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Bosnia court confirms charges against Bosnian Serb leader Dodik for defying top international envoy

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:28:07 GMT

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — A court in Bosnia said Monday it has confirmed an indictment against Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik on charges of defying the top international envoy overseeing peace in the Balkan country. Bosnian prosecutors filed the charges last month but the indictment had to be approved by the court to become valid. If tried and convicted, Dodik could face up to five years in prison. Dodik has rejected the charges and sought to present them as an attack on the Serb entity in Bosnia, which is called Republika Srpska and comprises about half of the country of some 3.2 million people. The other half is run by Bosnia’s Bosniaks, who are mainly Muslim, and Croats.Bosnia’s two ministates were established in a 1995 peace deal that ended ethnic carnage in which more than 100,000 people died and millions were displaced. A shaky peace has persisted since then, but ethnic divisions remain deep as tensions recently escalated. Dodik has constant...

Chile marks 50 years since the coup that ushered in a brutal military dictatorship

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:28:07 GMT

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile on Monday was commemorating the 50th anniversary of the coup led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet, which ushered in a brutal military dictatorship that lasted almost 17 years.The commemoration began with a ceremony at the La Moneda presidential palace, which was bombed by warplanes at the start of the coup.The military regime led by Pinochet violated human rights and brutally persecuted opponents, imprisoning and torturing thousands who were opposed to the regime. It Ieft a toll of 3,200 killed, including 1,469 disappeared. A half-century later, 297 have been convicted of crimes against humanity and 1,300 cases are ongoing.U.S. Special Presidential Advisor for the Americas Christopher J. Dodd was leading the U.S. government delegation to Chile, according to the State Department. The U.S. government backed the 1973 coup and the Chilean government is pushing Washingtont to declassify documents that could shed light on the era.The date is marked by political polari...

Music Review: A little too much beauty and not enough beast on new Pretenders album, ‘Relentless’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:28:07 GMT

Chrissie Hynde ‘s talent is a musical gift from heaven, a one-of-a-kind voice that powered her band, the Pretenders, into creating some of rock’s most memorable songs in the 1970s and ’80s.Drawing out words into more syllables than they came with (like the way “back on the train” becomes “back on the trai-hayne” in the 1982 hit “Back on the Chain Gang,”) her performance can be smooth and beautiful, and it can be raw and rocking.On the band’s latest album, “Relentless,” Hynde and guitarist James Walbourne opt heavily for the former, and perhaps a bit too much.After the brooding, minor chord mourning opener, “Losing My Sense of Taste,” and the following track “A Love,” a direct descendant of classic ’60s pop, the band snuggles down into a protracted series of slow-paced, evocative songs.There’s no other word except “drowsy” to describe some of these tracks, including “The Copa,” “Promise of Love” and “I Think About You Daily.” You’...

In flood-stricken central Greece, residents face acute water shortages and a public health warning

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:28:07 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Public health officials issued an urgent appeal Monday to residents in flood-stricken central Greece to avoid using floodwater for domestic chores due to mounting fears of contamination.The floods have caused damage over 700 square kilometers (270 square miles) in Greece’s central farming belt, according to the European Union’s satellite and earth observation agency, Copernicus. The floods destroyed homes and roads and left thousands of households without power and water for days. Fifteen people have died in the deluge while several thousand were rescued in a major evacuation effort that included the use of helicopters.The Health Ministry updated guidance Monday, calling on residents not to use stagnant floodwater for any household purposes –- despite ongoing shortages of bottled water.“Bottled water must be used for all kinds of tasks: For our personal hygiene, drinking water, to cook, and even for tasks we have to do inside the house,” Deputy Health Minister ...

Explosion, fire at Archer Daniels Midland facility in Illinois injures 8 employees

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:28:07 GMT

DECATUR, Ill. (AP) — An explosion and fire at an Archer Daniels Midland facility in Illinois injured eight employees and sent a tower of smoke into the air Sunday evening, officials said Monday.The explosion occurred shortly after 7 p.m. at the east plant in the ADM processing complex in Decatur, Illinois. Several employees were injured and transported to a hospital, the agricultural company said in a statement on its website Sunday.Battalion Chief Wade Watson with the Decatur Fire Department said in a statement Monday morning that eight ADM workers were injured, and six of them were taken from the scene by ambulance with the “extent of injuries unknown.”The statement said the fire was under control and a fire crew remains on the scene monitoring hot spots. The cause of the explosion and fire remains under investigation. The fire department said the incident did not warrant the evacuation of nearby residents.The company said it did not know the cause of the explosion, which was foll...

Stock market today: Wall Street ticks higher to reverse some of last week’s losses

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:28:07 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are ticking higher Monday as Wall Street recovers some of its losses from last week.The S&P 500 was 0.3% higher in midday trading, coming off its first losing week in the last three. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 47 points, or 0.1%, at 34,624, as of 11 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher.Like last week, some big technology-oriented stocks were leading the way. Tesla jumped 7.1%, Amazon climbed 2.2% and Meta Platforms rose 1.9%. Tech stocks led the market lower last week as yields climbed in the bond market. Higher yields hurt all kinds of stocks, but high-growth stocks tend to be among the hardest hit. Yields rose last week after reports showed the U.S. economy remains stronger than expected, which could be adding more fuel to pressures keeping inflation high.This upcoming week will offer a huge data point for the Federal Reserve, which is weighing whether to keep raising interest rates in its effort to get inflation ...

A decision in Texas AG’s Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial could happen as soon as this week

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:28:07 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ‘s impeachment trial on abuse of power charges could be in the hands of the jury as soon as this week, the presiding officer said Monday.The second week of the historic proceedings began with testimony from another of Paxton’s former aides who reported him to the FBI in 2020 and accused the Republican of misusing his office to help a donor. Paxton, who has pleaded not guilty, was again not in the Texas Senate for the testimony. The trial may not reach a third week. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is presiding over the trial, said each side has so far used about half its allotted time for arguments and that the case could go to the jury later this week. Patrick also said there will be no more days off until the trial is resolved, raising the possibility that a decision could come over the weekend. The jury is the Republican-controlled state Senate, where Paxton was once a senator before becoming attorney general ...

WATCH LIVE: AJ Freund DCFS trial begins

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:28:07 GMT

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. — The trial for two former DCFS workers accused of reckless conduct related to the death of 5-year-old AJ Freund in April 2019 began on Monday.Andrew Polovin and Carlos Acosta were taken into custody and charged with two counts of endangering the life of a child and health of a minor and one count reckless conduct back in Sept. 2020.Both pleaded not guilty.Last December, a judge ruled that nearly 20 police reports that Polovin and Acosta allegedly failed to review will be allowed to be used in the trial.The same month Freund was killed, Acosta and Polovin were placed on desk duty and they both left the agency later that year.Carlos Acosta (L) and Andrew Polovin (R)Polovin was Acosta’s supervisor in the months before Andrew “AJ” Freund’s body was found in a shallow grave near his family’s Crystal Lake home in April 2019. Freund was tortured and beaten prior to his death.Documents allege that Polovin and Acosta “knowingly caused or permitted (AJ) … to be placed in...

Two new 9/11 victims identified by New York officials

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:28:07 GMT

(The Hill) -- The remains of two new victims killed in the 9/11 attacks were identified by New York City officials shortly before the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attacks.A man and a woman — whose names are being withheld at the request of their families — were identified using advanced DNA technology, officials announced Friday.The positive results came after more than two decades of previous testing and negative results as officials used next-generation sequencing technology, which is also used by the military to identify missing service members.“As we prepare to mark the anniversary of September 11, our thoughts turn to those we lost on that terrible morning and their families who continue to live every day with the pain of missing loved ones,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement Friday.“We hope these new identifications can bring some measure of comfort to the families of these victims, and the ongoing efforts by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner [OCME] at...

Smucker's announces deal to acquire Hostess

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:28:07 GMT

ORRVILLE, Ohio (WKBN) - The J.M. Smucker Company, more commonly known on jelly jars as Smucker's, announced the signing of an agreement Monday to acquire Hostess Brands, Inc., the creator of Twinkies, HoHos and other packaged treats. Smucker's, which makes everything from coffee to peanut butter and jelly, will pay $34.25 per share in cash and stock, and it will also pick up approximately $900 million in net debt.Hostess shareholders will receive $30 in cash and 0.03002 shares of The J.M. Smucker Co. stock for each share of stock that they own.The deal also includes Hostess's manufacturing facilities in Emporia, Kansas; Burlington, Ontario; Chicago; Columbus, Georgia; Indianapolis, and Arkadelphia, Arkansas (which is currently under construction), plus a distribution facility in Edgerton, Kansas.According to Smucker's, about 3,000 employees will join the company in conjunction with the transaction. Smucker's is headquartered in Orrville, Ohio,...