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China’s new national map has set off a wave of protests. Why?

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

BANGKOK (AP) — China has upset many countries in the Asia-Pacific region with its release of a new official map that lays claim to most of the South China Sea, as well as to contested parts of India and Russia, and official objections continue to mount. What is the map, and why is it upsetting people so much?WHAT IS CHINA CLAIMING? China’s Ministry of Natural Resources released the new “standard” national map on Monday, part of what it has called an ongoing effort to eliminate “problem maps.” In it, China clearly shows its so-called nine-dash line, demarcating what it considers its maritime border, claiming almost the entirety of the South China Sea. The current, and other recent iterations of the annual map, include a 10th dash to the east of Taiwan. In the far northeastern corner of China on the border with Russia, it shows Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island, an island at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri rivers, as Chinese territory, even though the countries signed an agreement...

Stock market today: Global shares trade mostly higher ahead of a key US jobs report

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

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were trading mostly higher Friday as investors looked toward a U.S. jobs report being released later in the day. France’s CAC 40 edged up nearly 0.1% in early trading to 7,321.92, while Germany’s DAX was little changed at 15,948.02. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.5% to 7,477.41. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures up 0.3% to 34,878.00. S&P 500 futures rose 0.2% to 4,525.75. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.3% to finish at 32,710.62. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.4% to 7,278.30. South Korea’s Kospi added 0.3% to 2,563.71. The Shanghai Composite added 0.4% to 3,133.25.Trading was halted in Hong Kong because of an approaching typhoon. Schools and businesses were shut as an official warning was issued about Super Typhoon Saola. Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed. Later Friday, the U.S. government will report employment data for August. The strong job market, along with consumer spending,...

The Red Cross says 43 bodies have been collected in a week from clashes in a disputed Somali city

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

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The International Committee of the Red Cross says 43 bodies have been collected in the past week from the front line of the latest fighting in a disputed city in Somaliland.The ICRC in a statement Friday said a further 110 wounded people have been taken to hospitals in the past week by the Somali Red Crescent Society amid clashes that have continued for months in and around Las-Anod. The statement did not identify the dead or those to blame.Somaliland separated from Somalia three decades ago and has sought recognition as an independent country. Somaliland security forces have been fighting clan militia who wish to be part of Somalia, whose Puntland state for years has disputed Las-Anod with Somaliland.Hundreds of thousands of people have fled the fighting. It is not known how many hundreds of people have been killed in total. The ICRC reported “widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure” in Las-Anod, the capital of the Sool region.Somaliland’s government...

Groundbreaking for Albany County solar project

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

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Groundbreaking for the Albany County Solar Project in Colonie kicks off on Friday starting at 10:30 a.m. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, Legislature Majority Leader Dennis Feeney, the New York Power Authority, Colonie Town Supervisor Peter Crummey, Calibrant Energy, Siemens, Capital Region BOCES, Shaker Heritage Society, and other elected officials will be in attendance. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! The groundbreaking will take place at the corner of Watervliet Shaker Road and Airline Drive. There is no timetable for when the project will be completed.

Sussex County sweeps Tri-City at Joe Bruno

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

TROY, NY (NEWS10) - The Tri-City ValleyCats (53-39) scored more runs on Thursday (four) than they had in their previous three games (three), but ultimately fell 5-4 to the Sussex County Miners (52-40) at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium. The ValleyCats were swept for only the second time all year, which has both occurred against Sussex County. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! However, Tri-City’s magic number to clinch its first playoff berth since 2018 is down to three after the Québec Capitales swept the New York Boulders on Thursday. The ‘Cats hold a one-game lead in the standings for the second wild card spot in the Frontier League East Division over both the Boulders and the Miners.Tri-City opened the scoring in the second. Jakob Goldfarb doubled off Tyler Thornton. Oscar Campos singled Goldfarb to third. Tanner Smith brought in Goldfarb with a single to give the ValleyCats a 1-0 lead.Goldfarb picked up his second hit of the day in the ...

Shaker Bison enter 2023 with youth and hunger to win

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

LATHAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Shaker Blue Bison are stampeding into the 2023 season after making a run to the Class AA Super Bowl last year. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! The Blue Bison will have a lot of youth, with only three players returning from last season. In addition, they're in the midst of a quarterback battle and haven't named a starting quarterback for week one.Despite these realities, head coach Greg Sheeler and company are excited about getting ready for the season and earning everything on and off the field."We'll be playing ball like we always do. Great defense, running the ball, great hustle, great discipline," said Sheeler. "That's what we strive for every year, whether we meet those expectations we'll see, but that's what we're striving for. Every year we try to build a culture of consistency, so we graduated a lot of seniors last year. It's a new group's time, so we don't have any sense of entitlement. Nobody had a ...

Statement from President von der Leyen on the composition of the College and the next European commissioner from The Netherlands

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

"I have interviewed the candidate put forward by the Dutch government for the post of European Commissioner from The Netherlands, Mr Wopke Hoekstra (pictured)."Mr Hoekstra showed strong motivation for the post and great commitment to the European Union. He also has relevant professional experience for this post."Following this interview, I have decided to propose to the Council and the European Parliament the appointment of Mr Hoekstra to the post of Commissioner. He will be in charge of climate action, under the guidance of the Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight.Mr Hoekstra has significant experience on European issues, having been Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2022, and Minister of Finance from 2017 to 2022."His governmental experience will be a strong asset in particular for Europe's climate diplomacy in the run-up to COP28 and for climate finance, as well as for the imp...

Bridge: Sept. 1, 2023

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

This week’s deals have treated declarer’s careful use of entries. Cover today’s East-West cards. Plan the play at six spades when West leads the queen of diamonds. (Warning: the winning line is difficult.)The actual declarer took the A-K of diamonds and ruffed his last diamond in dummy. He drew trumps, cashed a fourth trump for exercise, and tried the A-K and a third heart. He hoped for a 3-3 break, but West took the nine and queen. Down one.FIFTH CLUBSouth succeeds by setting up dummy’s fifth club. But if he leads a club to the ace at the second trick and ruffs a club, he lacks the dummy entries to ruff two more clubs and get back for the good club.At Trick Two, South leads the queen of clubs and ducks West’s king. South wins the diamond return, and proceeds thus: diamond ruff, club ruff, K-A of trumps, club ruff. South takes the queen of trumps and wins the last four tricks with the K-A of hearts and A-8 of clubs.If you found the winning play, well do...

Horoscopes Sept. 1, 2023: Zendaya, place your trust and loyalty in yourself

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

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Zendaya, 27; Zoe Lister-Jones, 41; Gloria Estefan, 66; Lily Tomlin, 84.Happy Birthday: Choose the path that excites and stimulates your mind. Pay attention to detail, and show passion in all that you pursue. Be inventive and disciplined enough to turn your ideas into something concrete. Improve what needs to be tweaked and protect what’s already perfect. Make this your year to master your skills and reach for the stars. Walk away from temptation and place your trust and loyalty in yourself. Your numbers are 3, 14, 20, 24, 32, 36, 44.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Put your adrenaline to good use and finish what you start. Don’t leave yourself open to criticism because you neglected to follow your plans. Your appeal will get a boost if you act with kindness and authenticity. Romance looks promising. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Avoid costly ventures. Monitor your food and drink intake, and don’t overspend trying to impress. You’ll ...

Ask Amy: They won’t let me sleep on the floor when I visit my grandbaby

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

Dear Amy: I became a grandmother this year. I am a boomer widow and I live alone on a limited income.My son, daughter-in-law and grandson moved to another state, about an eight-hour drive from where I live. I do not feel comfortable making the drive by myself, but I can fly.Even though he lives in a three-bedroom home, my son wants me to stay in an Airbnb when I visit.So in order to visit them, according to his demands, I need to pay for the long-term parking at the airport, the airfare, the Airbnb and the rental car to get between the Airbnb and their house.This is about $1,000 to visit for a couple of days.I have done this twice.He tells me, “Don’t give us gifts, save up for the trip.”But it’s not just the cost; I don’t like staying by myself at an Airbnb.I told him that if he wants me to visit them (the baby is adorable and will be a year old soon) he should, please, pick me up from the airport and let me have a spot on their floor.I’ll make it work. IR...