Powerful quake rocks Turkey and Syria, kills more than 1,300
AZMARIN, Syria (AP) — A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake has rocked wide swaths of Turkey and Syria. It toppled hundreds of buildings and killed more than 1,300 people. Hundreds are still believed to be trapped under rubble, and the toll is expected to rise as rescue workers search mounds of wreckage in cities and towns across the area. On both sides of the border, residents jolted out of sleep by the pre-dawn quake rushed outside on a cold, rainy and snowy night. Buildings were reduced to piles of pancaked floors. Major aftershocks, some nearly as strong as the first, continued. Rescue workers and residents in multiple cities searched for survivors, working through tangles of metal and concrete.
Beyoncé emerges as Grammys queen; Styles wins album honor
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Harry Styles won album of the year at the Grammy Awards, taking home the top honor on a night that Beyoncé dominated and became the ceremony’s most decorated artist. Beyoncé won her 32nd award Sunday, breaking a 26-year-old record. But as in years past, the album of the year honor eluded her. Styles took home three awards Sunday. Still, Beyoncé stands alone on her Grammy throne, surpassing surpassed the late composer Georg Solti with her 32nd career win. She thanked her husband Jay-Z and her family for supporting her. Bad Bunny opened the Grammy Awards with a festive, high-energy performance that brought many of the audience including Taylor Swift who rose to her feet and danced near her table.
China accuses US of indiscriminate use of force over balloon
BEIJING (AP) — China has accused the United States of indiscriminate use of force in shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, saying it seriously damaged both sides’ efforts to stabilize Sino-U.S. relations. Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng says he lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. Embassy over the use of military force on the balloon. Xie repeated China’s insistence that the balloon was an unmanned Chinese civil airship that blew into U.S. airspace by mistake. He called the U.S. response an overreaction that “seriously violated the spirit of international law.” The presence of the balloon above the U.S. dealt a severe blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations.
Biden 2024? Most Democrats say no thank you: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of Democrats now think one term is plenty for President Joe Biden, despite his insistence that he plans to seek reelection in 2024. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. It shows just 37% of Democrats say they want Biden to seek a second term, down from 52% in the weeks before last year’s midterm elections. While Biden has trumpeted his legislative victories and ability to govern, the poll suggests relatively few U.S. adults give him high marks on either.
ChatGPT bot channels history to pen State of Union speech
WASHINGTON (AP) — A president’s State of the Union address has a predictable formula. But what if a computer program were to write it? The Associated Press asked the ChatGPT bot to do just that. AP told the app to produce the speech as some of history’s most famous figures might have written it. The results are a far cry from anything people will hear Tuesday from President Joe Biden. ChatGPT generated a Shakespeare version of the State of the Union all in rhyme. AP also asked for versions in the style of Martin Luther King Jr., Cleopatra, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, Elvis Presley, Madonna and the Three Stooges.
Grammys Moments: A rap tribute for the ages, Beyoncé triumph
For almost as long as the 50 years of history celebrated on Sunday’s Grammy awards, rap artists have had an uncomfortable relationship with the music’s biggest institution. Certainly the Grammys hope that 2023 represents a turning point. The 15-minute Questlove-curated history lesson was a blast and offered some overdue attention. DJ Khaled’s performance of “God Did” featured a memorable performance by Jay-Z. Dr. Dre was given an innovator’s award named for him. Other standout Grammy moments: Beyoncé’s haul of awards, Harry Styles’ style, a breezy performance by show host Trevor Noah, and a surprise song of the year win for Bonnie Raitt.
Officials urge evacuation near derailment, fearing explosion
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Officials monitoring the smoldering, tangled wreckage of a train derailment in Ohio have warned hundreds of nearby residents who had declined to evacuate to do so immediately, citing concerns about a potential explosion. The governor’s office said Sunday night that a rail car was at risk of a “catastrophic tanker failure” in East Palestine and teams were working to prevent an explosion that could launch deadly shrapnel as far as a mile. The statement didn’t specify what was in that car or whether it was among those carrying hazardous materials. Investigators say a mechanical issue with a rail car axle caused the fiery derailment Friday night near the Pennsylvania state line.
In pro-Putin Serbia, liberal-minded Russians seek a home
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — About 200,000 Russians have left their homeland for Serbia since the start of the war in Ukraine. Many are seeking a new life in a fraternal Slavic country free from Kremlin oppression. The Balkan country is a close ally of Moscow and has historic, religious and cultural ties. And Russia backs Serbia’s claim over its former province of Kosovo. But it’s a complex relationship. Serbia refuses to impose sanctions on Moscow over the invasion but also seeks to join the European Union. Russians who fled their country have held protests against President Vladimir Putin in Belgrade. But they also see pro-Putin propaganda efforts.
Israeli troops kill 5 Palestinian gunmen in West Bank raid
AQABAT JABR, West Bank (AP) — Israeli forces have killed five Palestinian gunmen in a raid on a West Bank refugee camp. Monday’s raid, which the military said was meant to arrest suspects allegedly involved in a botched attack on Israelis, was likely to further exacerbate tensions in the region. The Hamas militant group claimed all five as members of its armed wing. The Palestinian president called the raid a crime. The violence comes during one of the deadliest periods in recent years in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and in the first weeks of Israel’s new government, its most right-wing ever, which has promised to take a tough stance against the Palestinians.
Iran singer who faces prison wins Grammy for protest anthem
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian singer who faces possible prison time for his song that’s become an anthem to the ongoing protests shaking the Islamic Republic wept early after seeing he’d won a Grammy. Shervin Hajipour appeared stunned early on Monday in Iran after hearing Jill Biden, the wife of President Joe Biden, announce that he’d won the Grammy’s new song for social change special merit award for “Baraye.” An online video showed Hajipour in a darkened room, wiping tears away after the announcement. There was no immediate reaction in Iranian state media or from government officials to Hajipour’s win. The singer is among over 19,600 people arrested amid the demonstrations.
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