. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked up 0.1% before the bell, while S&P 500 were essentially unchanged....

Transat AT signs deal to sell property in Mexico to Finest Resorts for US$38 million

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:51:15 GMT

MONTREAL — Transat AT Inc. says it has sold a piece of land in Mexico to resort company Finest Resorts for US$38 million.The travel company says the sale is part of its plan to focus on its airline business as it tries to return to profitability after more than two years of losses.Transat noted it announced in 2018 that it bought the land as part of the development of a hotel subsidiary which it discontinued in 2021.It says proceeds of the sale of the property in Puerto Morelos will be used to repay debt, which totalled $1.92 billion at the end of its second quarter on April 30.Finest Resorts owns and operates Finest Playa Mujeres in Cancun, Mexico, and Finest Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic.The sale is expected to close in Transat’s fourth quarter.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ)The Canadian Press

Israeli troops kill alleged Palestinian gunman as West Bank violence persists

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:51:15 GMT

JERUSAELM (AP) — Israeli troops shot and killed an alleged Palestinian gunman during new unrest in the West Bank Monday, as a wave of violence in the occupied territory showed no signs of slowing.The Israeli military said troops stopped a motorist in Deir Nidham, a town west of Ramallah, to question him. It said the man got out of his car, threw a grenade and fired shots toward soldiers, who then opened fire. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that a 33-year-old man had been killed, but gave no further details.The death comes during a major spike in violence between Israel and the Palestinians. Last week, Israel concluded a fierce two-day offensive that used rare air power and hundreds of troops in what was designed as a crackdown against militants.But the operation in the Jenin refugee camp was followed by more bloodshed, including a shooting by a Palestinian assailant that killed an Israeli soldier. A Israeli military raid killed two militants, while a third Palestinian was...

Russian teen Mirra Andreeva shows her inexperience at Wimbledon as Madison Keys advances

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:51:15 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — After a week of showing her maturity at her first Wimbledon, 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva showed her inexperience on Monday.The Russian qualifier, who had won all six of her matches on grass to reach the fourth round at the All England Club, let a big lead over 25th-seeded Madison Keys slip away in a 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 loss on No. 2 Court.Andreeva took the first set and led 3-0 in the second — winning nine of 10 games in one stretch — before Keys turned things around. Frustrated at one point, Andreeva threw her racket and received a warning from Swedish chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell.In the final game, Andreeva slipped while going for a ball and the racket again went flying out of her hand.Engzell docked the Russian a point for a second thrown racket, giving Keys a match point. Andreeva argued the call, pleading her case.“I didn’t throw the racket. I fell,” Andreeva told Engzell. “I slid and then I fell.”The call stood, however, and Keys then f...

Trudeau says Canada will more than double military presence in Latvia

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:51:15 GMT

RIGA, Latvia — It will take another three years for Canada to make good on its commitment to grow a multinational NATO battle group in Latvia to a combat-ready brigade, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed Monday. The two countries have signed a “road map” outlining the process, which began more than a year ago when Canada pledged to increase the size and capability of the battle group as part of NATO’s efforts to reinforce its eastern flank in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The document sets out three phases for the work, which will eventually involve as many as 2,200 persistently deployed Canadian troops plus the ability to add hundreds of additional Armed Forces members as needed. It states that brigade buildup will be completed in 2025 and that Latvia will work to build new infrastructure.“By 2026, Canada will complete the full implementation of persistently deployed brigade capabilities to Latvia,” the document says. Trudeau held ...

Indonesia welcomes return of jewels, temple carvings as important step in global restitution effort

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:51:15 GMT

LEIDEN, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands and Indonesia on Monday hailed the return of hundreds of cultural artifacts taken — sometimes by force — during colonial times as a major step forward in restitution efforts worldwide.The items, ranging from valuable jewels to 13th-century temple carvings, were officially handed back to Indonesia at a ceremony at the Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden.“We are really delighted. This is a very historic moment for both us, Indonesia, and the Netherlands. And the relationship between the two,” said Hilmar Farid, director general of cultural heritage at Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture. “But I think what we have achieved so far is also a very significant contribution to the global debate about returning of colonial objects.”The Dutch government announced the return last week of the Indonesian treasures and looted artifacts from Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry welcomed the decision and said the Indian Ocean nation will...

Man suspected of shooting Georgia prosecutor’s investigator arrested

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:51:15 GMT

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Police arrested a man Monday suspected of shooting and injuring an investigator with a metro Atlanta prosecutor’s office while both were driving.The investigator with the Gwinnett County district attorney’s office was not on duty when he was shot in the leg around 6 p.m. Friday by another driver, police said. The motive was not immediately known and the investigator’s injuries were not considered to be life threatening.Over the weekend, detectives determined that the suspected shooter was driving a 2019 Jeep Cherokee and identified him as Tyler Dewayne Moore, 27, Sgt. Michele Pihera, a county police spokesperson, said in an email. When officers went to his house in Auburn late Sunday, Moore was not home, but the officers impounded his vehicle.Early Monday, officers were sent to the county jail, where Moore was waiting at the main entrance, Pihera said. He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the ...

Australia joins G7-backed ‘climate club’ and promises to drive down greenhouse gas emissions

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:51:15 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Australia is joining the “climate club” backed by the Group of Seven major economies to take more ambitious action in tackling global warming, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday.The club was first proposed by Nobel Prize winner William Nordhaus as a way of getting countries to voluntarily set high targets for curbing climate change and then require trading partners to meet those same standards. Such moves are opposed by major emerging economies like China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gas.“We’re very pleased to join the climate club because we are ambitious and we also see that this isn’t just the right thing to do by the environment, but this is also the right thing to do by jobs and by our economy,” Albanese said at a news conference in Berlin after meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who made the idea a key pillar of his G7 presidency last year.“One thing we can do is to cooperate and learn off each other, because you can’t addre...