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Russian cruise missile strike on southern Ukrainian city of Odesa kills 3, injures 13

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces fired cruise missiles at the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight, killing at least three people and injuring more than a dozen others in a strike that damaged homes, a warehouse, shops and cafes downtown, the regional state administration said Wednesday. The attack launched from the Black Sea involved four Kalibr cruise missiles, three of which were intercepted by air defenses, the regional administration said on Facebook.Three employees of a food warehouse were killed and seven others injured, and searchers were looking for possible survivors under the rubble, it said. Another six people — guards and residents of a neighboring house — were injured. Andriy Kovalov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s General Staff, said Russian forces have increased missile and aerial strikes on Ukraine. It comes as Kyiv moves forward with the early stages of a counteroffensive against Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine more than 15 months ago.In a briefi...

How Europe is leading the world in the push to regulate AI

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Authorities worldwide are racing to rein in artificial intelligence, including in the European Union, where groundbreaking legislation is set to pass a key hurdle Wednesday. European Parliament lawmakers are due to vote on the proposal — including controversial amendments on facial recognition — as it heads toward passage.A yearslong effort by Brussels to draw up guardrails for AI has taken on more urgency as rapid advances in chatbots like ChatGPT show the benefits the emerging technology can bring — and the new perils it poses.Here’s a look at the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act: HOW DO THE RULES WORK? The measure, first proposed in 2021, will govern any product or service that uses an artificial intelligence system. The act will classify AI systems according to four levels of risk, from minimal to unacceptable. Riskier applications, such as for hiring or tech targeted to children, will face tougher requirements, including being more transparent and usin...

Greece: More than 80 migrants rescued from capsized fishing vessel

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A large search and rescue operation has been launched off the southern coast of Greece after a fishing boat carrying migrants capsized, authorities said. More than 80 people have been rescued following the nighttime incident that occurred early Wednesday some 75 kilometers (46 miles) southwest of Greece’s southern Peloponnese region.Six coast guard vessels, a navy frigate, a military transport and an air force helicopter were taking part in the search for others believed to be missing. The Italy-bound boat is believed to have sailed from the Tobruk area in eastern Libya. Smugglers are increasingly taking larger boats into international waters off the Greek mainland to try to avoid local coast guard patrols. On Sunday, 90 migrants on a U.S.-flagged yacht were rescued in the area after they made a distress call. ___Follow AP stories on global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migrationThe Associated Press

China’s foreign minister airs concerns in phone call with Blinken ahead of planned visit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang shared concerns on a phone call Wednesday ahead of a planned visit by the U.S. official to China meant to shore up relations.“Spoke tonight with PRC State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang by phone,” Blinken’s official Twitter account read. “Discussed ongoing efforts to maintain open channels of communication as well as bilateral and global issues.”The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on one of its social media pages that Qin urged the United States to respect “China’s core concerns” such as the issue of Taiwan’s self-rule, “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop harming China’s sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition.”Qin noted China-U.S. ties “have encountered new difficulties and challenges” since the beginning of the year, and the two sides’ responsibility is to work together to properly manage diff...

Ukraine's Zelenskyy vows action on air raid shelters

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed unhappiness on Monday (12 June) at the results of an inspection he ordered into all Ukrainian shelters after three people were killed when they were unable to access one during a Russian air strike in Kyiv.In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said he had received summary reports on the shelters' "preparedness and unpreparedness" from Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, Oleksandr Kamyshyn, the minister for strategic industries, and Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov."The results, to put it mildly, are unsatisfactory," he said. "Relevant draft decisions will be prepared by Friday regarding those responsible and ensuring the proper level of protection for our people in all Ukrainian cities."The deaths on 1 June caused a public outcry and a promise by Zelenskyy of a harsh response, which appeared aimed at Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who has clashed with him before.Klitschko acknowledged he bore some responsibility but said others were also ...

Silvio Berlusconi, who has died at 86, wanted Israel to join the European Union

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (left) is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the latter's office in Jerusalem on 1 February, 2010.Under his premiership, Israel had become one of Israel’s strongest allies in Europe. His efforts to strengthen ties with Israel followed decades of a pro-Arab tilt by previous Italian governments. "My greatest desire, as long as I am a protagonist in politics, is to bring Israel into membership of the European Union,” said former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as he visited Israel in February 2010.Berlusconi, who died on Monday (12 June) at 86, was considered a true friend of Israel. Under his premiership, Israel had become one of Israel’s strongest allies in Europe. His efforts to strengthen ties with Israel followed decades of a pro-Arab tilt by previous Italian governments.“Not every day do we get the privilege to host one of Israel’s greatest friends, a brave leader who is a great fighter for freedom and an ent...

Messi, Argentina set to pull a big crowd in Beijing exhibition game against Australia

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Lionel Messi and his World Cup-winning Argentina teammates are expected to draw almost 70,000 fans to Beijing Worker’s Stadium for an exhibition against Australia.With tickets starting at around $80 for Thursday’s game, local supporters are excited to see Messi and continue the World Cup celebrations. Fans have flocked to all opportunities to see the Argentine star since the team arrived in China, with large crowds angling for photographs and chanting his name.Messi’s move to “continue my path” in Miami last week made global headlines after he turned down extremely lucrative offers from Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia in favor of Major League Soccer.He said that after winning the World Cup, it was his time to go the United States and “live football in another way.”Before then, he’s with the Argentina squad that is scheduled to play Australia in the Chinese capital and take on Indonesia in Jakarta four days later.Australia coach Graham Arnold said he was looking fo...

Smith and Peralta go deep early to back Gonsolin, Dodgers beat White Sox 5-1

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tony Gonsolin’s velocity was down, not that it mattered. He delivered six shutout innings after getting a couple extra days of rest as the result of experiencing body soreness.Will Smith and David Peralta staked Gonsolin to an early lead with two-run homers in the first inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox 5-1 on Tuesday night.Gonsolin (4-1) allowed singles to Andrew Vaughn and Yoán Moncada. The right-hander struck out six and walked two.“The extra couple days really helped me,” said Gonsolin, who was supposed to start last Sunday in Philadelphia but instead the Dodgers went with a bullpen game. “For whatever reason, I just didn’t come out of this last start super great. Just wasn’t bouncing back right away. It was kind of just weird. I hadn’t really experienced something like that but I feel a lot better now.” Smith went deep on his bobblehead night, sending a 413-foot drive to the left-field pavilion that scored F...

Pakistan sees no room for trade revival with Modi’s India

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

Pakistan would welcome a trade revival with India, but State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said she saw no prospect of that because of frosty relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Pakistan is enduring a brutal economic crisis and would benefit from improved trade links as the current cross-border flows are barely a trickle. Indian media cited Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel saying that India-Pakistan trade reached only $1.35 billion between April and December 2022, compared with some $87 billion with China. Khar said she was a proponent of trade as a means of restoring ties but cautioned it was impossible to work with a Hindu nationalist administration in New Delhi whose support was “based on dividing India between Hindus and Muslims.” “I don’t think there’s any scope to do anything with a very belligerent [government],” Khar said in an interview with POLITICO, when asked about...

American University of Beirut president says Cyprus campus key to institution’s global outreach

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus bested 15 other countries as the most suitable to host the American University of Beirut’s first overseas campus, the president of the world-renowned institution said.It’s part of the university’s expansion plan that was initiated in 2018 but was expedited following the catastrophic Beirut port explosion in August 2020. President Fadlo R. Khuri told The Associated Press in an emailed statement Wednesday that Cyprus came out on top because of a string of comparative advantages including European Union membership, a high degree of academic freedom, political and economic stability and close proximity to Lebanon.Khuri was on hand last week in Cyprus’ southeastern coastal town of Paphos for a foundation stone-laying ceremony of the 158-year-old university’s twin campus that will be called American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo.Khuri said the university’s westward expansion was less about Lebanon’s deeply-rooted instability that threa...