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Eva Kaili is back with a new story: There’s a conspiracy

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:46:29 GMT

ATHENS — Eva Kaili is spinning up a new, eyebrow-raising narrative: Authorities might have targeted her because she knew too much about government spying.After months of silence during her detention and house arrest, the most high-profile suspect in the cash-for-influence Qatargate scandal was suddenly everywhere over the weekend. Across a trio of interviews in the European media, the Greek European Parliament member was keen to proclaim her innocence, saying she never took any of the alleged bribes that authorities say countries such as Qatar and Morocco used to sway the Brussels machinery. But she also had a story to tell even darker than Qatargate, one involving insinuations of nefarious government spying and suggestions that maybe, just maybe, her jailing was politically motivated. Her work investigating the illegal use of Pegasus spyware in Europe, she argued, put her in the crosshairs of Europe’s own governments. “From the court file, my lawyers have discov...

Mike Pence files paperwork to run for US president

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:46:29 GMT

Mike Pence filed paperwork on Monday to run for president, setting up an unprecedented contest between a former vice president and a former president of his own party for the nomination. His largest task will be attempting to win back Republicans who largely cast him aside following Donald Trump’s presidency.Pence’s entry into the race comes after a sometimes tumultuous two years in the political wilderness following his actions on Jan. 6 to certify the 2020 election, resisting intense pressure from Trump. He has occasionally faced boos from the MAGA base at GOP confabs in places such as a Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Florida in 2021 and even on his home turf at a National Rifle Association meeting in Indianapolis this year.The former six-term congressman and one-term Indiana governor sees an opportunity in Iowa. There, his advisers are betting he can lavish attention and rebuild the coalition of evangelical voters that delivered caucus victories to Sen. Ted Cruz...

Biden praises Denmark for ‘standing up’ for Ukraine in war with Russia

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:46:29 GMT

By AAMER MADHANI (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden thanked Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Monday for Denmark’s role in a Western alliance “standing up” for Ukraine as it tries to fend off Russia’s 15-month-old invasion.The Oval Office visit kicked off the first of a pair of critical meetings Biden is holding with European allies this week that will focus heavily on what lies ahead in the war in Ukraine —including the recently-launched effort to train, and eventually equip, Ukraine with American-made F-16s fighter jets. Biden on Thursday will meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.Both Britain and Denmark are playing a pivotal role in the nascent joint international plan that Biden recently endorsed after months of resisting calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for U.S. aircraft.“There’s a shared commitment to the core values and that gives us our strength — at least that’s what...

Apple unveils sleek ‘Vision Pro’ goggles. Will it be what VR has been looking for?

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:46:29 GMT

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE (AP Technology Writer)CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple on Monday unveiled a long-rumored headset that will place its users between the virtual and real world, while also testing the technology trendsetter’s ability to popularize new-fangled devices after others failed to capture the public’s imagination.After years of speculation, Apple CEO Tim Cook hailed the arrival of the sleek goggles — dubbed “Vision Pro” — at the the company’s annual developers conference held on a park-like campus in Cupertino, California, that Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs helped design. “This marks the beginning of a journey that will bring a new dimension to powerful personal technology,” Cook told the crowd. Apple didn’t immediately reveal the goggles’ price, although they are expected to cost in the $3,000 range, likely limiting their appeal to a fairly narrow band of video-game enthusiasts and affluent te...

Mets DFA catcher Tomas Nido to make room for Omar Narvaez

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:46:29 GMT

The Mets’ roster crunch has finally arrived, and it has resulted in a tough decision to part ways with a homegrown catcher.The Mets reinstated Omar Narvaez from the 60-day injured list Monday and designated Tomas Nido for assignment in a corresponding transaction. This means the Mets are rolling with Narvarez, who signed with the club as a free agent over the winter, and rookie backstop Francisco Alvarez for the foreseeable future.Alvarez has forced his way onto the roster with his bat, hitting .292 with seven home runs, 17 RBI and a 1.029 OPS in the month of May. His eight total home runs are tied for the fourth-most among all qualified rookies. His defense has also improved, with Alvarez making some key plays on the basepaths and gaining the respect of the pitching staff behind the plate.The plan was to go with Nido and Narvaez this season to be able to give Alvarez time to develop in Triple-A. But the Mets called up the 21-year-old Alvarez after Narvaez strained his left ca...

Ukraine trying to end battlefield stalemate; Russia says it repelled some attacks

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:46:29 GMT

By SUSIE BLANN (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces were making a major effort to end months of a battlefield stalemate and punch through Russian defensive lines in southeast Ukraine for a second day, with Russian officials saying on Monday that Moscow’s forces have foiled at least one assault. Kyiv authorities said their forces were indeed increasing offensive operations and making gains, but suggested some of the Russian announcements were misinformation as speculation grows about a widely anticipated counteroffensive after more than 15 months of war. Vladimir Rogov, an official in the Russia-backed administration of Ukraine’s partly occupied Zaporizhzhia province, said fighting resumed on its border with the eastern Donetsk province on Monday after Russian defenses beat back a Ukrainian advance the previous day.“The enemy threw an even bigger force into the attack than yesterday (Sunday),” and the new attempt to break through the f...

Another landslide in San Clemente suspends rail service from Oceanside again

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:46:29 GMT

Rail service has once again been halted from Oceanside to Irvine after land under the historic Casa Romantica in San Clemente continued to slide Monday morning.The slide occurred sometime between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., San Clemente Mayor Chris Duncan told Nexstar's KTLA. There was significant movement on the slope and boulders and rocks remained on the tracks in the 10 a.m. hour, the mayor added.As of 11 a.m. , all train service been Oceanside and Irvine has been interrupted as a result and tracks near the San Clemente Pier are closed, shutting down both the Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner. Alternate transportation is being provided, according to Amtrak. Hillside collapses under historic building in San Clemente; rail travel halted The hillside had previously collapsed in late April, causing the landmark, located at 415 Avenida Granada, to close.The house, which sits on a bluff just north of the pier, had suffered cracks to its terrace before the collapse occurred. During the A...

‘It was tough’: World War II veterans return to Utah Beach to mark D-Day’s 79th anniversary

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:46:29 GMT

ON UTAH BEACH, France (AP) — World War II veterans shared vivid memories of D-Day and the fighting as dozens returned to Normandy beaches and key battle sites to mark the 79th anniversary of the decisive assault that led to the liberation of France and Western Europe from Nazi control.Looking at the vastness of Utah Beach, its sand blowing in strong wind and bright sunshine, 99-year-old Robert Gibson remembered: “it was tough.”Gibson landed there on June 6, 1944 alongside more than 150,000 other Allied troops.He said there were “lots of casualties. We had almost run over bodies to get in the beach. Never forget we were only 18, 19 years old. … I’m glad I made it.”The first job of his battalion, he said, was “to guard an ammunition dump and the first night it got struck. You didn’t know where you were to go. Bullets were going all over the place. But we ducked it.” On Monday, veterans have been greeted to the sound of bagpipes at the Pegasus Memorial, where they attended ...

Wildfires in Quebec force mining companies to suspend work and pull staff out

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:46:29 GMT

TORONTO — Mining companies in Quebec pulled employees out and suspended exploration work as forest fires forced thousands of people from their homes.Wallbridge Mining Company Ltd. said Monday it has temporarily evacuated the camp at its Fenelon Gold project and suspended all exploration activities on its Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend property in Quebec’s northern Abitibi region.The company made the decision after an emergency order from the Quebec government prohibiting access due to the forest fires.Wallbridge CEO Marz Kord said all of the company’s employees and contractors have been safely withdrawn and that it has worked to secure and mitigate risk to the Fenelon camp site. “Exploration activities at Fenelon and our other projects will resume as soon as practicable,” Kord said in a statement. There were 164 forest fires burning in Quebec on Monday, up from 155 the day before.At least 114 of those fires were out of control, according to the province’s forest fire pr...

Hoskin wins another 4-year term as chief of Cherokee Nation, country’s most populous tribe

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:46:29 GMT

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) — Cherokee Nation’s Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. won reelection to another four-year term as leader of the nation’s most populous tribe, according to unofficial results posted Monday on the tribe’s website.Those results, which are expected to be certified later Monday by the tribe’s Election Commission, show Hoskin won nearly 63% of the vote in the four-way race for chief, a position similar to the governor of a state. Hoskin’s running mate, Bryan Warner, won reelection to deputy chief with about 62% of the vote. Both needed to secure more than 50% to avoid a runoff.“Today, we celebrate not only a victory but a renewal of our shared commitment to the principles that have guided our nation for centuries,” Hoskin and Warner said in a joint statement. “Together, we will confront the challenges that lie ahead, united in our determination to uplift and empower every member of our Cherokee family.”Hoskin, a 38-year-old attorney, ran on a platform of p...