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Top American, Chinese defense officials vie for influence in Asia-Pacific

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:16:54 GMT

SINGAPORE (AP) — As the United States and China vie to establish new partnerships and expand influence with Asia-Pacific nations, the top defense officials from both nations are preparing to try to win support this weekend from their regional counterparts, diplomats and leaders at a security forum in Singapore.Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whose country is a stalwart American ally in the Pacific, is to give the keynote address Friday evening to open the dialogue at the Shangri-La Hotel hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank. Albanese, whose country has angered Beijing with its agreement with Britain and the U.S., known as AUKUS, to obtain nuclear-powered submarines to address the perceived rising threat from China, said he would focus on Australia’s deepening engagement, as well as “shared opportunities and challenges” in the region.“We want a region that is stable, peaceful, resilient and prosperous,” he said when his speech was a...

Ukraine says Russian missiles kill two children in Kyiv

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:16:54 GMT

A Russian missile attack on Kyiv killed three people including two children and injured 14 on Thursday, officials in the Ukrainian capital said.The Kyiv military administration said in a statement the attack struck the Desnyanskyi region on the capital's eastern outskirts as well as Dniprovkskyi district, closer to the centre.It was the 18th attack on the capital this month.Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said nine people needed hospital treatment. Emergency crews had extinguished fires caused by falling debris near the sites of the strikes.Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app a medical clinic had been hit. Photographs posted on the city's website showed windows blown out in the clinic and in nearby apartment buildings.Pictures from the scene posted on social media showed rescue teams attending to residents in buildings, with shattered building materials strewn about on the street.City authorities said the impact was from shot-down cruise or ballistic missiles.Air raid alerts in...

Grass-eating goats clear fire-prone brush near Reagan Library

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:16:54 GMT

The Ventura County Fire Department has hired some new four-legged firefighters to help clear brush surrounding the fire prone Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.  The 700 grass-eating goats will be contained by fencing in order to focus their grazing and cover more ground quickly.  According to Ventura Brush Goats, the organization providing the furry firefighters, goats eat about 4% of their body weight each day and are able to clear large swathes of brush, noxious and invasive weeds in a much safer and less expensive way than other methods.  Grass-eating goats seen here grazing on fire-prone brush near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on June 1, 2023. (TNLA)Grass-eating goats seen here grazing on fire-prone brush near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on June 1, 2023. (TNLA)They will also have several K-9 guards who will protect the goats from predators like coyotes and mountain lions.  Officials estimate that it will take...

City Rats GBH in LA

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:16:54 GMT

City Rats GBH in LA: If I had a time machine, once I’d killed Hitler and all that, I’d like to go back to late ’70s Birmingham, England, and tell fledgling street punks GBH (then called Charged GBH) that there would come a day when folk in Los Angeles, California, would be lining up around a theater to purchase their $30 shirts.They likely wouldn’t believe it, but their continued international popularity is deserved. For starters, the lineup has remained fairly solid. Frontman Colin Abrahall and guitarist Colin “Jock” Blyth have been in from the 1978 beginning, and bassist Ross Lomas joined just two years later. The most recent addition is drummer Scott Preece, and even he’s been in since ’94. In comparison to other punk bands of their era, GBH have stuck it out together.At the Fonda, they played a set that understandably leaned heavily on the 1982 City Baby Attacked by Rats debut, though the four songs from 2017’s Momentum sat c...

Meta tests blocking news content on Instagram, Facebook for some Canadians

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:16:54 GMT

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Meta is temporarily blocking some Canadian users from accessing news content on Facebook and Instagram as part of a temporary test that is expected to last through the end of June, the tech giant said Thursday.The block — which follows a similar step taken by Google earlier this year — comes in response to a proposed bill that will require tech giants to pay publishers for linking to or otherwise repurposing their content online. Bill C-18, the Online News Act, is currently being considered in the Senate and could be passed as early as this month.Meta also said it is prepared to permanently block news content on Facebook and Instagram for Canadians if the bill passes.Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez called Meta’s move “disappointing” and said Canadians will not be intimidated by these tactics.The temporary block announced Thursday will affect one to 5% of its 24 million Canadian users, with the number of those impacted fluctuating throughout th...

Tropical Storm Mawar intensifies rains for Japan, threatens floods and mudslides in south and west

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:16:54 GMT

NAHA, Japan (AP) — Heavy rains intensified by Tropical Storm Mawar fell on Japan’s main archipelago Friday, halting trains and transit and threatening floods and mudslides in south and western regions.Warnings were issued in parts of western and central Japan, with up to 35 centimeters (1.1 feet) of rain forecast over the 24 hours through Saturday morning. Residents in vulnerable areas, including those in Wakayama, Kochi in the west and Nagano in central Japan, were warned of the potential for flooding and mudslides and advised to go to evacuation centers if possible.Television footage showed swollen rivers in residential area in the Wakayama city, including one where brown water rose as high as the bottom of a bridge over it. In Tokyo, the few pedestrians on the rainy streets clutched umbrellas as winds blew tree branches around. Afternoon classes were also cancelled at some schools in Tokyo.Shinkansen super-express trains were suspended or delayed between Tokyo and Okayama in west...

How Turkey’s president Erdogan has maintained a tight grip on power in the country

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:16:54 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a populist with increasingly authoritarian tendencies, is scheduled to take the oath of office and start his third presidential term Saturday following his latest election win. Erdogan, who has led Turkey as prime minister or president for 20 years, prevailed in a runoff race last weekend despite the country’s ongoing economic crisis and his government’s criticized response to a February earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people.Known as “reis,” or “the chief,” among his fans, the 69-year-old Erdogan already is the longest-serving leader in the Turkish republic’s history. His reelection to a five-year term that runs until 2028 extends his rule into a third decade, and he could possibly serve longer with the help of a friendly parliament. Here is a look at Erdogan’s career and some of the reasons for his political longevity.IT’S NOT THE ECONOMY Many experts agree that Turkey’s severe econ...

Watermain break prompts boil water advisory for three Calgary communities

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:16:54 GMT

CALGARY — Alberta Health Services has ordered Calgary to issue a boil water advisory for three communities, effective immediately.The advisory applies to Silverado, Yorkville and Belmont until further notice.A watermain break Thursday afternoon disrupted water supply to a large portion of those communities, and while water has been restored to most homes, the city says the advisory has been issued out of an abundance of caution.All residents and businesses within the affected area are instructed to bring all tap water to a rolling boil for one full minute prior to any consumption, including brushing teeth, making ice, cleaning raw foods, drinking and making baby formula.Water used for bathing or for laundry does not need to be boiled.The city says it is working closely with the Alberta Environment and Protected Areas and Alberta Health Services to resolve the water quality concerns.This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2023.The Canadian Press

Storms dropped more rain in less than hour at O'Hare Thursday than what fell in the entire month of May 2023; Warmth to continue

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:16:54 GMT

Storms dropped more rain in less than hour at O'Hare Thursday afternoon than fell in the entire month of May 2023 (0.71")—52 mph gusts accompanied the storm—yet not a drop fell across town at Midway Airport—warmth to continue into early next week—but tightening pressure gradient to bring lower dew point/more stable air into Chicago for weekend shutting t-storm development...True color satellite view at the height of Thursday afternoon t-storms in parts of the areaTemps surged to 91° for a third consecutive day at O'Hare—and a fourth day day of 90s is predicted Friday. Inland highs hit the mid 90s at the same time a 7th day of northeasterly lake breezes held mid afternoon lakeshore highs Thursday to the upper 60s to low 80s—not as cool lakeside as in recent days—but definitely cooler than away from the lake.PRECIP SLIDESHOWTHE PRECIP PICTURE IS MODELED TO CONTINUE "SUB-PAR". This is a forecast of the % of NORMAL PRECIP EXPECTED in DAYS 1-5% OF NORMAL PRECIP DAYS 6 to 10% OF NORMAL PR...

Big Tobacco faces big EU counterfeit problem

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:16:54 GMT

Spanish police raided three clandestine tobacco factories earlier this year, seizing nearly €40 million worth of tobacco leaf and illicit cigarettes.At one, in the northern town of Alfaro, they found 10 Ukrainian workers, five of them war refugees, who'd been put to work with no contracts and scant pay, police said. They worked all day and lived at the factory and are forbidden from leaving.This operation is one of dozens across the EU that regional policing and anti-fraud agencies say have driven seizures of illicit cigarettes to record levels.Crime groups, which have traditionally mainly sourced fake tobacco products from outside the EU, are increasingly setting up production facilities in western Europe to be closer to higher-priced markets, according to Reuters interviews with half a dozen specialists in the field, including enforcement officials, tobacco executives and industry analysts.The trend was revved up by the travel shutdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, which choked suppli...