Beijing, Apr 25 (AP) China said Thursday that it will hold joint naval drills with Russia next week, in another sign that the countries' militaries are growing closer.

The drills will be held off the northern port city of Qingdao, Defense Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said at a monthly briefing. Taking place from Monday to Saturday, they will feature ships and submarines along with fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and marine units.

With the expected entrance of former Vice President Joe Biden into the 2020 Democratic presidential contest on Thursday, the field is largely set, with all the big names included.

The sprawling Democratic field features candidates ranging from 37 to 77 years old; liberals and moderates; senators, governors and mayors; and an unprecedented number of women and minorities. Democrats view the upcoming election as a must-win, and they’re looking to nominate someone who is their best hope to beat President Donald Trump.

Here are the 20 candidates (including Biden):

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) — A former U.S. Army sharpshooter with a history of PTSD plowed his car at high speed into a group of pedestrians in a quiet Silicon Valley suburb, injuring eight people including three children, and then told authorities that he intentionally hit them but has not said why.

Police in Sunnyvale, California, said Wednesday that Isaiah Joel Peoples, 34, was being held on eight counts of attempted murder. Four of the victims remained hospitalized with major injuries, including a 13-year-old girl in critical condition.

BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The mainland is firmly opposed to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and military contact in any form between the two sides, a mainland spokesperson said Wednesday.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson with the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks at a press conference. "Our stance has been consistent and clear," he said.

In response to remarks by the American Institute in Taiwan that the mainland is exerting its influence on Taiwan elections, Ma said the mainland has repeatedly stressed that it never interferes with elections on the island.

Two Kashmiri separatists, including one pursuing Bachelor of Physiotherapy, were killed Thursday by Indian security forces in Anantnag district of Indian controlled Jammu and Kashmir.

"On a credible input, a cordon and search operation was launched at Bagender Mohalla in Bijbehara area in district Anantnag by police and security forces," a police spokesman said.

The spokesman alleged that during searches, the separatists fired upon the search party which retaliated killing two Kashmiri separatists.

MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. Residents of the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LPR and DPR) can apply for Russian citizenship in the Rostov Region. Their applications will be considered within three months, the Russian Interior Ministry’s website informed on Wednesday. The ministry’s press service informed TASS that there is no need to renounce the Ukrainian citizenship in order to obtain the Russian one.

WASHINGTON (AP) — For the past three years, virtually nothing has hatched at Antarctica’s second biggest breeding grounds for emperor penguins and the start of this year is looking just as bleak, a new study found.

Usually 15,000 to 24,000 breeding pairs of emperor penguins flock yearly to a breeding site at Halley Bay, considered a safe place that should stay cold this century despite global warming. But almost none have been there since 2016, according to a study in Wednesday’s Antarctic Science.

VLADIVOSTOK, April 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin talked about the issues that were discussed at his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Starting the expanded negotiations, the Russian state leader called the previous part a thorough one. "We just had a thorough face-to-face conversation," the Russian leader said.

MOSCOW, April 25. /TASS/. The ties between Russia and China are at their highest point in the entire 70-year history of diplomatic relations and will continue to develop steadily, Russian President Vladimir Putin told China’s Renmin Ribao newspaper ahead of his visit to the country.

BEIJING (AP) — China’s finance minister tried Thursday to dispel complaints its Belt and Road infrastructure-building initiative leaves developing countries with too much debt, promising “sustainable financing” as leaders gathered to celebrate the project.

Liu Kun’s comments came as Chinese authorities blanketed the capital with security for the forum celebrating President Xi Jinping’s signature foreign initiative.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The possibility of a $5 billion federal privacy fine for Facebook suggests that U.S. regulators may be taking a cue from the large penalties their European counterparts have been handing out to U.S. technology giants.

While investors appear to have shrugged it off for now, the potential fine from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission would be more than a slap on the wrist for Facebook, especially if it comes with strings that limit how the company targets advertising to its massive user base.

25 Apr 2019; AFP: Sudanese protesters began gathering for a "million-strong" march Thursday to turn up the heat on the ruling military council after three of its members resigned following talks on handing over power.

The rally outside the army headquarters comes after the military rulers and protest leaders agreed to set up a joint committee, to chart the way forward two weeks after the ouster of veteran president Omar al-Bashir.