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Japan nuclear watchdog ask Fukushima plant operator to assess risk from reactor damage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A nuclear watchdog has asked the operator of Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant to assess potential risks from damage found in a key supporting structure inside the worst-hit of the three melted reactors.A robotic probe inside the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s Unit 1 primary containment chamber found its pedestal — a main supporting structure right underneath the core — was largely damaged. The thick concrete exterior was missing almost all the way around, exposing the internal steel reinforcement.About 880 tons of highly radioactive melted nuclear fuel remain inside the plant’s three reactors. Robotic probes have provided some information, but the status of the melted debris is still largely unknown. Based on data collected from earlier probes and simulations, experts have said most of the melted fuel inside Unit 1, believed to be the worst hit, fell to the bottom of the primary containment chamber, but some might have fallen through in...

South Korea, US troops hold large live-fire drills near border with North Korea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The South Korean and U.S. militaries conducted large live-fire drills near the border with North Korea on Thursday, despite the North’s warning that it won’t tolerate what it calls an invasion rehearsal on its doorstep.The drills, the first of five rounds of live-fire exercises through mid-June, mark 70 years since the establishment of the military alliance between Seoul and Washington. North Korea typically reacts to such major South Korean-U.S. exercises with missile and other weapons tests.Since the start of 2022, North Korea has test-launched more than 100 missiles, but none since it fired a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile in mid-April. It says the tests are a response to expanded military drills between the U.S. and South Korea, but observers say North Korea aims to advance its weapons development and then wrest greater concessions from its rivals in eventual diplomacy.The U.S.-South Korean firing exercises, called “Combined annihilation ...

War and economy push immigration to Britain to record high in 2022

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The number of people moving to Britain reached a record high of more than 600,000 in 2022, government figures showed Thursday.Net migration – the difference between the number of people arriving and those leaving – was 606,000 for the year, according to the Office for National Statistics. A total of 1.2 million people moved to the U.K. in 2022, while 557,000 left.The net figure is up from just under 500,000 in 2021.The statistics office said the record level was due to a “series of unprecedented world events throughout 2022 and the lifting of restrictions following the coronavirus pandemic.”As well as people coming to Britain to work, the figure includes tens of thousands of international students and almost 200,000 people who have arrived under special programs for people fleeing war in Ukraine and China’s clampdown in Hong Kong.The high figure will renew debate about Britain’s departure from the European Union, which was motivated in part by the arrival of hundreds o...

Head of Russian private army Wagner says his forces are handing control of Bakhmut to Moscow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The head of the Russian private military contractor Wagner claimed Thursday that his forces have started pulling out of Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, and handing over control to the Russian military, days after he said Wagner troops had captured the ruined city.Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner’s millionaire owner with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said in a video published on Telegram that the handover would be completed by June 1. There was no immediate comment from the Russian defense ministry.It was not possible to independently verify whether Wagner’s pullout from the bombed-out city has begun, and the Ukrainian General Staff said Wednesday that heavy fighting was continuing inside the eastern city after a nine-month battle that killed tens of thousands of people.Prigozhin’s Bakhmut triumph delivered a badly needed victory for Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has lost momentum and now faces the possibility of a Ukrainian counte...

Germany economy shrinks in first quarter, signaling one definition of recession

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The German economy shrank unexpectedly in the first three months of this year, marking the second quarter of contraction that is one definition of recession.Data released Thursday by the Federal Statistical Office shows Germany’s gross domestic product, or GDP, declined by 0.3% in the period from January to March. This follows a drop of 0.5% in Europe’s biggest economy during the last quarter of 2022. Two consecutive quarters of contraction is a common definition of recession, though economists on the euro area business cycle dating committee use a broader set of data, including employment figures. Germany is one of the 20 countries that use the euro currency.Employment in the country rose in the first quarter and inflation has eased, but higher interest rates will keeping weighing on spending and investment, said Franziska Palmas, senior Europe economist for Capital Economics. “Germany has experienced a technical recession and has been by far the worst per...

Five takeaways from Ron DeSantis’s glitch-ridden campaign launch

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

(The Hill) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) finally launched his campaign for the presidency on Wednesday.His declaration, keenly anticipated for months, turned into a debacle — at least regarding its most highly-publicized element, a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk.The glitch-ridden Twitter event must have left DeSantis furious and his key aides embarrassed.The misfire also happened at a crucial moment, with former President Trump well ahead of the rest of the GOP field, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) just getting into the race on Monday, other contenders searching for traction — and speculation mounting about a possible surprise entry by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).Here are the key takeaways from one of the 2024 campaign’s biggest nights to date.Twitter’s tech misfire undermines DeSantis’s central case.The keystone of DeSantis’s launch was intended to be the Twitter Spaces event.Praised beforehand as innovative, it turned out to be disastrous.It was beset with technical difficult...

Our giant 2023 guide will help you find the perfect Twin Cities patio

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

This year’s patio guide contains nine newly minted outdoor spaces that we visited over the year, and three coming soon that we can’t wait to get to.Dicey weather — namely a late, wet spring — has kept more than a few patios closed until very recently, so I’m sure we’ll hear about more openings in the coming weeks.We also want to encourage you to be patient as restaurants staff up for the season, especially outdoors. In some cases, menus and hours might be limited, and staffing shortages mean you might be waiting a little longer (hopefully in the sunshine!) for your food or drinks.RELATED: Here are readers’ 2023 picks for best patioWe’ve broken the list into helpful categories you can sample all summer long:New kids on the blockNeighborhoodSee and be seenAlong the water/scenicBreweries, distilleries and wineriesComing soonNew kids on the blockThe entire restaurant Blondette, on the 5th floor of the Rand Tower in Minneapolis, is essentially a patio. It has a re...

Here are readers’ 2023 picks for best patio

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

We asked readers to nominate their favorite restaurant patio and then put the finalists to a vote.RELATED: Our giant 2023 guide will help you find the perfect Twin Cities patioHere are the top patio picks from readers for 2023:1. Charlie’s Restaurant & Irish Pub/Papa’s Rooftop: 101 S. Water St., Stillwater; 651-439-6000; waterstreetinn.us/papas-rooftop/2. Number 12 Cider: 614 N 5th St., Minneapolis; 612-345-4488; number12cider.com3. Acqua: 4453 Lake Ave. S., White Bear Lake; 651-407-7317; acqua-restaurants.com/white-bear-lake4. St. Paul Brewing: 688 Minnehaha Ave., St. Paul, 651-698-1945; stpaulbrewing.com5. Gabe’s Bar & Kitchen: 991 N. Lexington Parkway, St. Paul; 651-646-3066; gabesmn.com6. Porter Creek: 14201 Burngarten Drive, Burnsville; 952-698-1888; portercreek.com7. Tilted Tiki: 324 Main St. S., Stillwater, 651-342-2545; thetiltedtiki.com8. Rudy’s Red Eye Grill: 4940 U.S. 61 N., White Bear Lake, 651-653-6718; rudysredeye.com9. No Neck Tony̵...

Saratoga Springs girls lacrosse reaches the pinnacle of Class A

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

SCHUYLERVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- As Saratoga Springs' Jennifer Furze walked off the field at Schuylerville High School Wednesday night, she was overcome with emotion, and rightfully so. The first-year head coach had brought a sectional championship back to Saratoga. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "It means everything," said Furze after the Blue Streaks' 8-5 win over Shaker in the Sec. II, Class A girls lacrosse final. "I'm just so proud of them. They've had such an incredible season. They're just such hard workers; the chemistry between them...they're great kids. And it's just been a fun season. We've had a lot of fun together."Wednesday's victory marked the first section title for Saratoga since 2018, and was the culmination of a brilliant postseason run. The Blue Streaks entered the Class A tournament as the four-seed, and promptly knocked off fifth-seeded Guilderland in the opening round. After powering past top-seeded S...

Schuylerville girls lacrosse claims third straight Class D title in OT thriller with Cohoes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:32 GMT

SCHUYLERVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Come playoff time, you need your stars to step up and make big plays in critical moments. And that's exactly what Schuylerville's Macey Koval did in overtime of Wednesday's Sec. II, Class D girls lacrosse championship game. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "We had a set play in mind, but I saw the opening, so I just took (the ball), and I went," said Koval after netting the game-winning goal in overtime to claim the Black Horses a third straight sectional title with an 11-10 win over Cohoes.For the second year in a row the Class D final came down to the Black Horses and the Tigers, and this year's rematch proved to be an instant classic.Schuylerville, despite being the two-seed in the tournament, garnered home-field advantage over top-seeded Cohoes. And it didn't take long for the back-to-back defending champs to settle in; they jumped out to a 4-0 lead just 7:32 into the first half after a fr...