AP- News
August 22, 2024
Zelenskyy visits border area for the first time since Ukrainian forces entered Russia’s Kursk region
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has toured the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy on his first visit to the border area since his forces entered Russian territory more than two weeks ago. During a meeting with Ukraine’s military commander on Thursday, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces have claimed control of another settlement in the Russian region of Kursk and taken more Russian prisoners of war whom he hopes to exchange for captured Ukrainians. But the gains there come as Ukraine continues to lose ground in its eastern Donetsk region. The Russian Defense Ministry announced Thursday that its military has claimed control of the village of Mezhove.
Poorly trained recruits contribute to loss of Ukrainian territory on eastern front, commanders say
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian commanders and soldiers say some new troops refuse to fire at the enemy. Others struggle to assemble weapons or to coordinate basic combat movements. A few have even walked away from their posts, abandoning the battlefield altogether. The commanders made the comments to The Associated Press as Ukraine is losing precious ground along the country’s eastern front. The commanders blame the erosion in part on poorly trained recruits drawn from a recent mobilization drive, as well as Russia’s clear superiority in ammunition and air power. The recently conscripted Ukrainians are a far cry from the battle-hardened fighters who flocked to join the war in the first year of the full-scale invasion.
Key mediator Egypt expresses skepticism about the Gaza cease-fire proposal as more details emerge
CAIRO (AP) — Key mediator Egypt is expressing skepticism about the proposal meant to bridge gaps in cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas. More details about the proposal have emerged a day before negotiations are expected to resume in Cairo. The challenges around the so-called bridging proposal appear to undermine the optimism for an imminent agreement that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken carried into his latest Mideast visit this week. The White House says President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, with no immediate details on what was said.
Labor dispute stops Canadian freight railroads and could cause major economic disruption in US
TORONTO (AP) — Both of Canada’s major freight railroads have come to a full stop because of a contract dispute with their workers, an impasse that could bring significant economic harm to businesses and consumers in Canada and the U.S. if the trains don’t resume running soon. Canadian National and CPKC railroads both locked out their employees after the deadline of 12:01 a.m. Eastern Thursday passed without new agreements with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference that represents some 10,000 engineers, conductors and dispatchers. Business groups had urged the government to intervene, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has declined to force both sides into arbitration yet. The railroads offered binding arbitration and said the shutdown would end if the union accepts it.
Trump speaks from behind bulletproof glass at first outdoor rally since his attempted assassination
ASHEBORO, N.C. (AP) — Donald Trump spoke from behind bulletproof glass in North Carolina at his first outdoor rally since last month’s attempted assassination. The focus of Wednesday’s event was national security, but he also criticized his predecessor Barack Obama as “nasty” for comments made the night before at the Democratic National Convention. Trump blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal and wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, but returned repeatedly in his remarks to the Democratic gathering in Chicago, where speaker after speaker assailed Trump as a threat to the country should he return to the White House.
Harris’ family members are popping up around Chicago this week during the DNC. Here’s who’s who
CHICAGO (AP) — Members of Vice President Kamala Harris’ blended family are popping around Chicago this weel during the Democratic National Convention, where Harris will accept her party’s presidential nomination. Husband Doug Emhoff, who addressed the convention on Tuesday, could make history as the first gentleman spouse. He’s already the first second gentleman and first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president. Emhoff’s two children call Harris “Momala.” His former wife is part of a parenting trio with Emhoff and Harris, and she has defended both of them from recent criticism. Harris’ sister and brother-in-law serve as advisers. They’ve all been attending the DNC.
School choice and a history of segregation collide as one Florida county shutters its rural schools
MADISON, Fla. (AP) — Tens of thousands of students have left Florida’s public schools in recent years amid an explosive growth in school choice. Now districts large and small are reckoning with the harsh financial realities of empty seats in aging classrooms. In the rural Florida panhandle, one school district is planning to close its last three stand-alone elementary schools due to persistently declining enrollments. The decision to consolidate Madison County’s schools is exposing tensions in the community, where for years some white families have resisted integrating public schools.
In Mexico, an Indigenous Triqui artist embraces his roots through contemporary rap
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Carlos CGH is an Indigenous artist in Mexico who aims to conserve his native Triqui language through rap. The Triqui people are native to the western part of Oaxaca. They’ve struggled with political and social conflicts going back more than 80 years, and many have fled to Mexico City. That’s where Carlos CGH could be found for a recent performance. He says Triqui is a language at risk of disappearing, with parents and grandparents no longer teaching it to their children. At age 24, he hopes to change that. With about a dozen Indigenous languages, Oaxaca has nurtured a diverse rap scene.