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US vice chair of Armed Services Committee promises ‘resolute reaction’ if Taiwan is attacked

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:06 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A U.S. congressional delegation visiting Taiwan said Friday the U.S. would act if the island was attacked and promised to resolve the $19 billion backlog in its defense purchases from the U.S. “Know that any hostile unprovoked attack on Taiwan will result in a resolute reaction from the U.S.,” said Rob Wittman, vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, in a speech, ahead of meetings with President Tsai Ing-Wen.U.S. law requires Washington provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself and treat all threats to the island as matters of “grave concern,” but remains ambiguous on whether it would commit forces in response to an attack from China. Wittman of Virginia, along with Carlos Gimenez of Florida and Jen Kiggans of Virginia, arrived Thursday for a three-day visit to Taiwan. The three Republicans are meeting with Tsai and the head of Taiwan’s National Security Council Wellington Koo.Taiwan is a self-ruled island claimed by China that has faced...

Afghanistan’s female cricketers plead with sport’s world governing body: help us play again

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:06 GMT

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Just over two years ago, Firooza Amiri was an 18-year-old batter for the Afghanistan women’s cricket team, ready to take on the world if given the chance.But just like that, her world and that of millions of others in her country changed forever.Forced to flee with her family when the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, Amiri and her family first traveled to Pakistan and then were evacuated to Australia, She still lives in Australia, along with most of her 25 teammates.Now, looking for their place in international competition, they are pleading with the International Cricket Council and the Afghanistan cricket authorities to give them a place to play, despite the Taliban’s ban on women in sport and education.“Yeah, unfortunately two weeks ago was the two-year anniversary of the Taliban and our BLACK DAY,” Amiri said in a message to The Associated Press, accentuating two words in capital letters.Amiri and her family were from t...

US jobs report for August could point to a moderating pace of hiring as economy gradually slows

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:06 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Slowly and steadily, an overheated American job market is returning to room temperature.The Labor Department is expected to report Friday that U.S. employers — companies, nonprofits and government agencies combined — added 170,000 jobs last month, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet. That would be down from the 187,000 jobs that were added in July and would be the lowest monthly gain since December 2020.“We are beginning to see this slow glide into a cooler labor market,’’ said Becky Frankiewicz, chief commercial officer at the employment firm ManpowerGroup. “Make no mistake: Demand is cooling off. … But it’s not a freefall.’’The latest sign that the pace of hiring is losing some momentum — without going into a nosedive — would be welcomed by the Federal Reserve, which has been trying to tame inflation with a series of 11 interest rate hikes. The Fed is hoping to achieve a rare “soft landing,” in which it would manage to slow hiring ...

Australian consumer watchdog calls for record fine against Qantas over canceled flights

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:06 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s consumer watchdog on Friday called for Qantas Airways to be punished with a record fine for allegedly selling tickets on thousands of flights that had already been canceled.Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said Qantas’ penalty for allegedly breaching consumer law should be more than double the Australian record 125 million Australian dollar ($81 million) fine imposed on the Volkswagen Group in 2019 for misleading customers about the level of exhaust emissions from its diesel engines.“We consider that this should be a record penalty for this conduct,” Cass-Gottieb told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “We are going to seek a penalty that will underline that this is not just to be a cost of doing business.” “We consider these penalties to have been too low. We think the penalties should be in hundreds of million, not tens of million,” she added.The commission filed a lawsuit against Qantas in the Federal Court ...

Just like old times: Pearl Jam delivers a high-energy show at Xcel Energy Center

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:06 GMT

Pearl Jam almost had us going for a while there. For the first half-hour of its tour-opening concert at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center Thursday night, it looked as if the last survivors of the early ‘90s grunge scene were at last acting their age.The Seattle quintet opened their set seated and strumming like a clutch of folkies gathered on a back porch, even the legendary high-energy frontman Eddie Vedder swiveling on his stool like a grandfather at his work bench. One thunderous rocker after another was getting the mostly acoustic treatment, the opening “Indifference” giving way to the more recent “Buckle Up.” But buckling up didn’t seem to be necessary. It looked like a mellow evening was in store.Eddie Vedder performs with Pearl Jam, who played the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Aug. 31, 2023. (Courtesy of Joe Lemke)Vedder even paused to talk of his daughters recently reintroducing him to the “MTV Unplugged” show the band recorded in 1992 and muse upon how enjoyable it might be...

Concert review: Duran Duran serves up terrific night of ’80s nostalgia at the Grandstand

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:06 GMT

Last August, Duran Duran was set to open their U.S. tour at Mystic Lake Casino Amphitheater but a rainstorm forced the British pop stars to cancel the show. They had much better luck Thursday at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, with clear skies and temps in the low 70s making for a gorgeous night to see an outdoor show. (If the forecast holds, unfortunately, Thursday will stand as the final ideal weather night of this year’s Fair.)Nile Rodgers and Chic opened with a typically joyous, thrilling set that included both Chic classics (“Le Freak,” “Good Times,” “Everybody Dance”) and songs Rodgers had a hand in crafting for other artists like David Bowie’s “Modern Love” and “Let’s Dance,” Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out” and “Upside Down” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” British indie pop band Bastille felt like an odd choice on the bill and they came across like a Big Lots Coldplay.The temperature in the Grandstand spiked when Duran Duran took the stage a...

Support for Original Crusoe’s after owner says restaurant could close

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:06 GMT

ST. LOUIS – About 10 years ago, Stevie LaChance took over her father’s Original Crusoe’s restaurant and bar in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood in south St. Louis City.“It’s just been an uphill battle,” LaChance said.LaChance’s college degree is in elementary education, and she was working as a bartender when she took over the restaurant.“It was a learning curve for sure,” she said.LaChance hit the ground running, trying to keep the restaurant, which first opened in 1979, afloat.“I do everything,” she said. “If it needs to be done, I’m doing it.” Police: DWI, hit-and-run suspect caught by his own Tesla cameras On Wednesday, Stevie announced on Facebook she would be closing down the restaurant.“This is probably one of the hardest things our family has had to do. Unfortunately, we are going to have to close our restaurant of 44 years,” she wrote.LaChance said a combination of COVID-19, a recent power outage, and fewer customers willing to come to south city all contributed to the decis...

Three found dead at remote Rocky Mountain campsite were trying to escape society, stepsister says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:06 GMT

DENVER — The stepsister of a Colorado woman who was found dead along with her sister and teenage son at a remote Rocky Mountain campsite says the women fled into the wilderness after struggling to cope with societal changes in recent years, but they were unequipped to survive off the grid.Exposed to several feet of snow, chills below zero and with no food found at their camp, Christine Vance, Rebecca Vance and Rebecca’s son likely died of malnutrition and hypothermia, according to the autopsies released this week. Authorities haven’t released the boy’s name.Those reports contained another chilling detail that brought stepsister Trevala Jara to tears: The 14-year-old boy’s body was found with Jara’s favorite, blessed rosary that she gave the group before they left.“God was with them,” said Jara, who still hasn’t mustered the strength to remove the rosary from the hazard bag. But Jara, who tried to convince them not to go, has questions....

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride returns to Griffith Park for 15th Anniversary

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:06 GMT

The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride returns this spooky season to celebrate its 15th Anniversary with brand-new mazes and attractions.The beloved Halloween event takes over Griffith Park and becomes the fictional town of Midnight Falls from Sept. 22 through Oct. 31.Additions this year include brand-new wagons with various seating options, updated effects, new horror scenes, new add-on experiences, and new attractions.A new maze, “Hellbilly Halloween,” invites visitors to venture into the backwoods where a “long-rumored cannibalistic family has taken in the spirit of Halloween by dishing out diabolical tricks filled with horrifying treats.”New activities include:Midnight Falls Axe Throwing: With the curse of the witch plaguing Midnight Falls, learn to protect yourself from the less-than-friendly ghouls.Zombie Splat - A GellyBall Experience: Keep the army of the undead at bay and protect Midnight Falls! Gellyball is smaller than traditional paintballs and uses a colored water balloon, all...

Contender or pretender? One team looks the part in SF Giants’ romp over big-pocketed Padres

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:06 GMT

SAN DIEGO — On the Giants’ last visit here, one team was in the thick of a playoff race and the other decidedly was not. It showed. Seats were packed. Play was lopsided. On one side, it was especially sloppy.That was last year.On their first and only visit to America’s finest city, an oddity of the balanced schedule and two games in Mexico City, the tables had turned.For all their struggles, the Giants entered Thursday’s series opener against the Padres holding the slimmest of leads on a playoff position, while the star-studded opposition — carrying the game’s third-highest payroll — held the same record as the team that sent them Juan Soto last season.And in front of more than a few empty seats on the first day of Labor Day weekend, one team went down with a whimper, committed mental and physical errors and generally played uncompetitive baseball while the other squad poured it on. In other words, one team played like a playoff contender.The Giants, having s...