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Military chief says US will defend Indo-Pacific freedoms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:31 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — United States Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino said Thursday that Washington does not seek to contain China, nor seek conflicts in the region, but it would take action to support the region against coercion and bullying by authoritarian regimes.Speaking at a lecture in Singapore, Aquilino said the era of globalization has evolved into one of “renewed great power competition” where the security environment influences economics, trade and investment. “My concern is that this foundation of this rules-based international order … is under direct assault by authoritarian regimes,” he said, without naming any nations, though he noted recent actions by China to “grab a foothold” in the Solomon Islands. A security alliance between China and the Solomon Islands a year ago sent shudders throughout the South Pacific, with many worried it could set off a large-scale military buildup.Aquilino also addressed China’s protests over U.S. vessels and ai...

Toney gets England call-up as potential gambling ban looms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:31 GMT

With a possible suspension looming for apparently breaching multiple gambling rules, Ivan Toney was called up by England for its upcoming European Championship qualifiers as a reward for being the third-leading scorer in the Premier League.It is the second time the Brentford striker has been summoned by England. The first was ahead of Nations League qualifiers in September but he didn’t get onto the field and failed to make the squad for the World Cup a few weeks later.Toney has scored 16 league goals for Brentford this season — only Erling Haaland and England striker Harry Kane have more — but his future is clouded after being charged with a total of 262 breaches of the Football Association’s gambling laws, dating back to 2017.Sections of the British media reported this month that Toney has admitted to the majority of the breaches and was facing a lengthy spell out of the game. That led to Toney criticizing the FA about the process behind his impending disciplinary hearing an...

March Madness: Top teams tip off, how to watch first round

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:31 GMT

March Madness is here! Here is what to know, including the favorites and underdogs as well as key games and how to watch the NCAA Tournament. Oh, and how to fill out your brackets!HOW TO WATCHEvery game of the men’s tournament will be aired — here is a schedule — either on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms. CBS, which also has a handy schedule that includes announcing teams, will handle the Final Four semifinals and national title game this year. The NCAA will again stream games via its March Madness Live option and CBS games will be streamed on Paramount+.Fans of longtime play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz should soak up every moment: It’s his final NCAA Tournament.TOP SEEDSThe top four seeds in the tournament are Alabama, Houston, Kansas, and Purdue. Each is in a region, some tougher than others (on paper), and each has had its share of headaches to set up what could be a chaotic tournament. We break them down for you:EAST REGION: The Boilermakers got a No. 1 seed f...

Brothers Khéphren and Marcus Thuram are both in France squad

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:31 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Brothers Khéphren and Marcus Thuram were called up by France coach Didier Deschamps on Thursday for upcoming European Championship qualifiers against the Netherlands and Ireland.They are the sons of former France defender Lilian Thuram, who played alongside Deschamps when France won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000.It is the second time Deschamps has selected brothers in his squad, with Lucas and Théo Hernandez playing for France at the World Cup in Qatar last year, along with forward Marcus Thuram.Marcus Thuram is the elder brother of the 21-year-old midfielder Khéphren, who was called up for the first time after impressing with French club Nice this season.France hosts the Netherlands at Stade de France on March 24 and plays Ireland in Dublin three days later.France lost the 2022 World Cup final on penalty kicks following a 3-3 draw with Argentina, which beat the Netherlands on penalties in a tense quarterfinal match.Veteran goalkeeper Hugo ...

Microsoft is bringing ChatGPT technology to Word, Excel and Outlook

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:31 GMT

(CNN) — Microsoft on Thursday outlined its plans to bring artificial intelligence to its most recognizable productivity tools, including Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel and Word, with the promise of changing how millions do their work every day.At an event on Thursday, the company announced that Microsoft 365 users will soon be able to use what the company is calling an AI “Co-pilot,” which will help edit, summarize, create and compare documents. The upcoming features will be powered by the same technology that underpins the viral chatbot tool, ChatGPT.With the new features, users will, for example, be able to type a request to create a specific chart in Excel or turn all of the titles in a PowerPoint presentation the color green. Microsoft is also introducing a concept called Business Chat, an agent that essentially rides along with the user as they work and tries to understand and make sense of their Microsoft 365 data.But don’t call these tools Clippy. The new ...

Son of Flyers GM apologizes for pushing empty wheelchair

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:31 GMT

ERIE, Pa. (WSVN) — Carson Brière, a college hockey player for Mercyhurst Lakers, is facing criticism after a viral security video showed him pushing a woman’s empty wheelchair down the stairs of Sullivan’s Pub, located near the campus. The wheelchair belonged to a young lady who is a double amputee and she was using the downstairs bathroom in the pre-ADA compliance building.Carson has since issued a statement apologizing for what occurred: “I am deeply sorry for my behavior on Saturday. There is no excuse for my actions, and I will do whatever I can to make up for this serious lack of judgment.”His father, Daniel Brière, a former Philadelphia Flyers player and the teams current general manager, also released a statement following his son’s action: “I was shocked to see Carson’s actions in the video that was shared on social media yesterday. They are inexcusable and run completely counter to our family’s values on treating people with respect. Carson is ...

Parliament’s Metsola slams Germany’s bid to resolve car ban standoff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:31 GMT

The European Parliament doesn’t like the look of Germany’s proposed backroom deal with Brussels to save the combustion engine. Roberta Metsola, the Parliament’s president, will write in a letter to EU capitals — read, Berlin and its allies — to “respect” the deal that was agreed last year to effectively ban the sale of new polluting cars and vans by 2035, two Parliament officials who were not permitted to discuss the issue publicly told POLITICO.The intervention was agreed during a meeting of parliamentary political leaders on Thursday.Germany — along with Italy, Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic — has threatened to blow up the agreement, insisting that it should allow for vehicles running only on synthetic fuels made from captured CO2 and hydrogen past 2035. Germany’s Transport Minister Volker Wissing, from the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), on Wednesday sent a list of detailed demands to the EU executive amid negotiations o...

Fighter jets coming ASAP, Poland tells Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:31 GMT

Poland will deliver four Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine “in the next few days,” President Andrzej Duda said Thursday.Poland is the first country to formally commit to sending combat planes to Ukraine, which Kyiv says it urgently needs to repel the Russian invasion, which has become a brutal war of attrition in the eastern Donbas region.“We will be handing over four fully operational planes,” Duda said at a joint press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel, according to French newswire AFP.Additional planes which are “currently under maintenance” will be “handed over gradually,” Duda added, and Poland will replace the MiGs with American-made F-35s and South Korean FA-50 fighters.After convincing its Western allies to supply Ukraine with dozens of tanks following a months-long diplomatic marathon, Kyiv has been intensively lobbying its partners in recent weeks to send modern fighter jets.As he toured European capitals las...

Macron invokes nuclear option to push through pensions reform in huge political setback

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:31 GMT

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron authorized the use of a controversial constitutional maneuver to bypass parliament and impose his deeply unpopular pensions reform, in a move that dealt a significant blow to his leadership.Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne announced in parliament Thursday afternoon that the government was invoking article 49.3 of the constitution, in what is seen as a nuclear option ahead of what would have been a key vote in the National Assembly. The surprise move allowed the government to push through legislation without submitting it to a parliamentary vote. Borne faced scenes of anger and unrest in the National Assembly as she made her announcement. Far-left lawmakers belonging to the France Unbowed party booed and chanted the national hymn the Marseillaise as far-right National Rally MPs shouted “Resign! Resign!” The speaker of the house was forced to suspend debates to allow Borne to make her speech. The prime minister made the case that the reform...

Police: 17-year-old student injured in stabbing at Brockton Therapeutic Day School

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:31 GMT

A 17-year-old student is suffering non-life-threatening injuries after a stabbing at Brockton Therapeutic Day School at Huntington Thursday morning, according to police.Officers responded to a report of a stabbing just after 9:30 a.m. The injured student was taken to a local hospital, where he is responsive and alert, police say. School administrators are also there with him.Police say a 17-year-old suspect is in custody. Their name has not been released. No additional information has been released.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.