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European Union agrees to open membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:55:01 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union decided Thursday to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.European Council President Charles Michel called it “a clear signal of hope for their people and our continent.”The decision was announced at a summit gathering leaders of the 27 EU countries.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the decision as “a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe.”THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders struggled at the start of a two-day summit Thursday to keep intact their two most basic promises to Ukraine at war — to give it the money and wherewithal to stave off the Russian invasion and maintain its hope that one day it will be able to join the wealthy bloc.And stunningly, the threat to that commitment does not come from outside, but from within, from the EU’s increasingly recalcitrant member Hungary. The vision of its prime minister, Viktor Orban, heartily s...

Stock market today: Wall Street rises on hopes for rate cuts as Dow ticks toward another record

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:55:01 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is ticking higher Thursday following its big rally the day before on excitement that several cuts to interest rates may indeed be coming next year.The S&P 500 was 0.6% higher in afternoon trading and within 1.3% of its all-time high set early last year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 171 points, or 0.5%, and on track to set a record for a second straight day, as of 12:36 p.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher.Moderna jumped 11.6% after it reported encouraging data from a study of its treatment for high-risk melanoma that’s used with Merck’s Keytruda. That helped offset a 5.5% slump for Adobe, which gave a forecast for 2024 revenue that fell short of analysts’ expectations.Stocks broadly have been shooting higher since October on hopes that inflation has cooled enough for the Federal Reserve to not only stop its market-rattling hikes to interest rates but to even begin considering cutting them. Those hopes strengthened Wednesd...

76ers’ Daryl Morey mixes basketball with shot at Broadway in absurdist musical ‘Small Ball’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:55:01 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Off Broadway and right off Broad Street, Daryl Morey composed an offbeat kind of basketball roster. Bird, Magic, even Phil Jackson made the cut, only in Morey’s world they are 6-inch Lilliputians, rather than giants in NBA history.Yes, the team is even led by Michael Jordan.Just not THAT Michael Jordan, a running gag in an absurdist musical comedy orchestrated in large part by Morey. The team president of the Philadelphia 76ers, Morey grew up considering a career in musical theater. Maybe write some Broadway smash hits. He even sketched out a draft for a basketball-themed musical — an idea hatched years ago when he connected with a theater company in Houston.“That theater I was working with approached me and said, ‘hey, wouldn’t it be cool to do a musical?’” Morey said. “Yeah, sure, I have an outline of something that might be fun. Then we very smartly threw out my outline.”From the ashes of Morey’s proposed book came “Small Ball,” about a small team with big bas...

New Mexico man found guilty of murdering woman found at Boulder trailhead

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:55:01 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A guilty verdict was handed down by a Boulder County jury on Thursday in a case regarding a woman's death at a popular Colorado hiking area.Jamie Moore, 32, was accused of killing a New Mexico woman and dumping her body near Realization Point Trailhead off Flagstaff Road in Boulder. 5 units destroyed in large overnight fire at Aurora construction site Alexis Baca, 25, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, was discovered by hikers on July 24, 2022. Police said she had multiple cigarette burns on her body, a bag suspected of being methamphetamine in her pocket, and a bullet hole above her left ear.She was wearing a necklace with a gold Grim Reaper pendant attached and a 9mm shell casing was discovered near her body. Baca's mother told FOX31 last year that her daughter left behind a 1-year-old daughter who will never know her mother.Jamie Moore, 32, was facing six charges and was found guilty of five by the jury. Those charges are:First-degree murder - guiltySecond-degree murde...

Luke Combs helping a Florida fan who almost owed him $250,000 for selling unauthorized merchandise

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:55:01 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Country singer Luke Combs is making amends to a disabled Florida woman who sells tumblers online after she was ordered to pay him $250,000 when she got snared in a crackdown his lawyers launched against companies that sell unauthorized merchandise with his image or name on it.Combs in an Instagram video posted Wednesday said he told his attorneys to remove Nicol Harness from a lawsuit they filed in an Illinois federal court and that he was sending her $11,000. She had sold on Amazon 18 tumblers she had made with his name and likeness for $20 each, grossing $360.The singer, who recently topped the country charts with his remake of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” also said he would start selling his own tumbler with the proceeds going to pay Harness’ medical bills — she has heart disease and was recently hospitalized. He also said he would fly Harness and her family to an upcoming concert so he could meet her.He said his lawyers were only supposed ...

Macron’s spin doctor to join Swiss events firm

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:55:01 GMT

Frédéric Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron’s top communications adviser, will join the MCH Group, a Swiss firm that organizes the Art Basel fair, one of the most important art fairs in the world, on January 1, 2024.He will be the firm’s chief communications and corporate affairs officer, MCH Group said in a statement.Michel, who became Macron’s spin doctor in September 2022, is known for his work as a top lobbyist for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp in the United Kingdom. One of MCH’s main shareholders is Lupa Systems, an investment fund controlled by James Murdoch, Rupert’s son.Having joined Macron’s team shortly after the start of his second mandate, Michel never managed to live up to his predecessor, Clément Leonarduzzi, who had successfully steered the French president’s re-election campaign.At times mocked in the French press for using highly recognizable anglicisms, Michel was criticized for being unable to help the French president ...

Two people seriously injured after being pinned by work van in Danvers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:55:01 GMT

Authorities in Danvers say two workers were seriously injured after they were pinned between a work van and a loading dock.Danvers Fire Chief Robert Amerault told 7NEWS first responders were called to the incident on Garden Street on Thursday morning, where one of the workers suffered a severe lower leg injury that required a Medflight to Boston Medical Center for treatment. The other worker injured was taken to Beverly Hospital via ambulance.Amerault said the workers were believed to be part of a carpet installation crew and that the incident remained under investigation by both state and local police.No additional details were released.

University of Arizona boosting security after ‘attempted abduction’ of a female student and two other incidents, police say

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:55:01 GMT

(CNN) — The University of Arizona is ramping up security as police search for a suspect in a series of incidents involving female students, including an apparent attempted abduction, authorities said.The incidents all took place within a mile of campus in the past week, Tucson Police Department Assistant Chief Christopher Dennison said in a news conference on Wednesday.One of the victims told police she was being followed by a vehicle near campus just after 8 p.m. December 7 before a male driver got out and grabbed her from behind, Dennison said.The victim began screaming and dropped to the ground, prompting the assailant to let go of her and run back to his vehicle and drive away, he added.A second student later told police she was also followed by a vehicle matching the same description on the morning of December 6, but she was able to get to safety, according to police.Days later on December 11, a third victim reported being groped in the area near campus arou...

‘The Crown’ Season 6 review: The final episodes shift focus to William and Kate

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:55:01 GMT

Nina Metz | Chicago TribuneDespite a hefty budget, luxe visuals and a rotating cast of talented actors conspicuously better looking than their real-life counterparts, “The Crown” ends its six-season run on Netflix revealing surprisingly little beneath the royal family’s inscrutable facade.With the monarchy forever battling reputational damage off-screen, “The Crown’s” (mostly) deferential approach has been all the more puzzling.By design, biopics and their TV counterpoints must decide which details to include and which to leave out. Show creator Peter Morgan has made it clear certain things are off-limits. Though Prince Andrew’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein occurred during the timespan covered in the final season, that detail is absent. Meanwhile, an entire episode focuses on the declining health and death of Princess Margaret. Both events are significant in the life of Queen Elizabeth. Choosing one over the other exposes the limits of Morgan’s curiosity and fortitude.If the firs...

Bruins place Charlie McAvoy, Pavel Zacha on IR

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:55:01 GMT

The Bruins placed defenseman Charlie McAvoy and center Pavel Zacha on injured reserve, knocking them out of action for at least seven days since they left the lineup with their respective upper body injuries.McAvoy was injured in the B’s loss to Buffalo on December 7 and Zacha was injured in the win over Arizona on Dec. 9. McAvoy had begun skating on his own before the team left for their two-game road trip, but Zacha had not started skating yet. In their place, the B’s brought up center Patrick Brown and defenseman Parker Wotherspoon.The B’s, who play on Long Island against the New York Islanders on Friday and then come home to play the Rangers on Saturday, played without both McAvoy and Zacha on Wednesday in New Jersey and they had an extra forward in Jesper Boqvist, so it’s not clear if there were any injuries stemming from the 2-1 loss to the Devils that would precipitate the call-ups.Also, there were no takers for Jakub Zboril, who cleared waivers on Thu...