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South Korea endorses the safety of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from Fukushima plant

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:56 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s government on Friday formally endorsed the safety of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into sea as it tried to calm people’s fears about food contamination.Seoul’s assessment was based on a 22-month review by government-funded scientists and aligned with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s views. The agency greenlit the Japanese discharge plans this week, saying the treated wastewater would meet international safety standards and that its environmental and health impact would be negligible.Even before Friday’s announcement, South Korean officials have been actively campaigning to dissolve the public’s unease about the wastewater release, holding daily briefings to address what they describe as “excessive fears” and tightening radiation tests on seafood imported from Japan.Conservative lawmakers from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s ruling party have even toured seafood markets to drink sea water ...

An Indian state court won’t stay Rahul Gandhi’s defamation verdict in a blow to his election hopes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:56 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian state court refused to stay opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s conviction for criminal defamation in a ruling Friday that sets back his prospects to contest national elections next year. A fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his main challenger in 2024 polls, Gandhi had been ousted from Parliament after his conviction in March, and a stay would have opened up a path to reinstate his parliamentary seat. The defamation case involved comments Gandhi made in a 2019 election speech that were deemed to be insulting to Modi’s surname. He was sentenced to two years in prison but the court suspended his prison sentence in April.Gandhi can still seek to stay the conviction to a larger bench of the Gujarat state high court or to the Supreme Court of India.He risks losing his eligibility to run in elections for the next eight years if a court doesn’t overturn his conviction and two-year sentence.A man who shares the prime minister’s surname, which is...

Is the EU doing all it can to keep our soil healthy?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:56 GMT

Special report by the European Court of Auditors (ECA)Publication on Monday 10 July at 5pm CESTSoil health is essential for sustainable farming. However, 60-70 % of EU soils are unhealthy, in part due to current soil and manure management practices. The common agricultural policy (CAP) has a number of financial and legislative tools intended to encourage improvements in soil and manure management, and the Nitrates Directive caps the application of nitrogen from livestock manure in polluted areas. The European Court of Auditors has assessed whether the European Commission and member states made effective use of available EU tools for managing agricultural soils and manure sustainably. The auditors assessed whether conditions of the EU’s direct farm payments to farmers were ambitious enough, whether the member states targeted the EU rural development funding well, and the impact of derogations. The audit covered the period from 2014 to 2020, and also looked forward to the period ...

Prospects for Ukraine's Invitation to NATO

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:56 GMT

A NATO summit will take place in Vilnius on 11-12 July. The world is eagerly awaiting how the issue of Ukraine's invitation to the Alliance will be resolved, Dispatches, IFBG.It should be noted that granting Ukraine an invitation would be a very good strategic decision for the Alliance and the whole collective West. Ukraine - having received security guarantees and official support - will become a serious geopolitical and economic player, and consequently NATO and the West will have a reliable partner who shares their values.An invitation to join NATO would greatly accelerate Ukraine's reform process in various areas, especially defence and security. Given that more than 82 percent of Ukrainians support NATO membership, such a move would also strengthen democracy in the country, further consolidate the population's ambitions, and boost the implementation of Western values.Interestingly, Ukrainians are not alone in welcoming Ukraine into NATO. A very large percentage o...

American Rascal looking to down the Brits at Royal Ascot

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:56 GMT

Royal Ascot is the richest horse racing meeting in the world, where for one week each year, the world's best horses go to battle in the industry's most prestigious races. Royal Ascot is considered to be the world cup of horse racing, as horses, trainers, and jockeys from all corners of the globe meet at the famous English racetrack.Horses from countries such as Australia, France, Japan, and the USA have enjoyed Royal Ascot success in the past, and in 2023 another group of foreign raiders are set to take on the best that the British and Irish have to offer.American Rascal - The USA's big hopeLegendary US trainer, Wesley Ward, has enjoyed some memorable visits to Royal Ascot throughout the years, and in 2023, the wily veteran will be represented by the brilliantly named American Rascal. Ward is a master of his trade and does particularly well with young sprinters that are at the beginning of their careers.The Norfolk Stakes, run over 5 furlongs, and for 2-year-old horses, is a race th...

EA offers a deeper look into gameplay and story of ‘Immortals of Aveum’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:56 GMT

One of the harder parts about launching a new intellectual property is that it can be hard to explain to a curious audience. That can be doubly so with video games when you have to get your hands on a project to truly understand the feel of the work.That difficulty is part of the reason why gamers see so many sequels. It’s easier and safer to convey what’s going on with an established franchise rather than a new one. With “Immortals of Aveum,” Electronic Arts and Ascendant Studios did a deeper dive on what to expect from the fantasy-inspired first-person shooter.The video below explains the premise and the situation behind the protagonist Jak. More importantly though, it details some of the gameplay. It focuses on mechanics such as the Sigils, which channel soldiers’ magic. They come in three colors that resemble different types of firearms. It goes deeper into Strike spells and specialized attacks called Furies that are powerful but limited by special ...

Twitter threatens legal action against Meta over Threads

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:56 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Twitter has threatened legal action against Meta over its new, text-based app called Threads, according to a letter obtained by Semafor.In a Wednesday letter addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alex Spiro, an attorney representing Twitter, accused Meta of unlawfully using Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property by hiring former Twitter employees to create a “copycat” app.Since launching Threads Wednesday night, Meta’s new app has collected tens of millions of sign ups. The app, which was created by the company’s Instagram team, arrives at a time when many are looking for Twitter alternatives to escape Elon Musk’s raucous oversight of the platform since acquiring it last year for $44 billion.Meta spokesperson Andy Stone responded to the report of Spiro’s letter on Threads Thursday afternoon, writing, “no one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee — that’s just not a thing.”In the letter, which Semafor fi...

AP PHOTOS: Russia’s war in Ukraine reaches the 500-day mark

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:56 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s war in Ukraine is set to reach the 500-day mark this weekend, a grim milestone for a conflict that rages with no end in sight.While the fighting has fallen largely into a stalemate — there has been no significant movement in battle lines control in months — the war continues to take a heavy toll on the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people. And the stakes are only getting higher.A month ago, a major dam that Russia controls in southern Ukraine collapsed, flooding an entire region with a toxic torrent that left death and destruction in its wake as well as long-term environmental consequences.Fears of a nuclear disaster have increased, particularly this week after Ukraine and Russia accused each other of planning to attack one of the world’s largest atomic power plants.Meanwhile, dozens of civilians in Ukraine have been killed by sporadic missiles launched by Russia, including many who were killed and wounded while dining in a pizza res...

Badji leads Cincinnati against Charlotte FC

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:56 GMT

FC Cincinnati (13-2-5, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Charlotte FC (6-8-7, ninth in the Eastern Conference)Charlotte, North Carolina; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLS LINE: Charlotte FC +127, FC Cincinnati +204, Draw +247; over/under is 2.5 goalsBOTTOM LINE: Dominique Badji leads Cincinnati into a matchup with Charlotte FC after scoring two goals against the New England Revolution.Charlotte is 5-5-5 in Eastern Conference games. Karol Swiderski leads the eighth-ranked scoring team in the Eastern Conference with five. Charlotte has scored 28 goals.Cincinnati is 8-1-4 in Eastern Conference games. Cincinnati has scored 32 goals while conceding 21 for a +11 goal differential.The teams meet Saturday for the first time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Swiderski has scored five goals with three assists for Charlotte. Justin Meram has three goals and three assists over the last 10 games.Luciano Acosta has scored nine goals with six assists for Cincinnati. Badji has four goals a...

Dodgers beat the Pirates 5-2 to pull within a half-game of NL West-leading Arizona

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:56 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Max Muncy and Freddie Freeman homered and Julio Urias pitched six innings to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 on Thursday night.The Dodgers took three of four from Pittsburgh to pull within a half-game of slumping Arizona for the NL West lead with two games left before the All-Star break.Freeman, who will participate in his seventh All-Star Game, was 3 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs. He made a sliding catch, turned a double play and stole a base.“That was a good fantasy night with steals and stuff,” Freeman joked. “It’s good. You just try to do the best you can every single night and I was able to be at the right spot at the right time.”Muncy hit the go-ahead home run in the sixth inning, a two-run shot to center field for his 20th of the season. Freeman led off the inning by legging out a double to the left-field corner, and Muncy then hit a 414-foot home run.Urias (6-5) allowed two runs on three hits, struck out eight and walked o...