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Biden and Xi are meeting in San Francisco, seeking better US-China relations despite tough issues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:13 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping head into their big meeting at a country estate on Wednesday hoping to stabilize U.S.-China relations after a period of tumult, but the U.S. president also is prepared to confront his counterpart on difficult issues such as trade, Beijing’s burgeoning relationship with Iran and human rights concerns.The two leaders, who will meet on the sidelines of a summit of Asian-Pacific leaders, last spoke a year ago. Since then, already fraught ties between the two nations have been further strained by the U.S. downing of a Chinese spy balloon that had traversed the continental U.S. and over differences on the self-ruled island of Taiwan, China’s hacking of a Biden official’s emails and other incidents.The outcome of the talks between two leaders who have known each other for decades could have far-reaching implications for an anxious world that is grappling with global economic cross currents from the pandemic, wars in the Middle ...

An ethnic resistance group in northern Myanmar says an entire army battalion has surrendered to it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:13 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — A Myanmar army battalion based near the Chinese border surrendered to an alliance of ethnic armed groups that launched a surprise offensive last month against the military, a spokesperson for one of the groups said Wednesday.The surrender of 261 people — 127 soldiers and 134 family members — from the infantry battalion in northeastern Shan state appears to be the biggest by regular army forces since widespread armed conflict in Myanmar broke out in 2021 following the military’s seizure of power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February that year.The alliance expects to soon capture Laukkaing, the area’s major city, the spokesperson said.The surrender — which has not been announced by the military government and could not be independently confirmed by The Associated Press — came two weeks after the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, calling themselves the Three Brotherhood Alliance...

Un avión debió regresar al aeropuerto JFK después de que un caballo se escapara a bordo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:13 GMT

(CNN) — Un Boeing 747 en ruta desde Nueva York JFK a Lieja, Bélgica, se vio obligado a dar la vuelta el 9 de noviembre después de que un caballo se soltó en la bodega de carga.El vuelo de carga operado por la aerolínea chárter Air Atlanta Islandic había ascendido a unos 31.000 pies cuando la tripulación contactó al Control de Tráfico Aéreo en Boston para informar que el caballo se había escapado de su puesto.“No tenemos ningún problema (…) en cuanto a volar”, dice uno de los pilotos en una reconstrucción de video del canal de YouTube “You Can See ATC”, pero “no podemos volver a asegurar el caballo”.En las grabaciones, se puede escuchar al Control de Tráfico Aéreo accediendo a la solicitud de los pilotos de regresar al aeropuerto JFK y, debido a que el avión era demasiado pesado, arrojar 20 toneladas de combustible al este de Nantucket.El piloto también pide que un veterinario acuda al avión al aterrizar, porque “tenemos un caballo en dificultades”.Un representante de Air Atlan...

Mother of 6-year-old boy who shot teacher faces sentencing for marijuana use while owning a gun

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:13 GMT

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday and could face prison time for using marijuana while owning a firearm, which is illegal under U.S. law.Deja Taylor’s son took her handgun to school and shot Abby Zwerner in her first-grade classroom in January, seriously wounding the educator. Investigators later found nearly an ounce of marijuana in Taylor’s bedroom and evidence of frequent drug use in her text messages and paraphernalia.The federal charges against Taylor come at a time when marijuana is legal in many states, including Virginia, while many Americans own firearms.Some U.S. courts in other parts of the country have ruled against the federal law that bans drug users from having guns. But the law remains in effect in many states and has been used to charge others including Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son.Federal prosecutors in Virginia argued in court filings that Taylor...

Target tops third quarter profit expectations, but inflation weighs on shoppers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:13 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Target on Wednesday reported a hefty third-quarter profit increase that handily beat Wall Street expectations as the retailer held down costs and cut inventory. Revenue slipped more than 4%, however, as customers saddled with broadly higher costs pulled back on spending as the holiday season nears. The Minneapolis retailer has been trying to right itself after loading up with too much inventory last summer and was forced to discount heavily to clear it. Now, many customers are making tough decisions about what they can afford because prices for food and other basics have climbed. Inflation has moderated, but a bigger chunk of paychecks is needed to cover immediate needs. CEO Brian Cornell said on a conference call with reporters on Tuesday that higher interest rates, increased credit card debt and reduced savings rates have left customers with less discretionary income, forcing them to do trade-offs. For example, he said that the chain is seeing more consumers making...

Hialeah Police seek help from public in locating missing 13-year-old girl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:13 GMT

The Hialeah Police Department is seeking help from the public in locating a 13-year-old girl reported missing.Jade Mary Lopez stands 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 115 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen in the vicinity of East 4th Avenue and East 13th Street. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt, blue jeans and carrying a black book bag with red flowers.Anyone with information on Jade’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Hialeah Police Department at (305) 687-2525.

Pompano Beach couple robbed at gunpoint of $44,000 worth of items after returning home from dinner

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:13 GMT

A routine night out for dinner took a harrowing turn for a Pompano Beach couple when they were ambushed upon returning home, falling victim to an armed robbery that cost them more than $44,000 worth of belongings.On Monday, Oct. 30, just after 10 p.m., Broward Sheriff’s Office Robbery Unit detectives responded to the incident at a residence in the 2600 block of Northeast Sixth Street in Pompano Beach. According to investigators, the husband and wife had returned home from dinner, opened their garage door and were confronted by an armed man as they entered.According to BSO, the husband, upon opening his car door, was ambushed by an individual wielding a gun. Described as wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black track pants, the suspect reportedly demanded the couple’s belongings, which included two iPhones, a Rolex and a purse containing a wallet with credit cards.The armed criminal then fled towards the roadway, where a black sedan was waiting. The suspect escaped westbound...

New Slovak coalition embraces revenge, radicalism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:13 GMT

BRATISLAVA — Slovakia’s new prime minister, Robert Fico, presented a tax-and-spend program for approval by the country’s parliament on Tuesday as his government embarked on a four-year term. Pensioners, mortgage holders, and low-income groups were the principal targets of extra public money. Nominations to the government, however, suggest the ruling coalition has another policy agenda, which includes protecting key allies from legal jeopardy and thumbing its nose at liberal democracy.His cabinet features politicians previously charged with crimes, including Fico himself and former Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák, who now has the defense portfolio. Deputy Justice Minister Pavol Gašpar was also previously charged; cases against all three men were later dropped. But Pavol Gašpar’s father, Smer MP Tibor Gašpar, remains indicted as the alleged head of a criminal group that operated within the police — as is central bank governor Peter Kažimir, a former finance ministe...

Portugal still ‘safe’ for mining investments, minister says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:13 GMT

Despite an ongoing corruption probe, Portugal remains “safe” for investments in lithium mining, the country’s economy minister said Wednesday. “I think Portugal is one of the safest places in the world” for investments in lithium mining, António Costa Silva told POLITICO’s Sustainable Future Week summit. “We are a country where the rule of law is crucial, and no one is above the law.”Portuguese authorities are investigating possible acts of corruption, influence peddling and malfeasance in connection with the concession of lithium mining projects in the north of the country, a green hydrogen mega-project and a data center in Sines. The projects add up to an investment of €23.5 billion.The scandal has dealt a heavy blow to Brussels’ ambitions to diversify its supply of raw materials needed for green and digital technologies, as Portugal’s lithium deposits are seen as central to those efforts.Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa ...

Ukraine hopes for more air defenses from Germany’s spending boost

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:13 GMT

BERLIN — German lawmakers on Thursday will debate doubling next year’s military aid to Ukraine to €8 billion, and Kyiv is hoping that a lot of that new cash will go to air defense.There’s also pressure to use the money to send Ukraine Germany’s bunker-busting Taurus cruise missiles — something Berlin has so far avoided doing.“We need to strengthen both air defense to protect strategic facilities and infrastructure facilities, as well as front-line air defense,” said Illarion Pavlyuk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s defense ministry. “Our needs remain the same.”Pavlyuk added that “Ukraine also needs ammunition of various types.” And not just conventional small arms ammunition or artillery and tank shells, but most importantly, the surface-to-air interceptors and antiaircraft ammunition that protect Ukraine’s skies. This kind of ammunition “is a constant need.”Germany is already the largest military aid donor to Ukraine in Europe and second in the world behind the U...