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In ancient cities and mountain towns, rescuers seek survivors from Morocco’s quake of the century

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:43 GMT

MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — Morocco worked Sunday to rescue survivors and prayed for victims of the country’s strongest earthquake in more than a century, while soldiers and aid workers brought water and supplies to mountain villages in ruins. More than 2,000 people are dead — a number that is expected to rise.Those left homeless by the destruction of Friday night’s earthquake slept outside Saturday, in the streets of the ancient city of Marrakech or under makeshift canopies in Atlas Mountain towns like Moulay Brahim, among the hardest-hit. The worst destruction is in small, rural communities that are hard for rescuers to reach because of the mountainous terrain.The magnitude-6.8 earthquake sent people racing from their beds into the streets and toppled buildings in mountainous villages and cities not built to withstand such a mighty quake. Some 2,012 people were confirmed dead and at least 2,059 more people were injured — 1,404 critically — Morocco’s Interior Ministry reported ...

Egypt’s annual inflation hits a new record, reaching 39.7% in August

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:43 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s annual inflation rate hit a new record high in August, as the cash-strapped country continues to battle price hikes and a depreciating currency, the Egyptian statistics bureau said Sunday.The annual inflation rate reached 39.7% last month, up from 38.2% recorded in July, according to data released by the state-run Central Agency for Mobilization and Statistics. On a monthly basis, prices grew 1.6% last month, down from a prior 1.9% rise in July.Prices in Egypt rose across many sectors, from food items and medical services to housing and furniture following the Russia-Ukraine war, which unleashed a wave of inflation across the globe.The figures released Sunday morning showed that food prices, the main drivers of inflation, rose by over 70% in August compared to the same month last year. Grains, meat, poultry, fish, and fruit were among the products with the biggest price spikes.The inflation rate in August more than doubled compared to the same month last year, w...

A Pakistani soldier is killed in a shootout with militants near Afghanistan border, military says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:43 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani soldier was killed in an overnight shootout with militants in the country’s northwest, near the border with Afghanistan, the military said.A military statement late Saturday said the shootout took place in Mir Ali, a major town of North Waziristan that served as a safe haven for militants for decades. It said the military had been searching for terrorists there. The shootout took place days after Pakistan closed the key northwestern Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan after border guards from the two sides exchanged fire Wednesday. Clashes that same day in the northwestern Chitral district near the border killed four Pakistani soldiers and 12 militants. Scores of trucks loaded with goods, many carrying perishable items including vegetables and fruits, were still lined up on both sides of the Torkham border point Sunday, waiting for the crossing to reopen. Torkham witnessed previous clashes in February and the town remained closed for several d...

Trudeau only G20 leader to pull away from longer handhold with Modi at ceremony

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:43 GMT

NEW DELHI — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pulled his hand away from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was attempting to hold the Canadian leader’s hand during a wreath laying ceremony on the second day of the G20 Summit. Leaders of the most powerful countries were greeted by Modi at Ghandi’s cremation site, with Modi embracing several leaders with a handhold. That included Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, U.K. President Rishi Sunak and France President Emmanuel Macron. Trudeau, who shook Modi’s hand, was the only leader to pull away from the longer handhold. Trudeau also skipped Modi’s leaders’ dinner the night before, with the prime minister’s office refusing to say why. The two are expected to have a brief pull aside today at the G20 where Trudeau will discuss building their relationship on mutual respect, and rule of law. Despite Canada having the largest Indian diaspora population in the world, a cloud lingers over the two countries diplomatic relations stemming fro...

Sunday's Chicago Bears Kick-Off forecast looking good; a different story for Monday as widespread rain arrives overnight

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:43 GMT

Things looking really good—partly cloudy skies with a breeze off the lake 5-10 mph for kick-off. As it continues its approach the United States, any potential impacts will depend on when it will turnFrom the National Weather Service: It remains too soon to know what level of impacts, if any, Lee might have along the U.S. East Coast, Atlantic Canada, or Bermuda late next week, especially since the hurricane is expected to slow down considerably over the southwestern Atlantic. Regardless, dangerous surf and rip currents are expected along most of the U.S. East Coast beginning Sunday and continuing into next week as Lee grows in size. The critical day will come Wednesday as the hurricane is expected to turn northward, away from Florida... CONTINUE READINGIn Maricopa County, the most populous county in Arizona, County public health officials said that there have been 194 heat-related deaths for this year as of Sept. 2, with an additional 351 under investigation. CONTINUE READING

Saturday Night Five: Utah, Oregon road wins highlight another stellar week (on the field) for the Pac-12

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:43 GMT

Instant reaction to Pac-12 developments in Week 2 …1. Rolling onOnly a sizzling start to the regular season would enable the Pac-12 to equal the stratospheric preseason hype.Through two weeks, it has managed to clear the bar.The conference ripped off seven more out-of-league victories Saturday and currently boasts the following records:— 20-3 against non-conference opponents, the best in the country.— 4-3 against Power Five opponents.— 3-1 on the road against Power Five opponents.What’s more, it probably will start Week 3 with seven teams in the AP top-25 poll. The six currently ranked should hold their ground while UCLA, which plastered San Diego State, inches into the poll from its spot just below the cut.(Or could Washington State enter the poll after a decisive win over No. 19 Wisconsin?)Non-conference records to date:Pac-12: 20-3 (86.9 percent)SEC: 23-6 (79.3 percent)ACC: 18-6 (75 percent)Big Ten: 21-7 (75 percent)Big 12: 20-8 (71.4 percent)The remaining...

UK’s Sunak raises ‘strong concerns’ over alleged China spy in parliament

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:43 GMT

NEW DELHI — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak raised “very strong concerns” with a top Chinese official about Beijing’s alleged interference in the U.K. parliament.Sunak relayed his concerns to Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G20 summit in India following the arrest of a purported Chinese spy working in the parliament.Sunak told broadcasters in New Delhi that he expressed “very strong concerns about any interference in our parliamentary democracy, which is obviously unacceptable.”He added that his meeting with Li in the margins of the G20 gathering was an example of the benefits of engagement rather than “shouting from the sidelines.” “We discussed a range of things and I raised areas where there are disagreements,” Sunak said. “And this is just part of our strategy to protect ourselves, protect our values and our interests, to align our approach to China with that of our allies like America, Australia, Canada, Japan and others, but also to engage where it makes ...

Azerbaijan pledges to reopen Lachin Corridor to Nagorno-Karabakh

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:43 GMT

YEREVAN, Armenia — Azerbaijan has agreed to reopen the only highway linking Armenia to the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh provided local leaders accept aid from Azerbaijan as well, a senior Azerbaijani official told POLITICO on Saturday.The news comes after authorities in the ethnic Armenian-controlled exclave — inside Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized borders — announced earlier in the day that it would accept humanitarian shipments from the Russian Red Cross via an alternative road from Aghdam, inside Azerbaijani government-held territory.According to Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, “Azerbaijan expressed its consent as a goodwill gesture to ensure simultaneous opening” of the so-called Lachin Corridor for ICRC cargo. The road connects the mountainous territory to Armenia. The acceptance, he said, would pave the way for a separate deal to allow passage from Armenia. “In the Lachin checkpoint, Azerbaijan’s customs a...

MLB Notes: Yoshida excited by prospect of former teammate Yamamoto coming to MLB

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:43 GMT

Yoshinobu Yamamoto might be the best pitcher in the world most Americans have never seen. The Japanese ace has posted preposterous numbers in Nippon Professional Baseball since going pro as a teenager, and now the 25-year-old is expected to become one of the most highly coveted arms on the market when he makes the jump to MLB this coming offseason.One person who knows Yamamoto’s talents better than almost anyone, however, is Masataka Yoshida. The Red Sox outfielder played with Yamamoto for most of his career and is relishing the prospect of seeing his old teammate again.“It’s going to be a great experience if we can face each other in the United States,” Yoshida said this week via translator Keiichiro Wakabayashi.Yoshida and Yamamoto were teammates for six seasons with the Orix Buffaloes, leading the club to back-to-back pennants and the 2022 Japan Series championship, Orix’s first in 26 years. The two also helped lead Samurai Japan to a gold medal at t...

Australian, and Indonesian forces deploy battle tanks in US-led combat drills amid Chinese concern

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:43 GMT

BANYUWANGI, Indonesia (AP) — Thousands of soldiers from the United States, Indonesia, Australia and other allied forces demonstrated their armor capabilities on Sunday in combat drills on the Indonesian island of Java at a time of increased Chinese aggression in the region. President Joe Biden’s administration has been strengthening an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to reassure allies alarmed by Beijing’s increasingly provocative actions in the disputed South China Sea, which has become a battleground for U.S-Chinese rivalries.During the drills, Australian forces deployed five M1A1 Abrams battle tanks and the Indonesian military, deployed two Leopard-2 tanks for the two-week combat exercises in Banyuwangi, a coastal district in East Java province which began Sept. 1. It will include live-fire drills.It was the first time Australia deployed battle tanks outside its territory since the Vietnam war.The Garuda Shield drills have been held annually between American a...