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New Karabakh peace deal is condemned to fail

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:04:57 GMT

Raffi K. Hovannisian, Armenia’s first minister of foreign affairs, is the founding chairman of the Heritage Party.YEREVAN — Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, followed by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this month, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan keep announcing that a peace deal over the ancient but embattled territory of Mountainous Karabakh is imminent.Whether or not a peace deal is ever reached, however, peace itself is condemned to fail.I should know.In March 1992, as the newly independent Armenia’s first minister of foreign affairs, I negotiated the original international mediation for peace, security and status in Karabakh.As the Soviet Union began to crumble, Karabakh — or Artsakh in Armenian — had declared its independence from Soviet Azerbaijan, and then the USSR in toto. And the deadly war that ensued, whereby Baku endeavored to reverse the rights to self-determination and sovereignty by force — ri...

Britain’s so over Boris Johnson 

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:04:57 GMT

LONDON — He was meant to be too electable to ignore. The bad boy of British politics, who possessed a cat-like ability to come back from the dead, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s success rested on his party collectively holding their noses and supporting him anyway.Now, forced out of Downing Street when he lost the support of his Cabinet last summer and no longer an MP after he quit in anticipation of the verdict of a committee tasked with investigating whether he lied to parliament, Johnson’s appeal has slowly eroded. “His popularity steadily went down after partygate,” said YouGov’s Anthony Wells. “And there’s no obvious sign of opinions of him recovering since he last left office.”As his rating plummeted in the polls, so too did support among his backbench MPs, many of whom were originally elected on a wave of Boris fandom in 2019.When back in March he appeared in front of the committee he last week blasted as a “kangaroo court,” his team had a...

Boris Johnson: Britain’s Mini-Me

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:04:57 GMT

Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe.“I am an innocent man,” proclaimed former United States President Donald Trump after his attorneys told him he faced a 37-count felony indictment for allegedly retaining and mishandling hundreds of top secret and classified documents since leaving the White House — including some about U.S. nuclear secrets and military plans.And just a few hours later, as Americans were left mulling the first ever federal criminal prosecution against a former U.S. president, there was another political explosion, albeit lesser in scale, on this side of “the pond,” with “Britain’s Trump” announcing his departure from frontline politics — at least for the time being.But the circumstances aren’t exactly comparable.For one, if found guilty, the Trump indictment could see the former president jailed for decades, whereas Johnson risks only reputational damage and the possible deprivation of privileged access to the Palace of Westminster.Still, much like h...

Local students restore historic fire truck in Scituate 

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:04:57 GMT

Some students at South Shore Regional Technical High School recently brought an antique fire truck back to life, working over the course of two years to make sure their project stayed historically accurate. The town of Scituate recently shared photos of the restored fire pumper truck, which dates back to 1924. Altogether, 40 students were involved in the vehicle’s restoration.“There was a lot to research to make sure it was correct,” said South Shore collision repair technology teacher John D’Andrea. Among efforts, D’Andrea researched the truck’s original condition through museums, conversations with experts and other artifacts.Two years after their work began, the truck will now be permanently displayed at the Scituate fire house, where officials also plan to build a separate building to act as a museum.

‘Counter message’ protest during Pride Spirit Day at Burlington middle school sparks town-wide discussion

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:04:57 GMT

Parents and community members spoke up at a meeting of the Burlington Select Board Monday after an incident at the Marshall Simonds Middle School last week. The incident happened on Friday when Principal Cari Perchase said “some students had independently organized a counter message to Pride Spirit Day.”“This became evident in the lunchroom, where several groups of students wore red, white, blue, or black, including face paint,” Perchase wrote in a letter to families. Perchase said stickers, banners and signs were also torn off walls and crumpled into water fountains. “…groups of students were heard chanting, ‘U.S.A are my pronouns,’ and students glared intimidatingly at faculty members showing pride,” Perchase continued. “Students were shamed into removing their stickers or covering their clothing with rainbows.”Community members reacted on Monday.“I thought Burlington was a safer place,” said parent Carl Foss.Perchase said she received some feedback that the c...

Trump prepares for court appearance as 1st ex-president to face federal criminal charges

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:04:57 GMT

By ERIC TUCKER and JILL COLVIN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump arrived in Florida on Monday ahead of a history-making federal court appearance on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents and thwarting the Justice Department’s efforts to get them back.Trump’s Tuesday afternoon appearance in Miami will mark his second time since April facing a judge on criminal charges. But unlike a New York case some legal analysts derided as relatively trivial, the Justice Department’s first prosecution of a former president concerns conduct that prosecutors say jeopardized national security, with Espionage Act charges carrying the prospect of a significant prison sentence.Ahead of his court date, he and his allies have been escalating efforts to undermine the criminal case against him and drum up protests. He’s ratcheted up the rhetoric against the Justice Department special counsel who filed the case, calling Ja...

Man sought in suspicious act at East County park

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:04:57 GMT

PINE VALLEY, Calif. -- Authorities are searching for a man who reportedly approached a 12-year-old girl last week and falsely told her that he received permission from her mother to pick her up at Pine Valley County Park.The incident occurred Friday around 9 p.m. in the 28000 block of Old Highway 80 in Pine Valley, Lt. Jeff Ford with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) said in a release.According to law enforcement, a 12-year-old girl accidently left some personal belongings behind while at the park for a movie screening and returned to the park on her own to retrieve the items. When the child got to the park, she was approached by a man who asked for her name, per SDSO. Bartender fighting for life after hit-and-run while walking to work "She gave the man a false name as she continued to walk away," Ford said. "After receiving the false name, the man told the girl that her mother had given him permission to pick her up."  The girl, who was not hurt, then quickly left ...

Japan nuclear plant conducts tests before discharging treated radioactive wastewater into sea

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:04:57 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant began tests on Monday of newly constructed facilities for discharging treated radioactive wastewater into the sea, a plan strongly opposed by local fishing communities and neighboring countries.The tests at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant use fresh water instead of the treated water, operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said. Plant workers examined pumps and emergency shutdown equipment at the newly constructed seaside facility, which will dilute the treated water with large amounts of seawater. The diluted water then enters an undersea tunnel and is released into the ocean about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the coast. The undersea tunnel and other key facilities are near completion. TEPCO says the voluntary tests are expected to continue for about two weeks ahead of mandatory pre-operation checks to be conducted by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, possibly in early July.Japan’s government an...

Iran’s president begins Latin America tour with stop in Venezuela

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:04:57 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — In his first visit to Latin America, Iran’s hardline president on Monday met with his Venezuelan counterpart and declared that both countries have “a common enemy,” alluding to the United States, before signing a series of cooperation agreements.President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Venezuela came a year and a day after President Nicolás Maduro visited him in Iran. Both countries are under heavy U.S. economic sanctions.Raisi said the link between the two countries “is not normal, but rather a strategic relationship,” insisting that their nations have “common interests and we have common enemies.”“They do not want the two countries, Iran and Venezuela, to be independent,” Raisi said referring to the U.S. government. His tour of allied nations in Latin America, including Cuba and Nicaragua, comes amid rising tensions with the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden.The U.S. has accused Iran of providing Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturi...

Treat Williams of 'Everwood,' 'Hair' dead after motorcycle crash

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:04:57 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Treat Williams, known for his roles in 'Everwood,' 'Hair,' and countless other films and TV shows, has died after being struck while riding a motorcycle in Vermont. He was 71. Williams' death was first reported by People, who said the actor died Monday. In a statement to the magazine and The Hollywood Reporter, the star's agent, Barry McPherson, said Williams was killed in a motorcycle accident. McPherson didn't immediately respond to Nexstar's request for comment. According to a press release from the Vermont State Police, Williams was driving a motorcycle on Route 30 near Dorset shortly before 5 p.m. Monday evening when a car, driven by a 35-year-old man, tried to make a left turn and entered Williams' path. Williams was unable to avoid the crash and was thrown from the motorcycle, police said. Pat Sajak to retire from ‘Wheel of Fortune’ next year The actor, who was wearing a helmet, suffered "critical injuries" and was airlifted to an Albany, New York hospital wher...