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Australian, and Indonesian forces deploy battle tanks in US-led combat drills amid Chinese concern

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:17 GMT

BANYUWANGI, Indonesia (AP) — Thousands of soldiers from the United States, Indonesia, Australia and other allied forces demonstrated their armor capabilities on Sunday in combat drills on the Indonesian island of Java at a time of increased Chinese aggression in the region. President Joe Biden’s administration has been strengthening an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to reassure allies alarmed by Beijing’s increasingly provocative actions in the disputed South China Sea, which has become a battleground for U.S-Chinese rivalries.During the drills, Australian forces deployed five M1A1 Abrams battle tanks and the Indonesian military, deployed two Leopard-2 tanks for the two-week combat exercises in Banyuwangi, a coastal district in East Java province which began Sept. 1. It will include live-fire drills.It was the first time Australia deployed battle tanks outside its territory since the Vietnam war.The Garuda Shield drills have been held annually between American a...

A drone attack kills at least 23 in Sudan’s capital as rival troops battle, activists say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:17 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — A drone attack Sunday on an open market south of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, killed at least 23 people, activists and medical workers said, as the military and a powerful paramilitary group battle for control of the country. At least three dozen others were injured in the attack in Khartoum’s May neighborhood, according to an activist group known as the Resistance Committees and two health care workers at the Bashair University Hospital, where the casualties were treated. The activist group posted footage on social media showing bodies wrapped in white sheets in an open yard at the hospital.It was not immediately clear which side was behind Sunday’s attack.Sudan has been rocked by violence since mid-April, when tensions between the country’s military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, burst into open fighting.The clashes have since spread to several parts of the country, reducing Khar...

G20 leaders pay respects at Gandhi memorial as they wrap up Indian summit and hand over to Brazil

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:17 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — G20 leaders paid their respects to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi as their summit came to a close Sunday, a day after the group added a new member and reached agreement on a range of issues but softened their language on Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Group of 20 rich and developing nations welcomed the African Union as a member — part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s drive to uplift the Global South. And host India was also able to get the disparate group to sign off on a final statement despite pointed disagreements among powerful members, mostly centered on the European conflict. India also unveiled an ambitious plan with the United States, the European Union and others to build a rail and shipping corridor linking it with the Middle East and Europe in a bid to strengthen economic growth and political cooperation.With those major agenda items taken care of, the leaders shook hands Sunday and posed for photos with Modi at the Rajghat m...

Patricia Arquette, Spike Lee and Pedro Almodovar to be toasted at TIFF Tribute Awards

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:17 GMT

TORONTO — Actress Patricia Arquette and filmmakers Spike Lee and Pedro Almodovar are among the names being honoured at tonight’s TIFF Tribute Awards.The annual gala fundraiser, held as part of the Toronto International Film Festival, has selected the three Oscar winners to be among the filmmakers it celebrates during an evening that’s likely to be short on star power as the dual Hollywood writers and actors strikes drag on.Arquette will receive the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award for her decades-long screen career that includes a supporting actress Oscar win for “Boyhood.” She’s at the film festival with her feature directorial debut “Gonzo Girl.”Lee has been selected for the Ebert Director Award, which celebrates his influence, including his groundbreaking 1989 film “Do the Right Thing” and 2019’s “BlacKkKlansman,” which won him the Academy Award for adapted screenplay.Almodovar will receive the Jeff...

B.C.’s wildfire crisis was forecast, but it arrived decades sooner than expected

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:17 GMT

The onset of large, severe wildfires that threaten communities year after year has occurred earlier in British Columbia than previous research projected, and experts say the record-shattering 2023 season must serve as a springboard for action.The surge stems from a combination of climate change and entrenched forest management practices, which have together created a landscape more conducive to large, high-intensity blazes, says Lori Daniels, a professor in the department of forest and conservation sciences at the University of B.C.“Society is already paying a huge cost for these climate change-fuelled fires,” she says. “The thing we can control in the short term is the vulnerability of the landscape.”Reducing that vulnerability means transforming how B.C.’s diverse landscape is managed. Shifting away from a timber-focused approach that prioritizes conifers over less-flammable broadleaf trees and ramping up prescribed burningare key steps toward protect...

Daily horoscope for September 10, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:17 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or important decisions from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT today (5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Cancer into Leo.Happy Birthday for Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023:You have strong opinions and a strong will. You are versatile, independent and a survivor. This is a wonderful year for you, because now you are getting credit or acknowledgement for your past efforts. Expect a promotion, an award or kudos of some sort. You deserve this.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★Look for ways to enjoy fun plans, entertaining diversions, sports events, playful activities with kids and a chance to appreciate the arts. Kick back and relax today. Ignore people who have an agenda. Tonight: Work. This Week: Work opportunities and improved health.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★Although this is a playful time, today you might want to relax among familiar surroundings. You might entertain. Efforts to make your home look more beautiful will be rewarding. Tonight: Socialize. Th...

EU confirms official from Sweden detained in Iran

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:17 GMT

The European Union has confirmed that a Swedish man working for its diplomatic service has been detained in Iran for more than 500 days and vowed to work "relentlessly" to secure his release.Johan Floderus, a 33-year-old official based in Brussels, was arrested in Tehran in April 2022 while on holiday.Iran announced three months later that it had arrested a Swedish national on espionage charges but did not name him.His identity was also kept secret by the EU and Sweden's government.But on Monday it was revealed in a report by the New York Times.The Swedish foreign ministry subsequently confirmed that a Swedish citizen in his 30s had been "arbitrarily deprived of his freedom" and urged Iranian authorities to release him. It said it could not go into any more detail because doing so "would complicate the handling of the case".As he arrived at a meeting in the Spanish city of Cadiz on Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters that Mr Floderus was inde...

UK rejoins EU science research scheme Horizon

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:17 GMT

The UK is to rejoin the EU's flagship scientific research scheme, Horizon, the government has announced. UK-based scientists and institutions will be able to apply for money from the £81bn (€95bn) fund.Associate membership had been agreed as part of the Brexit trade deal when the UK formally left the EU in 2020. However, the UK has been excluded from the scheme for the past three years because of a disagreement over the Northern Ireland Protocol.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "With a wealth of expertise and experience to bring to the global stage, we have delivered a deal that enables UK scientists to confidently take part in the world's largest research collaboration programme."We have worked with our EU partners to make sure that this is the right deal for the UK, unlocking unparalleled research opportunities, and also the right deal for British taxpayers."Thursday's announcement also states that the UK will associate to Copernicus, the EU's £8bn (€9bn) Earth observation program...

Dear Abby: Why do I meet so many dumb men?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:17 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I’m a 57-year-old, attractive, single, childless woman. Why is it that the men I meet are just plain dumb?Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: The houseguests know my sheet rule but they refuse to comply Advice | Dear Abby: I’m worried about my 12-year-old’s serious dating Advice | Dear Abby: This boy makes me so happy. Must we break up because of his parents? Advice | Dear Abby: I thought I’d get over my husband’s misdeed but it haunts me Advice | Dear Abby: She decided I can’t be near her children They have the conversational skills of 5-year-olds and the same juvenile behavior. They are either emotionally unavailable and just after sex, or at the opposite end of the spectrum — available emotionally, but the sex is just … OK.I cannot be the first woman to ask the question: Are boys just dumb?— SMARTER THAN I THINK IN IOWADEAR SMARTER: As a...

Nationals and Dodgers play to decide series winner

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:49:17 GMT

Los Angeles Dodgers (86-55, first in the NL West) vs. Washington Nationals (64-78, fifth in the NL East)Washington; Sunday, 1:35 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Dodgers: TBD; Nationals: Trevor Williams (6-9, 5.21 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 102 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Nationals -124, Dodgers -103; over/under is 7 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: Both the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking for a series win with a victory on Sunday.Washington has a 31-42 record in home games and a 64-78 record overall. The Nationals are 23-13 in games when they hit at least two home runs.Los Angeles has an 86-55 record overall and a 39-31 record in road games. The Dodgers have the fourth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .257.The teams play Sunday for the sixth time this season. The Dodgers are ahead 3-2 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Lane Thomas has 32 doubles, three triples and 24 home runs while hitting .285 for the Nationals. C.J. Abrams is 10-for-39 with a triple and tw...