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Analysis: American soldier’s release from detention was quick by North Korean standards

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:40 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Maybe it never made sense for North Korea to hold on to Pvt. Travis King.Just over two months after he sprinted into North Korea across the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, King was put on a plane back to America after the North released him into U.S. custody. Several recent American detainees had been held for over a year — 17 months in the case of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who was arrested during a group tour. Warmbier was in a coma when he was deported, and later died.King’s case was unique, not least because he was one of the 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea to deter potential aggression from the nuclear-armed North.There had been speculation that North Korea would try to maximize the propaganda value of an active duty U.S. soldier who voluntarily crossed into its territory, reportedly because he was disillusioned with racism in the military and American society. The North has often been accused of using American de...

An explosion following a lightning strike in the Uzbek capital kills 1 person and injures 162

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:40 GMT

A powerful explosion in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, killed a teenage boy Thursday and injured at least 162 people following a fire caused by a lightning strike, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Health said.The Ministry of Emergency Situations said the explosion happened early in the morning at a warehouse in southern Tashkent but did not say what was inside it to cause the powerful blast which it said was attended by 16 fire crews. Russian state media Tass later reported that the warehouse contained several dozen electric vehicles and batteries. It said that the explosion also caused minor damage to the nearby Quruvchilar subway station. Video and photos posted on social media showed a fire and cloud of smoke that was visible across Tashkent, as well as apartments that had reportedly been damaged by the force of the blast. Twenty-four people were hospitalized after the explosion and the remaining 138 were treated for their injuries and sent home according to the health ministry which added...

As thaw accelerates, Swiss glaciers have lost 10% of their volume in the past 2 years, experts say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:40 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — A Swiss Academy of Sciences panel is reporting a dramatic acceleration of glacier melt in the Alpine country, which has lost 10% of its ice volume in just two years after high summer heat and low snow volumes in winter.Switzerland — home to the most glaciers of any country in Europe — has seen 4% of its total glacier volume disappear in 2023, the second-biggest decline in a single year on top of a 6% drop in 2022, the biggest thaw since measurements began, the academy’s commission for cryosphere observation said.Experts at the GLAMOS glacier monitoring center have been on the lookout for a possible extreme melt this year amid early warning signs about the country’s estimated 1,400 glaciers, a number that is now dwindling.“The acceleration is dramatic, with as much ice being lost in only two years as was the case between 1960 and 1990,” the academy said. “The two extreme consecutive years have led to glacier tongues collapsing and the disappearance of many smaller...

Storm Elias crashes into a Greek city, filling homes with mud and knocking out power

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:40 GMT

VOLOS, Greece (AP) — A second powerful storm in less than a month hammered parts of central Greece Thursday, sweeping away roads, smashing bridges and flooding thousands of homes.The storm — called Elias — caused extensive flooding in the central city of Volos and left hundreds stranded in nearby mountain villages. The fire service carried out multiple rescues and evacuations, authorities said.“All of Volos has turned into a lake,” the city’s mayor, Achilleas Beos, told state television. “People’s lives are in danger. Even I remained trapped, and 80% of the city is without power. … I don’t know where God found so much water. It’s like the story of Noah’s Ark.”Bad weather earlier this month struck the same area, killing 16 people, and causing more than 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) in damage to farms and infrastructure.Residents in Volos used plastic buckets to scoop mud out of their homes to try to protect their belongings. Among them was 83-year-old Apostolis Dafereras, who has li...

M.S. Swaminathan, who helped India’s farming to grow at industrial scale, dies at 98

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:40 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, a renowned agricultural scientist who revolutionized India’s farming and was a key architect of the country’s “Green Revolution” died Thursday. He was 98.Swaminathan died at his home in southern Chennai city after an age-related illness, news agency Press Trust of India reported.In the late 1960s and 1970s, the agriculturalist was instrumental in bringing industrial farming to India, making the country self-sufficient in food and reducing widespread hunger. India’s “Green Revolution,” as it was known, turned the northern states of Punjab and Haryana into breadbaskets for wheat and rice production, helping low-income farmers.The initiative, now dubbed as a transformational era in Indian agriculture, introduced high-yielding cereal varieties and expanded use of irrigation and fertilizers. Grain production increased exponentially, at a time when India was beset with widespread starvation. For his work, Swaminathan was named one of...

Haley to Ramaswamy: 'Every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:40 GMT

(The Hill) - Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley bashed fellow contender Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday night for his stance on TikTok, sparring onstage at the second GOP debate. “This is infuriating, because TikTok is one of the most dangerous social media apps that we could have. And … honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say,” Haley said, taking a swipe at the 38-year-old entrepreneur.  Asked about his move to join the video-sharing app TikTok, despite it being banned on government-issued devices due to concerns about its parent company's ties to the Chinese government, Ramaswamy said, "Part of how we win elections is reaching the next generation of young Americans where we are." Kids under 16 shouldn't be on "addictive social media," Ramaswamy said, but "we're only going to ever get to declaring independence from China, which I favor, if we actually win." A former United Nations ambassador, Haley's first TV campaign advertise...

Powerball jackpot climbs again, hits $925 million after another drawing without a winner

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:40 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (NEXSTAR) — The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $925 million after no players hit it big Wednesday night, continuing a stretch of lottery futility that has lasted for more than two months.The winning numbers were: 1, 7, 46, 47, 63 and red Powerball 7. There were $1 million winners in California, Kansas, Maryland and New York.The jackpot has grown so large because there have now been 30 consecutive drawings without a big winner, dating back to July 19. Powerball’s terrible odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes becoming ever larger as they repeatedly roll over when no one wins.Despite its growth, the jackpot still comes in behind a $2.04 billion jackpot hit last November in California; a $1.586 billion jackpot split by three tickets (California, Florida, Tennessee) in 2016; and a $1.08 billion jackpot won by a California ticket in July.The jackpot is the ninth-largest ever, and would need to surpass $1 b...

Warmth to continue into October, but rain is coming

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Today the warmth continues with temperatures in the low 70s giving way to mid 90s again for the afternoon. We'll average about 8-10º warmer than normal into early next week.A slim (10%) rain chance returns this afternoon and early evening for today and this weekend, but most of us miss out on these very isolated showers.Today's forecastYour Friday looks dry and mostly sunny as we stay in the mid 90s again.Both days of the weekend see the return for a spotty shower or storm, but rain chances aren't high enough to rearrange your plans over. Weekend forecastAs we head toward the middle of next week we're seeing better rain chances popping up as early as Wednesday. Eventual rain may come with a cold front that could knock highs out of the 90s into the 80s by the end of the next week.7 Day Rainfall ForecastWetter weather possible next weekWe are expecting a large trough of low pressure, a stormy weather pattern, to move onto the West Coast early next week. While it won't...

'24-hours is not the limit': Austin-area aerospace company breaks record

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:40 GMT

CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) -- Firefly Aerospace, an end-to-end space transportation company based in Cedar Park, announced this month that they broke the record for rocket launch speed. They prepped the payload for a rocket, named Victus Nox, in 57 hours and launched that rocket in just 27 hours. The previous record, according to Firefly Aerospace, was 21 days."We had a mission that we signed up for, we accomplished that," said Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace.The company was tasked by the U.S. Space Force to prep a rocket's payload in 60-hours and complete the launch in 24-hours. The company wouldn't know when the mission would take place or what the payload would be. Firefly Aerospace completed the launch on September 14th."It has long been the desire, particularly for reasons of national security and defense and intelligence applications, to be able to responsively get to space as quickly as we possibly can," Weber said.Hurdles of speedy space flightWeber said that updating dec...

Major online platforms report on first six months under the new Code of Practice on Disinformation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:40 GMT

The major online platforms which are signatories of the new Code of Practice  on Disinformation of 2022 (Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok) published new reports on how they turned their commitments to reduce the spread of disinformation into practice. Available to download on the Transparency Centre, the documents show further efforts by signatories to enhance transparency and provide relevant data. Having committed to report every six months, this is the first set of reporting that covers a full half-year period.Values and Transparency Vice President Věra Jourová said: “Disinformation is still one of the greatest risks to the European democratic information space, including that related to Russia's war in Ukraine and elections. As Europeans will prepare to head to polling stations in 2024, all actors must do their part in fighting online disinformation and foreign interference to protect our online debate. The Code proves to be a useful exercise, but we all have to do more. I call f...