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US, Filipino forces show power in drills amid China tensions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:00 GMT

SAN ANTONIO, Philippines (AP) — Thousands of American and Filipino forces pummeled a ship with a barrage of high-precision rockets, airstrikes and artillery fire in their largest war drills on Wednesday in Philippine waters facing the disputed South China Sea that would likely antagonize China.President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. watched the American show of firepower from an observation tower in the coastal town of San Antonio in northwestern Zambales province — the latest indication of his strong backing of the Philippines’ treaty alliance with the U.S. Marcos has ordered his military to shift its focus to external defense from decades-long anti-insurgency battles as China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea become a top concern. The shift in the Philippine defense focus falls in sync with the Biden administration’s aim of reinforcing an arc of alliances in the Indo-Pacific region to better counter China.China has angered the Philippines by repeatedly harassin...

DeSantis talks trade with South Korean officials

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:00 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held trade talks with South Korean officials in Seoul on Wednesday, on the second leg of his four-nation trip, as the possible rival to Donald Trump seeks to build his diplomatic profile ahead of a widely anticipated presidential campaign launch.Leading a trade mission from Florida, DeSantis met with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and expressed hopes to create more jobs by facilitating South Korean trade and investment in his state, according to Han’s office. Han, Seoul’s No. 2 official behind President Yoon Suk Yeol, called for stronger cooperation in industries such as space and aviation, which he described as Florida’s “strengths.”DeSantis on Tuesday met with Kim Dong-yeon, the governor of South Korea’s largest Gyeonggi province, to discuss exploring partnerships in industries such as biotechnology and solar power generation, Kim’s office said. According to DeSantis’ office, merchandise trade between Florida and South ...

Kidnapped NZ pilot: Indonesian army attacks put him at risk

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:00 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua region released a video Wednesday appearing to show the New Zealand pilot they took hostage in February saying that recent Indonesian military attacks threatened his safety.In the video sent to media by the spokesperson of the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, known as OPM, a man in handcuffs and a black shirt is identified as Philip Mark Mehrtens of Christchurch, a pilot for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air who was abducted by the group’s independence fighters.Sitting on a wooden log and flanked by two men, apparently members of the group, he said in the video recorded Monday: “It’s almost three months since OPM kidnapped me from Paro. As you can see, I’m still alive and I’m healthy and eating well.”He said he has had “no problems” while living with his abductors, but lately he has been worried about military attacks launched by the Indonesian army following a dea...

Fate of Oklahoma death row inmate rests with parole board

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:00 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma state board will decide Wednesday whether to recommend clemency for a death row inmate who is scheduled to die next month and who even the state’s top prosecutor says deserves a new trial.The Pardon and Parole Board will weigh whether to recommend that Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt spare the life of Richard Glossip, who has long maintained his innocence in the 1997 murder-for-hire killing of his former boss, motel owner Barry Van Treese.The appointed board, which includes two former prosecutors, an ex-police officer, a former judge and a court administrator, typically decides whether to recommend clemency after hearing arguments from prosecutors, defense attorneys, the victim’s family and the condemned inmate. But in an unusual twist, the state’s new attorney general, Gentner Drummond, said that instead of presenting a case for Glossip’s execution, he will ask the panel to recommend sparing Glossip’s life.“I am not aware o...

China to scrap PCR test requirement for inbound travelers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:00 GMT

BEIIJING (AP) — Travelers entering China will no longer need to provide a negative PCR test result starting from Saturday, in another easing of China’s “zero-COVID” policies. Travelers can instead show a negative antigen test result taken within 48 hours before boarding, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters Tuesday. Over the last three years, China imposed an array of anti-virus controls to try to eliminate the virus from the community, including lockdowns and regular mass testing. But after the rules hammered the economy and sparked protests, the government suddenly rolled back its onerous measures in December and made a major step to drop its quarantine rule in early January. Last month, the country resumed the issuance of all types of visas as part of its efforts to revive tourism. Still, it has kept PCR testing requirements for passengers arriving from some countries — a costly requirement that was a major deterrent for visitors to return. “To furt...

Stock market today: Asian stocks dip on economy worries

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:00 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower Wednesday as worries about the health of global economies grew after a tumble on Wall Street, despite some better-than-expected earnings reports.Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul and Shanghai declined while Hong Kong gained in early trading.“From a banking crisis still hovering just beneath the surface to the realization Russia has long-range missiles that are incredibly accurate that no one has the capacity to stop, to the sharply higher China-U.S. tensions, more sanctions against both Russia and China, and the likely further unravelling of global trade and the reemergence of higher inflation, risks are huge,” said Clifford Bennett, chief economist at ACY Securities.“None of this a pretty picture paints. Yet this is the reality of the current moment.” Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.5% in morning trading to 28,469.08. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped nearly 0.1% to 7,317.70. South Korea’s Kospi inched down less than 0.1% to 2,...

Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns playoff series schedule released

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:00 GMT

For the fourth time in five years, the Denver Nuggets are moving on to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.Denver eliminated the Minnesota Timberwolves with a dramatic 112-109 victory in Game 5 of their first round series on Tuesday night. Up next: a seven-game series against the Phoenix Suns, who knocked off the Los Angeles Clippers roughly an hour later to win their series 4-1.The series is set to begin Saturday, with Game 1 inside Ball Arena in downtown Denver at a time to be determined. If Atlanta-Boston goes to a Game 7, the Nuggets’ second-round opener will start at 8 p.m. MDT. If not, then Game 1 is at 6:30 p.m. Here are the dates for the rest of the best-of-seven series:GameLocationDateTimeTVGame 1Phoenix at DenverSaturday, April 29TBDTNTGame 2Phoenix at DenverMonday, May 1TBDTBDGame 3Denver at PhoenixFriday, May 5TBDTBDGame 4Denver at PhoenixSunday, May 7TBDTBD*Game 5Phoenix at DenverTuesday, May 9TBDTBD*Game 6Denver at PhoenixThursday, May 11TBDTBD*Game 7Phoenix at ...

Allegations of child sexual abuse in Redlands Unified School District

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:00 GMT

Dozens of parents came out for the Redlands Unified School Board Meeting Tuesday night to call attention to what they claim are decades of child sexual abuse in the school system.  Many of the parents said teachers and school administrators have covered up the allegations and are now demanding transparency and action. Renewed concerns about potential sexually predatory teachers within Redlands Unified follows a CBS News investigation from earlier this month.  Tuesday night’s school board meeting is the first since the report was broadcast.  “It’s outrageous and they should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen,” Redlands resident and parent Melissa Castro said.  The crowd attending the meeting was too large to fit inside the school board’s meeting room, leaving many people to watch the deliberations from a monitor in the parking lot.  “We need to clean up the whole Redlands School Board and get people in there who are really going to protect our childre...

L.A. police pursuits injured more than 1,000 people over past 5 years, report says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:00 GMT

More than a thousand people have been injured in the past five years during police pursuits, and half of those injuries were sustained by innocent bystanders, according to a new report on police chases in Los Angeles.In 2023 to date, seven people were injured and three were killed during police pursuits, according to the Los Angeles Police Department's Pursuit Injuries Report. “Clearly we don’t take that lightly,” said LAPD Commander Craig Valenzuela.The Board of Commissioners requested more data after two fatal pursuits in the San Fernando Valley earlier this year. However, Chief Michel Moore is not ready to make immediate changes to the department’s pursuit policy, Commander Valenzuela confirmed.  “He doesn’t want a policy that fully limits officers from chasing because we do have a responsibility to make arrests,” he said. One person had to be rescued from a car after a pursuit crash in South Los Angeles on March 19, 2023. (KTLA) A police pursuit of a suspected rec...

Couple sues Antioch Police Department over violent arrest

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:00 GMT

WARNING: The video at the top of this story may be hard for some to watch.ANTIOCH, Calif. (KRON) – The Antioch Police Department is facing another misconduct complaint. A couple is suing the department, claiming officers used excessive force and racial profiling during an arrest last year. The couple was later let go and no charges were filed.A dramatic cell phone video shows Antioch police detaining Juan Laspada In the video above. You can hear Laspada say, “They’re going to kill me.”The arrest happened on Feb. 25, 2022. Laspada says he and his fiancee Rebecca Rodriguez were waiting for an Uber outside their friend's home when Antioch police drove by and asked if they were okay.  Stabbing at Northgate High in Walnut Creek, student in custody The couple told police that they were, but officers wanted to talk to Laspada. Laspada says he declined, but officers insisted and tried to separate him from his fiance.“I told him, ‘I’m just going to go ahead and walk away because your veins...