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Asian stocks mixed ahead of US job market update

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:57 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets were mixed Friday ahead of a United States job market update that traders hope might encourage the Federal Reserve to ease off plans for more interest rate hikes.Shanghai and Seoul rose while Tokyo declined. Markets in Hong Kong, India and Australia were closed for a holiday.Traders who worry higher interest rates might tip the global economy into recession looked ahead to U.S. government data that are expected to show the job market is cooling. They hope that might prompt the Fed to decide aggressive rate hikes are no longer needed to extinguish inflation.Other data have “confirmed a clear trend that a labor market slowdown has begun,” said Edward Moya of Oanda in a report.The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.4% to 3,324.39 while the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo lost less than 0.1% to 27,466.88. The Kospi in Seoul rose 1.3% to 2,490.37. Bangkok also gained.On Wall Street, the benchmark S&P 500 rose 0.4% on Thursday to 4,105.02 after a U.S. government ...

Afghan women-run radio resumes broadcasts after shutdown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:57 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A women-run radio station in northeastern Afghanistan has resumed its broadcasts, after officials shut it down for a week for playing music during the holy month of Ramadan, a Taliban official and the head of the station said Friday.Sadai Banowan, which means “women’s voice” in Dari, was launched 10 years ago in Badakhshan province and is Afghanistan’s only women-run radio station. Six of its eight staff members are women.Moezuddin Ahmadi, the director for Information and Culture in Badakhshan, said the station was allowed to resume activities on Thursday after it had obeyed the “laws and regulations of the Islamic Emirate” and agreed to stop broadcasting any kind of music.Station head Najia Sorosh said after the station “gave a commitment to officials at the information and culture department, they unlocked the door of the station,” and they started broadcasting again.The Afghan Journalist Safety Committee, an Afghan watchdog organization that promotes the safety o...

Bosnia regional PM jailed for embezzlement over COVID ventilators

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:57 GMT

Two men, a Bosnian regional premier and a second man were sentenced on Wednesday (5 April) to up to six year imprisonment on charges of embezzlement in relation to the purchase of defective ventilators in 2020 for COVID patients by a raspberry-processing company.Fadil Novalic was the prime minister of Bosnia's Bosniak-Croat Federation. He was sentenced for abuse of office as well as violations of a law regarding public tenders.The lawyers for all three men denied wrongdoing and said they would appeal the verdict. They remain free for now.This is the first time a Bosnian senior official has been sentenced for embezzlement. Bosnia has been plagued with corruption scandals.Vasvija Vidovic, Novalic's lawyer, claimed that the case was staged by the media and that Novalic was sentenced because of political motivations.Novalic was briefly detained along with Fahrudin Sokal, an official responsible for procuring equipment to fight the pandemic, as well as Fikret Hodzic (the manager of the c...

Northern Ireland victims' families feel justice further away than ever

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:57 GMT

While the Good Friday Agreement ended decades of bloodshed and violence in Northern Ireland, it has not provided closure for the families of more than 3600 victims.The deal stated that it was crucial to address victims' suffering as an element of reconciliation.According to the families of the victims of the British army, pro-British unionist militants, and nationalist militants seeking Irish unity who were fighting to keep the United Kingdom united, the patchwork of subsequent measures failed to achieve that goal.The British government proposed legislation to amnesty former soldiers and other individuals who were involved in the conflict. Those still grieving are afraid that all hope of finding justice and truth will vanish forever.Andrea Brown spoke out about how the peace process treated her and other loved ones who have lost their loved ones.Brown from Moira said that it was very, very hard to live knowing that my entire life was changed by one bullet, and that the people respon...

11-year-old killed, father hospitalized in Los Angeles County hit-and-run crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:57 GMT

A couple was arrested Monday for a wrong-way hit-and-run crash that killed an 11-year-old girl and left her father hospitalized in Los Angeles County.The suspects were identified as Priscilla Marie Cornejo, 39, and her husband Johnathan David Cornejo, 33, by California Highway Patrol.The couple was arrested for their alleged involvement in a fatal hit-and-run crash that occurred on the 60 Freeway, near Crossroads Parkway on March 22, 2023.Priscilla was driving in a sedan going westbound on the 60 Freeway as she was being followed by her husband who was driving a pickup truck.Around 4:06 a.m., Priscilla collided with the rear end of a tractor-trailer vehicle while driving, said CHP. The impact caused the tractor-trailer to jack-knife while spinning Priscilla’s sedan around until it stopped facing the wrong direction (eastbound) in the westbound lanes.Johnathan, who witnessed the collision, made a U-turn on the freeway and followed Priscilla as both vehicles began driving the wrong wa...

AP PHOTOS: Easter week still a ritual in more secular Spain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:57 GMT

SEVILLE, Spain (AP) — The drum beat rises on a packed Seville street as Jose Maria Segura opens his mouth and begins the wail of the “saeta,” a pained, mournful ode to Jesus Christ in death.His voice carries along a line of “nazarenos,” or penitents, with tall conical hats, monkish robes and facial hoods. The members of the El Cerro brotherhood are shouldering a sculpture of the Virgin Mary out of a church. Millions of Spaniards take to the road in the days leading up to Easter, traveling to see family or for a holiday break. For many, seeing traditional processions with painted religious icons that can weigh over a ton is a cathartic annual ritual, a time to reflect on past sorrows and current ills.A procession by the La Sed brotherhood this week passed Seville’s San Juan de Dios Hospital. Medical workers stepped outside to receive the tribute, some with tears pricking their eyes. It was the first Easter week since 2019 when masks, or any sign of the COVID-19 pandemic, were v...

Kraken playoff bound for 1st time after beating Coyotes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:57 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Kraken clinched the first playoff berth in franchise history and set an NHL record for victories in an expansion team’s second season by beating the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 on Thursday night.Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, Matty Beniers and Vince Dunn scored for the Kraken, who earned their 44th win — the most by a second-year NHL team since the Original Six era, which ended in 1968. It’s a big turnaround for Seattle, which was 27-49-6 in its first season and finished last in the Pacific Division.Philipp Grubauer had 27 saves for Seattle, which won its third straight game.Barrett Hayton and Laurent Dauphin scored for Arizona, which has dropped nine in a row. Karel Vejmelka stopped 29 shots.BRUINS 2, MAPLE LEAFS 1, OTBOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak scored his 57th goal of the season at 2:30 of overtime to give history-chasing Boston a victory over Toronto.Pastrnak blasted a shot from inside the left circle as the Bruins notched their 61st victory — one off the NHL se...

Kraken clinch first playoff berth, beat Coyotes 4-2

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:57 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Kraken clinched the first playoff berth in franchise history and set an NHL record for victories in an expansion team’s second season by beating the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 on Thursday night.Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, Matty Beniers and Vince Dunn scored for the Kraken, who earned their 44th win — the most by a second-year NHL team since the Original Six era, which ended in 1968. It’s a big turnaround for Seattle, which was 27-49-6 in its first season and finished last in the Pacific Division.Philipp Grubauer had 27 saves for Seattle, which won its third straight game.Barrett Hayton and Laurent Dauphin scored for Arizona, which has dropped nine in a row. Karel Vejmelka stopped 29 shots.McCann, who also had two assists, scored his team-high 38th goal at 19:36 of the first period to put the Kraken ahead.Dunn followed that up with a goal 28 seconds into the second period. Eberle sneaked one past Vejmelka at 5:52 to make it 3-0. Hayton scored Arizona’...

China sanciona a instituciones y personal estadounidenses tras visita de la presidenta de Taiwán

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:57 GMT

Beijing (CNN) — China impuso este viernes sanciones contra dos instituciones estadounidenses y sus directivos por la visita de la presidenta de Taiwán, Tsai Ing-wen, a Estados Unidos, informó el Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores chino en un comunicado.El Instituto Hudson, con sede en Washington, y la Biblioteca Presidencial Ronald Reagan, con sede en California, tendrían prohibida cualquier cooperación, intercambio o transacción con instituciones y personas de China.Se prohibirá a los principales directivos de estas organizaciones visitar China, no podrán realizar transacciones ni cooperar con organizaciones o personas de ese país y se les congelará cualquier activo en China, dijo el Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores de China en un comunicado este viernes.Beijing advierte sobre un “grave impacto” en las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y China con la visita de la presidenta de Taiwán a Nueva York“El Instituto Hudson y la Biblioteca Reagan han proporcionado una p...

Increase in deadly parvovirus in puppies being seen in the DMV

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:57 GMT

An increase in the number of a highly contagious canine parvovirus is being reported by veterinarian offices in the D.C. region.Veterinarian Ashly Smith, D.C.-area regional medical director for Bond Vet, said over the last month, her organization has seen more animals coming in with the illness.“It’s a very, very contagious disease,” Smith said.While Smith said she wouldn’t classify what she’s seeing as an outbreak, the increase in cases is concerning.More Animals and Pets NewsMore Local NewsMore Health & Fitness NewsWTOP reached out to several other veterinarians who said they’re seeing more cases, but not all those contacted reported cases.While the illness affects all dogs, puppies under four months old are most at risk, according to Smith. The reason for that is at four months, most dogs have received the initial three-shot dose of the parvo vaccine.“If we have that gap before their vaccination series have started, or if the vaccination series aren’t comple...