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AP PHOTOS: Rugby World Cup quarterfinal race goes down to the wire for 6 of the 8 places

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:35 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Wales and England are through to the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals and are the only teams which can rest easy in the last set of group-stage games.The other six spots are still there for the taking and the big four of top-ranked Ireland, No. 2 France and the southern hemisphere powers of South Africa and New Zealand can’t yet make any plans for the knockouts.Title favorite Ireland has won three from three in Pool B but still must beat Scotland on Saturday to be certain of a place in the quarterfinals. That game at Stade de France has all sorts of possibilities if Scotland pulls off an upset. Ireland or defending champion South Africa, which has played its four pool games and can only watch, could still be eliminated to shake up the Rugby World Cup.Scotland has made a late surge, collecting bonus-point wins against Tonga and Romania to stay in contention.France also has a 100% record in Pool A and also must win its last group game, against Italy, to be sure. France...

Taiwan issues rain and strong wind alerts for Typhoon Koinu that’s approaching the island

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:35 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan issued a weather alert on Tuesday as Typhoon Koinu is approaching and may make landfall later this week, bringing gales and downpours to the southeastern parts of the island.The weather bureau put out a land warning on Tuesday after issuing a sea alert late Monday. Koinu was moving northwest with sustained winds of 162 kph (101 mph) near its center, according to the bureau.Forecasters expected it to bring strong winds and downpours to southern and eastern parts of Taiwan early Wednesday and potentially make landfall in the southeastern part of the island on Thursday.Beaches in Kenting National Park, in the southern tip of Taiwan, were closed to the public on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the local authorities in the southeastern Taitung County listed several coastal and mountainous areas as potential hazard zones.Chinese weather authorities said Tuesday that Koinu may make landfall somewhere along Taiwan’s southern coast or pass the island without making landfall ...

Missing Saratoga County girl found safe; suspect linked to ransom note arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:35 GMT

By MICHAEL HILL and LISA BAUMANN  (Associated Press)GANSEVOORT, N.Y. — The 9-year-old girl who vanished during a family camping trip at Moreau Lake State Park was “safe and in good health” Monday after a massive two-day search ended with her rescue and the arrest of a person suspected in her abduction, police said.Charlotte Sena disappeared while riding her bike early Saturday evening at the park.Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday night during a news conference that investigators were able to identify a fingerprint from a ransom note allegedly left by the suspect she identified as Craig Nelson Ross Jr., 47.“What happened was extraordinary,” she said.She said while the rest of Charlotte’s family remained at the campground where she had gone missing, police watching their home saw someone drop a note in their mailbox at 4:20 a.m. on Monday. State police pulled fingerprints off the note and the second one matched Ross, who was in a database from a 1999 DWI case, Hochul said.Law enforc...

Stock market today: World markets mixed as bond selling pressures Wall Street

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:35 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mixed Tuesday after Wall Street simmered under pressure from rising bond yields. U.S. futures and oil prices edged higher. Germany’s DAX fell 0.3% to 15,205.21 and the CAC 40 in Paris gave up 0.2% to 7,055.01. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.4% to 7,536.42.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng sank 2.7% to 17,331.22 as investors unloaded property shares. However, China Evergrande jumped 28% after resuming trading Tuesday. Its shares were suspended last week as the troubled real estate developer announced that its chairman was under investigation. Earlier in the session its shares soared more than 60%.Markets in mainland China and South Korea remained closed for holidays. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index fell 1.6% to 31,237.94, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 skidded 1.3% to 6,943.40. India’s Sensex declined 0.4% to 65,545.88.Bangkok’s SET was down 1.4% and Taiwan’s Taiex fell 0.6%. On Monday, the S&P 500 ended little changed and ...

Suspect sought after alleged sexual assault at Lawrence Station

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:35 GMT

Toronto police are looking for a man accused of sexually assaulting someone at a TTC subway station last month.Officers were called to Lawrence Subway Station, in the area of Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue, around 10 p.m. on Sep. 2 for reports of an assault.It is alleged that the suspect and victim were standing on the northbound subway platform when the victim walked past the suspect to get on a train. Police say the suspect then sexually assaulted the victim.Toronto police describe the suspect as a 30-year-old man with a thin build and short black faded hair. He was last seen wearing a purple striped button-up shirt, black pants and black running shoes with white laces and white soles.Police have released photos of the suspect in hopes someone will be able to identify him.Anyone with information is being asked to contact investigators.

Armenia’s parliament votes to join the International Criminal Court, straining ties with ally Russia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:35 GMT

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — The Armenian parliament on Tuesday voted to join the International Criminal Court, which earlier this year indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes connected to the deportation of children from Ukraine. The move is likely to further strain Armenia’s deteriorating relation with its ally Russia, which last month called Yerevan’s push to join the ICC an “unfriendly step.” Countries that have signed and ratified the Rome Statute that created the ICC are bound to arrest Putin if he sets foot on their soil. Armenian officials say the effort to join ICC has nothing to do with Russia and was prompted by Azerbaijan’s aggression against the country.The Associated Press

Congolese military court convicts colonel and 3 soldiers in connection with killings of protesters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:35 GMT

GOMA, Congo (AP) — A military court sentenced a Congolese military colonel to death and convicted three soldiers following the deaths of more than 50 people who were protesting the U.N. peacekeeping mission earlier this year.Col. Mike Mikombe, former commander of the Republican Guard in the eastern city of Goma, was sentenced Monday. Congo has not enforced the death penalty in more than 20 years, effectively making it a life sentence. Three other second-class soldiers from the same unit were sentenced to 10 years in prison. Two other officers were acquitted, including Col. Donat Bawili, who headed the Congolese armed forces regiment in Goma at the time.In August, Goma’s mayor had banned a protest organized by a sect known as Wazalendo. Its supporters planned to demonstrate against the regional East African Community organization and the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo.The U.N. mission has faced increased pressure to withdraw from Congo after more than two decades in the...

Powerball jackpot climbs to $1.2 billion after no one wins the big prize

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:35 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (NEXSTAR) — The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.2 billion after no players hit it big Monday night.The winning numbers announced were: 12, 26, 27, 43, 47 and the Powerball 5. The Power Play was 2X.$2 million winners were drawn in New York and South Carolina. $1 million winners were drawn in Delaware and Michigan.The jackpot for the next drawing Wednesday night will be among the largest lottery prizes of all time, behind earlier prizes in the Powerball and Mega Millions games.The largest lottery prizes in the U.S. are:$2.04 billion (Powerball): Nov. 7, 2022; California$1.602 billion (Mega Millions): Aug. 15, 2023; Florida$1.586 billion (Powerball): Jan. 13, 2016; California, Florida, Tennessee$1.537 billion (Mega Millions): Oct. 23, 2018; South Carolina$1.348 billion (Mega Millions): Jan. 13, 2023; Maine$1.337 billion (Mega Millions): July 29, 2022; Illinois$1.20 billion (Est. Powerball): Oct. 4, 2023$1.08 billion (Powerball):...

Play of the Week winner - Shen's Luke McAuliffe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:35 GMT

CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Congratulations to this week's winner of our Play of the Week poll, Shenendehowa's Luke McAuliffe. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! McAuliffe scored on a long touchdown catch and run in the Plainsmen's 59-20 win over Ballston Spa. In addition, McAuliffe had three catches for 133 yards receiving and two touchdowns, on Shen's record-setting night.

43% of EU tourists are international visitors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:47:35 GMT

Did you know that the  EU  represents 5.6% of the world's population and 3.0% of the world's land area, but although small, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) it received 45.8% of all international tourism arrivals in the world in 2022? The top 10 destination countries worldwide included six EU members (France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece and Austria).  Eurostat data indicates that foreign tourists from the EU and extra-EU countries represented 43.0% of all nights spent in EU tourist accommodations in 2022. In 11 out of the 27 EU countries, the dominant flow consisted of foreign tourists.In three EU countries, international tourists (from the EU and extra-EU countries) accounted for more than 90% of the tourism nights spent: Malta (92%), Croatia and Cyprus (both 91%). The same was recorded in Luxembourg and Greece, where the foreign market accounted for 86% and 84%, respectively, of the tourism nights. In Austria, Slovenia, Portugal and Spain this was between 6...