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Germany and China aim for June summit amid Taiwan tensions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:52 GMT

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is keen to advance economic and climate cooperation with China and defuse tensions over Taiwan as part of high-level government talks he plans to host in June.Scholz and key Cabinet ministers will meet with Chinese counterparts, led by Premier Li Qiang, for bilateral government consultations in Berlin on June 20, according to two persons briefed on the plans. A third person cautioned, however, that the date and format of the talks may still change. If confirmed, the German-Chinese high-level talks would come about a week ahead of a key EU leaders’ summit on June 29-30, where EU-China relations will be high on the agenda, as European Council President Charles Michel announced this week. EU foreign ministers will also discuss China relations at an informal meeting in Sweden on May 12.Germany hopes to use its talks with China to deter Beijing from escalating tensions over Taiwan, which Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said earlier this mon...

Russian ships pose threat in Nordic waters as spies take more risks, Norway’s PM says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:52 GMT

Russian ships are posing a threat in Nordic waters as Moscow takes greater risks in intelligence gathering, Norway’s prime minister has warned, just as Europe’s leaders turn their focus to the security of major maritime energy installations. The warning on Monday from Jonas Gahr Støre came on the same day nine European countries agreed to expand production of wind power in the North Sea, but also cautioned that they would need to take further steps to safeguard those facilities. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called security of energy assets “a question of high priority.”An investigation by Danish, Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian public broadcasters has found Russia used civilian vessels to collect intelligence on military activities and critical infrastructure in the region. NATO member Norway is an important energy supplier for Europe and oversees highly sensitive critical infrastructure such as oil and gas installations. In an interview with POLITICO in Brusse...

Biden announces reelection bid to continue America’s comeback

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:52 GMT

President Joe Biden on Tuesday formally launched his campaign for a second term in 2024, asking voters to keep him in office and “finish the job” of an historic American recovery that started after he vanquished Donald Trump in 2020.Biden’s long-awaited announcement allows him to begin fundraising 18 months out from the November general election. In a video, the president echoed several familiar themes he outlined when he first took charge of the country during the spiraling Covid-19 pandemic and resulting economic turmoil, taking office days after insurrectionists seized the U.S. Capitol.

Biden launches 2024 bid, betting record will top age worries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday formally announced that he is running for reelection in 2024, asking voters to give him more time to “finish the job” he began when he was sworn in to office and to set aside their concerns about extending the run of America’s oldest president for another four years.Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is betting his first-term legislative achievements and more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns over his age. He faces a smooth path to winning his party’s nomination, with no serious Democratic rivals. But he’s still set for a hard-fought struggle to retain the presidency in a bitterly divided nation.The announcement, in a three-minute video, comes on the four-year anniversary of when Biden declared for the White House in 2019, promising to heal the “soul of the nation” amid the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump — a goal that has...

Some Sun, Few Showers Too

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:52 GMT

April showers bring May flowers… right? Well, over the next few afternoons, we’ll catch some of those April showers. Not a lot of rain, but enough to keep the umbrella on standby in the event you get caught up in a passing shower while running an errand or waiting at the afternoon bus stop. Highs today run in the mid 50s to near 60 under a partly to mostly cloudy sky that occasionally pops a shower. Tomorrow and Thursday, the pattern doesn’t change much with isolated to scattered showers developing in the afternoon. The risk for a few showers is higher Thursday than tomorrow, but the overall theme of the days are similar. Rain totals over the next few days will be under 0.25″ of rain for most. Friday looks good, low to mid 60s inland, 50s at the coast. We’ll be dry from start to finish. Saturday is dry through mid afternoon, with some late-day showers possible. Those showers linger into Sunday morning. Another round of more substantial rain/wind is lik...

How to protect yourself from iPhone thieves locking you out of your own device

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:52 GMT

(CNN) — A complex but concerning method of gaining control over a user’s iPhone and permanently locking them out the device appears to be on the rise.Some iPhone thieves are exploiting a security setting, called the recovery key, that makes it nearly impossible for owners to access their photos, messages, data and more, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report. Some victims also told the publication their bank accounts were drained after the thieves gained access to their financial apps.It’s important to note, however, this type of takeover is hard to pull off. It requires a criminal essentially watching an iPhone user enter the device’s passcode — for example, by looking over their shoulder at a bar or sporting event — or manipulating the device’s owner so they’ll share their passcode. And that’s all before they physically steal the device.From there, a thief could use the passcode to c...

New research suggests that french fries may be linked to depression

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:52 GMT

(CNN) — French fries — they’re greasy, starchy and a comfort food for many.But reaching for fried foods may have a negative impact on mental health.A research team in Hangzhou, China, found that frequent consumption of fried foods, especially fried potatoes, was linked with a 12% higher risk of anxiety and 7% higher risk of depression than in people who didn’t eat fried foods.The link was more pronounced among young men and younger consumers.Fried foods are known risk factors for obesity, high blood pressure and other health effects. These results “open an avenue in the significance of reducing fried food consumption for mental health,” according to the paper published Monday in the journal PNAS.However, experts who study nutrition said the results are preliminary, and it’s not necessarily clear whether the fried foods were driving mental health issues, or people experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety turned to fried foods.The study e...

3-day Sudan ceasefire announced by US Secretary of State

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:52 GMT

(CNN) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday announced that the warring factions in Sudan agreed to a a ceasefire, “starting at midnight on April 24, to last for 72 hours.”The agreement between the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, came “following intense negotiation over the past 48 hours,” Blinken said.“The United States urges the SAF and RSF to immediately and fully uphold the ceasefire,” Blinken said. “To support a durable end to the fighting, the United States will coordinate with regional and international partners, and Sudanese civilian stakeholders, to assist in the creation of a committee to oversee the negotiation, conclusion, and implementation of a permanent cessation of hostilities and humanitarian arrangements in Sudan.”In a written statement Monday, the RSF said it had agreed to the truce “in order to open humanitarian corridors, facilitate the movement o...

Battenfeld: Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon ousters could be sign networks realigning for 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:52 GMT

The firings of Tucker Carlson at Fox and CNN’s Don Lemon are sending shock waves through the news landscape and could be a sign that both cable behemoths are realigning for 2024.Carlson’s ouster came just days after Fox settled with Dominion on a defamation lawsuit but reportedly had more to do with a discrimination lawsuit against Carlson alleging misogyny and harassment filed by a Fox network producer.While liberals cheered the firing of Carlson, with the New York Times calling him a “right-wing extremist,” angry conservatives on Monday accused Fox of abandoning their principles by getting rid of him.Carlson was one of the most influential voices of conservatism in America, but he found out that even he wasn’t indispensable.“I think it changes things permanently,” close Carlson friend Donald Trump, Jr. said, hyping the Fox host as “an actual thought leader in conservatism” and a “once-in-a-generation type talent.”Fox’s Rupert Murdoch reportedly made the call himself to...

ASK IRA: Does Jimmy Butler deserve more from Heat front office based on what he has provided?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:52 GMT

Q: Get Jimmy Butler a complementary star to play with, make Bam Adebayo your third option, and problem solved for the next three years. Bam is a solid player, just not a number-two option. – Douglas. A: Except that is not how the Heat have designed their payroll, so it will take major, major payroll machinations to reformulate such a structure. At $45 million (yes, $45 million) for next season, Jimmy Butler is being paid like a leading man. The problem is that at $32.6 million for next season, Bam Adebayo is being paid like at least a number-two star. And remember, Tyler Herro will be earning $27 million next season. And that’s not even getting to the $29.7 million due Kyle Lowry for 2023-24, in the final season of his three-year deal. So the Heat, at the moment, essentially have a top-four salary hierarchy in place. Yes, trades can change the equation, but it’s not as simple as a “problem solved” snap of the fingers.Q: This is for you, Vic. – Eli...