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US defense secretary in Israel to meet with its leaders and see America’s security assistance

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:50 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived Friday in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv to meet with senior government leaders and see firsthand some of the U.S. weapons and security assistance that Washington rapidly delivered to Israel in the first week of its war with the militant Hamas group.Austin is the second high-level U.S. official to visit Israel in two days. His quick trip from Brussels, where he was attending a NATO defense ministers meeting, comes a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the region on Thursday. Blinken is continuing the frantic Mideast diplomacy, seeking to avert an expanded regional conflict.Austin is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, and the Israeli War Cabinet.His arrival comes as Israel’s military directed hundreds of thousands of residents in Gaza City to evacuate “for their own safety and protection,” ahead of a feared Israeli ground offensive. Gaza’s...

Microsoft’s bid for Activision gets UK approval. It removes the last hurdle to the gaming deal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:50 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Microsoft’s purchase of video game maker Activision Blizzard won final approval Friday from Britain’s competition watchdog, reversing its earlier decision to block the $69 billion deal and removing a last obstacle for one of the largest tech transactions in history.The Competition and Markets Authority’s blessing was expected after it gave preliminary approval last month to a revamped Microsoft proposal meant to address concerns that the deal would harm competition and hurt gamers. It signals certain victory in the Xbox maker’s quest to acquire Activision, maker of the popular Call of Duty game franchise. The companies had agreed to extend an original mid-July deadline to Oct. 18 to overcome the British regulator’s objections. The approval also helps Microsoft avoid paying Activision a $4.5 billion penalty if the deal doesn’t close. “The new deal will stop Microsoft from locking up competition in cloud gaming as this market takes off, preserving competitive...

China’s exports and imports sink in September as global demand falters

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:50 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s exports and imports both fell in September from a year earlier, though they contracted at a slower pace than the month before even as global demand remained muted.Customs data released Friday showed exports for September slid 6.2% to $299.13 billion in the fifth straight month of decline. Imports also slid 6.2%, to $221.43 billion.China posted a trade surplus of $77.71 billion, up from $68.36 billion in August.Lu Daliang, spokesperson of the General Administration of Customs, said in a press conference Friday in Beijing that the unstable momentum of the global economy’s recovery from the pandemic was the biggest challenge facing China’s exports.China’s economy has declined at a slower pace after leaders enacted a slew of policy support measures in recent months. However, property sector remains a drag on the economy, with sales slumping and developers struggling to repay massive amounts of debt.The central bank has eased borrowing rules and and cut mor...

Final arguments are being made before Australia’s vote Saturday to create Indigenous Voice

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:50 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Opposing campaigners made their final pitches on Friday over changing the Australia’s constitution to acknowledge a place for Indigenous Australians on the eve of the nation’s first referendum in a generation.The referendum has the potential to amend Australia’s founding legal document for the first time since 1977. But opinion polls suggest that the amendment will be rejected as more than four-in-five referendums have been in the past.Australians are being asked to alter the constitution to recognize the “First Peoples of Australia” by establishing an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.The committee comprised of and chosen by Indigenous Australians would advise the Parliament and government on issues that affect the nation’s most disadvantaged ethnic minority.Indigenous Australians account for only 3.8% of Australia’s population. But they die on average eight years younger than the wider population, have a suicide rate twice that of the national a...

After getting called out by Steve Smith Sr. pregame, Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy was just a guy Thursday night

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:50 GMT

Things got spicy before the ball was even snapped in the Broncos’ divisional matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium.NFL Network analyst Steve Smith Sr. stood on the sideline, doing a pregame segment when Jerry Jeudy got in the shot, jumping back and forth while nodding his head to the music blasting throughout the stadium.Jeudy appeared to be getting in the zone ahead of the Thursday Night Football matchup, but the Broncos wide receiver wanted to make a statement toward Smith, who’d recently called Jeudy out on his podcast — calling him “just a guy.”The former Panthers wide receiver said on the Amazon Prime broadcast that he tried to apologize for his comments. But Jeudy wasn’t having it. And Smith didn’t take the disrespect lightly, staring straight into the camera afterward and calling Jeudy an average wide receiver that teams should avoid trading for ahead of the deadline.Smith’s comments circled across social media a...

European Business and Nature Summit to launch Charter for businesses committed to halting and reversing nature loss by 2030

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:50 GMT

The European Business and Nature Summit, co-organized by the European Commission, has taken place in Milan. Over 350 companies, financial institutions, governments, and representatives from academia and civil society are convening to discuss how business can help deliver on the commitments of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework concluded at the biodiversity COP15 last year.The event will launch the European Business and Nature Summit Charter for a nature-positive economy. By signing the Charter, businesses recognise the need to address biodiversity loss and show willingness to take action. The Charter, open to all organisations from micro-businesses to large corporates, provides a structure to companies and financials to start implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework. It sets out 10 principles to guide collective and transformative business action to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. The principles are in line with the goals of the Global Biodiversity Framew...

House engulfed in flames after car crashes into it

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:50 GMT

A car veered off the 15 Freeway early Thursday morning, crashed through a chain-link fence and plowed into the garage of a Temecula home with eight people inside, causing a massive explosion.  Siblings Gaby Rivera and Angel Vega were just two of the people inside at 2:45 a.m. when the car came crashing down causing fire to race through the residence.  “All of a sudden, I hear screeching and that had somewhat woken me up,” Angel told KTLA’s Rick Chambers. “Then the next you thing know, a loud crash and bang.” He said the car hit the gas line and the fuse box. Within a matter of seconds, they started seeing the flames.  “It was scary. I’m trying to run my grandma out and the flames are right next to us,” Angel explained. “It was definitely very traumatic.”  A home in Temecula burned to ashes after a car on the 15 Freeway veered off the roadway and into the residence on Oct. 12, 2023. (KTLA)Unfortunately, the fire spread rapidly, and the family only escaped wit...

As good as it gets at the Cricket World Cup: India vs Pakistan before 100,000-plus spectators

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:50 GMT

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — Tens of millions of sports fans in south Asia and the rest of the cricket world will have their eyes and ears focused on one thing Saturday — the much-anticipated World Cup 50-over match between hosts India and regional rival Pakistan.Pakistan is in India for the first time since the 2016 Twenty20 World Cup. he 1992 World Cup champions Pakistan have never beaten two-time champion India in a 50-over World Cup match.The trend began in 1992; then continued through 1996, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2015 and 2019. Obviously, the 7-0 score line is a huge topic of contention among the two sets of fans.Pakistan broke the streak in T20 World Cups, beating India by 10 wickets in their league encounter at the 2021 tournament in the UAE. Pakistan last played an ODI in India in December 2012 — a three-match series that India won 2-1.Leading up to this highly anticipated match 12 of this tournament, India and Pakistan have won both their first two games.India defeated five-time cham...

The militant Hamas group in Gaza calls on Palestinians to stay in their homes after Israel orders mass evacuation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:50 GMT

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The militant Hamas group in Gaza calls on Palestinians to stay in their homes after Israel orders mass evacuation.Source

Microsoft’s bid for Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard gets UK approval, removing a last hurdle to the gaming deal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:50 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Microsoft’s bid for Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard gets UK approval, removing a last hurdle to the gaming deal.Source