Bartlett girls beat White Station, will play Arlington for Region 8-4A championship

AFP
South Korea's ousted PM says tried to stop martial law decree
South Korea's ousted premier said Thursday that he had opposed suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law, testifying for the first time at his former boss's impeachment trial about the events of a night that threw the country into turmoil.Much of Yoon's impeachment trial has centred on the question of whether he violated the constitution by declaring martial law, which is reserved for national emergencies or times of war.
TODAY
Opossum eats entire Costco chocolate cake and people can relate: ‘Been there, girl’
An opossum ate a whole Costco chocolate cake, according to Nebraska Wildlife Rehab, and many people on the internet say they can relate to her.
Reuters
US support for Taiwan remains 'very strong,' Taiwanese official says
Support from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration for Taiwan remains "very strong" and Taiwan is looking at more purchases from the country, including LNG, to help balance trade, a senior Taiwan security official said on Thursday. Trump has repeatedly criticised Taiwan for taking U.S. semiconductor business, saying he wants the industry to re-base to the United States. He has also threatened broad import tariffs on countries which have unbalanced trade with the United States, which could affect Taiwan, given the large trade surplus it runs.
AFP
Chinese workers from Myanmar scam centres start arriving home via Thailand
Hundreds of Chinese workers started to arrive home on Thursday after being freed from online scam centres in Myanmar, as authorities crack down on the illegal operations.Thousands of foreigners are expected to be repatriated from Myanmar in the coming weeks, starting with hundreds of Chinese nationals over the next three days.
USA TODAY
Bodies of Bibas boys returned to Israel in tragic end for youngest Oct. 7 hostages
Children and brothers Kfir and Ariel Bibas, symbols of the worst assault on Jews since the Holocaust, were kidnapped along with their mother by Hamas.
Associated Press
Middle East latest: Israel receives remains said to include a mother and her 2 young children
Hamas on Thursday released the bodies of four Israeli hostages, said to include a mother and her two children who have long been feared dead and had come to embody the nation’s agony following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The remains were said to be of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, as well as Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted. Hamas has said all four were killed along with their guards in Israeli airstrikes.
AFP
Airbus profit climbs in 2024, aims to accelerate output
European aircraft maker Airbus said Thursday net profits rose in 2024 as it boosted plane deliveries and set a goal of accelerating them further.Net profit rose 12 percent to 4.2 billion euros ($4.4 billion), overcoming a massive writedown in the value of its space business earlier in the year.
Time
What the Founding Fathers Said About Monarchy
Trump declared himself “king”—something the crafters of the Constitution hoped the U.S. would avoid.
Reuters
Scholz defends Ukraine as not to blame for war, underlines EU membership offer
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed the importance of keeping the path open for Ukraine to join the European Union and rejected suggestions that the country was to blame for its invasion by Russia, in a radio interview aired on Thursday. For this reason, he said, the EU was keeping the door open to Ukraine as a prospective member, adding, "Ukraine must not be hindered in its decision to be a democratic, sovereign nation on its way into Europe."
Associated Press
China begins repatriation from Thailand of more than 1,000 online scam workers rescued from Myanmar
An airlift carrying more than 1,000 Chinese nationals who had worked at online scam centers in eastern Myanmar began Thursday, after the rescued workers were taken across the border to Thailand and put on chartered flights to China. Thailand, China and Myanmar have coordinated efforts over the past month to shut down the scam centers that bilked victims around the world out of billions of dollars through false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes. Hundreds of thousands of people from Southeast Asia and elsewhere are estimated to have worked at such centers in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, and many were recruited under false pretenses for other jobs and found themselves trapped in virtual slavery.
CBS News
Midair collision at Tucson-area airport kills 2
Two planes collided midair Wednesday at the Marana Regional Airport near Tucson, Arizona, leaving two passengers dead, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Associated Press
Who are the hostages freed by Hamas as part of the ceasefire in Gaza?
The bodies of four Israelis taken captive by Hamas, including those said to be of the last female and child hostages in Gaza, were released Thursday, bringing to 28 the number of captives freed since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on Jan. 19. The bodies returned to Israel are presumed to include Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir, whose plight has captivated Israelis since they were taken during Hamas’ deadly attack on Oct. 7, 2023. The body of one of the oldest hostages held was also said to have been returned.
Associated Press
Israel grieves as Hamas turns over the remains said to be of a mother and her 2 young children
Ariel and Kfir Bibas — two of the youngest hostages held in Gaza — became a symbol for Israelis of the brutality of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The return of what are presumed to be their bodies on Thursday dashed hopes they had survived captivity and struck another blow to a nation still reeling from Hamas' assault. The fate of Ariel and Kfir, just 4 years old and 9 months old when they were abducted, captivated Israelis, and the return, along with a body said to be that of their mother, Shiri Bibas, brings a tragic measure of closure to the country.
Associated Press
In it's 10th episode, Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, is again spewing lava
Kilauea volcano began shooting lava into the air once again Wednesday on the Big Island of Hawaii. Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, has been erupting on and off for nearly two months since it burst to life on Dec. 23. The eruption has been taking place at the volcano's summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
CNN
Hamas hands over bodies of four Israeli hostages, said to include Bibas children and their mother
Hamas on Thursday handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages held in Gaza — the first time the group has released deceased captives since October 7, 2023.
Reuters
STMicroelectronics to launch data centre photonics chip developed with Amazon
STMicroelectronics on Thursday said it is launching a new computer chip targeting the booming market for AI data centre equipment, which it has developed in cooperation with Amazon's web services arm (AWS). ST is targeting the communications market with a photonics chip - one that uses light rather than electricity - to increase speed and reduce power consumption in converters known as transceivers, of which hundreds of thousands are needed in an advanced AI data centre. "We have signed a collaboration agreement with AWS, which has been intimately involved in the development ... and which will deploy this technology in their infrastructure as it reaches production stage later this year," said Vincent Fraisse, general manager at the company's radio and communications chip division, at a presentation for journalists.
Associated Press
South Korean and US forces conduct combined exercise involving B-1B bomber
The U.S. and South Korean militaries conducted an aerial exercise involving at least one U.S. B-1B bomber and multiple fighter jets in the allies’ first joint air force drill of President Donald Trump's second term. Seoul's Defense Ministry said South Korean F-35 and F-15 fighter jets and American F-16s were involved in the exercise over the Korean Peninsula, but it didn't specify how many. The training was conducted to demonstrate the U.S. deterrence capabilities against North Korean nuclear and missile threats and improve interoperability between South Korean and U.S. forces, the ministry said in a statement.
CNN
Analysis: Trump’s 13 biggest lies of his first month back in office
In speeches, interviews, exchanges with reporters and posts on social media, the president filled his public statements not only with exaggerations but outright fabrications. As he did during his first presidency, Trump made false claims with a frequency and variety unmatched by any other elected official in Washington.
CNN
Population identifying as LGBTQ+ in the US has nearly doubled since 2020, poll finds
More than 9% of adults in the United States identify as LGBTQ+, a new Gallup Poll has found.
Reuters
China's iQIYI launches $300 million convertible bond, term sheet shows
HONG KONG (Reuters) -Chinese video streaming platform iQIYI has launched a $300 million convertible bond offering, according to a term sheet reviewed by Reuters on Thursday. iQiyi will use the proceeds to repay or repurchase existing debt securities and for general corporate purposes. Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan are joint bookrunners of the deal, the term sheet showed.

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