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Stock market today: Asian shares weaken while Japan reports economy grew less than expected

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:31 GMT

Shares fell Friday in Asia after Japan reported its economy grew less than earlier estimated in the last quarter. Oil prices declined, while U.S. futures edged higher. Japan, the world’s third largest economy, grew at a 4.8% annual pace in the April-June quarter, below the earlier estimate of 6% growth, according to data released Friday. Much of that growth was driven by exports, which rose nearly 13%, while private consumption fell 2.2% on weak investment spending. A separate report showed that wages declined in July for the 16th straight month, falling 2.5% from a year earlier. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index dropped 1.2% to 32,606.84, while the Kospi in Seoul lost less than 1 point, to 2,547.68. Hong Kong’s markets were closed due to a tropical storm. The Shanghai Composite index shed 0.2% to 3,1016.87, while the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.2% to 7,156.70. On Thursday, Wall Street slipped in mixed trading Thursday as the threat of high interest rates continued to dog Big Tech sto...

A helicopter crashes off the United Arab Emirates coast. 2 pilots are missing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:31 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A helicopter crashed off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, with two pilots now missing, authorities said Friday.The crash happened offshore, though the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authorities did not specify where. It identified the aircraft involved as a Bell 212, which can carry 14 passengers and a pilot. Officials said the two pilots aboard were from Egypt and South Africa and had taken off Thursday night from Al Maktoum International Airport, the second airfield in Dubai. Aerogulf, the owner of the helicopter, described the flight as “routine training operations between Al Maktoum International Airport and an offshore rig.” The oil-rich UAE has multiple oil rigs off the coast in the Persian Gulf. “We are working with the aviation authorities and doing all we can to gather information as quickly as possible,” Aerogulf said in its statement. “At this moment our thoughts and prayers are with our crew and their families.”Aerogulf also p...

Security: Commission proposes negotiations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway on Passenger Name Record data agreements

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:31 GMT

The European Commission has adopted Recommendations to the Council for the opening of negotiations with Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway for agreements on the transfer of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data.  The transfer of PNR data is key in allowing authorities to strengthen the detection, prosecution, and investigation of terrorist and serious criminal offences. The agreements will set out the conditions for the transfer of PNR data to the authorities of those countries, in full respect of data protection safeguards and fundamental rights.  Opening negotiations with Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway on PNR is an important step forward to increase security in the Schengen area, in line with the Commission's PNR policy, which builds on international standards and addresses global security commitments. A review report published on 24 July 2020 showed that the PNR data has delivered concrete results in the fight against terrorism and serious crimes, such as drug trafficking, h...

Single family residence sells in San Jose for $3.8 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:31 GMT

A spacious house located in the 1400 block of Buckthorne Way in San Jose has new owners. The 3,018-square-foot property, built in 2010, was sold on Aug. 14, 2023, for $3,750,000, or $1,243 per square foot. This single-story house provides a generous living space with its four bedrooms and four baths. Additionally, the house features a two-car garage.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:A 1,783-square-foot home on the 6800 block of Dartmoor Way in San Jose sold in August 2022, for $2,350,000, a price per square foot of $1,318. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Devon Way, San Jose, in March 2023, a 1,400-square-foot home was sold for $2,800,000, a price per square foot of $2,000. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In October 2022, a 1,357-square-foot home on South Blaney Avenue in San Jose sold for $2,275,000, a price per square foot of $1,676. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

Spanish player Jenni Hermoso returns to Mexican club team; Sue Bird, Pau Gasol offer their support

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:31 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Jenni Hermoso returned to Mexico on Thursday to resume playing with her club team, which pledged to help her find “normality” after the Spaniard was kissed without consent by the president of the Spanish soccer federation following the Women’s World Cup final.Hermoso, who plays for Pachuca in the Mexican league, has formally accused Luis Rubiales of sexual assault for kissing her on the lips, Spain’s prosecutors’ office said Wednesday.Rubiales, the now-suspended president of the federation, kissed Hermoso during the awards ceremony after Spain beat England to win the title on Aug. 20 in Sydney.Meanwhile, in Manila, Philippines, at the Basketball World Cup on Friday, two basketball greats — Sue Bird of the U.S. and Spain’s Pau Gasol — expressed both their support for Hermoso and disappointment in the entire situation.“People being able to tell their truth starts with holding the powers that be, for lack of a better, accountable,” Bird said. “I think it’...

Jimmy Fallon se disculpa con su personal tras las acusaciones de un ambiente de trabajo difícil en “Tonight Show”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:31 GMT

(CNN) — Jimmy Fallon se disculpó con sus compañeros tras las acusaciones publicadas el jueves en un reportaje de la revista Rolling Stone sobre un ambiente de trabajo difícil en “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”, según pudo saber CNN.Durante una llamada de Zoom con el personal de “The Tonight Show” celebrada después de la publicación de la historia, Fallon dijo que no tenía intención de “crear ese tipo de ambiente en el show”, según un artículo de seguimiento de Rolling Stone que cita a empleados no identificados que estaban en la llamada.CNN se ha puesto en contacto con los representantes de Fallon.Un representante de la NBC remitió a CNN a la declaración de la cadena publicada en el reportaje original de Rolling Stone.“Es vergonzoso y me siento muy mal”, dicen los empleados que dijo Fallon, según el artículo de Rolling Stone.“Siento si los he avergonzado a ustedes y a sus familias y amigos”, agregó.“Qui...

Elon Musk sabotaged Ukrainian attack on Russian fleet in Crimea by turning off Starlink, new book says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:31 GMT

Elon Musk secretly ordered his engineers to disable Starlink satellite communications near the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea last year to sabotage a planned Ukrainian drone strike.Musk was worried the drone submarine attack, which was targeting the Russian naval fleet in Sevastopol, would escalate tensions and potentially lead to a nuclear war, according to an extract from historian Walter Isaacson’s upcoming biography “Elon Musk.”Musk on Thursday evening painted a slightly different picture to the one described by Isaacson. He said satellites in those regions were never turned on in the first place and he simply chose not to activate them.The extract, published by the Washington Post on Thursday, shows Musk’s journey from eager supporter to reluctant ally of Ukraine.Isaacson writes that Musk reportedly panicked when he heard about the planned Ukrainian attack, which was using Starlink satellites to guide six drones packed with explosives towards the Crimea coast.After speaking t...

Russia holds elections in occupied Ukrainian regions in an effort to tighten its grip there

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:31 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian authorities are holding local elections this weekend in occupied parts of Ukraine in an effort to tighten their grip on territories Moscow illegally annexed a year ago and still does not fully control.The voting for Russian-installed legislatures in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions begins Friday and concludes Sunday. It has already been denounced by Kyiv and the West.“It constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, which Russia continues to disregard,” the Council of Europe, the continent’s foremost human rights body, said this week.Kyiv echoed that sentiment, with the parliament saying in a statement that the balloting in areas where Russia “conducts active hostilities” poses a threat to Ukrainian lives. Lawmakers urged other countries not to recognize the results of the vote.For Russia, it is important to go on with the voting to maintain the illusion of normalcy, despite the fact that the Kremlin does not have full c...

2 dead in Hong Kong amid extreme rain and flash floods that also struck southern China

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:31 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Heavy rain in Hong Kong and southern China overnight flooded city streets and some subway stations, with hundreds evacuated and two deaths reported in Hong Kong.Hong Kong authorities said during a joint news conference Friday that the extreme weather was expected to last until at least midnight, with widespread flooding and heavy disruptions to public transport in multiple districts.An official from the Hong Kong observatory said the city had recorded over 600mm of rain so far — a quarter of the city’s average annual rainfall. The Hong Kong Observatory said it recorded 158.1 millimeters (6.2 inches) of rain in the hour between 11 p.m. Thursday and midnight, the highest recording for a single hour since records began in 1884. Hong Kong police said that two bodies were found floating in waters in different parts of the city. The city’s fire services department said it had evacuated 110 people and assisted 20 injured people.The city’s response to the rain a...

India seeks a greater voice for the developing world at G20, but Ukraine war may overshadow talks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:31 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — It’s never been easy for the leaders of the world’s largest economies to find common ground, but Russia’s war on Ukraine has made it even harder for the Group of 20 meeting to reach meaningful agreements this year.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this year’s host, has pledged Ukraine won’t overshadow his focus on the needs developing nations in the so-called Global South, but the war has proved hard to ignore. “New Delhi will not want to distract from the main agenda, which is to address issues of concern for the Global South,” said Nazia Hussain, an associate research fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. “So while there will be discussions on the emerging issues as a fallout of the war — supply chain security and decoupling, energy security, and food supply — the focus must remain on how to mitigate the fallout rather than debate the geopolitical/security aspects of the war.”As leaders began arriving Friday, Indian di...