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What is Nakhchivan? And after Nagorno-Karabakh, is this the next crisis for Azerbaijan and Armenia

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:48:53 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — After Azerbaijan’s military offensive regained full control of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, another dispute is looming on the horizon with Armenia: the territory of Nakhchivan.Like Nagorno-Karabakh, where the Armenian population felt cut off from the country of Armenia, Nakhchivan is territorially separated from the rest of Azerbaijan.It accounts for about 6% of Azerbaijan’s territory, with a swath of Armenia about 40 kilometers (25 miles) wide between the exclave and Azerbaijan. It also borders Azerbaijan’s close ally Turkey and Iran. It’s population is about 460,000 people, overwhelmingly Azeris but also some ethnic Russians. The two territories share several parallels but also differences. During Soviet times, Nakhchivan was connected with Azerbaijan by road and rail but those links fell out of use as Azerbaijan and Armenia went to war in the 1990s over Nagorno-Karabakh, though air links remained.Then in 2020, an armistice...

UN rights experts decry war crimes by Russia in Ukraine and look into genocide allegations

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:48:53 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Independent U.N.-backed human rights experts said Monday they have turned up continued evidence of war crimes committed by Russian forces in their war against Ukraine, including torture — some of it with such “brutality” that it led to death — and rape of women aged up to 83 years old. Members of the U.N. Independent Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine also expressed concerns about allegations of genocide by Russian forces, and said they’re looking into them. The team said its evidence showed crimes committed on both sides, but vastly more — and a wider array — of abuses were committed by Russian forces than by Ukrainian troops. The commission delivered its latest findings in an oral update to the Human Rights Council, laying out its observations about unlawful attacks with explosive weapons, sexual and gender-based violence, and other crimes in the war, which entered its 20th month on Sunday. “The commission is concerned by the continued evidence of war crimes comm...

Russian strikes in Ukraine’s city of Odesa damage port, grain silo and an abandoned hotel

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:48:53 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian drone and missile strike near Odesa damaged infrastructure, a grain silo and an abandoned hotel and injured one person in the Black Sea port city as attacks elsewhere in Ukraine killed five civilians and wounded 13 in the past day, Ukrainian officials said Monday.Ukraine’s air force reported downing all Russian drones launched overnight, but one of 12 Kalibr missiles and two P-800 Oniks cruise missiles apparently made it past air defenses the day after the war in Ukraine entered its 20th month.Russia has continuously targeted port and grain storage facilities in Odesa since pulling out of a wartime deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports to countries facing the threat of hunger. The attacks have destroyed silos, warehouses, oil terminals and other infrastructure critical for storage and shipping.The Russian Defense Ministry said long-range missiles and drones were used to strike facilities that it alleged had housed foreign mercenaries and trai...

What’s behind Canada’s surge of car thefts?

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:48:53 GMT

In today’s The Big Story podcast, the number of car thefts across Canada has been climbing for years, and last year they reached a high not seen since the old days of manual hot-wiring. This year figures to be even worse, as a perfect storm of factors make modern cars vulnerable, movable and highly sought after by organized thieves.Bryan Gast is vice president of investigative services at the Équité Association. He says automakers are falling behind in terms of protecting their cars from newer methods of theft. “Currently the standards are very outdated, to the point where these vehicles aren’t protected against these types of attacks,” says Gast.How does a modern car-theft work, anyway? What’s the best way to stop this wave, on both an individual and regulatory level? And just where do all those stolen cars wind up, anyway?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.

Cubs' postseason fate is in their hands in final week

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:48:53 GMT

CHICAGO — As the final week of the season arrives, the Cubs are in the position they'd hope to be in when the 2023 season began. With six games remaining, they control their playoff fate, but they've got a lot of work to do to lock up a playoff bid over the next seven days.(Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)Thanks to a three-game sweep of the Rockies, the Cubs are now 82-74 on the season.That puts them in the last playoff spot in the National League Wild Card race, sitting a full game ahead of the Marlins and 2 1/2 games ahead of the Reds with six games to play.To just make the postseason, the Cubs' "Magic Number" currently sits at six, but they still have a shot to move up one more spot. At the moment, they sit a half-game behind the Diamondbacks for the second spot as Arizona has seven games remaining in their season. Sammy Sosa’s chase for MLB’s home run record 25 years later One thing to consider, however, is that the Cubs don't hold the tiebreaker against the Diamondbacks...

Hollywood writers strike nearing end. What's next?

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:48:53 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Hollywood strike of nearly five months appears about to end as a tentative deal has been reached between unionized screenwriters and the studios, streaming services and production companies that hire them. Here's a look at the steps to come for writers, and for the actors whose strike continues.FIRST COMES TWO CRUCIAL VOTESAfter five days of marathon negotiating sessions that included the CEOs of Hollywood's biggest studios, the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers came to terms Sunday night on a contract good for three years, the standard length in the industry.But two successful votes must happen before the strike is over. First, boards of the WGA's eastern and western branches must approve the deal. Then the 11,500 members themselves must vote for approval. Such votes are actually common with Hollywood unions, taking place every time a new three-year contract is negotiated, though they don't normally come at the...

Cars, homes damaged after Sunday night hail storm

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:48:53 GMT

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- People in the Austin area woke up to shattered windshields, dented cars, and damaged roofs Monday morning after hail fell from the sky overnight. KXAN viewers shared their videos and photos of the severe storm from overnight and its aftermath. Roy Armendariz said he saw baseball-sized hail fall in his Cat Hollow neighborhood. That kind of hail can harm people and animals that are outside. Armendariz said he had to save his pet who was outside in the storm when it started. "Matter of fact, my dog was in the front yard and got hit, and then it came down like hail," Armendariz explained. "Causing damage to my vehicle, the house, and my whole neighborhood."The Honda dealership in Round Rock sustained thousands of dollars of damage to vehicles in its lot. Cars lined up closes to the frontage road all shared the same characteristics -- a severely cracked windshield, shattered back windshield, and dents along the car.Cars in the dealership lot had cracked and s...

Texas ranks among states most impacted by natural disasters, study says

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:48:53 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas continues to rank among the states most impacted by natural disasters, a new study showed.The state ranks third most-impacted by natural disasters over the past four decades, according to the study by WalletHub. Only Mississippi and Louisiana rank higher, while Florida and Iowa round out the top five.The website ranked all 50 states by looking at the number of natural disasters since 1980 that have caused at least $1 billion in damages, as well as the damage cost per capita.Texas received a score of 87.88 out of 100, up almost four points from last year's study. No other state saw a higher number of billion-dollar disasters. Meanwhile, Texas ranked ninth for per capita damage cost.Maine again ranked as the state least impacted by natural disasters, with a score of 11.85 out of 100. Alaska, New Hampshire, Utah and Nevada all received scores of less than 15.Since 1980, the National Centers for Environmental Information have reported 380 natural disasters that cau...

Asteroid passing Earth: Why NASA's OSIRIS-REx is now heading towards a once dangerous space rock

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:48:53 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - NASA brought rock samples back from space for the first time since the Apollo Mission over the weekend. The OSIRIS-REx mission launched in 2016 towards Bennu, a more than four billion year old asteroid orbiting our sun."It took us about two years to actually catch up to it in the right place and be able to get into orbit," said NASA Senior Scientist Amy Simon.Once in orbit, OSIRIS-REx scanned the surface of the asteroid before eventually touching down and collecting a sample in 2020. It then spent three years bringing the sample back to Earth."Now that the sample has come back, the spacecraft is still healthy, it will actually be diverting on to a new mission, it will be going to near Earth asteroid Apophis."Apophis was once considered a risk to Earth. Discovered in 2004, scientists believed it would hit the Earth in 2029.Will an asteroid hit Earth in 2029?Luckily, a decade later with more precise measurements, Scientists were able to determine it wouldn't hit Earth,...

Retired Saratoga County Sheriff's Office K9 dies

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:48:53 GMT

SARATOGA COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office, Brodie, a retired K9 with the office, died Friday evening. Brodie was 12 years old. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Deputies say Brodie started his career 10 years ago in 2013 after being selected for the Sheriff's K9 school and was trained for patrol and narcotics detection. Brodie retired in 2017 due to medical reasons.His handlers were Sergeant Joe Shields and Deputy Dave Zecca. Brodie lived with Zecca and his family after retirement.