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Japan’s economy rebounds on healthy consumption as COVID restrictions ease, tourists arrive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:13 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s economy grew at an annual pace of 1.6% in the quarter through March as private demand rebounded after COVID-19-related restrictions were eased, according to data released Wednesday.Real gross domestic product, which measures the sum value of a nation’s products and services, grew 0.4% in January-March on-quarter in the world’s third largest economy, the government Cabinet Office said.That was the strongest GDP growth pace since April-June 2022 marked a 1.1% growth. It was also better than the market consensus forecast of 0.2%.The annualized pace shows what the growth would have been if what was marked during the quarter had continued for a year. The biggest contributor to growth was private demand, surging an annual 3.1%, with consumer spending and private investment showing a healthy rebound. The recent opening of borders to tourists and other incoming travel has also helped consumption perk up. Public demand grew at an annualized 1.8%.“Japan’s economy appears ...

Australia rules out Quad summit going ahead in Sydney without President Biden

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:13 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out a so-called Quad summit taking place in Sydney without President Joe Biden, saying the four leaders will talk at the Group of Seven meeting this weekend in Japan. Albanese said Wednesday he understands why Biden pulled out of the summit to focus on debt limit talks in Washington since they are crucial to the economy. The summit including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had been scheduled for May 24. “The blocking and the disruption that’s occurring in domestic politics in the United States, with the debt ceiling issue, means that, because that has to be solved prior to 1st June — otherwise there are quite drastic consequences for the U.S. economy, which will flow on to the global economy — he understandably has had to make that decision,” Albanese told reporters.Biden “expressed very much his disappointment” at being unable to come to the Sydney summit an...

Carolyn Carluccio wins GOP primary for Pennsylvania Supreme Court seat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:13 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican Carolyn Carluccio has won the GOP nomination for a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which is playing a prominent role in settling disputes over voting rights, abortion rights and gun rights in the presidential battleground.Carluccio, Montgomery County’s president judge and the party-endorsed candidate, won the two-way race. She defeated Patricia McCullough, a Commonwealth Court judge who lost a primary for a high court seat in 2021, after party allies reported spending nearly $1 million to help her beat McCullough.On the campaign trail, McCullough repeatedly boasted of being the “only judge in 2020 in the presidential election in the entire country” to order a halt to her state’s election certification.McCullough was ruling in a Republican-backed post-election legal challenge that sought to tilt victory to Donald Trump in the presidential battleground state. The state’s high court quickly overturned McCullough’s order.Carluccio will face Demo...

She killed the man raping her. Now Mexican woman faces 6 years in prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:13 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican woman who killed a man defending herself when he attacked and raped her in 2021 was sentenced to more than six years in prison, a decision her legal defense called “discriminatory” and vowed to appeal Tuesday.The ruling against Roxana Ruiz spurred anger from experts and feminist groups who said it speaks to the depth of gender-based violence and Mexico’s poor record of bringing perpetrators of sexual violence to justice.“It would be a bad precedent if this sentence were to hold. It’s sending the message to women that, you know what, the law says you can defend yourself, but only to a point,” said Ángel Carrera, her defense lawyer. “He raped you, but you don’t have the right to do anything.”The Associated Press does not normally identify sexual assault victims, but Ruiz has given her permission to be identified and participates in public demonstrations led by activists who support her.While the Mexico State court found Monday that Ruiz had been raped, it ...

Citytv announces $1-million cash prize for ‘Canada’s Got Talent’ Season 3

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:13 GMT

TORONTO — “Canada’s Got Talent” is increasing its top prize to $1 million.Citytv says its competition series will return for a third season with a bumped-up award from parent company Rogers, described as the biggest cash prize in Canadian television history.In addition, CIBC will award $25,000 each to six Golden Buzzer acts, or entertainers deemed good enough to progress from auditions straight to the semifinal.The news was revealed during Tuesday’s Season 2 finale, which awarded a grand purse of $150,000.  This year’s winner is the dance act Conversion from Trois-Rivières, Que., who will also receive professional financial advice as well as the chance to perform at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas as part of “America’s Got Talent Presents: SUPERSTARS Live.”Applications for Season 3 are open on the Citytv website.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2023.Noel Ransome, The Canadian Press

Buffalo Grove High School closed Wednesday due to small fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:13 GMT

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. -- Students in Buffalo Grove will not have classes Wednesday.According to District 214, Buffalo Grove High School will be closed Wednesday due to a small fire that took place in the building Tuesday evening.After school activities and events will be reportedly available by 12 p.m. Wednesday.No injuries were reported.

Vandegrift wins 6A girls golf crown, medalist race goes to playoff holes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:13 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — The final round of the Class 6A girls golf championships was a wild one Tuesday at Legacy Hills Golf Club.Katy Seven Lakes senior Maelynn Kim emerged from a three-person playoff to win the individual state championship, beating defending champion Sydney Givens from Vandegrift and Kate Pickrell from Lake Travis on the first extra hole. Givens won runner-up honors with a win on the second playoff hole against Pickrell. All three players ended the two-round tournament with a 4-under-par 140.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/newslettersGivens and Pickrell shot identical rounds of 68 and 72, and both were tied for the lead after the first day Monday. Kim shot a pair of 70s to find her way into the playoff and claim the medalist honors.In the team race, the Vipers led wire-to-wire to win the title and avenged last year's second-place finish. Led by Givens and f...

In first rehab game with Saints, Royce Lewis paves way for 10-inning win over Clippers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:13 GMT

Royce Lewis’s rehab assignment with the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge didn’t last long. And if he keeps playing the way he did Tuesday — his first Major League rehab game with the St. Paul Saints — he might not spend much time in St. Paul, either.Lewis went 3 for 5 with four RBIs, powering the Saints to a 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Columbus Clippers at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio.With Mark Contreras the placed runner at second in the top of the 10th, Kyle Garlick cracked a single to advance him to third and Andrew Stevenson — who finished the night 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored — delivered an RBI single to give St. Paul the 6-5 lead. Oliver Ortega retired the side in order to end the game.Jose Miranda, whose struggles with the Twins brought him back down to Triple-A, went 1 for 4, hitting a sacrifice fly in the second to give the Saints (22-16) an early 1-0 lead. The Saints were able to get two early runs off Clippers starter Gavin...

Jefferson County looks to expand Project Lifesaver that helps find lost loved ones

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:13 GMT

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. - The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is hoping to expand a program that helps locate lost loved ones. The program helped the High Ridge Fire Department track down a lost child within 30 minutes of the 911 call."I don't even notice I have it on sometimes. I play pickleball, and it doesn't bother me there," said Ollie Deppong.He said he spends a lot of time outdoors, so the small bracelet gives his wife, Debbie, comfort."I am so grateful that he has that little white thing on his wrist, and he's so good about everything," Debbie said. "If he were to get lost, they say 15–20 minutes they can find him."Deppong was recently diagnosed with the beginning stages of dementia, and Debbie is blind. They haven't had to use Project Lifesaver, but other families in Jefferson County have."We've had a story a couple of weeks back, where we saw this program live in action, and it wonderfully had a happy ending," said Brianne Zwiener with the Jefferson County Health Departmen...

Exclusive: Social media brings party-goers to short-term rentals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:13 GMT

ST. LOUIS - St. Louis officials scramble to stop short-term rental parties, the self-proclaimed mastermind behind the celebrations gives insight into how they even started.He goes by the name FatFinesser; critics who watch his social media might argue there's little finesse to these parties, though."On any given Saturday night in the City of St. Louis, there might be 10 or 15 Airbnbs, and every last one of them has like 80 people in them," he said.Some of the parties have grown out of control, into hallways and the streets. Top Story: St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner resigning immediately FatFinesser said a few invites across Instagram turn into dozens and dozens."It's a whole bunch of different people, all mixed in one environment. That's how things get bad," he said.The most recent party ended with shots fired.St. Louis officials are at a breaking point when it comes to these celebrations that end in chaos.“We’ve had the same thing time and time again,” said St. Louis Alde...