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Congress unlikely to finish work on Ukraine, border deal this year

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:30:30 GMT

The Senate looks unlikely to advance new border security restrictions alongside billions more for Ukraine aid this month, as negotiators work through complex border law in difficult closed-door discussions with the Biden administration and top Senate aides.Negotiating Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) met for three hours on Sunday and continued to cite forward progress afterward, with Sinema saying some portions of the challenging border language had been finalized. But the full deal is not complete enough for even a cursory framework or summary to be released yet, and senators on the Republican side suggested the bill shouldn’t be taken up until January when the House is back in session.Lankford said that waiting until January for final votes was a “realistic timeline” for completing their work and said senators are “working through this as fast as we possibly can.” The senators will continue discussions on Monday, when the Senate c...

EU countries destroy €4B worth of COVID vaccines

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:30:30 GMT

At least 215 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines purchased by EU countries at the height of the pandemic have since been thrown away at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of €4 billion, an analysis by POLITICO reveals. And that’s almost certainly an underestimate.Since the first coronavirus vaccines were approved in late 2020, EU countries have collectively taken delivery of 1.5 billion doses (more than three for every person in Europe). Many of these now lie in landfills across the Continent.Calculations based on available data show that EU countries have discarded an average of 0.7 jabs for every member of their population. Top of the scale is Estonia, which binned more than one dose per inhabitant, followed closely by Germany, which also threw away the largest raw volume of jabs.If this average waste rate is projected across the rest of the EU, it would equal more than 312 million destroyed vaccines.It’s not easy to discover how many vaccines have been thrown out. Gover...

Darnell Mooney’s Hail Mary drop will make the Chicago Bears’ lowlight reel, but far more went wrong for the offense

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:30:30 GMT

As a mass of players leaped into the air to catch Justin Fields’ pass Sunday afternoon at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Chicago Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney found himself at the front of the pack, tumbling to the grass in the end zone with the football in his hands.And then in an instant the football — and the upset win — got away. Bounced off Mooney’s chest. Rolled up his leg. Popped into the hands of Browns safety D’Anthony Bell.Fields’ 45-yard Hail Mary pass to win the game with no time left on the clock instead was a Browns interception to seal a 20-17 comeback victory over the Bears.Afterward, Mooney laid back in his locker looking at his phone. He had already watched the replay and read the comments on social media decrying the missed opportunity for the Bears, who could have extended their winning streak to three games for the first time since December 2020.“Everybody is killing me right now,” Mooney said. “But it’...

A suspected cyberattack paralyzes the majority of gas stations across Iran

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:30:30 GMT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Nearly 70% of Iran’s gas stations went out of service on Monday following possible sabotage — a reference to cyberattacks, Iranian state TV reported.The report said a “software problem” caused the irregularity in the gas stations. It urged people not to rush to the stations that were still operational. Israeli media, including the Times of Israel, blamed the problem on an attack by a hacker group dubbed “Gonjeshke Darande” or predatory sparrow.State TV quoted a statement by the Oil Ministry as saying more than 30% of gas stations remain in service. The country has some 33,000 gas stations.In recent years, Iran has seen a series of cyberattacks on its filling stations, railway system and industries. Surveillance cameras in government buildings, including prisons, have also been hacked in the past.In 2022, the Gonjeshke Darande group hacked a major steel company in the southwest of the country. A cyberattack on Iran’s fuel distribution system in 2021 paralyzed gas ...

Farmers protest against a German government plan to cut tax breaks for diesel

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:30:30 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German farmers gathered in Berlin on Monday to protest against planned cuts to tax breaks for diesel used in agriculture, part of a deal reached by the government to plug a hole in the country’s budget.Leaders of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition last week agreed on measures to fill a 17 billion-euro ($18.5 billion) hole in next year’s budget, saying they would achieve that by reducing climate-damaging subsidies and slightly reducing some ministries’ spending, among other measures. That was necessary after Germany’s highest court annulled an earlier decision to repurpose 60 billion euros originally meant to cushion the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic for measures to help combat climate change and modernize the country. The maneuver fell foul of Germany’s strict self-imposed limits on running up debt.As more details of the deal have emerged, so has discontent, notably over a plan to cut tax breaks for agricultural diesel and scrap...

Taiwan reports 2 Chinese balloons near its territory as China steps up pressure ahead of elections

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:30:30 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Two Chinese balloons flew north of Taiwan, the island’s Defense Ministry said Monday, as China increases pressure on the self-ruled territory it claims as its own ahead of a presidential election in January.The balloons crossed the sensitive Taiwan Strait separating the island from China and were detected about 110 nautical miles (204 kilometers) northwest of the northern port city of Keelung on Sunday, the ministry said. It was the second time this month Taiwan reported a Chinese balloon near its territory, after one crossed southwest of Keelung on Dec. 7.China’s potential for using weather balloons to spy on other governments came into focus earlier this year, when the United States shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean, drawing China’s ire.Taiwan’s Defense Ministry did not say whether it suspected the balloon could have been used for spying.China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment.Beijing has increased pressure o...

Love it or hate it, self-checkout is here to stay. But it’s going through a reckoning

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:30:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The promise of self-checkout was alluring: Customers could avoid long lines by scanning and bagging their own items, workers could be freed of doing those monotonous tasks themselves and retailers could save on labor costs. All that has happened since the rollout of self-checkout but so has this: Customers griping about clunky technology that spits out mysterious error codes, workers having to stand around and monitor both humans and machines, and retailers contending with theft. “Going to the grocery store used to be simple, and now it’s frustrating,” said Cindy Whittington, 66, of Fairfax, Virginia. “You’re paying more. You’re working harder to pay for merchandise at their store. And it’s become an ordeal to check out. I should get a 5% discount.”In 2021, self-checkout usage represented 30% of transactions, almost double from 2018, according to a survey of retailers by FMI, an industry group. And 96% of retailers surveyed offer self-checkout.But t...

Austin heads to Israel as US urges transition to a more targeted approach in Gaza

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:30:30 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was expected to press Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza on a visit Monday, in the latest test of whether the U.S. can leverage its unwavering support for the offensive to blunt its devastating impact on Palestinian civilians.France, the U.K. and Germany, some of Israel’s closest allies, joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend, and Israeli protesters have demanded the government relaunch talks with the militant group on releasing more hostages after three were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops while waving a white flag.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will keep fighting until it removes Hamas from power, crushes its still-formidable military capabilities and returns the roughly 129 hostages still held by the group after its Oct. 7 attack, which ignited the war. The U.S. has vetoed international calls for a cease-fire and rushed munitions to its close ally while pressing i...

Daily horoscope for December 18, 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:30:30 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Pisces.Happy Birthday for Monday, Dec. 18, 2023:You are a quick learner and have a strong imagination. You make plans far into the future. This year is the beginning of a nine-year cycle for you — a time for new beginnings, adventures and major changes. Set some goals. You might take on a leadership role.ARIES(March 21-April 19)★★★It’s a pleasant day to begin your week. Conversations with bosses and parents might boost your wealth or earnings. This will work if you’re trying to get back wages or something that was owed to you from the past. It’s a good day to ask for a loan or a mortgage. Tonight: Avoid arguments.TAURUS(April 20-May 20)★★★★This is an excellent day to learn something or study anything that interests you. You also will make headway on working on a manuscript or a special paper. Legal and medical matters are favored. You might want to make travel plans...

Commission sends request for information to Apple and Google under the Digital Services Act

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:30:30 GMT

On 14 December, the European Commission formally sent requests for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA) to Apple and Google. The Commission is requesting the providers of these services to provide more information on how they have diligently identified any systemic risks concerning the App Store and Google Play. In order to ensure more safety for users, the Commission also seeks more information from the App Store and Google Play on their compliance with the rules applicable to online marketplaces and to transparency related to recommender systems and online advertisements.The requested information regarding the App Store and Google Play must be provided to the Commission by 15 January 2024. Based on the assessment of the replies, the Commission will assess next steps. This could entail the formal opening of proceedings pursuant to Article 66 of the DSA.Pursuant to Article 74(2) of the DSA, the Commission can impose fines for incorrect, incomplete, or misleading informat...