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Palestinians report heavy shelling in south Gaza towns where civilians are seeking refuge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians in Gaza reported intense bombardments near the southern towns of Khan Younis and Rafah, where Israel ordered civilians to seek refuge, early Tuesday. Details of causalities were not immediately available.Israeli bombs hit areas west and southeast of Khan Younis and west of Rafah, according to local reports. Thousands of people trying to escape Gaza are gathered in Rafah, which contains the territory’s only border crossing to Egypt, as international mediators press for a deal to allow aid in and refugees with foreign passports out. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The U.S. hoped to break a deadlock over delivering aid to increasingly desperate civilians in besieged Gaza following a brutal attack by Hamas militants, as President Joe Biden was set to head to Israel and Jordan on Wednesday.Aid workers warned that life in Gaza was near complete collapse because of the Israeli siege, with ...

Chinese search engine company Baidu unveils Ernie 4.0 AI model, claims that it rivals GPT-4

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese search engine and artificial intelligence firm Baidu on Tuesday unveiled a new version of its artificial intelligence model, Ernie 4.0, claiming that it rivals models such as GPT-4 in the U.S.Baidu’s CEO Robin Li demonstrated Ernie 4.0 at the company’s annual Baidu World conference in Beijing. He said the model has achieved comprehension, reasoning, memory and generation, which uses algorithms to produce and create new content.Li said that Ernie 4.0 was able to understand complex questions and instructions and apply reasoning and logic to generate answers to questions.“It is not inferior in any aspect to GPT-4,” Li said, stating that the latest model was “significantly improved” compared to its original Ernie Bot model.In a live demonstration, Li prompted Ernie 4.0 to generate advertising materials including advertising posters and a marketing video. He also asked Ernie 4.0 to come up with a martial arts novel complete with characters with variou...

Stock market today: Asian shares gain on back of Wall Street rally as war shock to markets fades

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares advanced Tuesday after U.S. stocks rallied as investors unwound some of last week’s moves driven by worries about war in the Middle East. Oil prices slipped and U.S. futures also edged lower. Markets are awaiting China’s latest economic growth figures, due Wednesday. Economists are forecasting that annual growth dropped to under 5% in July-September from 6.3% in the previous quarter. A weaker Chinese economy is a drag on regional and global trade and manufacturing, slowing the global recovery from the pandemic. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was up 1% at 31,988.40 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.7% to 17,763.41. The Shanghai Composite index gained 0.3% to 3,081.75. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.5% to 7,059.00. India’s Sensex advanced 0.5% and the SET in Thailand rose 0.5%. Markets appeared to have recovered, for the moment, even as Israel was preparing for a likely ground offensive into Gaza and fears deepened that the conflict could ...

Putin begins visit in China underscoring ties amid Ukraine war and Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a visit that underscores China’s support for Moscow during its war in Ukraine as well as Russian backing for China’s bid to expand its economic and diplomatic influence abroad.The two countries have forged an informal alliance against the United States and other democratic nations that is now complicated by the Israel-Hamas war. China has sought to balance its ties with Israel against its relations with Iran and Syria, two countries that are strongly backed by Russia and with which China has forged ties for economic reasons as well as to challenge Washington’s influence in the Middle East.Putin’s plane was met by an honor guard as the Russian leader began his visit that is also a show of support for Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s signature “Belt and Road” initiative to build infrastructure and expand China’s overseas influence.In an interview to Chinese state media, Putin praised ...

Georgia deputy shoots, kills Black man who spent 16 years in prison on wrongful conviction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

KINGSLAND, Ga. (AP) — A Black man who spent more than 16 years imprisoned in Florida on a wrongful conviction was fatally shot Monday by a sheriff’s deputy in Georgia during a traffic stop, authorities said.The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is reviewing the shooting, identified the man as Leonard Allen Cure, 53.Cure had been represented in his exoneration case by the Innocence Project of Florida. The group’s executive director, Seth Miller, said he was devastated by news of the death, which he heard from Cure’s family.“I can only imagine what it’s like to know your son is innocent and watch him be sentenced to life in prison, to be exonerated and … then be told that once he’s been freed, he’s been shot dead,” Miller said.The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a Camden County deputy pulled over Cure as he drove along Interstate 95 near the Georgia-Florida line. He got out of the car at the deputy’s request and cooperated at first but became violent after he was told ...

Electrical grids aren’t keeping up with the green energy push. That could risk climate goals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Stalled spending on electrical grids worldwide is slowing the rollout of renewable energy and could put efforts to limit climate change at risk if millions of miles of power lines are not added or refurbished in the next few years, the International Energy Agency said.The Paris-based organization said in the report Tuesday that the capacity to connect to and transmit electricity is not keeping pace with the rapid growth of clean energy technologies such as solar and wind power, electric cars and heat pumps being deployed to move away from fossil fuels.IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol told The Associated Press in an interview that there is a long line of renewable projects waiting for the green light to connect to the grid. The stalled projects could generate 1,500 gigawatts of power, or five times the amount of solar and wind capacity that was added worldwide last year, he said.“It’s like you are manufacturing a very efficient, very speedy, very han...

World Medical Association stands firmly for principles of medical neutrality as defined by the Geneva Convention, and calls on all parties to respect International Law and the integrity of unrelated civilian populations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

The World Medical Association (WMA) mourns over the loss of lives, especially those of healthcare personnel on both sides of the conflict, and stands in solidarity with all the physicians and healthcare personnel who are on the frontline, risking their lives to provide crucial medical care during these challenging times. We remain committed to our mission of advocating for the ethical practice of medicine and promoting peace and respect for humanitarian principles. The WMA urgently calls upon all parties involved in the conflict to: Respect established International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and not use health facilities as military quarters or depots, nor to target health personnel facilities and vehicles. Provide to health personnel the adequate conditions to treat all patients with humanity and in compliance with the ethical values of their professions, including medical neutrality. Use humanitarian corridors to permit the safe provision of health equipment and humanitarian supplies...

3 dead in North Hollywood shooting; suspects still at large

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

Police are searching for several suspects in connection with a shooting in North Hollywood Monday night that left three people dead, authorities confirmed to KTLA.  Calls about the shooting near the intersection of Moorpark Street and Lankershim Boulevard came in at around 9:30 p.m.  Details are limited and it's unclear what led to the shooting, but authorities said that one of the shooting victims was pronounced dead at the scene, while two others drove themselves to the hospital where they later died from their injuries.  L.A. police on the scene of a triple fatal shooting in North Hollywood on Oct. 16, 2023. (KTLA)The suspects, only described as four Hispanic males in black clothing, were seen traveling southbound on Lankershim Boulevard in a silver sedan, police said.  Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department. This is a developing story. Please stay with KTLA for details.

Speed cameras coming to Los Angeles, Glendale and Long Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

Southern California might be known for its fast and furious drivers, but after Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation into law authorizing a speed-camera pilot program, those with the need for speed might want to think twice before pushing the pedal to the metal.  Los Angeles, Glendale and Long Beach are three of the six cities where the cameras are slated to go up and supporters of the safety cameras believe they will save lives.  SoCal driver Isaac Nikko told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo that he thinks the cameras will definitely slow him down. “I think it’ll stop me from speeding so much,” he said, “and help save lives.”  Others, though, told KTLA that they believe there are better ways to spend taxpayer money that don’t include installing speed cameras everywhere.  With the governor's signature on AB 645, L.A., Long Beach and Glendale are slated to be a part of a pilot program where speed cameras would be installed in parts of the city where drivers are prone to s...

2 dead after shooting in Wilmington; suspect still at large

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

Police are searching for at least one suspect after a deadly shooting Monday in Los Angeles’ harbor region that killed two men, authorities confirmed to KTLA.  Calls about the shooting in the 1000 block of East M Street, near Sanford Street, in Wilmington came in at around 5:15 p.m. Details are limited and it’s unclear what led to the shooting, but authorities said a 40-50-year-old man and a second unidentified male, also 40-50 years old, were suffering from gunshot wounds when they arrived. One of the victims was declared dead at the scene by paramedics with the Los Angeles Fire Department. The second victim was taken to the hospital where they later died of their injuries. Aerial footage of the scene captured by Sky5 showed a heavy presence of first responders, as well as a canopy, typically used when there is a death investigation, set up at the location.  L.A. police on the scene of a deadly shooting in Wilmington on Oct. 16, 2023. (KTLA)The shooting suspect, described...