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China sanctions groups, Taiwan official in US as retaliation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:18 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China announced sanctions Friday against two Asia-based organizations and Taiwan’s representative in the U.S. in response to the closely watched meeting this week between the U.S. House Speaker and Taiwan’s president. The Prospect Foundation and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats were being sanctioned for their involvement in promoting Taiwan independence “under the guise of academic and research exchanges,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson, Zhu Fenglian, said. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy held talks with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California this week in a rare high-level, bipartisan meeting on U.S. soil. The meeting came as U.S.-China relations have sunk to historic lows and as tensions between Taiwan and China have risen. China views any official exchanges between foreign governments and Taiwan as an attempt to raise Taipei’s global status, and thus an infringement on Beijing’s claims of sovereignty over the...

Israel stages rare strikes in Lebanon, also hits Gaza Strip

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:18 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel struck targets in southern Lebanon early Friday and resumed air strikes in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said, marking a further escalation in the region following violence this week at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. The military said it targeted installations of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese TV station Al Mayadeen reported explosions in the southern port city of Tyre.The strikes in southern Lebanon came after militants from Lebanon fired nearly three dozen rockets at Israel on Thursday. Meanwhile, Gaza militants resumed rocket fire toward southern Israel early Friday following Israeli attacks there.The fighting comes during a delicate time — when Jews are celebrating the Passover holiday and Muslims are marking the Ramadan holy month. Similar tensions spilled over into an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers in 2021.The current round of violence began Wednesday after Israeli police twice rai...

In India, mangrove trees make way for booming city of Kochi

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:18 GMT

KOCHI, India (AP) — Burrowed between mangroves and a bustling skyline, 70-year-old Rajan, who only uses one name, reminisces about his old home.For nearly sixty years, Rajan has lived comfortably among the trees in Mangalavanam forest in India’s southern Kerala state. In the last two decades, the surrounding city of Kochi has boomed as the state’s financial capital and swallowed up once-protected green areas, including Rajan’s former home. He was forced to sell his land to a local private realtor when the area was bought up for construction about 15 years ago. He moved into a makeshift dwelling on the edge of a protected bird sanctuary.“Now there are buildings all around and no wind,” said Rajan, adding that the towering concrete has made the city and forest stifling hot.Government buildings, private offices and homes have sprung up at pace, cutting deep into the forest known as the “green lung of Kochi.” The trees are now squeezed on all sides by buildings, construction and s...

Samsung cutting memory chip production as profit slides

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:18 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics said Friday it’s cutting the production of its computer memory chips in an apparent effort to reduce inventory as it forecasted another quarter of sluggish profit.The South Korean technology giant in a regulatory filing said it has been reducing the production of certain memory products by unspecified “meaningful levels” to optimize its manufacturing operations, adding it has sufficient supplies of those chips to meet demand fluctuations.The company predicted an operating profit of 600 billion won ($455 million) for the three months through March, which would be a 96% decline from the same period a year earlier. It said it sales during the quarter likely fell 19% to 63 trillion won ($47.7 billion). Samsung, which will release its finalized first quarter earnings later this month, said the demand for its memory chips declined as a weak global economy depressed consumer spending on technology products and forced business clients to adjust ...

Chicago doctor develops app to help assess possible child abuse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:18 GMT

CHICAGO — Is it accidental or abuse? When it comes to bruises on kids, a Chicago area doctor hopes an app will help clinicians make the right call.Kids play hard and can get a little banged up. In fact, it’s common.Dr Mary Clyde Pierce is an emergency medicine physician at Lurie Children’s.“(With) Incidental trauma or accidental trauma, usually you just bruise a bony area,” she said. “You’re falling, you’re having fun, you get up and you’re fine.”But sometimes, it’s not so clear —even for doctors. “The most common injury to be misdiagnosed as accident when it’s really abuse is bruising,” Pierce said. ”When those injuries were overlooked, those children were at much greater risk for a future fatality.”Looking at more than 21,000  children across the country, 4-years-old and younger, Pierce compiled years of evidence on bruising then loaded the data on her injury assessment app called L-Cast (Lurie Children's Child Injury Plausibility Assessment Support Tool). Augie’s Ques...

Police: 4 dead in plane crash off Florida's Gulf Coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:18 GMT

VENICE, Fla. (AP) — The bodies of two men and two women have been recovered following a small plane crash just off Florida's Gulf Coast, police said Thursday.The plane had just taken off from Venice Airport when it crashed into the Gulf of Mexico west of the city’s fishing pier just after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Venice police said in a news conference. Several people on the pier saw the plane crash and called 911, Venice police Capt. Andy Leisenring said. In addition video footage from the airport and the pier will be reviewed and turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is conducting an investigation, he said.Leisenring said police “were unable to deploy a dive team until we had daylight.” The plane — a Piper PA-32R — was spotted just before noon under about 23 feet of water, he said. Crews also found the bodies of the two female passengers.Authorities identified the victims as William Jeffrey Lumpkin, 64, who was piloting the plane, Patricia Lumpkin, 68, Ricky J...

Colorado man killed, put in crawl space after catalytic converter fight: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:18 GMT

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — After the body of a 36-year-old man was found in a “clandestine grave” in the crawl space of an Aurora, Colorado condo Wednesday, police have released an affidavit explaining the man was reportedly killed by his "best friend" after he assumed he was a police informant. On Tuesday, Casie Bock, 29, was arrested after a Crime Stoppers tip was submitted about a man who had been murdered 6-8 months ago and buried in her crawl space. Haskel Leroy Crawford, 38, was arrested Thursday on one charge of first-degree murder. King Soopers security guard fired after he was punched by shoplifter FOX31 obtained the arrest affidavit from the Aurora Police Department outlining the circumstances surrounding the homicide investigation. Police identified the victim as Karl Beaman Jr. Victim's relative had concerns about his whereaboutsOn April 1, an officer with APD received a call from a woman in Phoenix who identified herself as a relative of Beaman. They told the officer they...

Heaviest rain since August, and rain continues Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin tallied its heaviest one-day rainfall event since Aug. 22, with 1.97" of rain on Thursday. A daily rainfall record of 1.85" fell at the Austin-Bergstrom airport. Occasional rain and thunderstorms continue overnight and through the day Friday.Live radarLive traffic conditionsCentral Texas rainfall totalsDry, thirsty soil is soaking up much of the lighter rainfall totals in the Hill Country, so the Highland Lakes are not expected to benefit much from this rain event.Additional rainfall totals will remain under 1 inch in the Hill Country, but could reach an additional 1 inch in Austin and 1-3 inches in southeastern communities. Remember, if you ever come across a water-covered roadway, "Turn Around, Don't Drown!"Additional rainfall totals through Saturday morningThis storm system clears east of the area for Easter weekend leading to warmer temperatures and dry weather for your outdoor plans.FIRST WARNING WEATHER: Stay up to date with your Central Texas forecast,...

Data: Texas gamers ranked No.1 in 'rage quitting,' proof is in controller demand

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:18 GMT

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A recent study revealed Texans are more likely to "rage quit" a video game after throwing their controllers in frustration. RGV’s Raquel Rodriguez makes comeback after WrestleMania loss The data collected by online casino expert Datslots analyzed Google data on searches for Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo controllers in each state, to see where new devices are in the highest demand and where people might be rage quitting the most.Texas ranked number one in the country for states with the highest rate of searches for 25 different terms related to console controllers, the study stated.The Lone Star state is followed in the top five rager states by Nevada, Illinois, Georgia and California. Cash App founder killed in San Francisco stabbing “It’s so easy to become immersed with a game and obsessed with winning, and when that doesn’t go to plan it can be incredibly frustrating," a spokesperson for Datslots said. "Plenty of people r...

Schoharie Storm top mascot name after ranked voting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:18 GMT

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Schoharie Central School District has a front runner for a new mascot name. District officials said the ranked choice voting system shows Schoharie Storm received the most first place votes. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Storm was followed by the Hawks and the Coyotes. Other names considered included the Titans and the Vale.Over the course of a month, more than 300 proposed mascots were considered by the committee. An official announcement on the new name will be made later in the month.The district began searching for a new mascot in January after an order from the New York State Department of Education, which required school districts with Native American logos or mascots change them or face loss of state aid.