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As electric cars boom, locals fear Chinese battery plant will harm land in drought-stricken Hungary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:12 GMT

DEBRECEN, Hungary (AP) — Just beyond the pastoral gardens and traditional homes of an eastern Hungarian village, a gigaproject of Chinese industry is taking shape.Bulldozers and excavators are already preparing the land for construction of a nearly 550-acre electric vehicle (EV) battery plant. The 7.3 billion euro ($7.9 billion) factory will be one of Hungary’s largest-ever foreign investments, and the government hopes it will make the Central European country a global hub of lithium-ion battery manufacturing in an era where governments are increasingly seeking to limit greenhouse gas emissions by switching to electric cars. But residents, environmentalists and opposition politicians worry that the sprawling factory — built by China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) — will exacerbate existing environmental problems, hit the country’s precious water supplies and further undermine its economy to China.“You have this viscerally bad feeling when you wa...

Ukraine joining NATO in midst of war 'not on agenda' - Stoltenberg

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:12 GMT

Ukraine won't be able join NATO so long as the conflict with Russia continues, said the chief of the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg (pictured), on Wednesday (24 May).He said that joining a war was not an option. The issue is "what happens after the war ends".In September, Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a request for accelerated NATO membership after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared four regions of Ukraine that were partially occupied as Russian territory.NATO allies did not comply with Zelenskiy’s request. Western governments are wary of any move that could bring NATO closer to an active conflict with Russia.At the Vilnius summit, in July, Kyiv along with some of its closest eastern European allies has urged NATO to take at least concrete steps towards bringing Ukraine closer to joining.In an April op-ed, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kulleba said: "It's time for the Alliance to stop making excuses. It's time to start the process leading to Ukraine’s eventual accession. What we n...

Regional leaders commit in Cardiff to more and better co-operation between EU and non-EU Atlantic regions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:12 GMT

Many challenges are facing the Atlantic Area – including Brexit, COVID and war in Ukraine, but also long-standing ones such as the climate emergency and the green and digital transitions. Reunited in Cardiff (Wales) for the 2023 General Assembly of the CPMR Atlantic Arc Commission, Regional leaders from across the Atlantic reaffirm the need for further cooperation frameworks, including with Atlantic non-EU regions, and call for the swift adoption of an Atlantic Macro-Regional strategy.First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford welcomed delegates to Cardiff: “Wales is an outward-looking, globally-responsible nation. Wales is a nation that stands for solidarity and cooperation, working together with our European and non-European partners to address immediate and serious challenges to climate, nature and democracy – both here and around the world. Your presence here today reinforces that”.CPMR President and Regional Minister of Noord-Holland Cees Loggen addressed the members of the Atlanti...

Grab your snarfblatt and dinglehopper! The live-action ‘Little Mermaid’ takes us back ‘under the sea’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:12 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews 'The Little Mermaid' (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); It’s really hard to imagine in hindsight, but Disney Animation was sinking fast in 1989, struggling to regain its Golden Age footing after Walt’s untimely death in 1966 with embarrassing flops like “The Black Cauldron” (1985).Thankfully, “The Little Mermaid” (1989) swam in to save...

Arrestan a un sospechoso tras un tiroteo y un ataque con arma blanca en Japón que dejó cuatro muertos

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:12 GMT

(CNN) — El sospechoso del tiroteo y apuñalamiento que dejó cuatro muertos en Japón ya se encuentra bajo custodia policial, según informó la cadena pública japonesa NHK a primera hora del viernes, citando a la policía local.La policía de la ciudad de Nakano recibió el jueves una llamada en la que se informaba que un “hombre había apuñalado a una mujer”, declaró a CNN un funcionario de la policía municipal.Cuando los agentes acudieron al lugar, el sospechoso disparó algo parecido a un rifle de caza, hiriendo a cuatro personas, antes de atrincherarse en un edificio, añadió el funcionario.Entre las víctimas mortales se encuentra una mujer de unos 40 años, que fue trasladada al hospital, donde posteriormente fue declarada muerta. Dos agentes de policía también han fallecido a causa de sus heridas, informó la NHK. Los agentes tenían 46 y 61 años, según la policía.Una cuarta persona falleció el viernes, según informó la policía a la cadena pública japonesa NHK.Citando fue...

Police identify victim in Southwest DC shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:12 GMT

District police have identified the person killed in a Southwest DC shooting early Thursday morning.The department said a shooting was reported in the 100 block of Forrester Street just after 1:35 a.m.When officers arrived, they found Northwest D.C. resident Adrian Burgess, 19, with gunshot wounds. First responders with DC Fire and EMS believe he died at the scene.A suspect in the shooting hasn’t been identified. Anyone with information can submit a tip to the department by calling 202-727-9099 or texting their tip to 50411.Source

Germany’s Scholz says he’ll speak to Putin ‘in due course’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:12 GMT

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was willing to start talking with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin again, with relations between the two leaders almost nonexistent as the Kremlin continues its assault on Ukraine. “My last phone call was some time ago,” Scholz said in an interview with the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger published Friday. “But I intend to talk to Putin again in due course,” the chancellor added.The last known phone call between the two leaders took place in December, when they agreed to “stay in touch.” Scholz at the time called for a diplomatic solution to the war, including a withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, while Putin said the German supply of weapons to Kyiv was “destructive” and urged Berlin to rethink its approach.In the interview, Scholz said he remained committed to peace talks.“It does not look like the war can be decided on the battlefield,” Scholz said, stressing that the withdrawal o...

Man joins VIP convoy, hugs German chancellor; security breach under investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:12 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German police have been left red-faced after a member of the public was able to slip into a VIP convoy for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and then give him a hearty hug as he prepared to board a plane at Frankfurt Airport.Tabloid newspaper Bild reported Friday that Scholz’s bodyguards only realized their mistake later, and chased the man down.Scholz’s office confirmed the incident, which happened late Wednesday as Scholz made his way back to Berlin following a celebration for the 25th anniversary of the European Central Bank.Nobody was hurt in the incident but an investigation into the security breach has been launched.The Associated Press

Scarred by war, Ukrainian children carry on after losing parents, homes and innocence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:12 GMT

LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — The two children squinted to see through the thick smoke that hung in the air after a deafening blast shook their small home in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.The pair, ages 9 and 10, called out for their father. Only eerie silence followed.Then Olha Hinkina and her brother, Andrii, rushed to the bomb shelter, as they had been taught. When the booms stopped and the smoke cleared, they found their father on the porch — motionless and covered in blood after being struck by a Russian projectile.“Father was killed at seven in the morning,” said Andrii, who now lives in the safer western city of Lviv, near the border with Poland.The two siblings join a generation of Ukrainian children whose lives have been upended by the war. Russia’s full-scale invasion has subjected them to constant bombardment, uprooted millions from their homes and turned many into orphans.Hundreds of kids have been killed. For the survivors, the wide-ranging trauma is certain to leave psycholo...

Japan adopts new sanctions on Russia, criticizes its deal to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:12 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan on Friday approved additional sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine, including freezing the assets of dozens of individuals and groups and banning exports to Russian military-related organizations.Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters the Cabinet approval shows Japan is in step with the rest of the Group of Seven countries that agreed during their summit in Hiroshima last week to maintain and strengthen sanctions against Russia.He said Japan is committed to working with other G7 countries and the broader international community “to improve the situation” for Ukraine.Matsuno also sharply criticized the signing of a deal between Russia and Belarus on Thursday formalizing the deployment of Moscow’s tactical nuclear weapons in its ally’s territory as a move that “further escalate tensions.”“As the world’s only country to have suffered nuclear attacks, Japan finds Russia’s threats of nuclear weapons and their use absolutely impermissible,” ...