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Milan Kundera, Czech writer and former dissident, dies in Paris aged 94

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Milan Kundera, whose dissident writings in communist Czechoslovakia transformed him into an exiled satirist of totalitarianism, has died in Paris at the age of 94, Czech media said Wednesday. Kundera’s renowned novel, “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,’’ opens wrenchingly with Soviet tanks rolling through Prague, the Czech capital that was the author’s home until he moved to France in 1975. Weaving together themes of love and exile, politics and the deeply personal, Kundera’s novel won critical acclaim, earning him a wide readership among Westerners who embraced both his anti-Soviet subversion and the eroticism threaded through many of his works.“If someone had told me as a boy: One day you will see your nation vanish from the world, I would have considered it nonsense, something I couldn’t possibly imagine. A man knows he is mortal, but he takes it for granted that his nation possesses a kind of eternal life,” he told the author Philip Roth in a New York Times i...

Militants attack a security post in southwest Pakistan and trigger a clash that leaves 8 dead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Five militants attacked a security post in southwest Pakistan in the early hours of Wednesday morning, triggering an intense shootout that left four soldiers, three attackers and a female passerby dead, officials said.The newly-formed militant group Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, not providing further details.Hours after the attack, Pakistan’s military said in a statement that “a group of terrorists launched a dastardly attack” in the garrison district of Zhob in the southwestern Baluchistan province. The “initial attempt of terrorists to sneak into the facility was checked by soldiers on duty,” it read. The shootout left three militants and four soldiers dead while five troopers were critically wounded.The statement said security forces are tracking the two other militants who escaped.Earlier, a senior government official, Azam Kakar, said the militants were armed with assault rifles and apparently wanted...

Ripples of Fukushima: Hong Kong to ban Japanese products from areas that discharge radioactive water

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong would immediately ban the import of aquatic products from Fukushima and other Japanese prefectures if Tokyo discharges treated radioactive wastewater into the sea, a top official in the city said Wednesday. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said although the wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant would be treated before discharging into the Pacific Ocean, any errors in the process would significantly affect ecology and food safety. The concern stems from Japan’s U.N.-endorsed, but controversial, plan to gradually release the treated water. “Our assessment shows prefectures near Fukushima have higher risks, so we are now taking a responsible way for our residents,” he told reporters at a briefing. The 10 affected territories are Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, he added. A massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant’s cool...

British Open raises purse to $16.5 million with the winner to get $3 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

HOYLAKE, England (AP) — The British Open is raising its purse to $16.5 million, with the winner at Royal Liverpool next week getting $3 million.The total prize fund was $14 million a year ago. Cameron Smith, who won at St. Andrews, earned $2.5 million.Prize money increased this year at all the majors, with the U.S. Open going up to $20 million, most among the four Grand Slam events. Wyndham Clark received $3.6 million.The Masters increased its purse to $18 million ($3.24 million to Jon Rahm) while the PGA Championship went up to $17.5 million (Brooks Koepka received $3.15 million).“Our aim is to ensure The Open remains at the pinnacle of world golf and we have almost doubled the prize fund since 2016,” said Martin Slumbers, CEO of the R&A.Slumbers noted the “substantial increases” in prize funds across golf, with the PGA Tour establishing $20 million purses for its elevated events and $25 million for The Players Championship. Saudi-funded LIV Golf offered $25 million purses — $2...

Crash shuts down I-35 southbound in far north Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Travis County Sheriff's deputies shut down the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 in far-north Austin after a crash early Wednesday morning.TCSO did not give much information about the crash except to say it was in the southbound lanes of the interstate just south of the Grand Avenue Parkway exit. Southbound drivers are being asked to take the Grand Avenue exit and re-enter the interstate at the entrance ramp south of Howard Lane. Authorities did not give a time on when the highway would reopen. The Department of Public Safety will investigate the crash. This is a breaking story. Stay with KXAN.com and KXAN News Today for the latest traffic information.

Congressional Democrats raise concerns on cluster bombs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

Democratic US Senator Tim Kaine and Representative Barbara Lee raised concerns on Sunday (9 July) over the decision by President Joe Biden's administration to send cluster bombs to Ukraine to combat the Russian invasion.The United States said on Friday (7 July) it would supply Kyiv with the widely banned bombs as part of a new $800 million security package that brings total US military aid to more than $40 billion since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.Rights groups and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have questioned Washington's decision on the munitions.Kaine said he had "some real qualms" about the US decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine because it could inspire other countries to sidestep an international convention barring the munitions."It could give a green light to other nations to do something different as well," Kaine told Fox News Sunday. However, he added he "appreciates the Biden administration has grappled with the risks.""They...

Bridge: July 12, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

Cy the Cynic continues to struggle mightily with his weight.“If you aren’t careful,” I admonished Cy, “you’re going to get downright fat.”“The human body is 80 percent water,” Cy shrugged. “I’m not fat, I’m just flooded.”Cy may know about body weight, but his grasp of percentage play is lacking. In a penny game, Cy played at today’s 3NT. West led the three of spades, and East took the ace and returned a spade to dummy.Cy then had two tricks in each suit and needed one more from hearts or diamonds. He tried a diamond to his jack, but West took the queen and led a third spade, killing dummy’s entry. When hearts broke 4-2, Cy went down.NINTH TRICKCy’s play was inferior: He should take the A-K of diamonds and continue with the jack. He gets a ninth trick if diamonds break 3-3 or if either defender has Q-x or 10-x — in all a much greater chance than a 50 percent finesse.If dummy had an extra e...

Horoscopes July 12, 2023: Topher Grace, choose the power of positive thought

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Malala Yousafzai, 26; Kimberly Perry, 40; Michelle Rodriguez, 45; Topher Grace, 45.Happy Birthday: Check who’s on your side and willing to step in and take over. Surround yourself with allies and share your ideas. Strength and courage will help you bring about positive change and greater security. Use your intelligence when dealing with money matters, contracts and joint ventures. Know when to say no and when to work alone. Choose the power of positive thought over discord. Your numbers are 2, 8, 19, 27, 33, 44, 48.ARIES (March 21-April 19): You can talk your way into anything today, but your dreams will crumble if you don’t follow through with your promises. Offer only what’s feasible, and be willing to work alongside those who have as much to offer as you do. Romance is favored. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Social events won’t unfold as anticipated. Rethink how you spend your time, and be honest about what you will and won&...

Ask Amy: What if grandma finds out where I’ve sent the kids?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

Dear Amy: My husband and I work full-time jobs and are fortunate to have weekly childcare for our children (ages 9 and 13) through our parents, all of whom live nearby. However, we recently learned that “Grandma A” has been doing things we have explicitly asked her not to do.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: I’m basically a single mom because of my husband’s fixation Advice | Ask Amy: How do I save myself from a cruise with these pretentious women? Advice | Ask Amy: He said hurtful things about my wedding, and now I’m expected to fix our rift Advice | Ask Amy: I put in a lot of work to be the fun neighbor, and these women ruin my plans Advice | Ask Amy: I told the bride she was being rude, and now everyone’s mad For example, we don’t allow our children to be on social media, and Grandma A helped our older child create an account to use at her house. We have also asked Grandma A to...

Harriette Cole: My friend hit my car while he was helping me move. Who pays for it?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: Last week, I had to move out of my family home suddenly. I was fortunate enough to have a friend offer to help me move. He was so sweet and did almost everything for me, for which I am incredibly grateful.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: This is my road trip, and she keeps butting in Advice | Harriette Cole: This B-list celebrity is a drag on our event Advice | Harriette Cole: Is it a red flag that he wants me to ride a bus to our first date? Advice | Harriette Cole: People are saying my friend’s bad news is just a scam to get money Advice | Harriette Cole: She fought my sentimental claim to my mom’s table. Now we don’t speak. However, things took a turn for the worse when the moving van he was driving hit my car, causing nearly $4,000 in damage. Because I appreciate all that my friend did to help me, I can’t help but wonder if it’s wrong to ask him t...