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Don’t give in to Orbán’s blackmail over frozen billions, warn EU party leaders

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:38:56 GMT

The heads of Europe’s largest political groups are ready to warn Brussels: Don’t give Hungary billions of euros in frozen funds until the country completely resolves its rule-of-law problems.“We would like to express our deep concern as regards the imminent positive assessment of the Hungarian judicial reforms,” reads a draft letter obtained by POLITICO and due to be signed by the heads of the European People’s Party, the Socialists and Democrats, Renew Europe and the Greens. While the letter has not yet been published, people directly aware of the letter at all four parties confirmed their leaders had signed or planned to sign it.According to senior EU officials, the European Commission plans to unblock €10 billion in frozen funds for Hungary ahead of a key gathering of leaders this week where Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is threatening to block a major package of European financial aid for Ukraine, as well as the opening of accession talks to...

The price tag of COP28’s renewable energy pledge

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:38:56 GMT

COP28 wrapped on Wednesday with officials touting a pledge to triple the world’s renewable energy capacity by 2030. It even came twinned with a vow to double global energy-saving efforts over the same period. Predictably, the promise came with some high-flying rhetoric. COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber, the oil CEO helming the talks, claimed the goal “aligns more countries and companies around the North Star of keeping 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach than ever before,” referring to the Paris Agreement target for limiting global warming.But are the flashy pledges as ambitious as they sound? POLITICO crunched the numbers and here’s what we found: While the renewable energy target is well within reach, progress on energy efficiency has been a lot slower. Countries would need to cut their energy intensity — the amount of energy used per unit of GDP — at least twice as fast between 2023 and 2030 as they did in previous years, which calls for major investments and substantial ...

Climate summit makes ‘historic progress’ — but the world still can’t quit oil

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:38:56 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Climate talks in Dubai ended with a deal to curb the use of fossil fuels that was both historic and 30 years too late.The two-week conference, held in the oil-rich desert kingdom of the United Arab Emirates and presided over by an oil CEO, brought two competing realities into a painful collision. The planet is overheating, yet humanity remains inextricably reliant on coal, oil and natural gas.The talks ended on Wednesday with a deal among almost 200 countries that committed to “transitioning away from fossil fuels,” notably by speeding up that shift before 2030. But the agreement also appeased oil-rich Gulf states by explicitly sanctioning those fuels’ use during the transition. And organizers gaveled it through so hastily that representatives for vulnerable island nations, who had a series of misgivings about the text, had yet to enter the room.Still, leaders of the U.N. summit and representatives of major governments were quick to endorse the nonbindi...

4 takeaways as the Chicago Bulls drop a second-straight loss to the Denver Nuggets — including Nikola Jokić’s early ejection

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:38:56 GMT

Nikola Jokić didn’t last long in Chicago on Tuesday night.The Denver Nuggets star was just beginning to warm into the game in the second quarter as the Bulls scrabbled to chip down a six-point deficit. When center Nikola Vučević swiped Jokić while contesting a shot with barely a minute left in the first half, the Nuggets center immediately took it up with referee Mousa Dagher while jogging back on defense.The interaction lasted three seconds, but that was enough. Dagher immediately ejected Jokić from the game, drastically shifting the tone of the matchup with 1:02 left in the first half.Jokić and Denver coach Michael Malone protested the ejection on the court. On the NBC Sports Chicago home broadcast commentators Adam Amin and Stacey King criticized the decision even though it benefited the Bulls. And Chicago fans weren’t pleased with the decision.Although it wasn’t an official theme night, the game was marketed toward the Serbian comm...

Man rushed to hospital following overnight shooting near Little Italy

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:38:56 GMT

A man is in hospital with serious injuries after an overnight shooting in Toronto’s west end.Emergency crews were called to College Street and Ossington Avenue around 3:45 a.m. Wednesday.Police say a man was gunned down in the middle of the intersection. Paramedics tell CityNews the victim was rushed to hospital with serious injuries and is now in stable condition.The shooter was last seen running southbound on Ossington. No other suspect information has been made available.The intersection of College and Ossington is closed for the investigation.

Orbán says Hungary will block EU membership negotiations for Ukraine at a crucial summit this week

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:38:56 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary will block a proposal to start talks on European Union membership for Ukraine at a summit of the bloc’s leaders this week, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Wednesday, adding that admitting the war-ravaged country would have unforeseeable consequences for the EU. EU leaders are expected to vote on whether to begin membership talks for Ukraine during a summit in Brussels that begins Thursday. Orbán has maintained that he will block the proposal, which requires a unanimous decision by the leaders of all the bloc’s 27 countries. Speaking to lawmakers in Hungary’s parliament Wednesday, Orbán said that the time for bringing Ukraine into the EU had “not yet come,” and that the development of a strategic partnership with Kyiv should be a prerequisite for beginning membership talks. “We are interested in a peaceful and prosperous Ukraine, but this requires the establishment of peace as quickly as possible, and a deliberate deepening of the s...

Bomb blast damages commercial area near Greece’s largest port but causes no injuries

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:38:56 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A powerful bomb explosion damaged a commercial apartment block housing stores and businesses early Wednesday near the port of Piraeus, southwest of Athens, authorities said.Police confirmed the night-time blast was caused by a bomb. The explosion resulted in no injuries but caused extensive damage to ground-floor stores in the building and offices on other floors, and shattered the windows of nearby homes and businesses.There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, which occurred on a commercial street less than 200 meters (yards) from the port area.Attacks against commercial targets in greater Athens have been claimed in the past by militant anti-establishment groups but have also been carried out by criminal extortion gangs.Police cordoned off the area near the blast for several hours to gather evidence.The Associated Press

Tesla recalls over 2 million vehicles to fix defective system that monitors drivers using Autopilot

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:38:56 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla is recalling more than 2 million vehicles across its model lineup to fix a defective system that’s supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when they use Autopilot.Documents posted Wednesday by U.S. safety regulators say the company will send out a software update to fix the problems.The recall comes after a two-year investigation by U.S. auto safety regulators into a series of crashes that happened while the Autopilot partially automated driving system was in use. Some were deadly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says its investigation found Autopilot’s method of ensuring that drivers are paying attention can be inadequate and “can lead to foreseeable misuse of the system.”The recall covers nearly all of the vehicles Tesla sold in the U.S. since it activated Autopilot late in 2015.Auto safety advocates for years have been calling for stronger regulation of the driver monitoring system, which mainly detects whether a driver’...

Biden to meet in person Wednesday with families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:38:56 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday will hold his first in-person meeting with the families of eight Americans still unaccounted for and presumed to be taken captive by Hamas during its brutal attack on Israel on Oct. 7, the White House said.A senior administration official said family members of all eight would participate in the Biden meeting either in person or virtually. The president has previously met with some family members virtually and spoken to others on the phone. Biden was set to provide an update on American efforts to secure the release of those held by Hamas.“We’re not going to stop until every hostage is returned home,” Biden told donors in Washington on Tuesday, saying the U.S. commitment to Israel is “unshakable.”Eight Americans remain unaccounted for after Hamas’ surprise air, sea and land incursion into Israeli towns, where the group killed about 1,200 Israelis — mostly civilians — and took more than 240 people hostage. Four Americans were release...

Coming home, staying home: ‘Apollo 13’ and ‘Home Alone’ among 25 films picked for national registry

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:38:56 GMT

Houston, we have a problem: Where’s Kevin? Perhaps the ultimate coming-home movie, “Apollo 13,” and the ultimate staying-home one, “Home Alone,” are both being honored this year, selected for preservation in the National Film Registry They’re part of an annual group of 25 that this year spans more than 90 years of filmmaking.The 2023 collection includes the sci-fi sequel “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” the Disney animated classic “Lady and the Tramp,” and the searing, Oscar-winning drama “12 Years a Slave.” Just in time for the holidays, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is included.The oldest film is from 1921: “A Movie Trip Through Filmland,” a very early look at the impact of movies. The newest are both from 2013: “12 Years a Slave” and the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Feet From Stardom,” about backup singers.The registry is housed at the Library of Congress, which since 1988 has selected movies for preservation based on their cultural and historic importance. The curre...