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South Korea delays its own spy satellite liftoff, days after North’s satellite launch

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:43 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has postponed the planned launch of its first military spy satellite set for this Thursday, officials said, days after rival North Korea claimed to put its own spy satellite into orbit for the first time.Under a contract with SpaceX, South Korea is to launch five spy satellites by 2025, and its first launch using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket had been scheduled to take place at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base in the United States.The South Korean Defense Ministry said in a brief statement Tuesday the launch was delayed due to weather conditions. Ministry officials said the launch was tentatively rescheduled for this Saturday but it wasn’t a fixed date.South Korea currently has no military reconnaissance satellites of its own and partially resorts to U.S. spy satellites to monitor moves by North Korea. After two launch failures earlier this year, North Korea said it successfully placed its “Malligyong-1” spy satellite into orbit on Nov. 21. Sou...

Rescuers are 16 feet away from 41 Indian workers trapped for over 2 weeks in tunnel, official says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:43 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Officials in India said Tuesday rescuers are 5 meters (about 16 feet) away from the 41 construction workers who have been trapped in a collapsed mountain tunnel in the country’s north for over two weeks, raising hopes they may be freed soon. Kirti Panwar, a state government spokesperson, said about a dozen men had worked overnight to manually dig through rocks and debris, taking turns to drill using hand-held drilling tools and clearing out the muck as they approach what is hoped to be the final stretch of the rescue operation.Rescuers resorted to manual digging after the drilling machine broke down irreparably on Friday while drilling horizontally from the front because of the mountainous terrain of Uttarakhand state where the tunnel collapsed. The machine bored through about 47 meters (nearly 154 feet) out of approximately the 57-60 meters (nearly 187-196 feet) needed, before rescuers started to work by hand to create a passageway to evacuate the trapped workers. ...

Russian court extends detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich until end of January

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:43 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in Moscow on Tuesday extended the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, until Jan. 30, Russian news agencies reported. The hearing took place behind closed doors because authorities say details of the criminal case against the American journalist are classified.Gershkovich, 32, was detained in March while on a reporting trip to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) east of Moscow. Russia’s Federal Security Service alleged that the reporter, “acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, and the U.S. government has declared him to be wrongfully detained. Russian authorities haven’t detailed any evidence to support the espionage charges.Gershkovich is the first American reporter to be ch...

Elevator drop at platinum mine in South Africa kills 11 workers, injures 75

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:43 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — An elevator suddenly dropped while carrying workers to the surface in a platinum mine in South Africa, killing 11 and injuring 75, the mine operator said Tuesday.It happened Monday evening at the end of the workers’ shift at a mine in the northern city of Rustenburg. The injured workers were hospitalized.Impala Platinum Holdings (Implats) CEO Nico Muller said in a statement it was “the darkest day in the history of Implats.” Implats said an investigation had already begun into what caused the elevator to drop.South Africa is the world’s largest producer of platinum.The country had 49 fatalities from all mining accidents in 2022, a decrease from 74 the year before. Deaths from South African mining accidents have steadily decreased in the last two decades from nearly 300 in the year 2000, according to South African government figures.___AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africaThe Associated Press

Stock market today: Asian shares mixed ahead of US consumer confidence and price data

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:43 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia on Tuesday after Wall Street benchmarks edged lower as investors waited for updates on inflation and how American consumers are feeling about the economy. Tokyo and Hong Kong fell while Shanghai, Seoul and Sydney gained. U.S. futures and oil prices edged higher.Later Tuesday, the Conference Board will issue an update on consumer confidence, which has remained solid throughout the year. Economists polled by FactSet expect another solid reading for the October report.On Thursday, Wall Street will be closely watching the government’s October data on the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation. Economists expect that measure to continue easing, as it has been since the middle of 2022.Investors have grown cautiously optimistic that inflation has cooled enough for the Federal Reserve to put a definitive end to its aggressive interest rate hikes. Meanwhile, the broader economy has remained strong enough in the face of rising interest rates ...

Chinese AI firm SenseTime denies research firm Grizzly’s claim it inflated its revenue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:43 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — SenseTime, a major Chinese artificial intelligence company, has rejected claims by a research company that it has falsely inflated its revenue. “(SenseTime) believes the report is without merit and contains unfounded allegations and misleading conclusions and interpretations,” the company said in a notice Tuesday to Hong Kong’s stock exchange, after its stocks tumbled more than 9% following the report’s release by short-seller Grizzly Research LLC. “It also shows a lack of understanding of the company’s business model and financial reporting structure, and a lack of thorough reading of the company’s public filings,” SenseTime said. The company said it was reviewing the allegations and “considering the appropriate course of action to take to safeguard the interests of all shareholders.” SenseTime is known for its facial recognition technology. It launched a ChatGPT-style chatbot to the public in August.Grizzly’s report alleges that SenseTime uses re...

Israel summons Belgium and Spain’s ambassador for a reprimand following their statements on Gaza war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:43 GMT

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (left) and Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo attend a press conference at Rafah border crossing to the Gaza Strip, Egypt, 24 November 2023. EFE-EPA/STRIsrael accuses Spain, Belgium leaders of backing ‘terrorism’. Terrorist group Hamas praised ”clear and bold positions” expressed by De Croo and his Spanish counterpart. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen described the “congratulations” as “shameful and scandalous”, and added: “we will not forget those who truly stand by us”. The Israeli government on Friday summoned the ambassadors of Belgium and Spain following remarks made by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on the war between Israel and Hamas, during their joint visit to Israel.The two prime ministers whose countries appear to be in the EU the least supportive of Israel, criticized the Jewish state for the suffering of Palestinian civilians under Israel’s military operations against Hama...

Tomas Hertl’s replacement, at least for a night, scores game-winning goal for Sharks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:43 GMT

SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl was injured and unavailable for Monday’s game with the Washington Capitals. That thrust Luke Kunin, usually used as a winger, into a top-six centerman’s role.Kunin made the most of the opportunity, scoring a go-ahead power-play goal with 7:12 left in the third period to help lift the Sharks to a 2-1 over the Capitals at SAP Center.Kunin, stationed near the slot, one-timed a pass from Justin Bailey past Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper for his fifth goal of the season as the Sharks completed their three-game homestand with a 2-0-1 record.Bailey’s assist gave him his first NHL point since March 21, 2019. Earlier Monday, the Sharks announced they had signed Bailey to a one-year, two-way contract after he began the year with the Barracuda of the AHL.Fabian Zetterlund scored at even strength in the first period to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead and Mackenzie Blackwood had 33 saves in the win.The only blemish for Blackwood, if it could even be called...

4 hospitalized after car crashes into Novato 7-Eleven

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:43 GMT

(KRON) -- Five people were injured and four were hospitalized after a car crashed into a 7-Eleven in Novato on Monday, the Novato Police Department confirmed. The crash happened at about 6 p.m. at the store located at 800 Diablo Ave. A solo driver crashed into the building, police said. The four people hospitalized had injuries that police described as varying between minor and moderate. The driver is among those who were hospitalized. Police are still investigating why the crash happened, but impairment is not believed to be a factor. The building has been red-tagged and closed off.

Oakland city council calls for permanent ceasefire in Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:43 GMT

(KRON) -- The Oakland city council passed a resolution on Monday calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.The resolution passed unanimously. More than 1,200 public comments were submitted online, 86% of which supported the resolution, according to the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC). “The Bay Area has been turning out for weeks, demanding a ceasefire and an end to genocide in Gaza. With this resolution, we are proud that our Oakland city council is reflecting the voices of the diverse communities it represents, and is standing firmly on the side of peace and justice,” said Lara Kiswani, Executive Director of AROC. Retail theft prevents Oakland small business from opening on Black Friday The resolution, "empowers the City Council to transmit Oakland's support for a permanent ceasefire to California legislators and United States Congressional Offices," according to the AROC. However, it is purely symbolic. The resolution passed during a temporary truce between Israel an...