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Stock market today: Asian shares follow Wall Street higher; Activision Blizzard jumps

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:56 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher on Wednesday after stocks advanced on Wall Street as investors awaited an update on U.S. inflation that will hopefully show a smaller increase in pain for everyone. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index jumped 1.3% to 18,907.36 and the S&P/ASX 200 in Australia added 0.3% to 7,131.40. In Seoul, the Kospi rose 0.2% to 2,566.57. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 dropped 0.8% to 31,957.86 after North Korea launched another missile into the sea. The North launched a long-range ballistic missile toward its eastern waters Wednesday, its neighbors said, two days after the North threatened “shocking” consequences to protest what it called a provocative U.S. reconnaissance activity near its territory.The Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1% lower to 3,219.30. Shares rose in Taiwan and Bangkok’s SET index was nearly unchanged. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 rose 0.7% to 4,439.26. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.9% to 34,261.42, and the Nasdaq c...

Labour minister asks mediator for terms to end B.C. port strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:56 GMT

Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan has given a federal mediator 24 hours to send him recommended terms to end the British Columbia port strike that has snarled cargo in about 30 ports and spurred fears of supply chain chaos across Canada.O’Regan said in a statement issued late Tuesday that the gap between the positions of employers and the port workers union in the 11-day-old strike is “not sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage.”He said that once he has received the terms from the mediator, he will forward them to both sides and they will have another 24 hours to decide whether to ratify the principles of the deal.About 7,400 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada have been on strike since July 1, halting cargo in and out of ports in B.C., including Canada’s largest, the Port of Vancouver. The workers say they’re fighting for protections against contracting out and automation, as well as pushing for higher wages.Th...

American woman says she thought she would die when New Zealand volcano erupted

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:56 GMT

An American woman said she told her new husband she loved him and was certain they would die when a New Zealand volcano erupted in 2019 killing 22 people.Lauren, 35, and Matt Urey, 39, returned to New Zealand from their home in Richmond, Virginia, to testify in the Auckland District Court on Wednesday in the trial of three tourism companies and three directors charged with safety breaches over the White Island disaster on Dec. 9.The honeymoon couple were among 47 people on White Island, the tip of an undersea volcano also known by its Indigenous Maori name, Whakaari, when superheated gases erupted. Most of the 25 people who survived were severely burned, including the Ureys.The court was shown video statements the couple provided police as they were convalescing as well as their testimony in court.In 2019, the couple had traveled to New Zealand from Australia aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas and Matt Urey had booked the volcano tour through the Florida-base...

Iraq moves toward easing its energy crisis with $27B TotalEnergies deal, but challenges remain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:56 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — A multibillion-dollar agreement signed with France’s TotalEnergies could help resolve Iraq’s longstanding electricity crisis, attract international investors and reduce its reliance on gas imports from neighboring Iran, a point of tension with Washington.The $27 billion agreement signed in Baghdad on Monday after years of negotiation marks the largest foreign investment in Iraq’s history. It could even help combat climate change by reducing oil flares, and relieve some of the stress on Iraq’s dwindling waterways through a new desalination plant.But that’s only if the parties implementing the agreement can overcome the endemic corruption and political instability that has undermined Iraq’s oil sector for more than two decades.The Gas Growth Integrated Project focuses on bolstering the country’s oil-rich but underdeveloped Basra province. TotalEnergies would take on a 45% stake in the Basra Oil Company, with Iraq holding 30% and Qatar...

NATO prepared to back Ukraine in its fight against Russia – but not to extend membership

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:56 GMT

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — NATO leaders prepared to provide Ukraine with more military assistance for fighting Russia but only vague assurances of future membership as the alliance’s summit draws to a close on Wednesday.A draft agreement states that Ukraine can join NATO “when allies agree and conditions are met.” The ambiguous outcome reflects the challenges of reaching consensus among the alliance’s current members while the war continues, and it is likely to leave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unsatisfied.Although Zelenskyy planned to attend the summit’s final day, he has been sharply critical of what he described as NATO’s “absurd” reluctance to set a timeline for his country’s acceptance into the alliance. In essence, Western countries are willing to keep sending weapons to help Ukraine do the job that NATO was designed to do — hold the line against a Russian invasion — but not allow Ukraine to join its ranks and benefit from its sec...

16-year-old girl dead after being shot in the eye in Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:56 GMT

CHICAGO — A 16-year-old girl is dead after being shot in the eye in the Austin neighborhood Tuesday evening, according to the Chicago Police Department.Police said the 16-year-old girl was involved in a dispute with a male offender in the 5000 block of West Washington Boulevard when he pulled out a gun and shot her in the eye.She was taken to Loretto Hospital in critical condition where she was later pronounced dead. Police: Evidence ties sex offender to location of dead woman before allegedly strangling 10-year-old Police have no one in custody as Area Four detectives continue to investigate the incident.If you or someone you know has information that can help police make a breakthrough in this case, anonymous tips can be filed online at cpdtip.com.***In the initial police report, officers said the victim was 14 years old, but after further investigation, they said her age is 16.***

How Rodney Terry built his first roster as Texas Longhorns head men's basketball coach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Entering his first full season as the Texas Longhorns men's head basketball coach, Rodney Terry not only recruited through the transfer portal but also in his own locker room.In an interview with KXAN Sports Director Roger Wallace, Terry discussed how he approaches the transfer portal and how he and his staff were able to put together a roster with new and old faces heading into the 2023-24 season.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersStarting with players from the Longhorns' Elite Eight run last season, Terry was able to get Tyrese Hunter and Dillon Mitchell to come back to the 40 Acres after they tested the NBA draft waters. Dylan Disu and Brock Cunningham are also returning for another season, giving the Longhorns solid continuity and experience from last year's squad. "The portal has definitely changed the dynamic of recruiting," Terry said. "I tell our g...

Ex-prisoner transporter sentenced to 9 years for raping detainee on the way to St. Paul

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:56 GMT

JOPLIN, Mo. — A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for raping a Washington detainee at a Missouri rest stop while transporting her to a Minnesota jail, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.The department said Rogeric Hankins, 37, transported inmates who were arrested on out-of-state warrants as part of his job as a private prisoner transporter at Inmate Services Corporation.Prosecutors said Hankins picked up a pretrial detainee from an Olympia, Washington, jail in March 2020 to take her to St. Paul. On the way, he stopped at a Joplin, Missouri, rest stop where prosecutors said he forced the detainee into a bathroom stall and raped her.Hankins’ public defenders did not immediately respond to email and phone requests for comment Tuesday.“The defendant sexually abused and violently assaulted a woman in his custody, exploiting his authority and depriving this survivor of her constitutional right to bodily integrity,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of t...

Long Lake issues State of Emergency

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:56 GMT

LONG LAKE, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The Town of Long Lake, along with all of Hamilton County, is under a State of Emergency after heavy rains caused massive flooding, destroying homes, bridges, and roads. The spillway dam on Jennings Park Pond to Long Lake broke overnight and forced emergency evacuations around the area.Homes and power lines are still submerged in water. Route 28N from Long Lake to Newcomb is still closed in both directions after roads were destroyed. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Aubriana Brown is a student at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; she was in Newcomb with her class to visit their campus at Huntington Forest.“We’ve been up here for like two days now, and last night the flooding happened. So, it kind of messed us up a little bit,” Brown said.Now the class can no longer get back home using their normal route.“We wanna go home tomorrow; that’s our plan. But unfortunately, we have to go t...

St. Peter's Health Partners to conduct impact study on Burdett Birth Center closure

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:56 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- St. Peter's Health Partners (SPHP) has agreed to complete an impact study on the proposed closure of the Burdett Birth Center. A spokesperson said they will work with the New York State Department of Health to hire a firm to conduct the study and will work closely with the community to ensure transparency. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! SPHP filed a notice to close just days before a state law took effect that requires healthcare companies to complete an impact study before moving forward with a closure plan. Advocates have criticized the proposal saying it will hurt patients and put further strain on emergency departments.St. Peter's said it has been operating the center at a financial loss and doesn't have enough staff to keep it running.