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Up, up and away — flying taxis look to France’s city of revolution to unleash change on the skies

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:16:16 GMT

LE BOURGET, France (AP) — Just a dot on the horizon at first, the bug-like and surprisingly quiet electrically-powered craft buzzes over Paris and its traffic snarls, treating its doubtless awestruck passenger to privileged vistas of the Eiffel Tower and the city’s signature zinc-grey rooftops before landing him or her with a gentle downward hover. And thus, if all goes to plan, could a new page in aviation history be written.After years of dreamy and not always credible talk of skies filled with flying, non-polluting electric taxis, the aviation industry is preparing to deliver a future that it says is now just around the corner. Capitalizing on its moment in the global spotlight, the Paris region is planning for a small fleet of electric flying taxis to operate on multiple routes when it hosts the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer. Unless aviation regulators in China beat Paris to the punch by green-lighting a pilotless taxi for two passengers under development t...

Wizards trading Porzingis to Celtics in 3-team deal with Smart headed to Grizzlies, AP sources say

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:16:16 GMT

The Wizards are banking on Kristaps Porzingis to rewrite the narrative on his injury history. He's intent on doing the same. The Wizards are banking on Kristaps Porzingis to rewrite the narrative on his injury history. He's intent on doing the same. The Washington Wizards have agreed to trade center Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics as part of a three-team trade that also includes Marcus Smart heading to the Memphis Grizzlies, two people with knowledge of the deal said Thursday morning.The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreements hadn’t been announced. The trade comes with Porzingis accepting his player option for next season.The deal also includes the Griz...

Destructive storm slams northern Texas town of Matador, deaths, widespread damage reported

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:16:16 GMT

MATADOR, Texas (AP) — Destructive storm slams northern Texas town of Matador, deaths, widespread damage reported.Source

Elon Musk wants cage fight with Mark Zuckerberg (yes, really)

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:16:16 GMT

Billionaire entrepreneur and Twitter owner Elon Musk is picking a fight with Mark Zuckerberg — and the Facebook chief is up for it.Musk (on Twitter, naturally) began the spat Wednesday by laughing off Zuckerberg’s Meta attempting to launch its own “sanely run” micro-blogging competitor to Twitter.“I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be exclusively under Zuck’s thumb with no other options,” Musk said. “At least it will be ‘sane.’” The South-African born entrepreneur then added: “I’m up for a cage match if he is lol.”Zuckerberg responded on Instagram (which is owned by Meta) with a screenshot of Musk’s tweet, captioned: “Send Me Location.”“If this is for real, I will do it ,” Musk tweeted in response to a screen-cap of the Zuckerberg Instagram Story. Later, he tweeted “Vegas Octagon,” referring to a venue used for Ultimate Fighting Championship fights.If the two billionaires do end up going ...

UK’s Ben Wallace: I won’t get NATO top job

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:16:16 GMT

U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said he will not be the next NATO secretary-general.“It’s not going to happen,” Wallace told The Economist in an interview published Wednesday night. The British defense chief has pitched himself for the NATO gig in recent months, with the U.K. at the forefront of providing Western support to Ukraine as it fights to fend off Russia’s full-scale invasion. But Wallace told the magazine that the U.S. under President Joe Biden wanted current chief Jens Stoltenberg, a Norwegian who has been in post since 2014, to stay on in the role — deferring the decision on a successor until next year. Stoltenberg’s term has repeatedly been extended as the West coordinated its assistance to Ukraine in the wake of the Kremlin’s assault.Some leaders of EU countries also have little appetite to hand the plum job to a Brit after Brexit, as POLITICO has previously reported. “Maybe they want a prime minister,” Wallace said. Danish PM Mette Frederiksen — w...

Swiss central bank raises key interest rate and says more hikes can’t be ruled out

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:16:16 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Switzerland’s central bank raised its key interest rate Thursday as it seeks to combat inflation and said “it cannot be ruled out” that more hikes will be necessary. Inflation declined significantly to 2.2% in May but is above the target set by the Swiss National Bank, which warned that price pressures persist and would make themselves felt in coming months without action. It said the decision to hike its key rate by a quarter-percentage point to 1.75% was “countering inflationary pressure which has increased again over the medium term.”Central banks around the world have sharply raised interest rates to combat an outbreak of inflation triggered by the rebound from the pandemic, higher energy prices and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Bank of England and Turkey’s central bank also are both holding rate meetings Thursday.The Associated Press

EU summons Kosovo and Serbia leaders for emergency talks amid fears of a return to open conflict

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:16:16 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has summoned the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo for emergency talks on Thursday to try to bring an end to a series of violent clashes near their border that is fueling fears of a return to open conflict.EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that he would hold “urgent meetings” with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels. It was unclear whether the two would meet face-to-face, or only hold separate talks with Borrell.“We need immediate de-escalation and new elections in the north with participation of Kosovo Serbs. This is paramount for the region and (the) EU,” Borrell tweeted ahead of the talks. The 27-nation bloc has for years been leading talks aimed at reconciling the two foes, but with little success.Serbia and its former province Kosovo have been at odds for decades. Their 1998-99 conflict left more than 10,000 people dead, mostly Kosovo Albanians. Belgrade has refused to recognize Kosovo’s 200...

Israel demolishes alleged Palestinian attacker’s home in volatile occupied West Bank

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:16:16 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli troops on Thursday demolished the home of a Palestinian who is suspected of killing an Israeli soldier last year, in the latest military operation in the increasingly volatile occupied West Bank, which has been gripped by surging violence.The demolition came during a week of rising tensions and unrelenting violence in the West Bank and just hours after Israel carried out a rare airstrike that killed three Palestinian militants near the city of Jenin and Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages in retaliation for the killing of four Israelis a day earlier.A daylong Israeli military raid on Monday killed seven Palestinians, including two teens, near Jenin, a militant stronghold. A day later, a mass shooting by Palestinian gunmen killed four Israelis, including a 17-year-old boy.The army said late Wednesday it had “identified a terrorist cell inside a suspicious vehicle” that was allegedly responsible for recent shooting attacks on Jewish settlements. The...

After devastating floods in Pakistan, some have recovered but many are struggling a year later

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:16:16 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Last summer’s flooding in Pakistan killed at least 1,700 people, destroyed millions of homes, wiped out swaths of farmland, and caused billions of dollars in economic losses. All in a matter of months. At one point, a third of the country was underwater. Pakistani leaders and many scientists worldwide blame climate change for the unusually early and heavy monsoon rains.A year on, the country hasn’t fully recovered. The aftermath runs the length of the country; survivors living in makeshift huts where their homes used to be, millions of children out of school, damaged infrastructure waiting to be repaired.Pakistan’s national disaster authority said most people have returned to their towns or villages, but its flood records stop in November 2022. Almost 8 million people were displaced at the height of the crisis. But there is no information on how many people remain homeless or live in temporary shelters. Aid agencies and charities provide up-to-date pictures of life,...

Qatargate 2.0? A human rights plot favours convicted oligarch, casting shadows over European Parliamentarians

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:16:16 GMT

In a world where truth sometimes appears stranger than fiction, we come across yet another real-life saga that could be dismissed as overly dramatic had it been penned by a novelist. The European Parliament is mired in a new vortex of allegations concerning human rights and corruption, amid an already ongoing storm of fury initially fueled by Europe’s so-called QatarGate scandal last year, writes Luc Rodehefer.Testimonies point towards cash payments funnelled through a Brussels-based organization co-established by former Member of European Parliament (MEP) Antonio Panzeri to manipulate voting in the EP. The arrests and raids have led to the seizure of €1.5 million in cash and the confiscation of computers and mobile phones. This scandal has initiated legal discussions and stimulated demands to revoke diplomatic immunity for those implicated.A new in-depth investigation report published on May 29, 2023 – originally on Medium and later circulated among anti-corruption enthusiasts on R...