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African Union says its 2nd phase of troop withdrawal from Somalia has begun

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:20:50 GMT

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The second phase of the African Union troop withdrawal from Somalia has begun, the bloc said Monday. The pullout follows a timeline for the handover of security to the country’s authorities, which are fighting al-Qaida’s affiliate in East Africa — the Somalia-based al-Shabab.Last year, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a new African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, known as ATMIS, to support the Somalis until their forces take full responsibility for the country’s security at the end of 2024.The mission is aiming to pull out at least 3,000 more troops by the end of the month, out of the originally 19,626-strong AU force. In the first phase, some 2,000 AU troops drawn from various member states left Somalia in June, handing over six forward operating bases.On Sunday, the Burundian contingent handed over the Biyo Adde forward operating base in the south-central Hirshabelle state, near the capital of Mogadishu, to the Somali national arm...

Trial to begin for 3 Tacoma officers charged in death of Manny Ellis

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:20:50 GMT

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the trial of three Tacoma police officers charged in the death of Manuel “Manny” Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man who was tackled, punched, shocked with a stun gun and held face down on a sidewalk in March 2020, two months before George Floyd met a similar fate.Officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins, who are white, have been charged with second-degree murder, and Timothy Rankine, who is Asian American, faces first-degree manslaughter charges. They pleaded not guilty. Opening statements are expected to start Oct. 2 in Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma. The trial is expected to run four days each week until December.Ellis purchased a box of doughnuts and some water at a convenience store at about 11:21 p.m. that Tuesday night and walked across the street, where he encountered Burbank and Collins sitting in a patrol car, according to a probable cause statement filed by the Washington Attorney General’s Off...

Indigo founder Heather Reisman returns as CEO of retailer

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:20:50 GMT

TORONTO — Indigo Books & Music Inc. says founder Heather Reisman has returned to the retailer as chief executive officer.She fills the void left by the abrupt resignation of Peter Ruis from the top job earlier this month.“There is a clear path for Indigo to regain its momentum,” Reisman said in a statement Monday.“I love this company and its mission. Even more, I care deeply about our people, who have given so much to build this incredible company over more than two and a half decades. I know that together we will return Indigo to growth and profitability.”Reisman had served as chief executive until last year, when Ruis took over, and retired from the Indigo board last month.As part of her return to the company, Reisman was also reappointed to the board.The retailer also announced that Craig Loudon, Indigo’s chief financial officer, has been appointed chief operating officer. In addition to his new role, the company said he will continue to act as t...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts and oil prices climb ahead of Fed meeting

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:20:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting in the early going, while oil prices keep climbing and raising pressure on inflation. The S&P 500 was little changed in the first few minutes of trading Monday, coming off its second straight losing week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was just barely higher and the Nasdaq composite was just barely lower. Stocks have been see-sawing since early August on uncertainty about whether the Federal Reserve is finally done with its drastic hikes to interest rates. Traders almost universally expect the Fed to keep rates steady at its meeting this week, which ends Wednesday. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street turned toward losses early Monday ahead of the Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting this week.Futures for the S&P 500 fell 0.2% and futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1% before the bell.The market posted some gains last week following reports of several healthy economic i...

UN warns disease outbreak in Libya’s flooded east could spark ‘a second devastating crisis’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:20:50 GMT

DERNA, Libya (AP) — The United Nations Support Mission in Libya warned Monday that an outbreak of diseases in the country’s northeast, where floods have killed over 11,000 people, could create “a second devastating crisis,” with Libyan authorities reporting the spread of diarrhea among over 100 people who drank contaminated water. In a statement, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya said it was particularly concerned about water contamination and the lack of sanitation after two dams collapsed during Mediterranean storm Daniel sending a wall of water gushing through the eastern city of Derna on Sept.11. Some 11,300 city residents were killed and a further 10,000 people are missing, presumed dead, the country’s Red Crescent said.The mission said there are nine U.N. agencies in the country responding to the disaster and working on preventing diseases from taking hold that can cause “a second devastating crisis in the area.” It added the World Health Organizati...

Wexton won’t seek reelection to Congress after new medical diagnosis

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:20:50 GMT

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, a Democrat, announced Monday she won’t seek reelection in her district in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington after learning she has a severe form of Parkinson’s disease.Wexton announced in April that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and that she planned to continue her work in Congress. On Monday, she said she received a modified diagnosis of progressive supra-nuclear palsy, which she described as “a kind of ‘Parkinson’s on steroids.”“I want to be honest with you now – this new diagnosis is a tough one,” Wexton said in her statement, “There is no ‘getting better’ with PSP. I’ll continue treatment options to manage my symptoms, but they don’t work as well.”Wexton said she received the new diagnosis after feeling like she wasn’t responding well to treatment and noticing that the women in her Parkinson’s support group were having a different experience.She plans to continue serving the res...

Officials say 5 prisoners sought by the US in a swap with Iran have flown out of Tehran

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:20:50 GMT

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Five prisoners sought by the U.S. in a swap with Iran flew out of Tehran on Monday, officials said, part of a deal that saw nearly $6 billion in Iranian assets unfrozen.Despite the deal, tensions are almost certain to remain high between the U.S. and Iran, which are locked in various disputes, including over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran says the program is peaceful, but it now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels.Flight-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed a Qatar Airways flight take off from Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, which has been used for exchanges in the past. Iranian state media soon after said the flight had left Tehran.Two people, including a senior Biden administration official, said that the prisoners had left Tehran. They both spoke on condition of anonymity because the exchange was ongoing.In addition to the five freed Americans, two U.S. family members flew out of Tehran, according to the Biden adm...

Former NFL player Sergio Brown missing; mother’s body was found near suburban Chicago creek

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:20:50 GMT

MAYWOOD, Ill. (AP) — Authorities searched Monday for a former NFL player after his 73-year-old mother’s body was found near a creek behind her suburban Chicago home. Relatives told officers Saturday in Maywood that they could not find Sergio Brown, 35, or Myrtle Brown, police said.Officers found Myrtle Brown’s body, and a medical examiner determined Sunday that she had been injured during an assault.Sergio Brown played defensive back from 2010 through 2016 with the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills. He graduated from Proviso East High School in Maywood and attended the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.Maywood is about 12 miles (19 kilometers) west of Chicago.The Associated Press

For Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, representing Ukraine is a duty to the country

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:20:50 GMT

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Just playing is a small victory for Shakhtar Donetsk, though the Ukrainian champions won’t stop there.Team captain Taras Stepanenko told The Associated Press on Monday that Shakhtar’s opening Champions League game against Porto on Tuesday is part of his team’s duty to represent Ukraine and show his country’s resilience.“Our soldiers fight in the battles and we fight in the sports arena. So it’s our duty like citizens of Ukraine,” he said.Stepanenko predicts “big emotions” when Shakhtar emerges in front of tens of thousands of fans, both local and Ukrainian, in Hamburg. The Ukrainian league restarted a year ago despite the war but all games are played in empty stadiums — and sometimes interrupted by air-raid sirens.For the second straight season, Shakhtar is playing its Champions League games outside of Ukraine because of the Russian invasion. Last year, Poland stood in as Shakhtar’s home venue. Now it’s Germany, a country w...

5 Americans released in U.S.-Iran swap

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:20:50 GMT

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Five prisoners sought by the U.S. in a swap with Iran flew out of Tehran on Monday, officials said, part of a deal that saw nearly $6 billion in Iranian assets unfrozen.Despite the deal, tensions are almost certain to remain high between the U.S. and Iran, which are locked in various disputes, including over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran says the program is peaceful, but it now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels.Flight-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed a Qatar Airways flight take off from Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, which has been used for exchanges in the past. Iranian state media soon after said the flight had left Tehran.Two people, including a senior Biden administration official, said that the prisoners had left Tehran. They both spoke on condition of anonymity because the exchange was ongoing.In addition to the five freed Americans, two U.S. family members flew out of Tehran, according to the Biden adm...