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Biden welcoming Australian leader to White House for state dinner in October

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will welcome Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the White House on Oct. 25 for the visit and state dinner that the U.S. promised when Biden had to scrap a stop in Australia earlier this year to focus on debt limit talks in Washington.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Wednesday that the visit would “underscore the deep and enduring alliance between the United States and Australia and the two nations’ shared commitment to supporting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”Biden last May curtailed an Asia-Pacific trip that was to have included stops in Australia and Papua New Guinea because he needed to return to Washington because of the debt limit crisis.The scuttling of two of the three legs of the overseas trip — Biden did visit Japan for a Group of Seven summit with leaders of some of the world’s major economies — was a foreign policy setback for an administration that has made putting a g...

China sends ships and fighter jets toward Taiwan in new show of force

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:59 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China sent navy ships and a large group of fighter jets toward Taiwan, continuing its military pressure on the island, Taiwan’s defense ministry said Thursday.China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has regularly sent flights toward the island in reaction to the island’s political activities. In the past year, it has also sent navy vessels as well as drones to circle the waters near the island.Taiwan’s defense ministry said the Chinese People’s Liberation Army sent 33 warplanes and 6 navy vessels between 6 a.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday. The J-10 and J-16 fighter jets flew across the midline and to the southwest of Taiwan. The ministry said in an earlier statement Wednesday that Taiwan’s military tracked five of the ships as they sailed in coordination with the flights of the fighter jets.The ministry said it used land-based missile systems to track the aircraft, 10 of which crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait, an unoff...

Stock market today: Asian shares mostly slip as markets brace for US inflation report

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:59 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian benchmarks mostly fell Thursday after shares declined on Wall Street and investors braced for a highly anticipated report on U.S. inflation.The U.S. government later in the day will give the latest monthly update on inflation the nation’s consumers are experiencing, and economists expect to see an acceleration to 3.3% in July from 3% in June. Tina Teng, markets analyst at CMC Markets, called the looming U.S. update “a pivotal event for global markets.” Inflation in China also remains a huge concern. “A slowdown in consumer spending and high-interest rates remain issues for the global economy,” said Teng. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 added less than 0.1% to 32,230.70 in morning trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed nearly 0.1% to 7,331.90. South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.4% to 2,594.10. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.7% to 19,121.20, while the Shanghai Composite fell nearly 0.1% to 3,242.21. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell 31.67, or 0.7%, to 4,467....

CFD: Off-duty Cook County Sheriff deputy shot in on Chicago's South Side

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:59 GMT

CHICAGO — An off-duty Cook County Sheriff's Office deputy was shot Wednesday night on the South Side of Chicago, according to the Chicago Fire Department.The shooting happened around 9 p.m. near West 47th Street and South Cicero Avenue. Shot fired at SWAT teams in Austin as they investigate armed robbery case; suspect barricaded inside According to the fire department, the off-duty deputy was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital.Their condition hasn't been released at this time.Additional details haven't been released.This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

Miami researchers scramble to save Florida's coral reefs amidst record ocean heat wave

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:59 GMT

MIAMI (KXAN) -- As a record-setting ocean heat wave continues, sending coastal Florida water temperatures occasionally over 100 degrees, coral reefs are dying at an unprecedented rate. But a team of University of Miami researchers, led by Dr. Andrew Baker, is doing something about it."It's pretty bad," Baker said. "This is the worst coral bleaching event that we've had on record, since scientists have begun studying that reef."Although reefs are protected from some of the hottest coastal temperatures measured this summer in Florida, temperatures are still far above normal. Baker said this results in massive bleaching episodes where the coral loses their color and turns white."If that fever doesn't break pretty soon, a lot of these corals are going to go ahead and die," Baker said.Why is this important?Coral reefs are home to a diversity of species equivalent to the rainforest. Between one-quarter and one-third of all marine species depend on coral at some point in their lifespan, Ba...

MAP: More than 2,500 acres have burned in Central Texas wildfires this year

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 2,400 acres have burned in wildfires across Central Texas so far this year, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.A total of 29 fires have burned 2,576 acres in the 15-county KXAN viewing area, as of Aug. 9. How far behind normal are rainfall totals this year? KXAN is keeping track of wildfires this year. Follow along with the map and database below. We'll keep them updated as new information becomes available. Fires that are still uncontained are red on the map.The table below ranks all the fires in our area this year from largest to smallest. Click on one of the column headers to change how the fires are ranked.We're also keeping track of which counties have burn bans in effect. Click here to see the latest update.

Concert review: Who is Zach Bryan and how did he sell out Target Center?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:59 GMT

Emerging country star Zach Bryan’s story is almost too good to be true.Born into a military family, Bryan — who headlined Target Center Wednesday night — started writing songs at 14 and enlisted in the Navy three years later. Soon after, he began recording and posting his music on YouTube while on active duty.Bryan self-released albums in 2019 and 2020 that landed on several Billboard charts as his single “Heading South” went platinum. In 2021, he toured for the first time, made his Grand Ole Opry debut, signed a major-label deal with Warner and was honorably discharged by the Navy to pursue music full time after serving for eight years.Warner issued Bryan’s triple-album “American Heartbreak” last year and it entered the charts at No. 5. His self-titled follow-up is due out Aug. 25. By all accounts, he’s a gracious and unassuming guy.Despite spending the majority of his short career working outside the industry, he drew more than 20,000 fans Wednesday t...

Migrants in Colonie express concerns with Sure Stay

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:59 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -Since May, asylees have been staying at the Sure Stay Best Western in Colonie. The guests there met in an abandoned parking lot across the street to figure out some solutions to their problems. Due to fear of retaliation from the hotel, faces of the migrants are blurred in the video linked.One migrant says his family has been at the Sure Stay for one month. When it comes to their food, the guests say they are given expired meals and are expected to eat them. “She went down to tell them that it was spoiled and they simply threw it away and didn’t give her any other food. She did not have breakfast, she did not have food.” Asylum seekers have been coming to N.Y. for one year And as guests of the hotel, they say it feels like they are not treated the same as anyone else who would have checked in. “They’re not able to use the facilities inside, from the pool to the gym equipment. When they attempt to go outside, they are quickly rushed into the hotel," explained...

Sewage still plagues Riverbend City apartment building

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:59 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Residents in the Riverbend City Apartments are once again dealing with raw, seeping sewage running through units and halls of the complex.From broken down posts to gates that are completely inoperable, the problems here at Riverbend City Apartments have only gotten worse over the last month. Once you step inside, the problems escalate.“I got up, went to the restroom, and I see my tub filling up, and I said, ‘Wow, it’s gonna happen again,” said resident Moto Harris.Floors flooded with raw, stinky sewage. It’s something that plagues the floors throughout the apartment complex on South Broadway. It’s the fourth time Harris has been scared to step inside his own apartment. Afraid not only of being electrocuted but also of being subjected to smelly, discolored water spilling onto his floors. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News ...

Scammers pose as utility workers to rob Belleville residents

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:59 GMT

BELLEVILLE, Ill. – A knock at their door."It gets kind of spooky," David McFarland told FOX 2.Two men claiming to be utility workers walk into a couple’s home, telling them there's a gas leak and that they need to leave their home."Something like this that hits home it's going to make you think twice before you open the door to someone,” McFarland said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW On Tuesday night on 42nd St. in Belleville, two men in a truck with flashing red lights and covered up license plates walked inside a couple’s home and left with cash and credit cards before the homeowners could tell something was off."I've never heard of that before,” McFarland said on Wednesday. “Some guys must lay awake at night trying to figure out how to...