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Idalia strengthens to a hurricane, dangerous storm surges are forecast for Florida’s Gulf Coast

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:33 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Idalia became a hurricane on Tuesday as it intensified on a path toward Florida’s Gulf coast, with the National Hurricane Center warning of an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds in Florida in the next two days.Florida residents loaded up on sandbags and evacuated from homes in low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast as Idalia intensified Monday and forecasters predicted it would hit in days as a major hurricane with potentially life-threatening storm surges.“You should be wrapping up your preparation for #TropicalStormIdalia tonight and Tues morning at the latest,” the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said Monday on X, formerly known as Twitter. As the state prepared, Idalia thrashed Cuba with heavy rain, especially in the westernmost part of the island, where the tobacco-producing province of Pinar del Rio is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian almost a year ago. Authorities in the provi...

Massive wildfire in northeastern Greece persists for 11th day despite European firefighting efforts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:33 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A massive wildfire was burning unabated in northeastern Greece for the 11th day Tuesday despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters and a fleet of water-dropping aircraft.After burning across vast tracts of land, the blaze in the Alexandroupolis and Evros region was mainly concentrated deep in a forest near the border with Turkey, in an area difficult to access. The wildfire has been blamed for 20 of the 21 wildfire-related deaths in Greece last week.Six planes and four helicopters were assisting 475 firefighters on the ground, backed by 100 vehicles, the fire department said. Another 260 firefighters and one helicopter were tackling flare-ups of another major fire burning for days in a forest on the southern slopes of Mount Parnitha, on the fringes of the Greek capital.Authorities are investigating the causes of the fires, which over the past week has destroyed vast tracts of forest, scorched homes and triggered the evacuation of thousands of people.In Ath...

Nigerian army rescues children among dozens who were abducted by Islamic rebels in the northeast

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:33 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian security forces have rescued dozens of captives mostly women and children held by Islamic extremist rebels in the country’s hard-hit northeastern region, the army said.The Nigerian army said late Monday the 25 captives were rescued during “clearance operations” by its troops in Borno state’s Gwoza district, a hotbed for the jihadi violence that has upended lives and livelihoods in the region since 2009, when Boko Haram extremists launched an insurgency.Fourteen of the captives were first to be rescued on Saturday in Gobara village while 11 others were freed on Sunday when troops raided the rebel hideout in Gava village, both around 130 kilometers (80 miles) from Borno state capital, Maiduguri, said army spokeman Onyema Nwachukwu.The army shared pictures of the freed hostages that included toddlers. Most of them looked malnourished and wore worn-out clothes, suggesting that they might have been held for a long time.“All rescued victims are presently in ...

Britain’s foreign secretary will visit China in an attempt to shore up ties and reduce tensions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:33 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Britain’s top diplomat, James Cleverly, is set to visit China on Wednesday, as the two countries attempt to shore up frayed ties.It will be the first trip by a U.K. foreign secretary to China in more than five years. Both countries confirmed the long-awaited trip on Tuesday. “The two sides will have in-depth communication on Sino-British relations and international and regional issues of common concern,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “We hope the British side will work with us to uphold the spirit of mutual respect, deepen exchanges, enhance mutual understanding and promote the stable development of Sino-British relations.”Cleverly’s visit is an attempt to stabilize China-Britain ties, which have sunk to their lowest level in decades. The countries disagree over issues such as Beijing’s curbing of civil freedoms in Hong Kong, a former British colony, alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, China’s support for Russia and Britai...

Daughter of ex-Thai leader Thaksin says he is fatigued, as criticism grows of his hospitalization

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:33 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is suffering from stress and fatigue but is in good spirits, his daughter said Tuesday as criticism grew of his transfer to a hospital just hours after he began serving an eight-year prison sentence.Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup, returned to Thailand last week after 15 years of self-imposed exile and was immediately sent to prison over several criminal convictions he has decried as politically motivated.Corrections officials said Thaksin, 74, was considered vulnerable due to his age, chronic heart and lung conditions, high blood pressure and back problems. Thaksin, a former police lieutenant colonel, is being treated in a private room at the Police General Hospital, where the director said he was in serious condition with heart and lung problems.“My dad was happy to see me, very happy. He’s stressed and tired but he is in good spirits,” Paetongtarn Shinawatra told reporters at the headquarters of populist...

Sudan’s military leader visits Egypt on his first trip abroad since the country plunged into war

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:33 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s top military officer arrived in Egypt on Tuesday on his first trip abroad since the country plunged into a bitter conflict this year, authorities said.Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, chairman of the ruling Sovereign Council, was received by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at the airport in the Mediterranean city of el-Alamein, according to the council.The council said in an earlier statement the two leaders would discuss the latest developments in Sudan and the ties between the neighboring countries. Sudan plunged into chaos in mid-April when simmering tensions between the military, led by Burhan, and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere.The conflict has reduced the capital to an urban battlefield, with the RSF controlling vast swaths of the city. The military command, where Burhan has purportedly been stationed since April, has been one of the ...

Pakistani court suspends the corruption conviction and sentence of former Prime Minister Imran Khan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:33 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani appeals court on Tuesday suspended the corruption conviction and three-year prison term of Imran Khan in a legal victory for the hugely popular embattled former prime minister, his lawyers and court officials said.Although he will face a retrial in due course, the ruling will enable Khan, 70, to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections. Khan has denied the charges, insisting he did not violate any rules.The Islamabad High Court also granted bail for Khan, but it was not immediately clear if he will be released as he also faces a multitude of other charges brought since his ouster through a no-confidence vote in the parliament in April 2022. Khan lawyer Shoaib Shaheen said the Islamabad High Court issued a brief verbal order and a written ruling will be issued later. Khan was convicted and sentenced earlier this month by a court that found him guilty of concealing assets after selling state gifts he received while in office.“Imran Khan is again entitl...

NFL-style lawsuit and brain-injury concerns hang over Rugby World Cup

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:33 GMT

Alix Popham traveled the world as a rugby player. He played 33 times for Wales and competed at two Rugby World Cups, and even got to meet Nelson Mandela before a match in South Africa.Or so he’s told.He can’t actually remember.Popham is 43 and his rugby career is, in his words, “all a blur.”“My neuropsychologist described it,” he said, “as when I was playing in those games and in that part of my life, my brain was so inflamed through the contact I was doing continuously over a 10/11-month season, it’s like I was taking photos but with no camera.”Popham has been diagnosed with early onset dementia and is one of a growing number of rugby players in their 30s and 40s — all of whom have brain disorders such as motor neuron disease and epilepsy — to have launched a lawsuit against governing bodies of the sport he still loves. They contend the rugby authorities failed to take reasonable action to protect the players from repeated blows to the head during their careers.The case has similar...

Rare blue supermoon brightens the night sky this week in the closest full moon of the year

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:33 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Stargazers are in for a double treat this week: a rare blue supermoon with Saturn peeking from behind.The cosmic curtain rises Wednesday night with the second full moon of the month, the reason it’s considered blue. It’s dubbed a supermoon because it’s closer to Earth than usual, appearing especially big and bright.This will be the closest full moon of the year, just 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) or so away. That’s more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) closer than the Aug. 1 supermoon.As a bonus, Saturn will be visible as a bright point 5 degrees to the upper right of the moon at sunset in the east-southeastern sky, according to NASA. The ringed planet will appear to circle clockwise around the moon as the night wears on.If you missed the month’s first spectacle, better catch this one. There won’t be another blue supermoon until 2037, according to Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project.Clouds spoiled Masi’s at...

Top Chinese official tells the US commerce secretary he’s ready to improve cooperation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:33 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — The top Chinese official in charge of economic relations with Washington told Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Tuesday he was ready to “make new positive efforts” to improve cooperation following an agreement to reduce trade tension by launching groups to discuss export controls and other commercial disputes.The agreement Monday was the most substantial result to date out of a string of visits by American officials to Beijing over the last three months to revive relations that are at their lowest level in decades. They express optimism about better communication, but neither side has given a sign it is ready to compromise on disputes about technology, security, human rights and other irritants.Vice Premier He Lifeng sounded an optimistic note, referring to “in-depth exchanges” in July with his American counterpart, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.“I’m ready to work based on that with you, to make new positive efforts to deepen our consensus and extend our cooperati...