THE CHANCES of a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine appear to be remote at present (Shutterstock).

Prospects for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine are dimming as Russia’s conditions for peace appear to be a non-starter.

According to The New York Times, Ukraine has proposed a “peace summit” at the end of February conditioned on Russia facing possible war crimes charges.

The response from Moscow was that Russia would only agree to an end to the war if it was allowed to claim four areas of the Ukraine adjacent to Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that his country would not concede any territory, including Crimea, seized by Russia in 2014.

Chinese travelers to US need tests

CORONAVIRUS cases in China have spiked (Shutterstock).

Travelers to the United States from China – including Hong Kong and Macau – must provide a negative COVID-19 test before entering the country.

According to United Press International, the new requirement announced on Wednesday was in response to news of 250 million positive coronavirus cases in China during the first 20 days of December.

The negative test must be taken no more than two days before leaving for the U.S.

Also in the News … Barry Croft Jr., the “architect” of the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, has been sentenced to 19-plus years in federal prison. A total of 14 people were arrested in the plot.

Sports: Ledecky is AP’s top athlete

KATIE LEDECKY

American swimming star Katie Ledecky has been named Female Athlete of the Year for 2022 by the Associated Press. 

She set two world records at the world swimming championships; she now has won 22 gold medals in international competition. 

In 2016, she was named the Outstanding Female Athlete at the Summer Olympic Games.

Weather: It’s looking like winter

The West Orange County area has managed to escape the cold weather and precipitation the rest of the nation has been been experiencing, but that’s ending. We won’t get snow and ice, but the forecast for the coming week is clouds and rain. Thursday should be cloudy with a daytime high of 63 and an overnight low of 53. Friday will be similar at 62 (54) but there’s a 90 percent chance of rain on Saturday. The daytime high is expected to 63 with an overnight low of 51.