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China’s Xi calls for ‘more quickly elevating’ armed forces

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:10 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s leader Xi Jinping has called for “more quickly elevating the armed forces to world-class standards,” in a speech days after he warned the country was threatened by a U.S.-led campaign of “containment, encirclement and suppression of China.” China must maximize its “national strategic capabilities” in a bid to “systematically upgrade the country’s overall strength to cope with strategic risks, safeguard strategic interests and realize strategic objectives,” Xi said Wednesday.His remarks to delegates in the ceremonial parliament representing the People’s Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party, and the paramilitary People’s Armed Police, were carried by the official Xinhua News Agency. Xi made a series of calls to accelerate the build-up of self-reliance in science and technology, bolster strategic capabilities in emergency fields, make industrial and supply chains more resilient and make national reserves “more capable of sa...

Jaded with education, more Americans are skipping college

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:10 GMT

JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) — When he looked to the future, Grayson Hart always saw a college degree. He was a good student at a good high school. He wanted to be an actor, or maybe a teacher. Growing up, he believed college was the only route to a good job, stability and a happy life.The pandemic changed his mind.A year after high school, Hart is directing a youth theater program in Jackson, Tennessee. He got into every college he applied to but turned them all down. Cost was a big factor, but a year of remote learning also gave him the time and confidence to forge his own path.“There were a lot of us with the pandemic, we kind of had a do-it-yourself kind of attitude of like, ‘Oh — I can figure this out,’” he said. “Why do I want to put in all the money to get a piece of paper that really isn’t going to help with what I’m doing right now?”Hart is among hundreds of thousands of young people who came of age during the pandemic but didn’t go to college. Many have turned to hourly jobs or car...

Australian PM kicks off India visit with cricket event

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:10 GMT

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — The prime ministers of India and Australia on Thursday lent a touch of cricket diplomacy to their ties as they inaugurated a test match between their two teams in the western city of Ahmedabad.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Indian host Narendra Modi handed caps emblazoned national emblems to rival captains Steve Smith and Rohit Sharma. They clasped their hands and raised them to the delight of thousands of cricket fans.The two prime ministers were cheered by cricket fans as they went around the stadium named after Modi and later sat down to watch the start of the game.Modi and Albanese also saw a photo exhibition highlighting their countries’ cricketing ties. The India-Australia cricket rivalry is considered one of the most intense in the world, comparable to the Ashes test series played between England and Australia.Albanese arrived Wednesday in Ahmedabad, a key city in Modi’s home state of Gujarat, at the start of his four-day visit to India....

AP News in Brief at 12:04 a.m. EST

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:10 GMT

Lawsuit against Fox shows the news behind the Trump newsNEW YORK (AP) — Fresh revelations flowing from a major defamation lawsuit are shedding light on what was happening inside Fox News following the 2020 presidential election. Here are some things to know about the case.THE CASEDominion Voting Systems is suing Fox for $1.6 billion, claiming the news outlet repeatedly aired allegations that the company engaged in fraud that doomed President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign while knowing they were untrue. Fox contends that it was reporting newsworthy charges made by supporters of the president and is supported legally by libel standards. The case is scheduled for trial next month.ELECTION DISCONNECTDominion has produced evidence that prominent people at Fox knew the fraud allegations were untrue, even as they and the president’s allies were given airtime to repeat them. Fox’s Sean Hannity said in a deposition that he did not believe the fraud claims “for one sec...

UN renews Sudan arms embargo as Russia and China abstain

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:10 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution Wednesday renewing an arms embargo and other sanctions imposed over violence in Sudan’s western Darfur region that began in 2004.Thirteen of the 15 council members voted for the resolution. Russia and China abstained, arguing that the Darfur conflict is largely over.The resolution also extends the mandate of the U.N. panel of experts monitoring the arms embargo and travel ban and asset freeze on certain individuals. It now runs until March 12, 2024.Last month, Sudan demanded that the Security Council immediately lift all sanctions imposed during the Darfur conflict. Sudan’s U.N. ambassador, Al-Harith Idriss Mohamed, said in a letter to the council that “Darfur has, for the most part, overcome the state of war, as well as previous security and political challenges.”The Sudanese government has repeatedly urged the council to lift sanctions, but Mohamed’s letter was much stronger, saying that “Sudan will accept nothi...

State boys hockey: Orono beats Northfield on goal with 30 seconds left in overtime

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:10 GMT

Orono won the final Class A quarterfinal of the day in a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over Northfield on Wednesday at the Xcel Energy Center. Senior Avery Anderson deflected a shot from teammate Brody Finnegan into the back of the net to win the game and advance on to the semifinals.The goal came with just 30.2 seconds left on the game clock and just past 11 p.m.The first goal of the game was a bit of a fluke, as Orono’s Bradley Walker shot from down low at a sharp angle, then a Northfield player accidentally tipped the puck into the back of his own net. The Raiders answered just 66 seconds later as sophomore Griffin Kennelly popped in a goal from just in front of the crease off a pass from junior captain Kamden Kaiser.The No. 4 Spartans will play No. 1-seeded Warroad in the semifinals on Friday at 1 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.Northfield goaltender Keaton Walock made an impressive 48 saves, while Orono’s Brock Peyton posted 23.

Wild beat Jets to extend points streak to 11 but see Kaprizov leave game with injury

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:10 GMT

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Marc-Andre Fleury made 46 saves and the Minnesota Wild extended their points streak to 11 games with a 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night.The Wild are 9-0-2 in their last 11 games. Fleury has victories in his last four starts, stopping 119 of the 124 shots he has faced.“Our goaltender won the hockey game for us,” Minnesota coach Dean Evason said.While Evason was thankful for Fleury’s solid performance, he was more concerned about Wild leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov, who hit the ice after getting tangled with Winnipeg’s 6-foot-7 defenseman Logan Stanley and left the game in the third period.Evason didn’t have an update on Kaprizov immediately after the game.“He was able to skate off, so I guess if there’s a positive that was one of them,” the coach said.Marcus Foligno had a goal and assist, and Frederick Gaudreau, Ryan Hartman and Mason Shaw also scored for the Wild (37-21-7). Oskar Sundqvist and Jake Middleton each had two as...

Kiszla: Are Nuggets tough enough to win championship when push comes to shove in NBA playoffs?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:10 GMT

A root canal or a tax audit might be a less painful option than watching ESPN today, Nuggets Nation, after Denver got blown off its home floor by Chicago in an ugly loss that only Kendrick Perkins and everybody who hates the Nuggets could love.And trust me, the Nuggets do hear the haters who doubt Denver as a legit championship contender, or question center Nikola Jokic’s worthiness as being named the league’s most valuable player for a third consecutive season.“I pop up YouTube and (hear) what Perk said,” center Nikola Jokic said Wednesday. “I just find it interesting to say something just to give those guys something to talk about.”On a winter night when 19,896 fans filled Ball Arena to celebrate the Blue Arrow in anticipation of guard Jamal Murray setting the franchise record for 3-point field goals, Murray and the Nuggets shot blanks, getting manhandled before getting drubbed 117-96.“We haven’t arrived,” Denver coach Michael ...

Texas Tech coach Adams resigns after insensitive comments

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:10 GMT

By DAVE SKRETTA (AP Basketball Writer)KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Texas Tech coach Mark Adams, who had been suspended recently for racially insensitive comments made toward one of his players, resigned shortly after the Red Raiders were eliminated from the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday night.Second-year assistant Corey Williams had led the Red Raiders in their 78-62 loss to West Virginia.The incident involving Adams occurred in a meeting with a player, who wasn’t identified, Texas Tech said Sunday in announcing his suspension. The school said Adams “was encouraging the student-athlete to be more receptive to coaching and referenced Bible verses about workers, teachers, parents, and slaves serving their masters.”Red Raiders athletic director Kirby Hocutt learned of the incident last Friday and issued a written reprimand, and Adams coached them in a regular season-ending loss to Oklahoma State the next day. But after Hocutt investigated the situation further, he d...

Angel helps Stanford beat Utah in first round of Pac-12 Tournament

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:26:10 GMT

LAS VEGAS — Brandon Angel’s double-double, 16 points and 12 rebounds, led a balanced attack that lifted 10th-seeded Stanford to a 73-62 win over seventh-seeded Utah in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday night.Angel followed up two free throws with a jumper that gave the Cardinal a 53-40 lead and they stayed ahead by double figures the rest of the way.Harrison Ingram added 15 points for Stanford (14-18), which advances to face second-seeded and eighth-ranked Arizona on Thursday at 6 p.m. Maxime Raynaud and Spencer Jones both scored 12.Branden Carlson scored 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead Utah (17-15), which has lost six straight. Gabe Madsen scored 13 and Lazar Stefanovic 10.Utah made three-straight shots, pulling within 58-48 on a Stefanovic 3-pointer with six minutes left That was the first time in the second half the Utes made consecutive shots, but Jones quickly responded with a 3-pointer.Related ArticlesCollege Sports | UCLA stuns Stanford women ...