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IMPORTANT
| | | Blue and Yellow | Year’s End Brings Stalemate on the Front and Pride at Home Ukraine’s intelligence agency boss Kyrylo Budanov described the Ukrainian position as “stuck” as the country waits for desperately needed support from Western allies. His comments come after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Congress and secured a pledge from U.S. President Joe Biden for arms. Russia is similarly “completely at a dead end,” Budanov said, adding that fresh weapons could change the direction of the invasion. Elsewhere, Zelenskyy told the Ukrainian Parliament in his end-of-year address that the country has become an icon: “Our national colors are today an international symbol of courage and indomitability of the whole world.” (Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera) |
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| | | Fractured | Europe Splits Along Familiar Lines in Balkans Barricades around the town of Mitrovica must come down, Germany said as tensions sizzle in Kosovo. Ethnic Serbs in the region have established at least 10 barricades in Mitrovica over the last three weeks after the arrest of a Serb former police officer for assault. The German Foreign Ministry singled out “nationalist rhetoric in particular” in its call for calm. It comes amid allegations the Kremlin is stoking tensions in its support of Serbia in the burgeoning conflict. “Serbia is a sovereign country and it is absolutely wrong to look for Russia's destructive influence here,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. (Sources: DW, Reuters) |
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| | | | | Failure to Launch | Southwest Has Some Explaining to Do, DoT Says Winter superstorms across the U.S. grounded flights over the weekend, but for Southwest, the disaster isn’t over yet. “We are past the point where they could say this is a weather-driven issue,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. Since Friday, Southwest has canceled 14,500 flights, but Wednesday, when other airlines were back in the sky, Southwest canceled another 2,500. Outdated computer systems are to blame, unions said, while an internal memo sent Dec. 21 warned of staff shortages at the Denver hub. Thousands of affected would-be travelers will be reimbursed for travel costs, the airline said. (Sources: Reuters, WaPo) |
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| | | True Lies | It’s True: Prosecutors Will Investigate Long Island’s Lying Rep “If a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly vowed Wednesday after announcing an investigation into Rep.-elect George Santos’ embellishments. The Republican politico will be sworn in next Tuesday, which could open him up to investigations from the House Committee on Ethics or the Justice Department. Despite speculation Santos would step down, he seems committed to taking up the seat he was elected to. “In Congress, I look forward to working alongside them to fully utilize this amazing resource we have in our own backyard in #NY03,” Santos tweeted. (Source: AP) |
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| | | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Arrested. Bolivian police arrested prominent right-wing opposition figure Luis Fernando Camacho on Wednesday. The charges remain unclear but he has been under investigation for his role in protests in Santa Cruz earlier this year. (Source: France24) Tragedy. At least 10 people have been killed in a fire at a casino in the Cambodian town of Poipet, along the border with Thailand. Authorities said over 30 had been injured. (Source: Al Jazeera) Vigil. Pope Francis called for prayers for his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, whose health is worsening at the Vatican. The emeritus pope became the first head of the Catholic church to resign in 600 years in 2013. (Source: BBC) |
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INTRIGUING
| | | Climate Crisis | It’s Heating Up in the UK and it’s Expected to Get Worse Remember this summer’s heat in the U.K.? That’s a record-setter, the Met Office’s National Climate Information Center said this week, highlighting the real impact climate change is having across the country. Except for December, every month this year — including the summer’s deadly heat waves — recorded above average temperatures. “Although it doesn’t mean every year will be the warmest on record, climate change continues to increase the chances of increasingly warm years over the coming decades,” Dr Mark McCarthy, who heads the Climate Information Center, said. Data shows that cold snaps like those earlier this month will become less frequent. (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | | Flying High | Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane? No, it’s Somebody’s Amazon Order Residents in Lockeford, California, and College Station, Texas, had some Amazon orders drone-delivered ahead of Christmas. Amazon Prime Air was granted approval for the pilot program by the Federal Aviation Administration earlier in the year, which allows the e-commerce giant to deliver packages under five pounds by air. Amazon previously said around 85% of all orders through the site are under that benchmark. It could be coming to a sky near you soon if Amazon Prime Air has its way. “We are starting in these communities and will gradually expand deliveries to more customers over time,” spokeswoman Natalie Banke said. (Source: ArsTechnica) |
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| | | No Joke | Will you Buy Tickets to a Bill Cosby Tour? The disgraced comedian hopes so. In a radio interview Wednesday, Cosby, released from three years in prison last year after sexual assault charges were overturned, said he planned to begin touring again. “When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience knows me to be,” he said. His management flagged spring/summer as likely dates. Cosby faces fresh legal challenges after five women filed sexual assault claims against him and NBC under a New York law that temporarily allows the hearing of historical sex crime allegations. (Source: Variety) |
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| | | Man’s Best Friend | Much Sad: ‘Doge’ Shiba Inu Battles Illness Kabosu is in a “dangerous condition,” the dog’s owner, Atsuko Sato, said in a series of Instagram posts this week. Kabosu was taken to a vet after she stopped eating and drinking on Christmas Eve, and has since been diagnosed with a liver condition and blood cancer. Reflecting on Kabosu’s unexpected fame as a meme — and the face of cryptocurrency Dogecoin — Sato said she was initially very surprised. “I was terrified at the thought that just one photo I had casually posted on my blog could spread all over the world to places I didn’t know,” Sato said. (Source: NBC News) |
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| | | Bad Sport | Champion Boxer Gervonta Davis Bailed After Assault Arrest Davis was released Wednesday afternoon, a day after he is alleged to have struck a woman with a “closed hand type slap” in Florida. It follows the release of a 911 call by the alleged victim on Tuesday afternoon in which she pleaded for help and said: “I’m trying to go home, I have a baby in the car and attacked me … He’s going to kill me.” Davis denied the allegations. A Showtime PPV bout with Hector Luis Garcia is slated for Jan. 7, but it’s unclear if it will go ahead. Showtime said it was monitoring the situation. (Source: ESPN) |
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COMMUNITY
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