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North Korea appears to be cracking open its sealed border with dispatch of sports delegation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:57 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — North Korea appears to have cracked open its borders in the first significant way since they were shut at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, with the impoverished nation sending a large group of taekwondo athletes and officials through Beijing to an international competition.The group of around 80 men and women wearing white track suits with the North Korean flag on the front were in the departure hall of Beijing’s international airport. They reportedly arrived Wednesday or Thursday. The group was expected to take an Air Astana flight to Kazakhstan to compete in the International Taekwon-do Federation World Championships, according to Japanese and South Korean media. The competition is being held in Astana through Aug. 30.North Korea has very limited air connections at the best of times, and international travel all but ended when it closed its borders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. How badly North Koreans were affected by the illness is unknown. Mo...

US, Japan and South Korea boosting mutual security commitments over objections of Beijing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States, Japan and South Korea are set to sign on to a new security pledge, committing the three countries to consult with each other in the event of a security crisis or threat in the Pacific, according to Biden administration officials.Details about the new “duty to consult” commitment emerged as President Joe Biden prepared Friday to welcome South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a summit at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. The move is one of several joint efforts that the leaders are expected to announce at the daylong summit, as the three countries look to tighten security and economic ties amid increasing concerns about North Korea’s persistent nuclear threats and Chinese provocations in the Pacific. Kishida, before departing Tokyo on Thursday, told reporters the summit would be a “historic occasion to bolster trilateral strategic cooperation” with Seoul and Washington.“I believe it i...

Turkish Cypriots attack UN peacekeepers trying to halt road work inside divided Cyprus’ buffer zone

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:57 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Angry Turkish Cypriots punched and kicked a group of international peacekeepers who obstructed crews working on a road that would encroach on a U.N.-controlled buffer zone in ethnically divided Cyprus, the U.N. said Friday.It said the attack happened as peacekeepers stood in the way of work crews building a road to connect the village of Arsos in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north with the mixed Greek Cypriot-Turkish Cypriot village of Pyla, just south of the buffer zone and inside the Greek Cypriot south, where the island’s internationally recognized government is seated.A video seen by the Associated Press showed scores of Turkish Cypriots accosting a much smaller group of Slovak and British U.N. soldiers trying to hold them back from starting work inside the buffer zone. Some peacekeepers suffered blows to the face as they linked arms to push back the advancing Turkish Cypriots. The U.N. said three soldiers had to be treated for minor injuries. The violenc...

Hong Kong judges propose a further delay in the trial of activist publisher Jimmy Lai

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:57 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong judges on Friday proposed a new delay until December in the trial of a prominent activist publisher who was arrested in August 2020 under a sweeping Beijing-imposed national security law.Jimmy Lai, the 75-year-old founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, faces up to life in prison if convicted under the law. He has already been sentenced to five years and nine months in a separate case.His trial, originally scheduled to begin last December, had already been delayed by judges until September while the Hong Kong government appealed to Beijing to block his attempt to hire a British defense lawyer. His arrest under the security law was part of Beijing’s unprecedented crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy camp. More than 260 people have been arrested under the law, including many prominent pro-democracy leaders. In a hearing Friday, Judge Esther Toh suggested that Dec. 18 would be a better time to start the trial because lawyers and...

Friday Forecast: Temps near 80 with mostly sunny conditions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:57 GMT

CHICAGO — Mostly sunny Friday with highs in the mid to upper 70s.  Mostly clear tonight with a low near 60 degrees.  Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Saturday Forecast: Mostly sunny Saturday with highs in the mid-80s.  Sunday Forecast: Mostly sunny, hot and humid Sunday with inland highs in the lower 90s that feel like 98-105.  Cooler at the lake with highs in the upper 80s.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Texas State University trying to bring more diversity to the agriculture industry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:57 GMT

SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) -- The United States Department of Agriculture is partnering with Texas State University to create a larger and more diverse workforce for the agriculture industry. USDA is giving out grants to Texas State, and dozens of other schools across the country, to help recruit new students into the workforce. Texas State will receive $5 million over the next five years to accomplish this project. In total, the federal agency is investing $262.5 million into the program. How is it going to work? Dr. Doug Morrish and his team at the Texas State agriculture department, which includes Dr. Eryn Pierdolla, Dr. Nicole Wagner, and Dr. Pratheesh Subhakaran, will lead the recruiting efforts for the university. Dr. Morrish said they will try to recruit current Texas State students, and students at four Texas community colleges, to go into the agriculture industry with an incentive of a paid internship with the USDA or other agencies. The hope is those students will then becom...

When to stop for a school bus on Texas roads

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:57 GMT

TEXAS (KXAN) -- It's back-to-school season for school districts across Texas, and with that comes the dreaded return of school year traffic. With more students out walking and school buses on the road, here's a reminder on what to do if you're traveling behind a stopped school bus, per tips from the Buda Police Department.School bus safety all comes down to how many lanes there are on a roadway. For two-lane traffic, vehicles in both directions must stop when a school bus stops. Back to school: When do local districts begin classes for the 2023-24 school year? Traffic can continue as normal once the bus' stop sign retracts and the bus proceeds. It's important to be mindful of students who were dropped off and might be walking near the roadway.On multi-lane roadways with paved lines across, vehicles traveling in both directions are required to stop. As with a two-lane roadway, it is safe for other vehicular traffic to proceed once the school bus resumes traveling.On a divided high...

5 things to know this Friday, August 18

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:57 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Happy Friday! According to Meteorologist Jill Szwed, the morning rain won't last all day, as the front is expected to clear western New England by lunchtime. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The Washington County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 17-year-old in connection to Wednesday night’s fatal shooting in Fort Ann that killed a 15-year-old boy. Deputies say the 17-year-old was responsible for discharging the weapon. Meanwhile, construction will soon begin on an alternate water system in Hoosick Falls.1. Teen charged in connection with 15 YO’s deathFt Ann, Washington County. A quiet small town, population, 472. That status quo was disturbed Wednesday afternoon when a 15-year-old boy was shot at this house on Charles Street.2. Construction on new water well moving forward in Hoosick FallsConstruction will soon begin on an alternate water system in Hoosick Falls. According to Mayor Rob Allen, two new wells ...

House fire in Madison, Illinois

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:57 GMT

MADISON, Ill. - Flames can be seen erupting from a home in Madison, Illinois, on Friday morning.Our Bommarito Automotive Group SkyFOX helicopter is flying over the area located on Allen Street near Terry Street, just north of the World Wide Technology Raceway. Fire crews are now on scene, and police are also responding. The one street where every home is cited, no matter what condition The cause of the fire has not yet been revealed. No injuries have been reported. FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.

Clear and cool Friday, Excessive Heat Watch issued from Sunday afternoon through Wednesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:57 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Clear and cool Friday morning. A beautiful day is on tap with sunshine and temperature highs in the lower half of the 80s.Expect clear skies and lows back into the 50s and low 60s Friday night. We begin to warm things up for Saturday. St. Louis radar: See a map of current weather here Highs will be near 90, but humidity levels won’t be too bad. By Sunday, we’ll have highs in the mid to upper 90s with heat index values of 110. It'll stay just as hot Monday through at least Wednesday, with highs near 100 and heat indices of 110+. Rain chances are minimal.