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As the Black Sea becomes a battleground, one Ukrainian farmer doesn’t know how he’ll sell his grain

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:10:12 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Victor Tsvyk harvested 4,800 tons of wheat this month, but after Russia exited a wartime deal that allowed Ukraine to ship grain to the world, he has no idea where his produce will go. Or how his beloved farm will survive.Tsvyk, who normally exported up to 90% of his harvest from the southern port of Odesa, faces a crisis: His yield is 20% higher compared with last year, which would have been a boon in times of peace, but in war, exorbitant logistics costs and Russia’s blockage of the ports has made shipping grain too expensive for him.Tsvyk is one of thousands of Ukrainian farmers facing a similar dilemma. “It’s too painful to talk about,” the 67-year-old said when asked how he envisions the future.Last month, Russia pulled out of the deal that the U.N. and Turkey brokered to provide protection for ships carrying Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. Moscow has since stepped up attacks on Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure while Ukraine has hit one of Ru...

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin acquitted of four graft charges

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:10:12 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was acquitted by the high court of four corruption charges on Tuesday, just days after his opposition bloc expanded its influence in local elections. Muhyiddin, 75, said the high court struck down four charges of abusing his power to obtain 232.5 million ringgit ($50 million) in bribes for his Bersatu party. He was charged in March and still faces three charges of money laundering involving 200 million ringgit ($43 million). “From the start, I have said that these are politically motivated charges. I have not done anything wrong … and today it has been proven that these were false allegations,” he told reporters outside the courthouse.His lawyer, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, said the court agreed with the defense contention that the charges were defective legally and lacked details on how the offenses were committed. With the collapse of the four main charges, Teh said they were confident the other th...

4 Australians and 2 Indonesians are rescued after being missing in waters off Aceh for 2 days

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:10:12 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Four Australian tourists and two Indonesians were rescued after being missing for two days in the waters off Indonesia’s Aceh province, officials and the father of one of the Australians said Tuesday.Peter Foote, the father of Elliot Foote, who had traveled to Indonesia to celebrate his 30th birthday with friends, said he received a text message from his son saying he is okay.“It says: ‘Hey Dad, Elliot here. I’m alive. Safe now. Love you. Chat later,’” Peter Foote said at a news conference in Sydney on Tuesday. “It’s great, it’s good news. I’ll have to talk to him and want to see photos and see what he looks like. It’s all good.”A wooden speedboat carrying the four Australians and three Indonesian crew members ran into bad weather on Sunday. The details of how they ended up in the sea remain unclear.One Indonesian crew member is still missing, according to the head of the local rescue agency.Peter Foote was told his son had paddled his surfboard...

Israel may uproot ancient Christian mosaic near Armageddon. Where it could go next sparks outcry

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:10:12 GMT

TEL MEGIDDO, Israel (AP) — An ancient Christian mosaic bearing an early reference to Jesus as God is at the center of a controversy that has riled archaeologists: Should the centuries-old decorated floor, which is near what’s believed to be the site of the prophesied Armageddon, be uprooted and loaned to a U.S. museum that has been criticized for past acquisition practices?Israeli officials are considering just that. The proposed loan to the Museum of the Bible in Washington also underscores the deepening ties between Israel and evangelical Christians in the U.S, whom Israel has come to count on for political support, tourism dollars and other benefits.The Megiddo Mosaic is from what is believed to be the world’s earliest Christian prayer hall that was located in a Roman-era village in northern Israel. It was discovered by Israeli archaeologists in 2005 during a salvage excavation conducted as part of the planned expansion of an Israeli prison.The prison sits at a histor...

Modi says India’s economy will be among the top three in the world within five years

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:10:12 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India’s economy will be among the top three in the world within five years, as he marked 76 years of independence from British rule on Tuesday.Wearing a flowing, multi-colored turban, Modi addressed the country from New Delhi’s 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort, saying his government had lifted over 130 million people out of poverty and that India’s growing prosperity was an opportunity for the world.“When poverty decreases in a country, the power of the middle class increases considerably,” he said. “In the next five years, I promise India will be among the top three economies in the world.”His statement comes after reports last year from S&P Global and Morgan Stanley forecast that India’s economy would overtake Japan and Germany’s to become the world’s third largest by 2030. They said India’s economic boom will be driven by offshoring, investment in manufacturing, growing digital infrastructure and energy transition.India...

Kishida marks 78th anniversary of World War II’s end without mentioning Japan’s wartime aggression

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:10:12 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida renewed his peace pledge Tuesday as Japan observed the 78th anniversary of its World War II defeat, but he did not mention the country’s wartime aggression in Asia, while three of his former and serving ministers visited a controversial shrine seen by neighboring countries as a symbol of militarism. Japan will “stick to our resolve to never repeat the tragedy of the war,” Kishida said at the solemn ceremony in a speech that was almost identical to what he read last year.Kishida did not mention Japanese aggression across Asia in the first half of the 1900s or its victims in the region, as with last year, following a precedent set by then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2013 in what was seen by his critics as a move to whitewash Japan’s wartime brutality.Kishida stressed destruction on Japan’s own land, including the U.S. atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, firebombings across Japan and the bloody ground battle on Okinawa, a...

Commission clears acquisition of Arconic by Apollo Management

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:10:12 GMT

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of Arconic Corporation (‘Arconic') by Arsenal AIC Parent LLC (‘Arsenal Parent'), both of the US.Arconic produces aluminium flat rolled products, extrusions, as well as building and construction systems used in aerospace, automotive, commercial transportation, brazing and industrial industries. Arsenal Parent is an investment vehicle indirectly controlled by Apollo Management, L.P., a subsidiary of Apollo Global Management, Inc. The latter is active in the manufacturing and supply of semi-finished aluminium products and extrusions through its subsidiary Altermira.The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given the absence of overlaps and vertical links between the companies' activities in the European Economic Area. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.More information is available on the Commissio...

AP PHOTOS: Nearly a week after Maui wildfire, islanders survey aftermath and look ahead to recovery

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:10:12 GMT

The wildfire that swept across Maui nearly a week ago turned one of the nation’s most celebrated island vistas into an ashen moonscape and killed at least 99 people, a number that officials warn could rise by scores as the search continues.The deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century devoured homes and businesses, blackened cars and left only ruins where thriving neighborhoods once stood. In some places, the flames advanced as fast as a car at highway speed — a mile a minute.The most serious blaze swept into Lahaina on Tuesday and destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000. When the flames were out and the smoke cleared, all that remained was a grid of gray rubble wedged between the blue ocean and lush green slopes.Now begins a long recovery as survivors mourn the dead, search teams look for more victims in the charred debris and families try to begin anew.The cause of the wildfire is under investigation. Fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing...

Orioles starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez produces his best MLB start in 4-1 win over Padres

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:10:12 GMT

With Grayson Rodriguez’s elite stuff, it’s often said that he throws gas. Monday night, he showed he has plenty left in the tank.The 23-year-old Orioles right-hander posted the best start of his major league career to open a series with the San Diego Padres, allowing a run over a career-high seven innings in a 4-1 victory to continue a run of excellence since rejoining Baltimore’s rotation last month.After consistent struggles in Rodriguez’s first 10 outings prompted the Orioles (74-45) to send their top pitching prospect back to the minors, he has returned with a 3.03 ERA over six starts. He’s pitched into the sixth inning in each after doing so only once while posting a 7.35 ERA in his first big-league stint.The Orioles emphasized improved fastball command during Rodriguez’s return to the minors. Each of the three hits he allowed Monday came on that pitch — including Garrett Cooper’s sixth-inning solo shot, the first home run Rodrigu...

Russia’s central bank makes huge interest rate hike to try to prop up falling ruble

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:10:12 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russia’s central bank on Tuesday made a large interest rate hike of 3.5%, a move designed to fight inflation and strengthen the ruble after the country’s currency reached its lowest value since early in the war with Ukraine. The decision to bring the key rate to 12% was announced after an emergency meeting of the bank’s board of directors was called a day earlier as the ruble declined. The fall comes as Moscow increases military spending and Western sanctions weigh on its energy exports.The Russian currency passed 101 rubles to the dollar on Monday and lingered there Tuesday, losing more than a third of its value since the beginning of the year and hitting the lowest level in almost 17 months.The central bank says demand has exceeded the country’s ability to expand economic output, increasing inflation and affecting “the ruble’s exchange rate dynamics through elevated demand for imports.” “Consequently, the pass-through of the ruble’s depreciation...