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China’s foreign minister holds talks in Russia after meeting with US national security adviser

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — China’s top diplomat on Monday began several days of security consultations with Russian officials following his weekend talks with U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser in Malta.Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who simultaneously holds the ruling Communist Party’s top foreign policy post, will be in Russia through Thursday for strategic security consultations, the Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement.Wang opened his talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov by hailing “strategic cooperation” between the two countries and their shared commitment to a “multipolar world” and a “more just world order,” terms Moscow and Beijing use to describe their efforts to counterbalance the perceived U.S. domination of global affairs.“China and Russia, as leading global powers and permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, bear special responsibility for maintaining global strategic stability and global development,” Wang said. ...

Trump calls DeSantis abortion ban ‘a terrible mistake,’ sparking anger from some key Republicans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

Donald Trump is facing new blowback from anti-abortion activists for refusing to commit to national abortion restrictions and for calling Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signing of a six-week ban on the procedure a “terrible mistake.”Speaking Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump repeatedly declined to say whether he would support a federal ban on abortion. He said he could “live with” the procedure being banned by individual states or nationwide through federal action, though he said “from a legal standpoint, I think it’s probably better” to be handled at the state level.Regarding the bill signed by DeSantis, which bans abortions before many women know they are pregnant, Trump said, “I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake.” So far, the former president has dominated the 2024 field while at times spurning the anti-abortion groups that traditionally have huge influence in Republican primaries. But Trump’s direct attack on DeSantis, whom he’s lon...

9 teen boys escaped from a detention center in Pennsylvania. They made it a few miles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

MORGANTOWN, Pa (AP) — Nine teenagers who escaped from a detention center in Pennsylvania after overpowering staff and crawling under a fence were captured less than 12 hours later, state police said Monday.“It probably was planned, but poorly planned,” said Pennsylvania State Police Trooper David Beohm.Beohm said the first four were taken into custody shortly before 6 a.m. after they went to a home and knocked on the door. They turned themselves in because they were cold and tired, Beohm said. Police caught up with the other five after a pickup truck and trailer were reported stolen. After a brief car case, police found four of them in the vehicle. The last teen took off on foot and was caught in a field a short time later.State and local police were called late Sunday to take control of the juvenile center in Morgantown, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia. Beohm said the escape happened after the boys, all between the ages of 15 and 17, wrested the keys away f...

Farmers across Bulgaria protest against Ukrainian grain as EU divide grows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

PERNIK, Bulgaria (AP) — Farmers across Bulgaria protested Monday after the government lifted a ban on food products from Ukraine, complaining that the move will cause an influx that drives down prices for local growers.Hundreds of farmers around the country converged in their tractors, many of them waving national flags and honking horns as they blockaded main roads and disrupted traffic to express their anger.The protest follows a decision Thursday by Bulgarian lawmakers to allow imports from Ukraine to resume, saying the ban had deprived the government of tax revenue and led to higher food prices.A day later, the European Union also decided not to renew the overall ban on Ukrainian food heading to five member countries. Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have since unilaterally imposed their own blockades, threatening European unity on support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.The rising tensions come after Russia halted a U.N.-brokered agreement last month to guarantee safe shipmen...

Mexican president defends inclusion of Russian military contingent in Independence parade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president on Monday defended the participation of a contingent of Russian soldiers in a military parade over the weekend.The presence of the Russian contingent in the Independence parade Saturday drew criticism because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mexico has condemned the invasion but has adopted a policy of neutrality and has refused to participate in sanctions as it continues to buy 2020-vintage COVID vaccines from Russia.President Andrés Manuel López Obrador noted that a contingent from China also participated, and said that all the countries Mexico has diplomatic relations with were invited.López Obrador acknowledged the issue became “a scandal,” but attributed it to his ongoing spat with the news media, which he believes is against him.“The Chinese were also in the parade, and there wasn’t so much outcry,” López Obrador said, noting a Russian contingent had participated in the past, although at times when that country was not actively invad...

Alligator with no upper jaw gets new home in Florida

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Florida reptile park has taken in an alligator that lost its nose and upper jaw to a fight or boat propeller.Gatorland Orlando said over the weekend that the injured alligator came from a lake in nearby Sanford, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Orlando.“She had basically no chance of surviving in the wild with such a severe injury,” the park said in a social media post. ‘This is the day I die’: Massive alligator charges at Girl Scout troop during swim Over the next few days, the park's veterinarian staff will be monitoring the gator in an effort to make sure it is eating in a stress-free environment, the park said.Gatorland Orlando is home to thousands of alligators and crocodiles, a breeding marsh, an aviary, a nature walk, a petting zoo and educational wildlife programs. It opened in 1949 and is considered one of the few remaining “Old Florida” tourist attractions in central Florida.

National parks will be free to visit on Saturday: What to know

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — With the fall colors starting to come in, and cooler winter months not long off, you may be trying to get out and enjoy the weather. You’ll have a great opportunity on Saturday when all U.S. national parks will be free to enter.Saturday is one of five days the National Park Service is waiving admission fees for in 2023. We’ve already had three free days this year: January 16, which is Martin Luther King Day; April 22, which was the first day of National Park Week; and August 4, marking the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act. September 23 is the fourth free admission day, which was enacted to recognize National Public Lands Day.  It was a popular national monument, until it was robbed to extinction According to NPS, National Public Lands Day was established in 1994 and has been held on the fourth Saturday of September every year. It is, traditionally, the U.S.’s largest single-day volunteer effort, encouraging people to connect with the nature...

How tiebreakers could impact the Cubs' Wild Card chances

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

CHICAGO — The Cubs' race for a playoff spot got a whole lot tighter after a bad week on the road. In fact, the team is on the outside looking in at the Major League Baseball playoffs at the moment - and tiebreakers could be an issue once the regular season ends. Thanks to five-straight losses, including a three-game sweep at the hands of the Diamondbacks this weekend in Phoenix, the Cubs are currently out of the last Wild Card spot with 12 games to go.They have a 78-72 record, which is tied with the Marlins, but they have a hold on that last playoff spot since they have a better head-to-head record against the Cubs. That is the tie-breaker for the new six-team playoff format in the MLB, which took out "Game 163" to settle regular season ties.Miami won the season series against Chicago 4-2, sweeping a series on their home field April 28-30 while the Cubs took 2-of-3 against the Marlins at Wrigley Field May 5-7. A similar scenario could play out if the Cubs end up in a fight for a pla...

Report: UT Austin ranked 9th best public university in the nation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN Live's top headlines for Sept. 18, 2023AUSTIN (KXAN) — Everything's bigger in Texas — including the University of Texas at Austin's ranking among public universities across the country.U.S. News & World Report released its 2024 undergraduate rankings, with the Longhorns ranked the ninth-best public university in the country and No. 1 among public universities in Texas. AP POLL: Texas football has highest ranking since 2009 Overall, UT ranks No. 32 among both public and private schools this year, climbing six places from its 2023 ranking.Within the university, the McCombs School of Bus ranked No. 5 in the country, with 12 of its school specialties listed among U.S. News & World Report's Top 10. Its accounting program retained its No. 1 listing.The Cockrell School of Engineering came in at No. 11 nationwide, with six of its specialties ranked among the Top 10. The computer science program landed at No. 11, with five specialties inclu...

What safety changes are coming to Bluff Springs Road in southeast Austin?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Transportation and Public Works Department is poised to begin work on intersection safety upgrades along Bluff Springs Road in southeast Austin this month.The safety project encompasses intersection improvements, enhanced street lighting, protected bikeways, improved pedestrian crossings and elevated transit stops along Bluff Springs Road, per the ATPWD's project webpage. The project boundary runs along Bluff Springs Road from William Cannon Drive to the Austin city limits in the 8300 block of Bluff Springs Road.Safety improvements are coming to a stretch of Bluff Springs Road in southeast Austin. (Courtesy: Austin Transportation and Public Works Department)The project corridor is designated as a high-crash corridor within the City of Austin's High-Injury Network, a city database that tracks roadways within city limits that account for a high volume of crashes resulting in serious injuries and deaths. Nearly 240 crashes were reported between May 2018 and A...