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Stock market today: Asian shares surge on hopes the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes are done

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:37:40 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve indicated it may not need to pump the brakes any harder on Wall Street and the economy. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 1.1% in afternoon trading to 31,950.61. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 0.9% to 6,899.70. South Korea’s Kospi surged 1.8% to 2,341.96.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.9% to 17,246.87, while the Shanghai Composite edged 0.3% lower to 3,015.33. “It’s no surprise that Asian markets are responding positively to the gains in U.S. stocks and bonds after the Federal Reserve suggested its policy tightening cycle may be reaching the end of the runway. So maybe it is time to start engineering that elusive soft landing officially,” Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, said in a commentary.In Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced an economic stimulus package worth about $113 billion that is meant to cushion the blow to household budgets f...

Mientras el conflicto en Gaza se intensifica, a los mapas en línea de algunas empresas chinas les falta el nombre de Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:37:40 GMT

(CNN) — Beijing aclaró que Israel sigue marcado en los mapas oficiales emitidos por las autoridades chinas después de que surgieran preguntas sobre por qué el nombre del país no era visible en los mapas en línea proporcionados por dos importantes empresas chinas.El nombre del país “Israel” no aparece actualmente en mapas de aplicaciones móviles populares de la principal plataforma de búsqueda Baidu o Amap, respaldada por Alibaba, a pesar de que su territorio y los nombres de los países vecinos se muestran claramente en una vista de la región.En la misma vista se pueden ver, por ejemplo, países de tamaño similar o menor que Israel, como Chipre, Líbano y Kuwait.Los mapas tampoco incluyen un marcador con el nombre del país “Palestina”, que China reconoció como Estado en 1988 y figura en sus mapas oficiales junto con Israel. Ambos nombres aparecen en las búsquedas de palabras en las versiones móviles de las plataformas, que no son de propiedad estatal pero operan en el...

Brazil to militarize key airports, ports and borders in a crackdown on organized crime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:37:40 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Wednesday he is sending the armed forces to boost security at some of the country’s most important airports, ports and international borders as part of a renewed effort to tackle organized crime in Latin America’s largest nation.The decision comes days after members of a criminal gang set fire to dozens of buses in Rio de Janeiro, apparently in retaliation for the police slaying their leader’s nephew.“We have reached a very serious situation,” Lula said at a news conference in Brasilia after signing the decree. “So we have made the decision to have the federal government participate actively, with all its potential, to help state governments, and Brazil itself, to get rid of organized crime.”Brazil will mobilize 3,600 members of the army, navy and air force to increase patrols and monitor the international airports in Rio and Sao Paulo, as well as two maritime ports in Rio and...

TOTO Japan Classic Scores

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:37:40 GMT

ThursdayAt Minori CourseOmitama, JapanPurse: $2 millionYardage: 6,598; Par: 72First RoundAkie Iwai33-30—63Nasa Hataoka33-31—64Mone Inami33-31—64Yuna Nishimura33-31—64Shiho Kuwaki32-33—65Yu Liu33-32—65Sora Kamiya34-32—66Xiyu Lin32-34—66Hikaru Yoshimoto32-34—66Seon Woo Bae32-35—67Gemma Dryburgh33-34—67Ayaka Furue34-33—67Fumika Kawagishi35-32—67Mi Hyang Lee36-31—67Yan Liu34-33—67Shoko Sasaki33-34—67Jenny Shin32-35—67Ai Suzuki32-35—67Rio Takeda35-32—67Albane Valenzuela33-34—67Miyuu Abe36-32—68Lauren Coughlin34-34—68Mami Fukuda35-33—68Erika Hara35-33—68Eun-Hee Ji36-32—68Hana Lee35-33—68Saki Nagamine34-34—68Yuka Nii36-32—68Mao Saigo36-32—68Jiyai Shin34-34—68Linnea Strom33-35—68Jasmine Suwannapura33-35—68Momoko Ueda34-34—68Yuri Yoshida36-32—68Rose Zhang33-35—68Na Rin An36-33—69Lindy Duncan37-32—69Minami Katsu35-34—69Erika Kikuchi36-33—69Nanna Koerstz Madsen35-34—69Sakura Koiwai36-33—69Paula Reto34-35—69Yuka Saso34-35—69Miyo Sato35-34—69Chanettee Wannasaen34-35—69Lala Anai35-35—70Pajaree An...

TOTO Japan Classic Par Scores

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:37:40 GMT

ThursdayAt Minori CourseOmitama, JapanPurse: $2 millionYardage: 6,598; Par: 72First RoundAkie Iwai33-30—63-9Nasa Hataoka33-31—64-8Mone Inami33-31—64-8Yuna Nishimura33-31—64-8Shiho Kuwaki32-33—65-7Yu Liu33-32—65-7Sora Kamiya34-32—66-6Xiyu Lin32-34—66-6Hikaru Yoshimoto32-34—66-6Seon Woo Bae32-35—67-5Gemma Dryburgh33-34—67-5Ayaka Furue34-33—67-5Fumika Kawagishi35-32—67-5Mi Hyang Lee36-31—67-5Yan Liu34-33—67-5Shoko Sasaki33-34—67-5Jenny Shin32-35—67-5Ai Suzuki32-35—67-5Rio Takeda35-32—67-5Albane Valenzuela33-34—67-5Miyuu Abe36-32—68-4Lauren Coughlin34-34—68-4Mami Fukuda35-33—68-4Erika Hara35-33—68-4Eun-Hee Ji36-32—68-4Hana Lee35-33—68-4Saki Nagamine34-34—68-4Yuka Nii36-32—68-4Mao Saigo36-32—68-4Jiyai Shin34-34—68-4Linnea Strom33-35—68-4Jasmine Suwannapura33-35—68-4Momoko Ueda34-34—68-4Yuri Yoshida36-32—68-4Rose Zhang33-35—68-4Na Rin An36-33—69-3Lindy Duncan37-32—69-3Minami Katsu35-34—69-3Erika Kikuchi36-33—69-3Nanna Koerstz Madsen35-34—69-3Sakura Koiwai36-33—69-3Paula Reto34-35—69-3Yuka...

Storm Ciaran whips western Europe, blowing record winds in France and leaving millions without power

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:37:40 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Winds up to 180 kilometers per hour (108 mph) slammed France’s Atlantic coast overnight as Storm Ciaran lashed countries around western Europe, uprooting trees, blowing out windows and leaving 1.2 million French households without electricity Thursday.Heavy rain associated with the storm pushed ashore at the southwest tip of England, and the U.K.’s national weather forecaster warned of flood risks and urged people to take precautions. Dutch airline KLM scrapped all flights from the early afternoon until the end of the day, citing the high sustained wind speeds and powerful gusts expected in the Netherlands.A weather-related death already was confirmed in France. A truck driver was killed when his vehicle was hit by a tree in northern France’s inland Aisne region, Transport Minister Clement Beaune said.Nearly all coastlines of the French mainland were under severe weather warnings Thursday morning, from Calais on the English Channel to all the way down ...

Chaotic and desperate scenes among Afghans returning from Pakistan, say aid agencies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:37:40 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Major international aid agencies on Thursday warned of chaotic and desperate scenes among Afghans who have returned from Pakistan, where security forces are detaining and deporting undocumented or unregistered foreigners.The crackdown on illegal migration mostly affects Afghans because they are the majority of foreigners living in Pakistan, although the government says it is targeting everyone who is in the country illegally. Three aid organizations — the Norwegian Refugee Council, Danish Refugee Council and the International Rescue Committee — said many people fleeing the Pakistani crackdown arrived in Afghanistan in poor condition. “The conditions in which they arrive in Afghanistan are dire, with many having endured arduous journeys spanning several days, exposed to the elements, and often forced to part with their possessions in exchange for transportation,” the agencies said in a statement.Between 9,000 and 10,000 Afghans are crossing the border every day from ...

In the news today: Holocaust education thumbs up, immigration targets to get tweaked

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:37:40 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Holocaust educators applaud B.C. and OntarioTo combat rising antisemitism, both British Columbia and Ontario announced this week that they would introduce mandatory Holocaust education for high school students, teaching them of the murder of six million Jews and others during the Second World War by Nazi Germany.“For our friends and neighbours in the Jewish community, this has been an incredibly frightening time. We have seen a rise in antisemitism in B.C. following the terrorist attacks in Israel, which evokes the history of persecution of Jews,” Premier David Eby said in a statement Monday. “Combating this kind of hate begins with learning from the darkest parts of our history, so the same horrors are never repeated.”Nina Krieger, executive director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, said many people are surprised that Holocaust education wasn...

Volunteer medical students are trying to fill the health care gap for migrants in Chicago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:37:40 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Using sidewalks as exam rooms and heavy red duffle bags as medical supply closets, volunteer medics spend their Saturdays caring for the growing number of migrants arriving in Chicago without a place to live.Mostly students in training, they go to police stations where migrants are first housed, prescribing antibiotics, distributing prenatal vitamins and assessing for serious health issues. These student doctors, nurses and physician assistants are the front line of health care for asylum-seekers in the nation’s third-largest city, filling a gap in Chicago’s haphazard response. “My team is a team that shouldn’t have to exist, but it does out of necessity,” said Sara Izquierdo, a University of Illinois Chicago medical student who helped found the group. “Because if we’re not doing this, I’m not sure anyone will.”More than 19,600 migrants have come to Chicago over the last year since Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began sending buses to so-called sanctuary cities. The migrants ...

Migrants in cities across the US may need medical care. It’s not that easy to find

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:37:40 GMT

All the chairs in the waiting room were filled by dozens of newly arrived migrants waiting to be seen by a Cook County health worker at a clinic in Chicago. Julio Figuera, 43, was among them. He didn’t want to talk much about traveling to Chicago from Venezuela, where a social, political and economic crisis has pushed millions into poverty and led 7 million to flee, Figuera and three of his kids included.But somewhere along the way, he’d gotten pneumonia.Figuera, who was living with hundreds of other asylum-seekers at O’Hare International Airport while waiting for more permanent shelter, returned for follow-up care at the county clinic. The stubborn cough came back, so he did, too. The staff checked his vitals, listened to his chest and gave him a hepatitis vaccine.“I rarely get sick,” he said. “It was the journey that got me sick.”Tens of thousands of migrants who’ve come to the United States are navigating a patchwork system to find treatment for new or chronic health concerns.Doc...