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Australia’s most powerful cyclone in 8 years to cross coast

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:17:11 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A tropical cyclone nearing Australia is forecast to be the most powerful storm in eight years to hit the country, bringing wind gusts of up to 315 kilometers (196 miles) per hour as it crosses the northwest coast, meteorologists said Thursday.Cyclones are common along the sparsely populated Pilbara coast of Western Australia state and fatalities are rare, but authorities fear that Cyclone Ilsa’s extraordinary wind speeds could take some in its path by surprise.Ilsa reached the highest Category 5 intensity Thursday over the Indian Ocean and is expected to maintain that destructive level as it crosses the Pilbara coast by early Friday, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said.Category 5 cyclones have mean wind speeds exceeding 200 kph (124 mph) with gusts exceeding 280 kph (174 mph). They typically cause widespread destruction, the bureau said. The last Category 5 storm to cross the Australian coast was Cyclone Marcia in 2015. Marcia caused hundreds of million...

Biden says nothing of ‘great consequence’ in Pentagon leaks

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:17:11 GMT

DUBLIN (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday said while he was concerned that sensitive government documents had been leaked, “there’s nothing contemporaneous that I’m aware of that is of great consequence.” It was the first time Biden has commented publicly about the release of Pentagon documents that were posted on several social media sites. They appear to detail U.S. and NATO aid to Ukraine and U.S. intelligence assessments regarding U.S. allies that could strain ties with those nations. The Justice Department has opened an investigation. “I’m concerned that it happened, but there’s nothing contemporaneous that I’m aware of that is of great consequence,” said Biden, who is in Dublin visiting with Irish leaders Thursday. Biden noted there was a “full-blown” investigation going on with the intelligence community and the Justice Department. “We’re getting close,” he said on answers. “But I don’t have an answer.” There’s no clear answ...

Why is women’s tennis China boycott over Peng Shuai ending?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:17:11 GMT

The women’s professional tennis tour is ending its suspension of tournaments in China that was initiated in late 2021 over concerns about Grand Slam doubles champion Peng Shuai’s well-being.The WTA announced Thursday that it will return to competition in China this season, even though two of its key requests were never met: a chance to meet with Peng, and a thorough, transparent investigation of her sexual assault accusations against a high-ranking Chinese government official. WHO IS PENG SHUAI?Peng is a former pro tennis player who reached No. 1 in the WTA rankings in doubles in 2014 and made it as high as No. 14 in singles in 2011. In doubles, Peng won major championships at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014; her best Grand Slam showing in singles was a run to the semifinals at the U.S. Open in 2014. In all, she won 23 WTA titles in doubles and two in singles; she also represented China at three Summer Olympics. Her career prize money is listed by the WTA as more than ...

Metro train operator out of job after overshooting Silver Line station

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:17:11 GMT

A train operator is no longer employed by Metro after putting a train into automatic mode, resulting in the train overshooting a station platform last month in Herndon, Virginia.The incident happened on March 17 along the Silver Line at Innovation Station in Fairfax County.“The investigation has determined that the train operator had initially operated in ATO [automatic-control system] in passenger service, undetected by Metrorail numerous times, including multiple times on the day of the safety event,” said Washington Metrorail Safety Commission CEO David Mayer, at a Commission meeting held on Tuesday.More Local NewsMore Transportation NewsHe said the front of the train stopped over 100 feet past the end of the platform, after the train operator initiated emergency braking.Mayer said that’s not the only safety violation that was discovered. “Video related to this event demonstrates that the operator was eating a meal while operating the train, which is also ...

US displays firepower in combat drills with Philippines

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:17:11 GMT

FORT MAGSAYSAY, Philippines (AP) — U.S. and Filipino forces on Thursday blasted vehicles with anti-tank missiles in combat-readiness drills in the Philippines that are part of a show of American firepower that has alarmed China.The long-time treaty allies are holding their largest joint military exercises called Balikatan — Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder — in decades. They involve about 17,600 military personnel and will feature live-fire maneuvers, including a ship-sinking rocket attack and beach assaults to simulate retaking an island near the disputed South China Sea.In a gunnery range at Fort Magsaysay, a northern Philippine training camp for Filipino special forces, American and Filipino troops fired Javelin guided missiles toward three target vehicles simulating a battle zone. The missiles streaked at a low altitude for more than half a kilometer (half a mile) toward their targets and exploded in a fireball that shook the ground.“This is what it looks like when the U.S...

Cannes sets slate with Wes Anderson, Todd Haynes, the Weeknd

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:17:11 GMT

New films by Wes Anderson, Alice Rohrwacher, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Todd Haynes and Wim Wenders will compete for the Cannes Film Festival’s coveted top honor, the Palme d’Or, as will a record number of films directed by women.Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux and president Iris Knobloch, who took over the post last year from Pierre Lescure, announced a lineup heavy on big-name international auteurs, along with some new faces, in a press conference Thursday in Paris.Among the 19 films selected for Cannes’ prestigious competition slate are Anderson’s sci-fi homage “Asteroid City,” Wenders’ “Perfect Days”; Kor-eda’s “Monster”; Alice Rohrwacher’s “La Chimera”; and Haynes’ “May December,” a romance with Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. Ken Loach, long a Cannes regular, will return with “The Old Oak.” Jonathan Glazer will premiere his first feature since 2013’s “Under the Skin” with his Martin Amis adaptation “Zone of Interest.” After a scaled-down 2021 event and a...

Finnish president: Joining NATO won’t solve all our problems

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:17:11 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö on Thursday warned that the country’s new status as a NATO member “doesn’t solve every problem,” and said Helsinki should not let down its guard on security issues.“We still bear the main responsibility for our own security. Wherever we detect any gaps or vulnerabilities, they must be fixed,” Niinistö said, in a speech to lawmakers as they gathered for the first time since the April 2 elections.He added that Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia, has been focused on regional security in the past year, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.“We must not let this level of alertness drop in the future, either,” the president said as he formally opened the 200-member Eduskunta legislature. “We should better understand how organically the dangers and tensions we are witnessing here are linked with the increasing geopolitical pressures.”Finland’s main conservative party cam...

Women’s tennis tour ends Peng Shuai-inspired China boycott

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:17:11 GMT

The women’s professional tennis tour will bring its events back to China later this year, announcing on Thursday the end of a boycott instituted in late 2021 over concerns about the safety of former player Peng Shuai after she accused a high-ranking government official there of sexual assault.WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said in an interview with The Associated Press that while what he sought was never delivered — a chance for someone from the tour to meet with Peng, along with a full and transparent investigation into the Grand Slam doubles champion’s accusations — the decision was made, with input from player and tournament representatives, to return to the country. “The stance that we took at the time was appropriate. And we stand by that. But 16 months into this, we’re convinced that our requests will not be met. And to continue with the same strategy doesn’t make sense,” Simon said from St. Petersburg, Florida, where the WTA is based. “So we needed to look at a different ap...

Women’s tennis tour returning to China in 2023, ending boycott over concerns about former player Peng Shuai’s safety

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:17:11 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Women’s tennis tour returning to China in 2023, ending boycott over concerns about former player Peng Shuai’s safety.Source

Report criticizes Dutch authorities over risky emissions

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:17:11 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Businesses and local governments in the Netherlands must do more to protect residents who live near large industrial plants against the damaging effects of emissions, an independent report concluded Thursday.The investigation by the Dutch Safety Board was launched amid long-standing concerns that residents were being exposed to potentially dangerous emissions and anger that companies and local authorities were not responsive.The probe initially focused on a Tata Steel plant in the North Sea coastal town of Ijmuiden. It was later expanded to include a Chemours chemical plant in Dordrecht and an asphalt manufacturer in Nijmegen.The Tata Steel plant has long been a source of concern for local residents. Dutch prosecutors last year opened a criminal investigation into alleged “intentional and unlawful introduction of hazardous substances into the soil, air or surface water.” In addition, the probe targets Harsco Metals Holland, a company that also operates ...