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Micronesia’s president accuses China of ‘political warfare’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:26 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Micronesia’s president accused China of “political warfare” in a letter to other national leaders and discussed switching diplomatic allegiance from China to Taiwan in exchange for $50 million.President David Panuelo said China had been using nefarious tactics, including spying and offering bribes, in an effort to ensure that if it goes to war with Taiwan, Micronesia would be aligned with China rather than the United States, or would at least abstain from taking sides.Panuelo sent the 13-page letter dated March 9, which was obtained by The Associated Press, to state governors and other political leaders of the Pacific nation.The letter represented an unusually frank assessment of China’s motives in the region and laid bare the financial incentives for smaller countries to switch diplomatic allegiance. Should Micronesia switch allegiance to Taiwan, it would represent a rare win for the self-governing island, after several Pacific nations swi...

‘Naatu Naatu’ wins Oscar, gets music spotlight back on India

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:26 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — M.M. Keeravani has brought the spotlight back to India after a historic Oscar musical win.Keeravani won best original song for his joyously energetic anthem “Naatu Naatu” from the film “RRR.” The music was written by Keeravani and the lyrics by Chandrabose.“It’s just the beginning of everything,” Keeravani said backstage. “For the world, particularly the Western world, folks are more on India and Asian music. It’s just long due. I feel very happy to open doors and the world to embrace my culture.”“Naatu Naatu” is the first song from an Indian film to earn a nomination and win in the best original song category. However, Indian artist A.R. Rahman won an Oscar in the category for “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” — a British production — in 2009.Keeravani delighted the Oscar audience by saying he grew up listening to The Carpenters and then began singing the band’s “Top of the World” with new lyrics, including “’RRR’ has to win/Pride ...

Ke Huy Quan gets Oscar congrats from ‘Goonies’ co-stars

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:26 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ke Huy Quan says his fellow “Goonies” readily congratulated him on his Oscar win for best supporting actor. The “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star, who played Data in the iconic 1985 adventure film, told reporters Sunday that he heard from every single co-star including Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman and Martha Plimpton. “I love all of them so much. Every single one of them was so happy … We’re family forever. Goonies never say die,” said Quan, pumping his fists while uttering the movie’s signature line.Another connection to “The Goonies” that Quan brought in was his attorney. Jeff Cohen, who played Chunk in the film, represented him during his contract negotiations for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Cohen was in the audience and got a shout-out from Quan during his acceptance speech. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” had a big night, garnering seven Oscars including best picture, best director, best lead actress for Michelle Yeoh and b...

Police: 4 dead in shooting at Dallas apartment building

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:26 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Police in Dallas have confirmed four people died in a Sunday night shooting at an apartment building. Dallas Police Department Public Information Officer Juan Fernandez said in an email to The Associated Press that officers responded around 7:10 p.m. to a report of a shooting in the 3500 block of Villaverde Avenue in Northwest Dallas.Fernandez said four people were found with gunshot wounds and all of the victims died at the scene. Details about the victims and the shooter, including whether a suspect was in custody, were not immediately released. An investigation is ongoing, Fernandez said.The Associated Press

Ruth E. Carter becomes 1st Black woman to win 2 Oscars

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:26 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ruth E. Carter made history: The costume designer behind the “Black Panther” films became the first Black woman to win two Oscars.Carter took home best costume design Sunday night at the 95th Academy Awards for the Marvel sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Carter also won in 2018 for “Black Panther,” which made her the first African American to win in the category. In her acceptance speech, Carter thanked the film’s director Ryan Coogler and asked if “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman could look after her mother, Mabel Carter, who she said died “this past week.” Boseman died in 2020 of cancer at 43.“This is for my mother. She was 101,” Carter said. “This film prepared me for this moment. Chadwick, please take care of mom.”Carter then paid tribute to her mother backstage. “I had a great relationship with her in her final years. The same relationship I always had with her. I was her ride-or-die. I was her road dog. I was her sidekick,” she...

Simu Liu, Set To Host Canada’s 59th Juno Awards At Roger’s Place

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:26 GMT

Silicon Valley CEO and Executives Dump Company Stock Before Its Collapse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:26 GMT

Pence Steps Up Criticism Against Trump, Amid Sinking Polling Numbers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:26 GMT

Theater review: Guthrie hosts richly entertaining ‘Born With Teeth’ from Alley Theatre

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:26 GMT

It all started when a group of scholars announced they’d proven that Shakespeare’s “Henry VI” cycle was created in collaboration with another playwright, Christopher Marlowe. When a contemporary American dramatist, Liz Duffy Adams, got wind of this, she set her ample imagination to work on what that partnership might have looked like.The result is the richly entertaining and insightful “Born With Teeth,” which places us in the writing room where these two great Elizabethan authors toiled together. It debuted last May at Houston’s Alley Theatre and now that production has come north to spend March in the Guthrie Theater’s proscenium space.Overflowing with wit and deftly exploring matters of the heart, mind and spirit, it’s a brilliant script that’s receiving a terrific staging. With magnetically charismatic performances in the roles of the two writers, taut direction and expertly executed design ideas, “Born With Teeth” crackles with tension, yet is often uproariously funny.Ostensibl...

Western transplants migrate to ‘climate-proof Duluth’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:26 GMT

Surfing in Minnesota is just like surfing in Southern California, John Jenkins says, as long as you ignore the icicles on your wet suit.Jenkins, 38, is a child of California’s Orange County. But a decade ago, looking to escape overpopulation and intensifying wildfires, he took a chance and settled in Duluth, where temperatures can dip 30 degrees below zero.Hundreds of like-minded new residents have since joined him, coming from California, Colorado and New Mexico and changing the face of this erstwhile manufacturing town on the western edge of Lake Superior. Dubbed “climate-proof Duluth” in 2019 by Jesse Keenan, a Tulane University professor who was lecturing at Harvard at the time, Duluth has been hailed for its ample supply of freshwater, as well as its location — buffered from sea-level rise in the Upper Midwest — and temperatures, which run mild in the summer and colder than cold in the winter.Climate migrationThe majority of the population growth in the United States remains in...