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US-S Korea drills begin after N Korea submarine missile test

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:21:19 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The South Korean and U.S. militaries launched their biggest joint military exercises in years Monday, as North Korea said it conducted submarine-launched cruise missile tests in apparent protest of the drills it views as an invasion rehearsal. North Korea’s missile tests Sunday signal the country likely will conduct provocative weapons testing activities during the U.S.-South Korean drills that are to run for 11 days. Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his troops to be ready to repel its rivals’ “frantic war preparation moves.”The South Korean-U.S. drills include a computer simulation called the Freedom Shield 23 and several combined field training exercises, collectively known as the Warrior Shield FTX.South Korean and U.S. authorities didn’t immediately disclose details of Monday’s drills. But they said earlier the computer simulation is designed to strengthen the allies’ defense and response capabilities amid North Korea...

Antiwar ‘All Quiet’ wins the Oscar for international film

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:21:19 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The war movie that abhors war has won an Oscar for best international film.“All Quiet on the Western Front,” starring Felix Kammerer and directed and co-written by Edward Berger, earned nine nominations, including best picture. The Netflix film is based on the classic 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. Set during World War I, it follows the life of a young German soldier who enlists in the army with his friends. But the realities of war shatter his hopes of becoming a hero and he focuses on his own survival.However, the German-language film doesn’t hew exactly to Remarque’s novel. Instead, it deviates into political issues against the backdrop of the war. It premiered last year, when Russia invaded Ukraine in the biggest military conflict in Europe since World War II, lending an unexpected relevancy to the movie.“All Quiet on the Western Front” won seven BAFTA trophies, including best film. The original American movie starring Lew Ayr...

Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis win at ‘no nonsense’ Oscars

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:21:19 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jimmy Kimmel promised “no nonsense” at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday as Hollywood reconvened for a ceremony that will try to move past one of the most infamous moments in Oscar history. In one of the night’s first awards, former child star Ke Huy Quan capped his extraordinary comeback with the Oscar for best supporting actor. Quan, beloved for his roles as Short Round in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and Data in “Goonies,” had all but given up acting before being cast in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”His win, among the most expected of the night, was nevertheless one of the ceremony’s most moving moments. The audience — including his “Temple of Doom” director, Steven Spielberg — gave Quan a standing ovation as he fought back tears. “Mom, I just won an Oscar!” said Quan, 51, whose family fled Vietnam in the war when he was a child. “They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I can’t believe it’s happening,” said...

‘Navalny,’ about dissident fighting Kremlin, wins doc Oscar

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:21:19 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — “Navalny,” a look at a Russian opposition leader following an attempt on his life, has won the Oscar for best documentary feature.Director Daniel Roher’s portrait of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has shadowy operatives, truth-seeking journalists, conspiracy theories and Soviet-era poisons. It is a film with obvious political poignance following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Roher accepted his statuette by saying he dedicated it to Navalny and to all political prisoners around the world. “Alexei, the world has not forgotten your vital message to us all: We must not be afraid to oppose dictators and authoritarianism wherever it rears its head. Navalny’s wife, Yulia, said: “Alexei, I am dreaming of the day you will be free and our country will be free. Stay strong, my love.”Navalny is a media savvy, anti-corruption campaigner in his mid-40s who has for many years been a headache for Russian President Vladimir Putin. He’s released numerous reports about cor...

List of 2023 Oscar winners

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:21:19 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oscar winners announced Sunday: Best supporting actor: Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”Best supporting actress: Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”Best animated feature: “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”Documentary feature: “Navalny”Live action short: “An Irish Goodbye”Cinematography: James Friend, “All Quiet on the Western Front”Makeup and hairstyling: “The Whale”Costume design: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”___For more on this year’s Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awardsThe Associated Press

AP News in Brief at 9:04 p.m. EDT

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:21:19 GMT

US government moves to stop potential banking crisisNEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. government took extraordinary steps Sunday to stop a potential banking crisis after the historic failure of Silicon Valley Bank, assuring all depositors at the failed financial institution that they would be able to access all of their money quickly.The announcement came amid fears that the factors that caused the Santa Clara, California-based bank to fail could spread, and only hours before trading began in Asia. Regulators had worked all weekend to try to find a buyer for the bank, which was the second-largest bank failure in history. Those efforts appeared to have failed Sunday. In a sign of how quickly the financial bleeding was occurring, regulators announced that New York-based Signature Bank had also failed and was being seized on Sunday. At more than $110 billion in assets, Signature Bank is the third-largest bank failure in U.S. history.In an effort to shore up confidence in the banking system, the...

Asian shares mostly sink on jitters after US bank failure

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:21:19 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly fell Monday, shaken by a Wall Street tumble that set off worries the biggest U.S. bank failure in nearly 15 years might have ripple effects around the world. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 1.2% to 27,817.43 in morning trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.6% to 7,104.30. South Korea’s Kospi was little changed at 2,394.10. Before trading began in Asia, the U.S. Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and FDIC said Sunday that all Silicon Valley Bank clients will be protected and have access to their funds and announced steps designed to protect the bank’s customers and prevent more bank runs.Regulators closed Silicon Valley Bank on Friday amid a run on the bank, which was the second-largest U.S. bank failure, behind the 2008 failure of Washington Mutual. They also announced Sunday that New York-based Signature Bank was being seized after it became the third-largest bank failure in U.S. history.Following two bank failures,...

Jamie Lee Curtis wins Oscar for best supporting actress

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:21:19 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jamie Lee Curtis made her long-waited first Oscar nomination count.Curtis won best supporting actress for her role as Deirdre Beaubeirdre in “ Everything Everywhere All at Once.” She plays an IRS agent who has several guises through different timelines in the multiverse.“My mother (Janet Leigh) and my father (Tony Curtis) were both nominated for Oscars in different categories,” Curtis said, beginning to cry as she accepted the award. “I just won an Oscar!”The 64-year-old actor became the eighth oldest in the category’s history to win. She surpassed Judi Dench, who held the slot for her role in “Shakespeare in Love.”Curtis has starred in a number of films including the “Halloween” franchise movies starting in 1978, along with other notable projects such as “Trading Places,” “My Girl,” “True Lies” and “Knives Out.” But it was her performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” that ultimately landed her in the Oscars’ record books.Last month, Curtis won at the SA...

PHOTOS: Stars at Oscars get candid on the carpet

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:21:19 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The parade of Hollywood royalty on the red carpet — champagne colored at these 95th Academy Awards — is nearly as important as the show itself. Stars pose in their dazzling outfits for dozens of clattering cameras, the fashion getting its moment in the spotlight, too. It’s a staged ritual, well choreographed and timed to ensure everyone gets their moment.But just beyond the frame, once the bold-faced names step out of the spotlight and into the chaos of the crowded walkway, there are flashes of brevity and friendship and mutual admiration between the industry’s biggest stars. And Associated Press photographer John Locher roamed the carpet, capturing many of these unrehearsed moments Sunday night.It seemed the fan bleachers couldn’t get more excited than for a bare chested Lenny Kravitz — that is until best actor nominee Austin Butler stepped out moments later. “Austin Butler! Austin Butler!” The chanting continued for Florence Pugh, who stopped to shak...

Northwestern Men's Basketball named no. 7 seed, set to make second NCAA appearance in program history

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:21:19 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern Men's Basketball is dancing its way to Sacramento.The Wildcats were announced as the no. 7 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament Sunday, marking the second NCAA Tournament appearance for Northwestern in program history..@NUMensBball draws the 7-seed in the West Region, where the Cats will face 10-seed Boise State in Sacramento ThursdayNorthwestern is dancing again for just the second time in school history pic.twitter.com/1tissUjnAj— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) March 12, 2023The Wildcats (21-11, 12-8) will take on no. 10-seeded Boise State (24-9, 13-5) in the first round Thursday, with a chance to advance and play the winner of no. 2 UCLA vs no. 15 UNC Asheville.The 2022-23 college basketball season has been one to remember for Northwestern, as they rewrote the record books and cleaned house at the Big Ten Awards Ceremony.The Wildcats currently own the second-most wins in a single season in program history (21), in addition to setting a single...