Pacific Northwest hunkers down for ice and freezing rain, while other US regions also battle cold
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A power line fell on a parked car in northeast Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring a baby during an ice storm that turned roads and mountain highways treacherous in the .
Shortly before noon, dispatchers started receiving frantic calls about a downed power line and people appearing to be electrocuted, according to a statement from the city’s fire department. A branch had fallen on a power line, causing it to fall onto an SUV, the statement said.
China starts publishing youth jobless data again, with a new method and a lower number
HONG KONG (AP) — China published youth unemployment data Wednesday for the first time since the jobless rate hit a record high in June last year, using a new method that showed an apparent improvement.
China announced a 14.9% jobless rate for people between 16 and 24 in December, using the new method, which excludes students. The statistics bureau the politically sensitive figure last year, after it reached 21.3% in June.
It came as the National Bureau of Statistics announced that
Stock market today: Asian shares mostly fall after Wall Street drop, Tokyo hits new 34-year high
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares traded mixed Thursday as pessimism spread among investors about any imminent interest rate cut in the United States.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei added 0.5% in morning trading to 35,637.01. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.5% to 7,357.40. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.6% to 2,450.00. Hong Kong’s
Italy’s regulations on charities keep migrant rescue ships from the Mediterranean
BARI, Italy (AP) — The year has gotten off to a slow start for a rescue ship that typically plies the Mediterranean Sea looking for migrants and refugees in distress. The Ocean Viking has been impounded, its crew accused of having deviated from a designated course, as Italy targets
It was the second time in as many months that the 69-meter (225-foot) ship, operated by the European group SOS Mediterranee, while enforcing a year-old Italian government decree that regulates maritime rescue
How watermelon imagery, a symbol of solidarity with Palestinians, spread around the planet
Over the past three months, on banners and T-shirts and balloons and social media posts, one piece of imagery has emerged around the world in protests against the : the watermelon.
The colors of sliced watermelon — with red pulp, green-white rind and black seeds — are the same as those on the Palestinian flag. From New York and Tel Aviv to and Belgrade, the fruit has become a symbol of solidarity, drawing together activists who don’t speak the same language or belong to the same culture
Ukraine needs money from the US and Europe to keep its economy running. Will the aid come?
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s hard-won economic stability is under threat again as the government faces a large budget hole and its two biggest allies and sponsors — the United States and the European Union — have so far .
Without pledges of support by the start of February — when EU leaders meet to decide on aid — and if no money arrives by March, that could risk the progress Ukraine has made against inflation. It has , put food on the table and resist Russia’s efforts to
Davos hosts UN chief, top diplomats of US, Iran as World Economic Forum meeting reaches Day Two
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Israel cannot achieve “genuine security” without a , insisting such a move could help unify the Middle East and isolate Israel’s top rival: Iran.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, Blinken said the view of leaders in the Arab and Muslim world have changed on would help Israel integrate in the region.
“The problem is getting from here to there,
Modi’s promised Ram temple is set to open and resonate with Hindus ahead of India’s election
NEW DELHI (AP) — Frenzied preparations were underway Wednesday in India’s northern holy city of Ayodhya to mark the opening of a grand temple for Lord Ram, Hinduism’s most revered deity.
The Ram Mandir’s opening Monday would fulfill a that is expected to resonate with voters during the expected in April or May.
Several sprawling tent cities were being erected nearby to accommodate tens of thousands of devotees who are expected to attend. Dozens of private jets will fly India’s powerful elite, including top industrialists
The Supreme Court takes up major challenges to the power of federal regulators
WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative justices on Wednesday voiced support for weakening the power of federal regulators, but it was not clear whether a majority would overturn a precedent that has guided American law for four decades over everything from the safety of food and drugs to environmental protection.
Billions of dollars are potentially at stake in front of a court that, like the rest of the federal judiciary, was remade during Donald Trump’s presidency by conservative interests that were motivated as much by weakening the regulatory state as .
The court heard
French President Macron uses broad news conference to show his leadership hasn’t faded
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron made a point of showing his leadership hasn’t faded in more than two hours of answering questions at a in which he promised a stronger France to face the world’s challenges.
“I still have three years and a half in office,” he said, describing an ambition to both change the daily life of the French and tackle global crises.
Macron’s wide-ranging news conference followed the appointment last week of France’s youngest-ever
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