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US, Indonesia and 5 other nations hold war drills amid China concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:31:15 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Soldiers from the U.S., Indonesia and five other nations began annual training exercises Thursday on Indonesia’s main island of Java while China’s increasing aggression is raising concern.American and Indonesian soldiers have held the live-fire drill since 2009, and Australia, Japan and Singapore joined last year. The United Kingdom and French forces are participating in this year’s Super Garuda Shield exercises, with a total of about 5,000 personnel.China sees the expanded drills as a threat, accusing the U.S. of building an Indo-Pacific alliance similar to NATO to limit China’s growing military and diplomatic influence in the region.Brunei, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Korea, and East Timor also sent observers to the two-week exercises in Baluran, a coastal town in East Java province.Commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, Gen. Charles Flynn, said the 19 nations involved in the t...

Ousting of Gabon’s unpopular leader was a ‘smokescreen’ for soldiers to seize power, analysts say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:31:15 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Gabonese awoke Thursday to a new military leader after mutinous soldiers ousted a president whose family had ruled the oil-rich Central African nation for more than five decades.The new leader is Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, head of the elite republican guard unit, soldiers announced on state TV Wednesday hours after President Ali Bongo Ondimba was declared winner of last week’s presidential election, which Gabonese and observers say was marred with irregularities and a lack of transparency.The soldiers accused Bongo of irresponsible governance that risked leading the country into chaos and have put him under house arrest and detained several people in his cabinet, they said. While there were legitimate grievances about the vote and Bongo’s rule, his ousting is just a pretext to claim power for themselves, Gabon experts say. “The timing of the coup, following the announcement of the implausible electoral results, and the speed with which the j...

Meteorological Autumn Season to Open With Hot Holiday Weekend in Chicago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:31:15 GMT

Only a day remains in August and in the three month June, July and July meteorological summer season.  Midnight Thursday, with the arrival of September, 2023, marks the arrival of the three month METEOROLOGICAL AUTUMN SEASON, which runs through September-October-November.September has historically been Chicago's third fastest cooling month of the year losing an averaging of 10-degrees. Fastest cooling of the months is November which typically sees "normal" temps dip 13-degrees; 2nd-fastest cooling is October which loses 12-degreeNEW RAIN AND WIND NUMBERS ARE IN FROM THE SOUTHEAST U.S. AFTER A DAY IN WHICH TROPICAL STORM IDALIA HAS RACED NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE AREARescue efforts continue in the wake of the powerful stormThe storm left as many as a half-million customers without power in Florida and other states at one point as it ripped down power poles and lines. CONTINUE READING

SDGs & me: Responsible consumption and production

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:31:15 GMT

Consumption and production patterns have wide environmental and social impacts. The Sustainable Development Goal 'Responsible consumption and production' (SDG 12) calls for action on many fronts. These include the adoption of sustainable practices by businesses, promotion of sustainable procurement practices by policymakers, environmentally aware lifestyles of consumers as well as the development of new technologies and production and consumption methods, by researchers, scientists and others.Monitoring SDG 12 in an EU context focuses on progress made in decoupling environmental impacts from economic growth, fostering the green economy, while tackling waste generation and management.Source dataset: SDG_12_21, SDG_12_41, SDG_12_51In 2020, raw material consumption decreased by 3% (13.7 tonnes per capita) compared with 2016 (14.0 tonnes per capita). The share of secondary raw materials out of all input materials in the economy (‘circularity rate’) stood at 11.7% in 2021, an increa...

Review: Beyonce falls well short of delivering a masterpiece at Levi’s Stadium

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:31:15 GMT

“Today is special,” Beyonce said to the nearly 50,000 fans who stood before her. “Because today I am the mayor.”It may indeed been a special day for the multiplatinum-selling pop star — who had been made honorary mayor of the city of Santa Clara — but the night turned out to be a completely different story, as Beyonce muddled through a concert that was far more mixed bag than masterpiece on Wednesday at Levi’s Stadium.Maybe it’s indeed been a different story in other cities, given that Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour has received pretty much rave reviews in all previous stops. But it’s hard to see how given the many flaws in the production, which bombards viewers with everything short of the kitchen sink but still fails to really connect with fans.The result could be seen in the lackluster response from the audience, which exhibited far less energy and enthusiasm than what you’re use to seeing at big stadium shows.It...

Single-family home sells for $1.9 million in San Jose

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:31:15 GMT

A 1,905-square-foot house built in 1973 has changed hands. The property located in the 5900 block of Crimson Drive in San Jose was sold on Aug. 11, 2023, for $1,875,000, or $984 per square foot. This single-story home offers a roomy layout with four bedrooms and two baths. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. Additionally, the home includes a two-car garage.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:A 2,303-square-foot home on the 1400 block of Beattie Court in San Jose sold in December 2022, for $2,300,000, a price per square foot of $999. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Beattie Court, San Jose, in July 2023, a 2,024-square-foot home was sold for $2,080,000, a price per square foot of $1,028. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In May 2023, a 2,008-square-foot home on Blackbird Court in San Jose sold for $2,300,000, a price per square foot of $1,145. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.

Single-family house sells for $1.5 million in San Jose

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:31:15 GMT

4958 Country Lane – Google Street ViewThe property located in the 4900 block of Country Lane in San Jose was sold on July 20, 2023 for $1,500,000, or $1,309 per square foot. The house, built in 1959, has an interior space of 1,146 square feet. This single-story house has three bedrooms and two baths. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. In addition, the house includes a two-car garage. Situated on a spacious 6,120-square-foot lot, the property offers ample outdoor space along with the added bonus of a pool.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:In June 2023, a 1,364-square-foot home on Constanso Way in San Jose sold for $1,625,000, a price per square foot of $1,191. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 1,585-square-foot home on the 1400 block of Constanso Way in San Jose sold in May 2023, for $1,624,000, a price per square foot of $1,025. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Lassen Avenue, San Jose, in April 2023, a 1,570-square-foot hom...

Lo que debe saber sobre el fenómeno del fuego de San Telmo y cómo mantenerse a salvo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:31:15 GMT

(CNN) — No es solo el título de una película del llamado Brat Pack de la década de 1980: el fuego de San Telmo es el nombre que se le da a los destellos brillantes y repentinos de aparentes relámpagos que pueden bailar a través de un cielo nublado cuando hay tormentas cercanas.Dos pilotos compartieron imágenes del fenómeno que salpicaban la vista desde la ventana de su cabina este martes mientras evacuaban de una base aérea de Florida en preparación para el huracán Idalia. Mientras el avión volaba, rayos de luz azul brillante parecieron golpear el aire afuera, desapareciendo tan rápido como aparecieron.Los marineros han observado esta característica de las tormentas durante siglos, según un artículo de 2020 sobre el fuego de San Telmo de la oficina de noticias del Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts. Y le pusieron el nombre de San Telmo, o Erasmo de Formia, el santo cristiano de los marineros.Se sabe que el fenómeno ocurre cuando la fricción dentro de una nube de tormenta p...

Grant Shapps announced as new UK defense secretary to replace Ben Wallace

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:31:15 GMT

Grant Shapps has been moved from his current role as energy secretary to take on the defense brief.The appointment was made to replace Ben Wallace, who stepped down as the U.K.’s defense minister Thursday after four years in the role.Shapps, who has held several senior Cabinet posts during his career, is a long-time ally of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and will take over responsibility for guiding the U.K.’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.The decision to appoint Shapps will lead to a significant shake-up at the top of government, with a new energy secretary expected to be appointed later today.In his resignation letter Thursday, Wallace said the Ministry of Defence was a “more modern, better funded and more confident than the organization I took over in 2019”.But he implored the Prime Minister and his successor to push for additional funding for the military.“I know you agree with me that we must not return to the days where defence was view...

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak appoints new defense secretary ahead of next year’s general election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:31:15 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Grant Shapps, one of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s staunchest Cabinet allies, was named U.K. defense secretary on Thursday as Sunak began a Cabinet reshuffle ahead of a general election that is expected to take place next year.The move came after Ben Wallace formally submitted his resignation earlier in the day, honoring a promise made last month. Wallace was defense secretary for four years, overseeing Britain’s military response to the war in Ukraine.Shapps, who supported Sunak during his campaign to become Conservative Party leader and prime minister last year, has been a Cabinet member since 2019, most recently serving as secretary of state for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.Wallace used his resignation letter to press for increased funding for the military, long his primary issue.“I genuinely believe that over the next decade the world will get more insecure and more unstable,’’ Wallace wrote in his letter to Sunak. “We both share the belief...