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London’s plan to charge drivers of polluting cars sparks protests and stirs political passions

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:01:06 GMT

LONDON (AP) — London’s traffic cameras are under attack. Police say hundreds of license plate-reading cameras have been damaged, disconnected or stolen by opponents of an anti-pollution charge on older vehicles that comes into force across the metropolis on Tuesday.The vandalism by vigilantes calling themselves the Blade Runners shows that emotions are running high over the city’s Ultra Low Emission Zone. London’s mayor says the measure will cut air pollution that is linked to about 4,000 deaths a year in the British capital. Critics say it’s a cash grab that will penalize suburban residents who depend on their cars for work and essential travel.“The cameras are going to keep coming down,” predicted Nick Arlett, who has organized protests against the clean-air charge and says he neither condones nor condemns the sabotage “People are angry.”Moves in the U.K. to cut air pollution and reduce car use have become a political flashpoint. Supporters say cynical politicians and conspiracy t...

Sudan’s military leader travels to Egypt in his first trip abroad since the war

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:01:06 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s top miliary officer is traveling to Egypt on Tuesday on his first trip abroad since the country plunged into a bitter conflict this year, authorities said.Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, chairman of the ruling Sovereign Council, was expected to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on the latest developments in Sudan, the council said in a statement.Sudan plunged into chaos in mid-April when simmering tensions between the military, led by Burhan, and the powerful paramilitary, Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere.The conflict has reduced the capital to an urban battlefield, with the RSF controlling vast swaths of the city. The military command, where Burhan has purportedly been stationed since April, has been one of the epicenters of the conflict.Burhan managed last week to leave the military headquarters, where he has been stationed since the breakout of the c...

Increase in road freight transport as of 2021

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:01:06 GMT

In 2022, total road freight transport in the EU remained at the same level as in 2021, at 1,920 billion tonne-kilometres (tkm). Following some instability in the first and second quarters of 2020 due to COVID-related restrictions, in 2021 and 2022, road freight transport not only recovered but also showed an increase compared to years before 2020. Total EU road freight transport registered a higher performance in the first quarter of 2022 compared with the same quarter of the previous year (+2.6%) and small decreases in the following three quarters (-0.6 %, -0.5 % and -1.6 %, respectively), bringing the overall total transport to the same level as in 2021.This information comes from data on road freight transport published by Eurostat. The article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article on road freight transport statistics.   Source dataset: road_go_tq_tott In terms of goods, in 2022, ‘food products, beverages and tobacco' continued to domi...

Four-bedroom home in San Jose sells for $2.3 million

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:01:06 GMT

The spacious property located in the 6600 block of Mount Pakron Drive in San Jose was sold on Aug. 17, 2023. The $2,250,000 purchase price works out to $1,082 per square foot. The house, built in 1969, has an interior space of 2,080 square feet. This two-story house boasts a generous living space with four bedrooms and three baths. The home’s outer structure has wood shake roofing / shingles. Inside, there is a fireplace. In addition, the house is equipped with a two-car garage, accommodating vehicles and storage needs efficiently.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:In September 2022, a 2,080-square-foot home on Trinidad Drive in San Jose sold for $1,827,000, a price per square foot of $878. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Bret Harte Drive, San Jose, in September 2022, a 2,167-square-foot home was sold for $1,975,000, a price per square foot of $911. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 2,240-square-foot home on the 6600 block of...

So far in the Basketball World Cup, the US has shown off tons of depth

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:01:06 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Through two games of this FIBA World Cup, the players who lead USA Basketball team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocked shots all share something in common.They’re not starters.It’s not exactly an overwhelming sample size, but those statistical factoids — how the “bench players” are putting up a ton of numbers — shed a lot of light on what makes this U.S. team tick. Nobody cares what’s on the stat sheet. Everyone plays a role, starter or non-starter, and that’s exactly how USA Basketball wanted this roster to work when it was assembled.“When you wear this uniform, when you play for Team USA, it’s so much bigger than you,” U.S. reserve guard Tyrese Haliburton said. “So, you’ve got to understand that and understand the legends that came off the bench before us. We’re no better than them. You’ve got to understand it and understand that that’s part of building a culture here for Team USA. They’ve been able to do that over the last however-...

Atlanta United takes shutout streak into matchup with Cincinnati

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:01:06 GMT

FC Cincinnati (16-3-6, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Atlanta United FC (11-7-8, sixth in the Eastern Conference)Atlanta; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLS LINE: Atlanta United FC +106, FC Cincinnati +227, Draw +275; over/under is 2.5 goalsBOTTOM LINE: Atlanta United comes into a matchup with Cincinnati after securing two straight shutout wins.United is 6-6-7 against Eastern Conference opponents. United is 4-0-2 when it records a pair of goals.Cincinnati is 10-2-5 in Eastern Conference games. Cincinnati has scored 42 goals while giving up 28 for a +14 goal differential.Wednesday’s game is the first time these teams match up this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Giorgos Giakoumakis has 12 goals for United. Tyler Wolff has two goals over the last 10 games.Luciano Acosta has scored 12 goals with 10 assists for Cincinnati. Dominique Badji has three goals over the past 10 games.LAST 10 GAMES: United: 5-3-2, averaging 1.6 goals, 5.1 shots on goal and 5.2 corner kicks per ga...

Court suspends the corruption conviction and sentence of former Prime Minister Imran Khan

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:01:06 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani appeals court on Tuesday suspended the corruption conviction and three-year prison term of Imran Khan in a legal victory for the embattled former prime minister, his lawyer said.The Islamabad High Court also granted bail for Khan, but it’s not immediately clear if he will be released since he also faces a multitude of other charges. Khan’s lawyer Shoaib Shaheen said the Islamabad High Court issued a brief verbal order and a written ruling will be issued later. The ruling comes weeks after Khan was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison by another court that found him guilty of concealing assets after selling state gifts he received while in office.Khan was ousted from power through a no-confidence vote in parliament last year.The Associated Press

In the news today: Update in case of Ont. man accused of selling deadly substance

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:01:06 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Police to update case of Ontario man accused of selling deadly substancePolice are set to provide an update today in the case of an Ontario man accused of selling a lethal substance to individuals at risk of self-harm.The update from Peel Regional Police comes after British police revealed last week they are investigating the deaths of 88 people in the U.K. who bought products from Canadian-based websites allegedly offering lethal substances to those at risk of harming themselves.That British probe is part of inquiries triggered by the arrest earlier this year of Kenneth Law, who has been charged by Peel police with two counts of counselling and aiding suicide.Law is accused of using several websites to market and sell sodium nitrite – a substance commonly used to cure meats that can be deadly if ingested – and Peel police have said their investigation has reve...

Britain’s foreign secretary will visit China in an attempt to shore up ties

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:01:06 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Britain’s top diplomat, James Cleverly, is set to visit China on Wednesday, in the first trip by a U.K. foreign secretary to the country in more than five years. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed the long-awaited trip on Tuesday.“The two sides will have in-depth communication on Sino-British relations and international and regional issues of common concern,” spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “We hope the British side will work with us to uphold the spirit of mutual respect, deepen exchanges, enhance mutual understanding and promote the stable development of Sino-British relations.”Cleverly’s visit is an attempt to stabilize China-Britain ties, which have sunk to their lowest level in decades. The countries disagree over issues such as Beijing’s curbing of civil freedoms in Hong Kong, a former British colony, alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, China’s support for Russia and Britain’s close security ties with the United States.Cleverly ...

Hong Kong police arrest 2 men accused of foreign collusion over links with protest fund

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:01:06 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police on Tuesday detained two men on suspicion of violating the city’s national security law through links with a now-defunct fund that aimed to help people arrested in the pro-democracy protests in 2019.The two men were suspected of conspiring to collude with the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund to receive overseas donations and provide financial support to people who fled Hong Kong or organizations that called for sanctions against the city, police said in a statement. They did not identify the suspects or those alleged to have been aided by them.The arrests were widely seen as part of a crackdown on dissidents launched by the Hong Kong government following the massive protests. More than 260 people have been arrested under the Beijing-imposed security law, including many of the city’s most prominent activists. Last year, the fund’s former trustees, including Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen and singer Denise Ho, were also arrested under the t...