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Serbia and Kosovo leaders hold long-awaited face-to-face talks as the EU seeks to dial down tensions

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:45:19 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo held a long-awaited face-to-face meeting on Thursday in talks aimed aimed at improving their strained relations as calls mount for a change in the Western diplomatic approach toward them amid concern that their tensions could spiral out of control.Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti are in Brussels for talks under the so-called Belgrade-Pristina dialogue process, supervised by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.The last round of the dialogue in June ended without producing any obvious results. Vučić and Kurti refused to meet in person, and Borrell, who held talks separately with both men, conceded that they have “different interpretations of the causes and also the facts, consequences and solutions.”In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Borrell wrote that it was time to begin applying the agreement on the path toward normalization “in earnest. Today, we will see if they ar...

Biden’s rules on clean cars face a crucial test as Republican-led challenges go to an appeals court

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:45:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Efforts by the Biden administration to limit pollution from automobile tailpipes — a major source of planet-warming emissions — face a crucial test as legal challenges brought by Republican-led states head to a federal appeals court.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will hear arguments Thursday and Friday on three cases challenging Biden administration rules targeting cars and trucks. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming, and the legal cases could go all the way to the Supreme Court.Republican attorneys general say the legal challenges are needed to curtail government overreach, while environmental groups and the Democratic administration say an adverse ruling could jeopardize protections against deadly pollution that contributes to climate change.The cases before the appeals court will test a 2021 Environmental Protection Agency rule that strengthened tailpipe pollution limi...

Spain’s women’s soccer league players call off strike after reaching a deal for higher minimum wage

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:45:19 GMT

MADRID (AP) — The players in Spain’s women’s soccer league have called off a strike after reaching a deal to increase minimum wage, the league and unions said Thursday.The first set of games was not played last weekend because of the strike, but the second block of matches will now go ahead as scheduled.The minimum salary for the women’s league until now was 16,000 euros ($17,100), compared to 182,000 euros ($195,000) for the men’s league.The new deal will increase the minimum wage for the women’s league to 21,000 euros ($22,500) this season, with that sum rising to 23,500 euros ($25,200) by 2025. It could go even higher depending on revenue.Last season, of 334 players, 80 players made less than 20,000 euros ($21,400) per year, while the average salary was about 40,000 euros ($42,900), according to the league.The strike, which was announced last week by the players, coincided with the scandal caused by Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales when he kissed a na...

Nigeria experiences a nationwide power outage after its electrical grid fails

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:45:19 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria experienced a nationwide power outage Thursday after the country’s electrical grid collapsed due to technical failures, the West African nation’s electricity distribution companies reported.The outage affected all of Nigeria’s 36 states and the capital city of Abuja. The grid has collapsed multiple times, and it was not clear when power would be restored. The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), which supplies electricity to southeastern Nigeria, issued a statement announcing a “total system” collapse. “Due to this development … we are unable to provide service to our customers,” company spokesperson Emeka Ezeh said. Such power failures are common in Nigeria which battles with dilapidated energy infrastructure that has caused frequent power outages.“Power supply shall be restored as soon as the national grid is powered back,” the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, which supplies power to parts of northern Nigeria, said ...

Displaced by earthquake from their mountain homes, Moroccan families brace for shelterless nights

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:45:19 GMT

AMIZMIZ, Morocco (AP) — Rachid Alachoun, a 40-year-old plumber, washes clothes on the roof of his home. Half of it remains standing while the other half can be found in piles of rocks visible from the roof.Alachoun is among the survivors near the epicenter of an earthquake that hit Morocco last Friday. Authorities have reported 2,946 deaths and several thousand injuries.Though he has to walk through boulders and wires to get to his kitchen or bedroom, he has stayed in his family’s home in Amizmiz near the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter. He said the tent that authorities gave them is too small for his entire family.So his life at home goes on.Chairs in the remnants of the family home are covered with the dust of broken walls and possessions that are too large to carry out — a washing machine, tables and a fridge — are still trapped inside.He cooks chicken, carrots and olives in a clay pot on the gas stove in an area he’s kept tidy. The situation is especially precarious when aftersho...

Whole families drowned in Libya’s flood. Many didn’t realize the danger until they heard dams burst

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:45:19 GMT

DERNA, Libya (AP) — The wall of water several stories high smashed into apartment buildings, drowning entire families in minutes. One man lost at least 13 members of his extended family. Fadellalah has yet to hear about the fate of another 20, several days after two dams burst above the Libyan coastal city of Derna, unleashing epic floods that wiped out neighborhoods and washed some of the dead into sea.Thousands of others like Fadellalah are frantically trying to find out who survived the rain-swollen rampage.As a powerful storm bore down on his hometown, the information technology worker in Libya’s capital of Tripoli called his family Sunday to urge them to move to higher ground. “No one expected this,” said Fadelallah, who asked that his surname not be used because he fears reprisal from government officials and armed groups who could view his story as criticism of their efforts.“Some of them didn’t have cars. They didn’t have a way to get out,” he said of his family.Torrential r...

11-year-old boy missing from Gary believed to be in 'extreme danger:' Police

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:45:19 GMT

GARY, Ind. -- An 11-year-old boy was reported missing from Gary Wednesday night and police said he is believed to be in 'extreme danger.' Damarion Dylan Martin is described as being 4 foot tall with brown hair and brown eyes. He weighs 65 pounds and was last seen wearing a blue Gary Lighthouse Charter School hoodie with navy blue pants and black New Balance shoes. Family wants answers after 19-year-old daughter found dead on Englewood porch He was last seen Wednesday evening around 6 p.m. Police said he may be in extreme danger and might need medical assistance. If any information is recovered on his whereabouts, contact 911 immediately.

Heavy surf pounds Bermuda as Hurricane Lee continues to churn

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:45:19 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (WFLA) — The outer bands of Hurricane Lee began to lash Bermuda late Thursday as big surf pounded the island, with the Category 2 storm expected to make landfall on the coast of New England or Atlantic Canada over the weekend.The storm was located about 295miles south-southwest of Bermuda. It had winds of up to 100 miles per hour and was moving north-northwest at 9 mph. National Hurricane Center tracking Lee, Margot and a disturbance with a 90% chance of formation Lee was expected to pass just west of Bermuda, prompting forecasters to issue a tropical storm warning for the island.”I cannot stress enough that we must all take this storm seriously,” David Burch, acting national security minister, said in a press conference.In this satellite image provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration via NASA, Hurricane Lee continues its slow west-northwest trajectory across the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (NOAA/NASA via AP)Bermuda...

Several rounds of heavy rain are heading our way

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:45:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Rounds of storms and downpours are likely Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but specific timing on these rounds would be hard to nail down. After heavy rain and storms pushed through our area Thursday morning (bringing some spots over 2" of rain), we expect a midday break of dry weather followed by another round of heavy rain moving in by the afternoon.Additional rainfall amounts will generally range between 0.5"-2", with isolated pockets of more. Although we do not expect widespread flooding issues, nuisance flooding will be possible under any well-developed storm or shower.Afternoon highs will range between the mid-80s and low 90s each day, largely dependent on when rain moves in and out. Most days will trend at or below seasonal average for this time of year.Forecast high temperatures the next 7 days NEW BLOG: Peak Atlantic hurricane season is here, what’s next? STORY: Central Texas drought ‘top one or two driest’ Austin Interactive Weather Stats (2023) FIRS...

BLOG: Morning storm brings power outages

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:45:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – An early morning thunderstorm Thursday has knocked out power to thousands of customers in Travis and Williamson counties. 5:13 a.m. update from Oncor: 3,977 Oncor customers in Travis County were affected by the outage and 1,928 Oncor customers in Williamson County were without power. According to Oncor's website at 5 a.m., 2,612 customers are affected by 27 outages in Williamson County and 6,425 customers are affected by 42 outages in Travis County. Oncor gave no estimated restoration time in Williamson but estimated power in Travis should be restored by 8:30 a.m.