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Thai police kill suspect in shootings after 14-hour standoff

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:42 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Police in provincial Thailand killed a man who had fired at commandos storming his house early Thursday trying to safely end a 14-hour standoff after he shot to death three people and wounded three others, police said.The commandos called to the scene to assist local police used an armored vehicle to cross open ground shortly before 4 a.m. to storm the two-story house in Phetchaburi, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) southwest of Bangkok. They climbed to the second story where they confronted the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Anuwat Waentong, senior officers told reporters. Police Lt. Gen. Thanayut Wutthicharatthamrong said Anuwat fired a hail of bullets at them with a handgun, at least six stopped by their shields, before police shot him dead.“My men would have been shot many times without the shields.” he said.Thanayut told reporters police had followed appropriate procedures in trying to end the situation, starting with negotiations and escalating to deadly for...

Launch debut of 3D-printed rocket ends in failure, no orbit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:42 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket made almost entirely of 3D-printed parts made its launch debut Wednesday night, lifting off amid fanfare but failing three minutes into flight — far short of orbit.There was nothing aboard Relativity Space’s test flight except for the company’s first metal 3D print made six years ago. The startup wanted to put the souvenir into a 125-mile-high (200-kilometer-high) orbit for several days before having it plunge through the atmosphere and burn up along with the upper stage of the rocket. As it turned out, the first stage did its job following liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and separated as planned. But the upper stage appeared to ignite and then shut down, sending it crashing into the Atlantic.It was the third launch attempt from what once was a missile site. Relativity Space came within a half-second of blasting off earlier this month, with the rocket’s engines igniting before abruptly shutting down.Although the upper stage ...

Asian shares decline after Fed hints rate hikes may end soon

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:42 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower Thursday after the Federal Reserve raised a key interest rate, while noting the end may be near for its economy-crunching hikes to interest rates. The Fed raised its key overnight rate by a quarter of a percentage point, the same size as its last increase, in its campaign to drive down inflation. That effort has been complicated by turmoil in the banking sector, with investors worried that more banks might fail after Silicon Valley Bank’s recent collapse. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.2% to in morning trading to 27,400.37. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.6% to 6,976.40. South Korea’s Kospi was little changed, inching down less than 0.1% to 2,416.57. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.9% to 19,774.42, while the Shanghai Composite gave up less than 0.1% to 3,265.26. “A risk-off tone following the recent Fed meeting has set the stage for the Asian region to follow through with some losses,” Yeap Jun Rong,...

Biden approval dips near lowest point: AP-NORC poll

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Approval of President Joe Biden has dipped slightly since a month ago, nearing the lowest point of his presidency as his administration tries to project a sense of stability while confronting a pair of bank failures and inflation that remains stubbornly high.That’s according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which shows there have been modest fluctuations in support for Biden over the past several months. The president notched an approval rating of 38% in the new poll, after 45% said they approved in February and 41% in January. His ratings hit their lowest point of his presidency last July, at 36%, as the full weight of rising gasoline, food and other costs began to hit U.S. households.In recent months, approval of Biden had been hovering above 40%.Interviews with poll respondents suggest the public has mixed feelings about Biden, who is expected to announce a reelection bid this summer. When it comes to the president, ...

Iraq WMD failures shadow US intelligence 20 years later

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — In his U.S. Capitol office, Rep. Jason Crow keeps several war mementos. Sitting on a shelf are his military identification tags, the tailfins of a spent mortar and a piece of shrapnel stopped by his body armor.Two decades ago, Crow was a 24-year-old platoon leader in the American invasion of Iraq. Platoon members carried gas masks and gear to wear over their uniforms to protect them from the chemical weapons the U.S. believed — wrongly — that Iraqi forces might use against them. Today, Crow sits on committees that oversee the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. The mistakes of Iraq are still fresh in his mind. “It’s not hyperbole to say that it was a life-changing experience and a life frame through which I view a lot of my work,” the Colorado Democrat said. The failures of the Iraq War deeply shaped American spy agencies and a generation of intelligence officers and lawmakers. They helped drive a major reorganization of the U.S. intelligence community, with t...

A look at the uranium-based ammo the UK will send to Ukraine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia threatened to escalate attacks in Ukraine after the British government announced it would provide a type of munition to Ukraine that Moscow falsely claims has nuclear components. The British defense ministry on Monday confirmed it would provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium. Such rounds were developed by the U.S. during the Cold War to destroy Soviet tanks, including the same T-72 tanks that Ukraine now faces in its push to break through a stalemate in the east. Depleted uranium is a byproduct of the uranium enrichment process needed to create nuclear weapons. The rounds retain some radioactive properties, but they can’t generate a nuclear reaction like a nuclear weapon would, RAND nuclear expert and policy researcher Edward Geist said. That didn’t stop the Russians from offering a full-throated warning that the rounds were opening the door to further escalation. In the past, they have suggested the war could escalate to nucl...

TikTok CEO faces off with Congress over security fears

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The CEO of TikTok will make a high-profile appearance Thursday before a U.S. Congressional committee, where he’ll face a grilling on data security and user safety while he makes his own case for why the hugely popular video-sharing app shouldn’t be banned. Shou Zi Chew’s testimony comes at a crucial time for the company, which has acquired 150 million American users but is under increasing pressure from U.S. officials. TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have been swept up in a wider geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington over trade and technology. Chew, a 40-year-old Singapore native, is making a rare public appearance to counter the volley of accusations that TikTok has been facing. On Wednesday, the company sent dozens of popular TikTokers to Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers to preserve the platform. It has also been putting up ads all over Washington that tout promises of securing users data and privacy and creating a safe platf...

Body found near Denver high school shooting suspect's car

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:42 GMT

DENVER (AP) — A body was found Wednesday night in the Colorado woods near the abandoned car that belonged to a 17-year-old student accused of shooting two administrators at his Denver high school earlier in the day, a sheriff said.Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw said the body was discovered not far from the car in a remote mountain area about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Denver, near the small town of Bailey, in Park County. The town had been ordered to shelter in place while while officers from a number of agencies including the FBI combed the forest. But, authorities said they have not yet identified who it was and McGraw declined to say if it was a man or reveal the cause of death.Earlier in the day, Denver police identified the suspect as Austin Lyle.The shooting occurred at East High School in Denver while two administrators searched Lyle for weapons, a daily requirement because of the boy’s behavioral issues, authorities said. Lyle fled after the shooting. It occurred ...

40-year-old man arrested, booked for attempted murder in Anaheim

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:42 GMT

A 40-year-old Santa Ana man has been arrested and is facing charges of attempted murder, authorities with the Anaheim Police Department announced Wednesday.  The incident occurred Mar. 19, at around 4:10 a.m., when officers responded to reports of a shooting outside of a nightclub in the 500 block of South Brookhurst Street in Anaheim. At the scene, authorities located a victim suffering at least one gunshot wound, an Anaheim PD news release stated. The victim was taken to the hospital in grave condition.  Within several hours of the shooting, homicide detectives identified Jorge Centeno as the suspect.  Jorge Centeno, 40, of Santa Ana, was arrested Mar. 20, 2023 on suspicion of attempted murder in Anaheim (APD).On Mar. 20, Anaheim PD SWAT served a search warrant at a Diamond Bar residence and took the 40-year-old into custody. He was booked at the Anaheim PD Detention Facility for attempted murder and is being held without bail, the release noted.  The shooting victi...

LAUSD employee strike hits three-day mark

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:42 GMT

About 1,000 Los Angeles Unified District schools will remain closed Thursday as union workers demanding a 30% wage increase and better working conditions continue their strike into its third day. The strike has the support of as many as 60,000 members of the Local 99 of Service Employees International Union and United Teachers Los Angeles. Los Angeles public schools closed for second day amid union workers strike Demonstrators walked off the job on Tuesday and Wednesday and the strike continues Thursday since union leaders and district officials have yet to agree on a deal. Officials told KTLA that SEIU Local 99 members are still planning to return to their job sites on Friday. The move would likely reopen all LAUSD schools that have been closed since the strike began.The official LAUSD Twitter account announced Tuesday afternoon that district officials have been communicating with SEIU Local 99 members. Still, no resolution has been announced.Even though schools are closed, the ...