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Japan’s prime minister visits Manila to boost defense ties in the face of China’s growing aggression

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:56 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Japan’s prime minister began a two-day visit on Friday to the Philippines, where he’s expected to announce a security aid package and upcoming negotiations for a defense pact in a bid to boost Tokyo’s alliances in the face of China’s alarming assertiveness in the region. After a red-carpet welcome at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was set to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on bolstering overall relations, primarily defense ties. China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea will be high in the agenda, Philippine officials said.Two weeks ago, China’s ships separately blocked then hit a Philippine coast guard vessel and a supply boat near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. Japan immediately expressed its strong support to the Philippines and the United States renewed its warning that it’s obligated to defend its treaty ally if Filipino forces come under an armed att...

Earthquake rattles Greek island near Athens, but no injuries or serious damage reported

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:56 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A magnitude 5.1 earthquake rattled an island near Athens early Friday, but local officials had no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage.The quake occurred under land near the town of Mantoudi on the island of Evia, some 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of Athens and was felt in the Greek capital.Authorities advised residents to avoid old buildings and roads where rockslides have occurred in the past.The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the quake was followed by aftershocks of up to magnitude 3.7.Earthquakes are common in Greece, most occurring undersea. The Associated Press

Investigators are being sent to US research base on Antarctica to look into sexual violence concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:56 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The watchdog office overseeing the National Science Foundation is sending investigators to Antarctica’s McMurdo Station after hearing concerns about the prevalence of sexual violence at the U.S. research base.Meanwhile the NSF, a federal agency, said it’s furthering its own efforts to address the “pervasive problem.” It announced Friday it is appointing Renée Ferranti as a special assistant to the NSF director to focus on sexual assault and harassment prevention and response.An Associated Press investigation in August uncovered a pattern of women at McMurdo Station who said their claims of harassment or assault were minimized by their employers, often leading to them or others being put in further danger.Internal communications obtained by the AP indicated the NSF Office of Inspector General would send investigators for a site visit from Monday through Nov. 17. “We are in the process of expanding our investigative mission to include t...

A fire at a drug rehabilitation center in Iran kills 27 people, injures 17 others, state media say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:56 GMT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A fire broke out at a drug rehabilitation center in northern Iran on Friday, killing at least 27 people, state media reported.Seventeen others were injured and taken to hospitals in Langroud city, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of the capital, Tehran, state TV said.It said the fire started at the private rehabilitation center early Friday morning, and showed a video of flames and smoke pouring into the dark sky.The fire was extinguished, and authorities are investigating the cause, it said.Such accidents are not rare, mainly because of the disregarding of safety measures, aging facilities and inadequate emergency services.In September, a fire broke out at a car battery factory owned by Iran’s Defense Ministry for the second time in less than a week. There were no reports of casualties.The Associated Press

Israel’s encirclement of Gaza City tightens as top US diplomat arrives to push for humanitarian aid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:56 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Friday to press for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into besieged Gaza, while Israeli troops tightened their encirclement of Gaza City, the focus of Israel’s campaign to crush the enclave’s ruling Hamas group.On the northern border with Lebanon, tensions continued to escalate ahead of a speech planned later Friday by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, his first public comments since Hamas attacked Israel last month, stoking fears the conflict could become a regional one.On Thursday, Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, attacked Israeli positions in the north with drones, mortar fire and suicide drones. The Israeli military said it retaliated with warplanes and helicopter gunships.Since the Gaza war began Oct. 7, Hezbollah has been taking calculated steps to keep Israel’s military busy on its border with Lebanon, but so far nothing of the extent to ignite an all-out war. More than 9,000 Pales...

Australian woman faces 3 charges of murder after her guests died from eating poisonous mushrooms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:56 GMT

MORWELL, Australia (AP) — A woman accused of serving her ex-husband’s parents and an aunt poisonous mushrooms with lunch appeared in an Australian court Friday, charged with three counts of murder and five of attempted murder.Erin Patterson, 49, did not enter pleas or apply to be released on bail when she appeared briefly in a local court in Morwell in Victoria state.Police had arrested her Thursday at her home in Leongatha, where her former husband Simon Patterson, 48; his parents, Gail and Don Patterson, both 70; Gail Patterson’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66; and Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkison, 68, had been invited to lunch on July 29.The murder charges relate to Erin Patterson’s parents-in-law and aunt-in-law, who had been hospitalized the next day and died within days.She was charged with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, a Baptist pastor who became critically ill and spent seven weeks in the hospital. The remaining attempted murder charges relate to her former husband o...

Dear Abby: I just wanted to sit in their house for a few hours, and they wouldn’t let me in

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:56 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I have hard feelings for my oldest son. A few years back, I was diagnosed with cancer and needed radiation treatments. The hospital is in my son’s hometown, so I asked him if I could sit in their living room between my two treatments a day for six days. He said he would talk to his wife about it.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: I just learned my brother knew a secret that would have changed my life Advice | Dear Abby: My sister says this skeevy man needs to be part of our family Advice | Dear Abby: I was blindsided by my fiance’s threat over this business deal Advice | Dear Abby: The groom’s father refuses to attend the wedding if heavy-drinking kin are excluded Advice | Dear Abby: Everything was great until my girlfriend came back from her weekend trip with this crazy story I tried to call him the day before my treatments started, but he wouldn’t answer his phone. I...

Four-bedroom home sells in Fremont for $1.6 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:56 GMT

3388 Worthing Court – Google Street ViewA house located in the 3300 block of Worthing Court in Fremont has a new owner. The 1,860-square-foot property, built in 1963, was sold on Sept. 22, 2023. The $1,550,000 purchase price works out to $833 per square foot. This single-story house offers a capacious living environment with its four bedrooms and two bathrooms. On the exterior, the home features wood shake roofing / shingles. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. In addition, the home features a garage.Additional houses have recently changed hands nearby:On Sutton Court, Fremont, in August 2023, a 2,247-square-foot home was sold for $2,170,000, a price per square foot of $966. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In April 2023, a 1,664-square-foot home on Coventry Court in Fremont sold for $1,515,000, a price per square foot of $910. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,005-square-foot home on the 37900 block of Canterbury Street in Fremont sold in ...

CJ McCollum scores 33 points to lead short-handed Pelicans past Pistons, 125-116

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:56 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — CJ McCollum says he enjoys basketball too much to allow fatigue or a thrown-off routine to stop him from doing what he can to carry the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans through back-to-back games.He even found a moment during a second-quarter stoppage against Detroit on Thursday night to play rock-paper-scissors with a young fan.“I actually owe that kid some shoes,” an exhausted but grinning McCollum said. “We got to find the kid. I lost.”The Pelicans, however, beat the Pistons, 125-116, thanks in large part to McCollum with his 33-point night.“He did everything we asked him to do and more,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said of McCollum, who scored 29 points Wednesday night in a victory at Oklahoma City. “It’s a credit to his mindset, to his character and to the work that he puts in.”New Orleans was facing Detroit without starting power forward Zion Williamson and starting wing Brandon Ingram, who are also two of their top scorers. Williamson, who has been injury ...

Wembanyama dazzles in 5th NBA game, shows why he’s most-hyped prospect in years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:56 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Victor Wembanyama strolled through the hallways at Footprint Center after the best game of his short NBA career when he passed 13-time All-Star Kevin Durant, stopping for a quick handshake and quick hug.Some say the 7-foot-4 Frenchman is a taller version of Durant.Durant’s first impression is that the budding San Antonio Spurs star might be even better.“His enthusiasm for the game — you can tell that through the TV and playing against him,” Durant said. ”He’s his own player, own person. He’s going to create his own lane and is much different than anyone else who has played.”In just his fifth NBA game, the 19-year-old Wembanyama showed why he was one of the most-hyped prospects in years, scoring 38 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a standout performance during a 132-121 victory over Durant and the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.Wembanyama produced several highlight-reel plays in the game, including a soaring dunk while running the floor during the second quarte...