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India’s top court hearing petitions challenging government’s removal of Kashmir’s special status

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:25 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s top court Wednesday began hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the constitutionality of the legislation passed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in 2019 that stripped disputed Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, scrapped its separate constitution and removed inherited protections on land and jobs.The five-judge constitutional bench that includes the Supreme Court’s chief justice is simultaneously hearing a series of petitions challenging the special status granted to the region after its accession with newly independent India in 1947. Such petitions were filed before the 2019 changes.The unprecedented move divided the region into two federal territories — Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir, both ruled directly by the central government without a legislature of their own. The move’s immediate implications were that the Muslim-majority region is now run by bureaucrats with no democratic credentials and lost its flag, criminal code and constitution.“The case i...

Indonesia buys 12 drones worth $300 million from Turkey

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:25 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The Indonesian government bought 12 drones worth $300 million from Turkish Aerospace as part of efforts to strengthen Indonesia’s defense system, according to a written statement from the Indonesian Defense Ministry on Wednesday.The purchase aims to increase the variety, quantity and quality of Indonesia’s military defense equipment with the contract signed Feb. 3 with Turkish Aerospace, which is headquartered in the capital, Ankara. The 12 units of ANKA drones are expected to be delivered before November 2025.In January, Indonesia sealed another deal worth $805 million to buy a dozen advanced Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets that were used by the Qatari air force. The purchase, manufactured by French company Dassault Aviation, was criticized for the age of the equipment. But the Defense Ministry said Indonesia needs fighter aircraft defense equipment that can be delivered quickly to cover its air force’s decline in the combat readiness as many of the...

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard runs drill on disputed islands as US military presence in region grows

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:25 GMT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched a surprise military drill Wednesday on disputed islands in the Persian Gulf, just as the U.S. military increase its presence in the region over recent ship seizures by Tehran. The drill focused primarily on Abu Musa Island, though the Guard also landed forces on the Greater Tunb Island as well, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported. Ships, drones and missile units took part in the drill, the report said. Iran did not provide a reason for launching the drill, though such snap exercises have happened in the past. “We always try for security and tranquility; it is our way,” the Guard’s chief, Gen. Hossein Salami, said in a televised address during the drill. “Our nation is vigilant, and it gives harsh responses to all threats, complicated seditions and secret scenarios and hostilities,” However, the drill comes as thousands of Marines and sailors on both the amphibious assault ship USS Bat...

Stock market today: Asian shares slip, echoing Wall Street’s retreat from its rally

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:25 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares dipped Wednesday after Wall Street took a step back from its big rally as markets tried to digest a slew of earnings.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dove 2.1% in afternoon trading to 32,768.08. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 1.3% to 7,356.60. South Korea’s Kospi slid 1.7% to 2,620.74. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dipped 2.1% to 19,590.86, while the Shanghai Composite lost 0.9% to 3,259.93. Investor optimism was hurt by Fitch Ratings downgrading the United States government’s credit rating, citing rising debt at the federal, state, and local levels. The rating was cut Tuesday one notch to AA+ from AAA, the highest possible rating. In 2011, the ratings agency Standard & Poor’s stripped the U.S. of its prize AAA rating. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the move by Fitch was based on outdated data, noting the U.S. economy has rapidly recovered from the pandemic recession.“Some negativity was permeating across Asian equity markets mid-wee...

29 inches of rain from Saturday to Wednesday was Beijing’s heaviest rainfall in at least 140 years

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:25 GMT

ZHUZHOU, Hebei (AP) — China’s capital has recorded its heaviest rainfall in at least 140 years over the past few days.The city recorded 744.8 millimeters (29.3 inches) of rain between Saturday and Wednesday morning, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau said on Wednesday.The record rainfall comes as northern China has been deluged with heavy rains as the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri moved north after earlier hitting southern Chinese provinces.Beijing and the surrounding province of Hebei have been hit by severe flooding, with waters rising to dangerous levels. The rains destroyed roads and knocked out power and even pipes carrying drinking water.Among the hardest hit areas is Zhuozhou, a small city in Hebei province that borders Beijing’s southwest. On Tuesday night, police there issued a plea on Weibo for lights to assist with rescue work.It’s unknown how many people are trapped in flood-stricken areas in the city and surrounding villages.On Wednesday, waters in GuR...

Malians who thrived with arrival of UN peacekeeping mission fear economic fallout from its departure

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:25 GMT

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Nearly 10 years ago, Mariame Coulibaly Sangare lost everything when armed violence in northern Mali forced her to flee her home. Desperate for money, she saw an opportunity with the arrival of a new United Nations peacekeeping mission in the West African nation’s capital, Bamako.Sangare left her previous job of trading animal skins to open a restaurant across the street from the mission’s headquarters. Selling rice dishes to U.N. workers earned the 58-year-old enough money to help support her family. But after Mali’s military junta ordered the mission to leave the country, the mother of 14 worries her reliable income will be gone along with the peacekeepers.“I don’t have anything else except this restaurant,” she said.In June, the junta said the U.N.’s Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali had failed after a decade to stem a jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, and its 15,000 international troops ...

Scientists not impressed by WHO's 'misleading' cancer scare

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:25 GMT

The World Health Organization (WHO) this month released a statement classifying aspartame, a non-sugar, low-calorie sweetener, as "possibly carcinogenic to humans".The announcement has rekindled a decades-long debate on the health effects of the sweetener.According to the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the classification comes from “evidence" linking aspartame to cancer, particularly a type of liver cancer. Aspartame, a common ingredient in diet sodas and other sugar-free products, was assigned to Group 2B - "possibly carcinogenic to humans" in the IARC's five-level system of assessing carcinogenic risks.However,in the same announcement, the WHO's Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) concluded that the association between aspartame consumption and cancer in humans is not convincing. They maintained the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of aspartame at 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.Industry experts and regulatory bodies, including the U....

2 suspects sought in fatal Boyle Heights shooting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:25 GMT

Police were searching for two suspects allegedly involved in a fatal shooting Tuesday night in Boyle Heights, authorities told KTLA.  Officers responded to reports of the shooting shortly after 7:42 p.m. in the 2800 block of East 4th Street at Evergreen Recreation Center. At the scene, authorities said they found a male victim suffering from gunshot wounds. He was transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. A preliminary investigation into the shooting revealed that the victim had been walking through the park when he had a verbal altercation with the two suspects, LAPD said. One of the suspects then reportedly shot the man multiple times. Man found dead inside barrel at Malibu beach identified Video of the scene showed an area of the recreation center cordoned off with police tape as officers walked around the area, including on the fields and near the bleachers where the victim may have been shot.  L.A. police were searching for two suspects, a male and...

'Swift Mania' takes over Los Angeles for Taylor Swift's 'Eras Tour'

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:25 GMT

"Swift Mania" is officially taking over Los Angeles as Taylor Swift's “The Eras Tour” kicks off at Sofi Stadium this week.Diehard fans, dubbed “Swifties,” will be enjoying the 33-year-old singer’s sold-out six-night stay at the Inglewood venue starting Aug. 3.In anticipation of the pop superstar’s concert, L.A. Metro has added additional service to shuttle the massive crowds.Trains will be running until 2 a.m. on concert nights with free bus shuttles from the C Line and K Line to SoFi Stadium.The Citadel Outlets in Commerce raffled off two floor tickets to one lucky Swiftie for the Aug. 7 concert on Tuesday night as fans gathered at the outdoor shopping center.“I just crossed my finger and was like, ‘I hope I get them because I want to see her,’” said an ecstatic Frances Suavillo, the lucky ticket winner. Taylor Swift reportedly gives ‘Eras Tour’ truckers six-figure bonuses Swifties in line for the merchandise truck for Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour." (KTLA)Frances Suavillo, ...

Hollywood Studios and Writers May Continue Negotiations Friday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:25 GMT

Representatives for Hollywood production studios may meet with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Friday to resume contract talks, according to a Deadline report.Hollywood writers have been on strike since May 1, as a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) could not be agreed upon.The AMPTP represents film and TV production companies such as Netflix, Disney, Apple, Amazon, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony. Additionally, the AMPTP could not come to terms on a new contract with Hollywood actors, leading to a July 15 strike from members of the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).The mass entertainment work stoppage has already been felt in the industry, as leading actors have not been allowed to promote new movies over the past two weeks.It was also announced that the 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards would be postponed due to the strike.The awards show was scheduled for Septe...