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US and South Korea sharpen deterrence plans over North Korean nuclear threat

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:53 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States and South Korea on Monday updated a bilateral security agreement with the aim of more effectively countering North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats.The move followed high-level military talks in Seoul, where the allies also discussed enhancing three-way defense exercises with Japan and improving information-sharing on North Korean missile launches.U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Seoul for annual security talks with South Korean military officials, including Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, which were focused on boosting nuclear deterrence against North Korea. They also talked about how the allies could coordinate over broader geopolitical issues, including Russia’s war on Ukraine and China’s regional assertiveness, Austin said.Tensions between the Koreas are at their highest point in years as the pace of both North Korea’s weapons tests and South Korea’s combined military exercises with the United States have intensifi...

Poland’s newly elected parliament meets for the first time

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:53 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Polish parliament is meeting for the first time on Monday after an election last month heralded a change of course for the Central European nation at a time of war across the border in Ukraine.Following a choreography determined by the constitution, President Andrzej Duda will address the ceremonial opening of the newly elected legislature. The lawmakers will take their oaths and elect a speaker.The outgoing prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki. must resign with his government, though he is expected to remain as a caretaker premier, perhaps for weeks, because Duda has delayed the transition of power.The 460 lawmakers elected to the lower house of parliament, the Sejm, will gather at noon. The 100-seat Senate will follow with its first session later in the afternoon. Both bodies have been chosen for a four-year term.All of the lawmakers were chosen in an election on Oct. 15 collectively won by pro-EU parties ranging from conservatives to the left. They ran sep...

30th Scotiabank Giller Prize to be handed out at televised gala tonight

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:53 GMT

TORONTO — The denizens and dignitaries of CanLit will gather tonight to crown the winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize — and celebrate the 30th anniversary of the prestigious award.One of five writers will receive the $100,000 prize this evening during a televised gala at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto.The finalists include Sarah Bernstein for “Study for Obedience,” Eleanor Catton for “Birnam Wood” and Kevin Chong for “The Double Life of Benson Yu.”Rounding out the short list are “The Islands: Stories” by Dionne Irving and “All the Colour in the World” by CS Richardson. Funnyman Rick Mercer has been tapped to host the ceremony, which will air on CBC TV and CBC Gem at 9 p.m. ET.The award was first handed out in 1994, a year after the death of its namesake, literary journalist Doris Giller. Her husband, Jack Rabinovitch, founded the prize to further Giller’s legacy. Like his wife, he sought to uplift Canadian litera...

Hundreds of Canadians cross at Rafah on Sunday, but none appear on list for today

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:53 GMT

OTTAWA — After 234 Canadians, permanent residents and their eligible family members were allowed to cross from Gaza into Egypt yesterday, a  published list of those who will be allowed to cross today doesn’t appear to have any Canadians on it.The General Authority for Crossings and Borders posts a daily list of foreigners cleared to make the journey through the crossing at Rafah, compiled in co-ordination with the Egyptian and Israeli governments.Canadians do not appear to have made the latest list, which was released Sunday, for permission to cross on Monday.On Friday, the list was expanded to include 266 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their family members, meaning some people on the list have not yet made it out.The war, now in its sixth week, began on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants stormed into Israel, killing an estimated 1,200 people and taking roughly 240 others back into Gaza as hostages. Israel has retaliated with daily air and land strikes, and the Hamas-run ...

UK leader fires interior minister who accused police of favoring pro-Palestinian protesters

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:53 GMT

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday fired Home Secretary Suella Braverman, a divisive figure who drew anger for accusing police of being too lenient with pro-Palestinian protesters.The government said Braverman had left her job as part of a Cabinet shuffle as Sunak shakes up his top government team. She was replaced by James Cleverly, who had been foreign secretary.Braverman said “it has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary,” adding that she would “have more to say in due course.”Sunak had been under growing pressure to fire Braverman — a hard-liner popular with the authoritarian wing of the governing Conservative Party — from one of the most senior jobs in government, responsible for handling immigration and policing.In a highly unusual attack on the police last week, Braverman said London’s police force was ignoring lawbreaking by “pro-Palestinian mobs.” She described demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in Gaza as “hate ...

Daily horoscope for November 13, 2023

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:53 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or major decisions from 5:45 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. EST today (2:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. PST). After that, the Moon moves from Scorpio into Sagittarius.Happy Birthday for Monday, Nov. 13, 2023:You are intelligent and observant, and you have strong convictions. You are well informed and persuasive. This year is about hard work. It’s time to create solid foundations in your life. Keep things simple. Take charge of your health. Exercise will be important. Stay grounded and levelheaded.ARIES(March 21-April 19)★★★Some days you can trust your knee-jerk reactions or your intuition. But not today. Be careful. When it comes to the wealth and assets of others, especially your partner — including shared property as well as inheritances or insurance issues — give everything a sober second thought. Tonight: Stay mum.TAURUS(April 20-May 20)★★Slow down and take it easy today, because unexpected input from partners and close friends might rattle you. Meanwhile, ...

Commission sends requests for information to Meta and Snap under the Digital Services Act

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:53 GMT

The European Commission has formally sent Meta and Snaprequests for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission is requesting the companies to provide more information on the measures they have taken to comply with their obligations related to the protection of minors under the DSA, including the obligations related to risk assessments and mitigation measures to protect minors online, in particular with regard to the risks to mental health and physical health, and on the use of their services by minors.Meta and Snapmust provide the requested information to the Commission by 1 December 2023. Based on the assessment of the replies, the Commission will assess next steps. This could entail the formal opening of proceedings pursuant to Article 66 of the DSA.Pursuant to Article 74 (2) of the DSA, the Commission can impose fines for incorrect, incomplete, or misleading information in response to a request for information. In case of failure to reply, the Commission may...

EU’s Borrell calls for immediate release of the hostages and condemns the use by Hamas of hospitals and civilians as human shields

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:53 GMT

”It is crucial that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) be given access to the hostages,” said the EU foreign policy chief in a statement."We call on Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release all hostages,’’ said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in a statement on Sunday (12 November).He also condemned the use of hospitals and civilians as human shields. "We condemn the use of hospitals and civilians as human shields by Hamas. Civilians must be allowed to leave the combat zone. Hostilities are severely impacting hospitals and taking a horrific toll on civilians."He called on Israel to exercise “maximum restraint” to protect civilians in the ongoing war.Borrell’s statement reiterated the EU’s position that Israel has “the right to defend itself in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law."The EU also "joins calls for immediate pauses in hostilities and the establishment of humanitarian corridors” in the Gaza Strip.It also calls o...

The Uzbek nuclear endeavour: Boon or bane for Central Asia?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:53 GMT

In the shadow of the Uzbek-Kazakh border, in a region prone to seismic tremors, Uzbekistan has unveiled plans to construct a nuclear power plant with significant help from Russia. This decision, given Russia’s current war in Ukraine and its resultant sanctions by Western nations, stirs unease and scepticism, writes Alan Kosh in International Policy Digest.Beyond geopolitical ramifications, there are substantial concerns that this project might disrupt the environmental equilibrium and investment climate throughout Central Asia, further exacerbating regional security tensions. One of the glaring consequences of this alliance is not merely its economic implications but the potential for Uzbekistan to be ensnared in a “strategic dependency” on Russia.In this geopolitical chessboard, Moscow, already wielding influence through avenues like labour migration, natural gas, and petrochemical products, stands to gain control over nuclear fuel production and the upkeep of the upcoming nuclear ...

Harriette Cole: I don’t have rich parents, and I’m scared about graduating

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:28:53 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am going into my senior year of college next year, and I’m getting scared to become an adult, especially in such an economically trying time.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I asked why my boyfriend’s mom doesn’t like me, and the answer hurt Advice | Harriette Cole: Ever since I committed to being happy, my life has been a trainwreck Advice | Harriette Cole: Does my husband’s full-time job exempt him from child care? Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m staggered by my boyfriend’s rule for living together Advice | Harriette Cole: How can I extract myself from my teen romance? A lot of my friends come from wealth and will have their parents to fall back on when they graduate. They may get an allowance or have their rent paid by their parents, so they don’t have to worry about struggling.I, on the other hand, do not have that luxury and have to wo...