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Restoration lags for Syria’s famed Roman ruins at Palmyra and other war-battered historic sites

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:14 GMT

PALMYRA, Syria (AP) — At the height of the Islamic State group’s rampage across Syria, the world watched in horror as the militants blew up an iconic arch and temple in the country’s famed Roman ruins in Palmyra.Eight years later, IS has lost its hold but restoration work on the site has been held up by security issues, leftover IS land mines and lack of funding.Other archaeological sites throughout Syria face similar problems, both in areas held by the government and by the opposition. They were damaged by the war or, more recently, by the deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck a wide area of neighboring Turkey and also Syria in February.Youssef Kanjou, a former director of Syria’s Aleppo National Museum, said the situation of heritage sites in his country is a “disaster.”Without a coordinated preservation and restoration effort, said Kanjou, now a researcher at Tübingen University in Germany, “We will lose what was not destroyed by the war or the earthquake....

Clashes in Senegal leave at least 9 dead; government bans use of social media platforms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:14 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Clashes between police and supporters of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko left nine people dead, the government said Friday, with authorities issuing a blanket ban on the use of several social media platforms in the aftermath of the violence.The deaths occurred mainly in the capital, Dakar, and Ziguinchor in the south, where Sonko is mayor, Interior Minister Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome said in a statement. Some social media sites used by demonstrators to incite violence, such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter have been suspended, he said. “The state of Senegal has taken every measure to guarantee the safety of people and property. We are going to reinforce security everywhere in the country,” Diome said.Sonko was convicted Thursday of corrupting youth but acquitted on charges of raping a woman who worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her. The court sentenced Sonko to two years in prison. He didn’t attend his trial in Dak...

US expands slots for asylum app at land crossings as demand overwhelms supply

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:14 GMT

HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) — U.S. authorities on Thursday expanded slots to seek asylum at land crossings with Mexico through a mobile app for the second time in less than a month, seeking to dispel doubts it isn’t a viable option.There are now 1,250 appointments at eight land crossings, up from 1,000 previously and 740 in early May.The increase “reflects our commitment to continue to expand lawful options for migrants,” said Blas Nuñez-Neto, the Homeland Security Department’s assistant secretary for border and immigration policy. “We’ll continue to expand appointments at the border as our operations allow in terms of capacity.”Nuñez-Neto called CBP One a “safe and orderly option” during a visit to Harlingen, Texas. He announced the expansion a week after Texas sued to end what the state government considers an illegal method of boosting immigration.Demand has far outstripped supply from the Jan. 12 start, prompting many to consider crossing the border illegally or givi...

US reopens embassy in Seychelles after 27-year absence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has reopened its embassy in the Seychelles after a 27-year absence during which China and other U.S. rivals made significant inroads in the Indian Ocean islands.The U.S. State Department announced the move late Thursday, after having unveiled plans to open a diplomatic mission in northern Norway, which will be its only only such facility above the Arctic Circle. The Seychelles embassy is part of a push to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. The U.S. is already constructing an embassy in the Maldives and has opened or announced plans to open embassies in the Pacific, including in the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Kiribati. The U.S. Embassy in the Seychelles capital of Victoria was shuttered in 1996 as part of cost-saving measures after the end of the Cold War. American interests in the 115-island archipelago about 1,500 kilometers (800 miles) east of mainland Africa had been handled by diplomats based in Mauritius.“The time is right...

Top American, Chinese defense officials vie for influence in Asia-Pacific

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:14 GMT

SINGAPORE (AP) — As the United States and China vie to establish new partnerships and expand influence with Asia-Pacific nations, the top defense officials from both nations are preparing to try to win support this weekend from their regional counterparts, diplomats and leaders at a security forum in Singapore.Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whose country is a stalwart American ally in the Pacific, is to give the keynote address Friday evening to open the dialogue at the Shangri-La Hotel hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank. Albanese, whose country has angered Beijing with its agreement with Britain and the U.S., known as AUKUS, to obtain nuclear-powered submarines to address the perceived rising threat from China, said he would focus on Australia’s deepening engagement, as well as “shared opportunities and challenges” in the region.“We want a region that is stable, peaceful, resilient and prosperous,” he said when his speech was a...

Ukraine says Russian missiles kill two children in Kyiv

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:14 GMT

A Russian missile attack on Kyiv killed three people including two children and injured 14 on Thursday, officials in the Ukrainian capital said.The Kyiv military administration said in a statement the attack struck the Desnyanskyi region on the capital's eastern outskirts as well as Dniprovkskyi district, closer to the centre.It was the 18th attack on the capital this month.Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said nine people needed hospital treatment. Emergency crews had extinguished fires caused by falling debris near the sites of the strikes.Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app a medical clinic had been hit. Photographs posted on the city's website showed windows blown out in the clinic and in nearby apartment buildings.Pictures from the scene posted on social media showed rescue teams attending to residents in buildings, with shattered building materials strewn about on the street.City authorities said the impact was from shot-down cruise or ballistic missiles.Air raid alerts in...

Grass-eating goats clear fire-prone brush near Reagan Library

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:14 GMT

The Ventura County Fire Department has hired some new four-legged firefighters to help clear brush surrounding the fire prone Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.  The 700 grass-eating goats will be contained by fencing in order to focus their grazing and cover more ground quickly.  According to Ventura Brush Goats, the organization providing the furry firefighters, goats eat about 4% of their body weight each day and are able to clear large swathes of brush, noxious and invasive weeds in a much safer and less expensive way than other methods.  Grass-eating goats seen here grazing on fire-prone brush near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on June 1, 2023. (TNLA)Grass-eating goats seen here grazing on fire-prone brush near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on June 1, 2023. (TNLA)They will also have several K-9 guards who will protect the goats from predators like coyotes and mountain lions.  Officials estimate that it will take...

City Rats GBH in LA

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:14 GMT

City Rats GBH in LA: If I had a time machine, once I’d killed Hitler and all that, I’d like to go back to late ’70s Birmingham, England, and tell fledgling street punks GBH (then called Charged GBH) that there would come a day when folk in Los Angeles, California, would be lining up around a theater to purchase their $30 shirts.They likely wouldn’t believe it, but their continued international popularity is deserved. For starters, the lineup has remained fairly solid. Frontman Colin Abrahall and guitarist Colin “Jock” Blyth have been in from the 1978 beginning, and bassist Ross Lomas joined just two years later. The most recent addition is drummer Scott Preece, and even he’s been in since ’94. In comparison to other punk bands of their era, GBH have stuck it out together.At the Fonda, they played a set that understandably leaned heavily on the 1982 City Baby Attacked by Rats debut, though the four songs from 2017’s Momentum sat c...

Meta tests blocking news content on Instagram, Facebook for some Canadians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:14 GMT

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Meta is temporarily blocking some Canadian users from accessing news content on Facebook and Instagram as part of a temporary test that is expected to last through the end of June, the tech giant said Thursday.The block — which follows a similar step taken by Google earlier this year — comes in response to a proposed bill that will require tech giants to pay publishers for linking to or otherwise repurposing their content online. Bill C-18, the Online News Act, is currently being considered in the Senate and could be passed as early as this month.Meta also said it is prepared to permanently block news content on Facebook and Instagram for Canadians if the bill passes.Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez called Meta’s move “disappointing” and said Canadians will not be intimidated by these tactics.The temporary block announced Thursday will affect one to 5% of its 24 million Canadian users, with the number of those impacted fluctuating throughout th...

Tropical Storm Mawar intensifies rains for Japan, threatens floods and mudslides in south and west

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:14 GMT

NAHA, Japan (AP) — Heavy rains intensified by Tropical Storm Mawar fell on Japan’s main archipelago Friday, halting trains and transit and threatening floods and mudslides in south and western regions.Warnings were issued in parts of western and central Japan, with up to 35 centimeters (1.1 feet) of rain forecast over the 24 hours through Saturday morning. Residents in vulnerable areas, including those in Wakayama, Kochi in the west and Nagano in central Japan, were warned of the potential for flooding and mudslides and advised to go to evacuation centers if possible.Television footage showed swollen rivers in residential area in the Wakayama city, including one where brown water rose as high as the bottom of a bridge over it. In Tokyo, the few pedestrians on the rainy streets clutched umbrellas as winds blew tree branches around. Afternoon classes were also cancelled at some schools in Tokyo.Shinkansen super-express trains were suspended or delayed between Tokyo and Okayama in west...