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China expresses support for Serbia in renewed Kosovo clashes involving NATO troops

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:29 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China on Tuesday expressed its support for Serbia’s efforts to “safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity” following renewed violence between ethnic Serbs and NATO peacekeeping troops in Kosovo. China’s ruling Communist Party has long been a critic of the NATO alliance, stemming partly from the bombing of Beijing’s embassy in Belgrade during the 1999 air campaign to end Serbia’s brutal crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo. The bombing, in which three Chinese journalists were killed, has long been used by Beijing to mobilize anti-Western sentiment. The U.S. apologized for the attack, blaming it on faulty intelligence. Its diplomatic missions in Beijing and other Chinese cities were assaulted in the fallout, setting ties on a negative trajectory that has grown ever more tense in recent years. China, along with Russia and Serbia, does not recognize Kosovo’s 2008 independence and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Tuesday placed the blame fo...

Post-soccer match brawl in Germany leaves teen with life-threatening injuries; 16-year-old detained

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:29 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — A 15-year-old soccer player has been hospitalized with life-threatening brain injuries after being struck by an opposing player in a post-match fight during an international youth tournament in Germany. A 16-year-old from a French team was jailed pending further investigation by a judge in Frankfurt, where the match against a team from Berlin took place on Sunday. Frankfurt police said in a statement Tuesday that a scuffle broke out between players after the final whistle and escalated into punches being thrown. The victim was struck in the head or neck area and collapsed, police said. He was treated by emergency medical personnel at the scene and taken to a hospital.Police are asking witnesses who may have video of the incident to contact police. The Associated Press

Most in US say don’t ban race in college admissions but its role should be small: AP-NORC poll

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Supreme Court decides the fate of affirmative action, most U.S. adults say the court should allow colleges to consider race as part of the admissions process, yet few believe students’ race should ultimately play a major role in decisions, according to a new poll.The May poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 63% say the Supreme Court should not block colleges from considering race or ethnicity in their admission systems. The poll found little divide along political or racial lines.But those polled were more likely to say factors including grades and standardized test scores should be important, while 68% of adults said race and ethnicity should not be a significant factor.The poll reflects general support for affirmative action even as the future of the practice remains in doubt. The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on lawsuits challenging admissions systems at Harvard University and the University of North C...

Toyota, Daimler Truck, Hino, Mitsubishi Fuso joining forces in ecological technology

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:29 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — German truck maker Daimler, Japan’s top automaker Toyota and two other automakers said Tuesday they will work together on new technologies, including using hydrogen fuel, to help fight climate change.The companies said Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp., whose top stakeholder is Daimler Truck, and Hino Motors, the truck maker in the Toyota group, will merge. Daimler Truck and Toyota Motor Corp. will equally invest in the holding company of the Mitsubishi-Hino merger, they said without giving a dollar amount for the deal. The companies plan to cooperate in reducing carbon emissions and developing other technologies such as autonomous driving, net-connected services and electric vehicles.“This collaboration among our four companies is a partnership for creating the future of commercial vehicles in Japan and the future of a ‘mobility society,’ said Toyota Motor Corp. Chief Executive Koji Sato.The two truck companies will work on commercial vehicle development, procurement...

Free concert, other celebrations in Jordan ahead of kingdom’s first major royal wedding in years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:29 GMT

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Several thousand cheering and flag-waving Jordanians packed a sports stadium for a free concert in the capital of Amman as part of celebrations leading up the kingdom’s first major royal wedding in years.Crown Prince Hussein, 28, is to marry Saudi architect Rajwa Alseif, 29, on Thursday at Zahran Palace in downtown Amman, the same wedding venue previously chosen by the prince’s father, King Abdullah II, and his grandfather, the late King Hussein.The nuptials come after a rough patch for the royals, including a public rift between the king and his half-brother, and are seen as a way of shoring up public support at a time of persistent economic difficulties.Designed to convey a sense of continuity, Thursday’s ceremony is expected to include some of the same features as previous royal weddings, including a motorcade of red Land Rover jeeps escorting the couple through the streets of Amman after the ceremony.Palace officials have been tight-lipped ...

Rolling thunder: Contestants chase cheese wheel down a hill in chaotic UK race

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:29 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The big cheese of extreme U.K. sports events is back.Hundreds of spectators gathered Monday to watch dozens of reckless racers chase a 7-pound (3 kilogram) wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down the near-vertical Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester in southwest England.The first racer to finish behind the fast-rolling cheese gets to keep it.The cheese-rolling race has been held at Cooper’s Hill, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London, since at least 1826, and the sport of cheese-rolling is believed to be much older.The rough-and-tumble event often comes with safety concerns. Few competitors manage to stay on their feet all the way down the 200-yard (180 meter) hill, and this year several had to be helped, limping, from the course.Canadian contestant Delaney Irving, 19, won the women’s race despite being briefly knocked unconscious.“I just remember hitting my head, and now I have the cheese,” said Irving, who comes from Nanaimo, British Columbia.Matt Crolla, 28, fro...

GasBuddy: Average Albany prices increase over four cents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:29 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Average gasoline prices in Albany have risen 4.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.71/g Tuesday, according to GasBuddy's survey of 546 stations in Albany. Prices in Albany are 1.6 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 115.7 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 4.9 cents in the last week and stands at $3.91 per gallon. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Albany was priced at $3.45/g Monday while the most expensive was $3.89/g, a difference of 44.0 cents per gallon. The lowest price in the state Monday was $2.89/g while the highest was $4.69/g, a difference of $1.80/g.The national average price of gasoline has risen 2.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.55/g Tuesday. The national average is down 3.2 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 105.5 cents ...

Senior spotlight: Alex Schmidt riding into the sunset

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:29 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- In his last high school sports season, Ichabod Crane senior Alex Schmidt helped lead the baseball team to a section title as the Riders took down Cohoes 6-4. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "I think it means a lot. Especially since you know we've been here three years in a row," Schmidt said. "We lost two heartbreakers, and a lot of us have just been trying to get back to this spot and prove that we're a lot better than just being runner-up in the sectional final, and we finally got it done, and it feels great."But this isn't Schmidt's first rodeo - he was just adding to his metaphorical trophy case. In his primary sport of basketball, Schmidt led the riders to not only a class b section title as a six seed, they won the whole thing, bringing home the state title. Winning titles in two sports is something he'll always hold on to."It's going to be something I can tell my kids, not only just basketball ...

Venice's waters turn fluorescent green near Rialto Bridge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:29 GMT

The waters in Venice's main canal turned fluorescent green on Sunday (28 May) in the area near the Rialto bridge and authorities are seeking to trace the cause, Italy's fire department said.The regional environmental protection agency has received samples of the altered waters and is working to identify the substance that changed their colour, the department said in a tweet.The Venice prefect has called an emergency meeting of police forces to understand what happened and study possible countermeasures, the Ansa news agency reported.The incident echoes recent episodes in Italy where environmental groups have been colouring monuments, including using vegetable charcoal to turn the waters of Rome's Trevi fountain black in a protest against fossil fuels.However, unlike previous cases, no activist group has come forward to claim responsibility for what happened in Venice.

Ask Amy: He doesn’t realize his wife isn’t coming home until 1 a.m.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:29 GMT

Dear Amy: My daughter is having an affair and cheating on her husband.I’m afraid that she is headed in a bad direction.She doesn’t come home after work until maybe 1 or 2 in the morning. Her husband works third shift, so he doesn’t know what time she comes in. She has adult kids and an 8-year-old girl.I’m staying at her house for the next two months and don’t want to get in the middle of all of this. She is going to see a lawyer in three weeks to see about a divorce and I know I’m going to be blamed for everything.I love my grandchildren very much and just don’t know what to do.Please help me!– Scared GranDear Gran: Even though your adult daughter’s behavior is really not in your control, she has placed you in the middle of this (or at least adjacent to it), because presumably she is using your presence in the household to step out on her husband.Third shift usually starts at 11 p.m., so I’m wondering what their parental overlap normally is,...