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Putin: No peace in Ukraine until Russia reaches its goals

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:14:36 GMT

Almost two years into his war against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday smashed the hopes of anyone who thought Moscow might be open to negotiating a peace deal or reversing course.Putin for the first time since the start of his full-scale assault on Ukraine fielded questions from ordinary Russians and the press.The annual “direct line” televised Q&A is a rare opportunity for Russians to share their gripes with Putin, requesting everything from a new bus stop to better central heating — all while casting the president as a magnanimous problem solver who keeps local bureaucrats on their toes. Last year, Putin skipped the event, amid Russia’s lack of progress on the battlefield in Ukraine.In a survey conducted last month by the independent Levada Center pollster asking Russians which questions they’d want Putin to answer, a majority of respondents said they hoped to hear when the so-called special military operation, as Putin calls his war, and mobil...

Experimental cancer vaccine, combined with immunotherapy, continues to show benefits against melanoma, trial shows

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:14:36 GMT

(CNN) — An investigational mRNA vaccine used along with immunotherapy continues to show benefit for people with high-risk forms of the skin cancer melanoma, the drugmakers said Thursday.At a three-year follow-up with trial participants who had had a stage III or IV melanoma fully removed but were at high risk of the cancer coming back, those who got the vaccine from Moderna along with Merck’s Keytruda immunotherapy had a 49% lower risk of recurrence or death and a 62% lower risk of distant tumor cell spread or death compared with those who got Keytruda alone, the companies said in a news release.A two-year follow-up had found a 44% lower risk of recurrence or death and a 65% lower risk of distant metastasis or death in people who got Keytruda and the vaccine, called mRNA-4157/V940, compared with those who got Keytruda alone.About a quarter of the trial participants who got Keytruda plus the vaccine reported serious adverse events related to the treatment, compared with about 20...

NFL to play regular season game in Brazil during 2024 season, announces SB LXI to be played in Los Angeles

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:14:36 GMT

(CNN) — Football continues to go global.The National Football League (NFL) announced on Wednesday that São Paulo, Brazil, will host a regular season game in 2024, the first ever in South America.According to NFL.com, the league has 38 million fans in Brazil, where the sport is popular among younger fans thanks to a strong social media presence.The game will take place in the 49,000-seat Corinthians Stadium, usually the home of Brazilian top-flight soccer club Corinthians.The NFL’s 2024 international slate includes four games in addition to the Brazil fixture.The Jacksonville Jaguars have an agreement (outside of the league’s deal with overseas stadiums) to play at Wembley Stadium in London, while the English capital will also host two games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Munich’s Allianz Arena – home to soccer giant Bayern Munich – will also host a game.São Paulo was selected over Madrid, though the Spanish capital has not be...

Transat AT reports $3.2M Q4 profit compared with a loss a year ago

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:14:36 GMT

MONTREAL — Transat AT Inc. reported a profit of $3.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss a year ago as its revenue rose more than 30 per cent.The travel company says the profit amounted to eight cents per share for the quarter ended Oct. 31 compared with a loss of $126.2 million or $3.32 per share in the same quarter last year.Revenue for what was Transat’s fourth quarter totalled $764.5 million, up from $573.1 million a year earlier.On an adjusted basis, Transat says it earned 41 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted loss of $2.00 per share a year ago.Transat also announced it has signed a deal to sell its 50 per cent stake in the Marival Armony Luxury Resort in Mexico to its co-owner, the owner of the Marival Group, for US$15.5 million.It says the proceeds of the sale will be used to repay debt.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ)The Canadian Press

U.S. Coast Guard and cruise line save 12 passengers after boat sinks near Dominican Republic

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:14:36 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A boat carrying 12 passengers sank north of the Dominican Republic during inclement weather, and all have been rescued, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.Six of the passengers who were aboard a raft were rescued Wednesday by a Carnival Cruise Line ship in the area, and six others who were found clinging to debris from the sunken ship were saved by the Coast Guard, officials said.The incident occurred about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Puerto Plata. A high surf advisory was in effect.All 12 passengers were taken to emergency medical services in Puerto Plata via helicopter and are in good health, the Coast Guard said.The Associated Press

Missile fired from rebel-controlled Yemen misses a container ship in Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:14:36 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A missile fired from territory controlled by Houthi rebels in Yemen missed a container ship traveling through the crucial Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Thursday, a U.S. defense official said, the latest attack threatening shipping in the crucial maritime chokepoint. The attack saw the missile splash harmlessly in the water near the Maersk Gibraltar, a Hong Kong-flagged container ship that had been traveling from Salalah, Oman, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. The official’s comments came after the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which monitors Mideast shipping lanes, put out an alert warning of an incident in the strait, which separates East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula. Maersk, one of the world’s biggest shippers, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Thursday’s attack marks just the latest in...

Crews battle 2-alarm fire at under construction luxury home in North York

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:14:36 GMT

Crews are on scene battling a fire at an under construction luxury home in North York on Thursday morning.Toronto Fire tells CityNews the fire broke out at a home on Dempsey Crescent, in the area of Bayview and York Mills, just after 6 a.m.The three-story home under construction was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on scene.Paramedics say no one was inside the home at the time and neighbouring homes have been safely evacuated. No injuries have been reported.The fire remains active and officials say there is concern the building could collapse.This is a developing story.

Empire reports $181.1M Q2 profit, down from $189.9M a year ago, sales edge higher

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:14:36 GMT

STELLARTON, N.S. — Empire Co. Ltd. reported a second-quarter profit of $181.1 million, down from $189.9 million in the same quarter last year.The grocer, which owns Sobeys, Safeway and FreshCo stores, says the profit amounted to 72 cents per diluted share for the 13-week period ended Nov. 4, down from 73 cents per diluted share a year earlier.Sales for the quarter totalled $7.75 billion, up from $7.64 billion in the same quarter last year.Same-store sales gained 2.2 per cent, while same-store sales, excluding fuel sales, rose 2.0 per cent.On an adjusted basis, Empire says it earned 71 cents per diluted share in its most recent quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 73 cents per diluted share a year ago.Empire chief executive Michael Medline says while higher interest rates and overall economic uncertainty are impacting customer purchasing behaviours, the fundamentals of the business remain strong.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2023.Companies in this...

Austrian court acquits Blackwater founder and 4 others over export of modified crop-spraying planes

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:14:36 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — An Austrian court on Thursday acquitted five people, including the founder of the Blackwater security firm, who were accused of exporting two crop-spraying aircraft that were allegedly refitted for military purposes without the necessary permits.The state court in Wiener Neustadt found that the modified aircraft were not “war material,” the Austria Press Agency reported. It also found that the defendants had acted “very prudently” and sought advice on export permits.The trial stemmed from an investigation into a local company, Airborne Technologies GmbH, which fits out aircraft with sensors and other equipment.Prosecutors said that two Ayres Thrush agricultural aircraft were equipped with armor, extra tanks and a special camera that could be used for marking and illuminating targets. They said one was sent to Malta in 2014, with Kenya as its declared destination, and landed in troubled South Sudan, while the other was sent to Bulgaria in 2015.The defendants were ...

Rogers, Lynk Global complete Canada’s first satellite-to-mobile phone call

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:14:36 GMT

Rogers Communications Inc. and Lynk Global have completed Canada’s first successful satellite-to-mobile phone call using smartphones in Newfoundland.The historic call was made on the Samsung S22 between Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey and Mabel Tilley, a Newfoundland and Labrador Search and Rescue Association member.Using Lynk Global’s low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites and Rogers national wireless spectrum, Premier Furey and Tilley communicated at the historic Heart’s Content in Trinity Bay, where the world’s first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable occurred between Canada and Ireland over 150 years ago. The phone call was made between Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, and a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Search and Rescue Association using Lynk’s LEO satellites and Rogers’ national wireless spectrum. Photo: Rogers Communications Inc.“This is a game-changer for Newfoundland and Labrador and for the rest o...