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Stock market today: Asian shares mostly gain as corporate profits top forecasts and oil prices fall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:26 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares advanced Wednesday, tracking gains on Wall Street after Verizon and other big companies reported fatter profits for the summer than expected. Benchmarks rose in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai but fell in Seoul and Sydney. U.S. futures were mixed and oil prices declined.As the pace of profit reports picks up, the hope is that companies will report their first growth in a year. Such strength is crucial for stock markets, which have slumped under the weight of higher bond yields. The 10-year Treasury yield has been rising rapidly from less than 3.50% in the spring and catching up with the Federal Reserve’s main overnight interest rate, which is at its highest level since 2001, above 5.25%. High yields hurt prices for stocks, cryptocurrencies and other investments. They also slow the economy bluntly and add stress for the entire financial system.The 10-year Treasury yield was steady at 4.84% early Wednesday.In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index gained 1.3% to 31,466....

The EU prepares for war — and this French ship is the tip of the spear

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:26 GMT

ABOARD THE FRENCH HELICOPTER CARRIER TONNERRE — John Denver’s “Country Roads,” a folk song from 1971, resounds through the Tonnerre. It’s 7:30 a.m., and some of the crew aboard the Mistral-class amphibious helicopter carrier are already eating breakfast — loading up on coffee, bread and jam ahead of a planned exercise to storm a Spanish beach. It’s been a short night, and plans for the landing have changed several times. The French assault vessel — 199 meters long, 32 meters wide and able to carry 21,500 tons — is a key element in the European Union’s first live military exercise in October off the southern coast of Spain. In the training scenario chosen by top EU military officials, European troops had to assault a beach to rescue the government of a fictitious ally called Seglia. That’s exactly what the Tonnerre (Thunder in English), was designed to do. Called a Landing Helicopter Dock in NATO-speak, the ship can carry helicopters, armore...

County commissioner wants Chicago Bears to consider Country Club Hills for stadium

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:26 GMT

With the Chicago Bears looking to the suburbs as a potential site for a stadium, Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon is encouraging the football team to consider Country Club Hills, throwing what her office described as a “Hail Mary pass” to encourage the team to consider the south suburb.Gordon said in a news release Tuesday she and Country Club Hills Mayor James Ford “are imploring the team to look at the south suburbs as an opportunity to have a positive economic impact on a part of the Chicagoland area that is ignored all too often.”Gordon, representing the county’s Fifth District and recently elected to replace Deborah Sims, said she sent a letter in September to Bears’ matriarch Virginia McCaskey and chief executive Kevin Warren inviting them to consider a site in Country Club Hills.“Country Club Hills’ strategic location near three major highways, the Metra Electric line and the Indiana border gives the Bears the opportunity ...

Teen fighting for life after e. Coli diagnosis traced to 4S Ranch restaurant

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:26 GMT

4S RANCH, Calif. -- A 14-year-old boy is fighting for his life at Rady Children's Hospital after getting diagnosed with e. Coli following a night out with family dining at Miguel’s Cocina in 4S Ranch."I’m trying to be strong for my son, so he’s not afraid," Rachele Byrd said. "It’s hard to see your child suffer like that."Byrd's son is among seven hospitalized from the e. Coli infections. The county has confirmed that 13 cases have been linked to the restaurant.On Oct. 12, Byrd says her family dined at the restaurant. Two days later, her son, who ate carne asada that night, complained of a headache. The next day a fever, then excruciating diarrhea. Now, he’s on dialysis. San Diego teacher arrested on suspicion of attempting to pay for sex with minor “By Saturday or Sunday, it was confirmed his kidneys were starting to fail,” Byrd said.His infection developed into a more severe complication called Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a condition that can occur when small blood...

Chula Vista upgrades more than 400 meters downtown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:26 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — More than 430 parking meters throughout downtown Chula Vista just got an upgrade.Locals and people visiting may be used to hunting around for change, as the old meters in the area only accepted coins, causing the occasional headache.“Had to go in and break a dollar bill and you know it was a hassle,” Keola Tolentino said.The new M5 SingleSpace Smart Meters are located along many of the streets of the City’s Downtown Parking District, where the city says businesses will be receiving flyers to hand out to customers about the new system.Some people FOX 5 spoke to actually liked the old school way of doing things. Man shot outside recreation center in Clairemont “I’m glad they’re still taking coins,” George Romero said.The new meters do still accept coins, but you can now also use credit or debit cards, even contactless options like Apple Pay.“I use Apple Pay a lot. I think it’s so much easier, so I do think that’s going to be helpful for sure,” David Lopez ...

Carnival ruled negligent over cruise where 662 passengers got COVID-19 early in pandemic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:26 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A cruise operator that failed to cancel a voyage from Sydney that led to a major COVID-19 outbreak was ruled negligent in its duty of care to passengers in an Australian class-action case Wednesday.The Ruby Princess ocean liner left Sydney on March 8, 2020, with 2,671 passengers aboard for a 13-day cruise to New Zealand but returned in 11 days as Australia’s borders were closing. COVID-19 spread to 663 passengers and claimed 28 lives.Passenger Susan Karpik was the lead plaintiff in the case against British-American cruise operator Carnival and its subsidiary Princess Cruises, the ship’s owner.Federal Court Justice Angus Stewart ruled that Carnival had been negligent as defined by Australian consumer law by allowing the cruise to depart in the early months of the pandemic. He said Carnival had a duty to take reasonable care of her health and safety in regard to COVID-19.“I have found that before the embarkation of passengers on the Ruby Princess for t...

Live updates | Israel’s bombardment in Gaza surges, reducing buildings to rubble

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:26 GMT

Israel has ramped up airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, reducing residential buildings to rubble and crushing families. Airstrikes have killed dozens at a time in leveled homes, according to witnesses.The surging death toll foretells even greater loss of life ahead in Gaza, where Israeli forces are expected to launch a ground invasion seeking to destroy Hamas. Fuel shortages and the bombardment forced the shutdown of medical facilities, Gaza officials said. U.S. and other officials fear the fighting could spill over into a wider regional conflict.The war, in its 19th day Wednesday, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Health Ministry said Tuesday that at least 5,791 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 704 in the past day, and 16,297 wounded. In the occupied West Bank, 96 Palestinians have been killed and 1,650 wounded in violence and Israeli raids since Oct. 7.The Associated Press could not independently verify the death tolls cited by Hamas,...

Japan’s top court rules law requiring reproductive organ removal for gender change unconstitutional

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:26 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that a law requiring transgender people to have their reproductive organs removed in order to officially change their gender is unconstitutional.The decision by the top court’s 15-judge Grand Bench was its first on the constitutionality of Japan’s 2003 law requiring the removal of gonads for a state-recognized gender change, a practice long criticized by international rights and medical groups.The case was filed by a plaintiff whose request for a gender change in her family registry — to female from her biologically assigned male — was turned down by lower courts.The decision comes at a time of heightened awareness of issues surrounding LGBTQ+ people in Japan and is a victory for that community.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Japan’s Supreme Court will rule Wednesday whether a law forcing transgender people to have their reproductive organs removed in order to officially change their gender ...

HERA secures more than 100,000 treatment courses against Mpox, smallpox and cowpox

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:26 GMT

The Commission's Health Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), has signed a contract with the company Meridian Medical Technologies, LLC, to supply up to 100,080 oral treatment courses of Tecovirimat SIGA, the therapeutic against mpox, smallpox and cowpox.Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides (pictured) said:“Last year, the EU and its member states worked together to swiftly and successfully bring the mpox outbreak under control. However, as COVID continues to show, we must remain vigilant and prepared for any scenario, and should cases rise again in the future. This is why we will continue to ensure that the necessary therapeutics are always available to treat those in need. In a strong European Health Union, we will continue working to significantly strengthen our preparedness and response capacities.”This joint procurement framework contract intends to meet the middle- and long-term needs of 13 participating countries. It complements the stock available at EU...

Commission services sign administrative arrangements with French and Irish media regulators to support enforcement of Digital Services Act

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:26 GMT

The Commission services have signed administrative arrangements with the media regulators of France (Autorité de regulation de la communication audiovisuelle et numérique – Arcom) and Ireland (Coimisiún na Meán), to support its supervisory and enforcement powers under the Digital Services Act (DSA).These arrangements aim at developing expertise and capabilities and follow the Commission Recommendation to member states for co-ordinating their response to the spread and amplification of illegal content on ‘Very Large Online Platforms' and ‘Very Large Online Search Engines', ahead of the deadline for member states to play their role in the enforcement of the DSA.These bilateral arrangements will allow the Commission services and relevant national authorities to exchange information, data, good practices, methodologies, technical systems, and tools. Effective cooperation will facilitate the Commission's assessment of systemic risks, the identification of emerging ones, including risks r...