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Stock market today: US futures slip ahead of inflation data

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:52 GMT

Wall Street pointed toward small declines early Friday ahead of the release of closely-watched inflation data that could influence what the Federal Reserve does at its policy meeting next week.Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 each slipped 0.4%.The Commerce Department releases its consumer spending report Friday, which contains a measure of inflation that’s closely watched by the Fed. The Fed is has aggressively tried to turn back inflation by raising its key lending rate nine straight times, trying to cool spending by Americans. ExxonMobil shares inched higher after the energy giant reported that it more than doubled its profit during the first quarter. The Texas company produced more oil during the first three months of 2023 in order to overcome declining energy prices as anxiety over a potential recession festered.On Thursday, U.S. benchmarks advanced after Meta Platforms became the latest Big Tech company to blow past profit forecasts. Facebook’s...

UN experts defend Crimean Tatars under Russian occupation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:52 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Experts working with the United Nations on Friday denounced reports of human rights violations including abduction, deportation and enforced disappearances against ethnic minorities in Russian-occupied Crimea, calling on Moscow to do more to protect the rights of Tatars and others there. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, as part of a regular, rotating review of U.N. member states, took a look at Russia — and areas that it controls — along with five other countries this month. The impact of Moscow’s war in Ukraine on rights and racial hatred drew particular scrutiny. In its review of Russia, the committee of independent experts focused on just one particular aspect of the war — the impact on racial discrimination — which has seen a litany of other rights abuses and violations, including murder, summary execution, rape, arbitrary detention and much more, according to U.N. and other rights monitors.The committee cited reports of “destruction...

Pope in Hungary urges Europe to unite to end war next door

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:52 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Pope Francis on Friday blasted the “adolescent belligerence” that brought war back to Europe and said the continent must recover its founding spirit of peaceful unity to confront Russia’s war in Ukraine.Francis outlined his vision for the future of Europe as he began a three-day visit to Hungary. In a carefully calibrated speech, he demanded that the European Union approve safe and legal ways for migrants to enter and for the Hungarian government not to hold Europe “hostage” to populist demands.Francis didn’t mince words when he addressed President Katalin Novak and Hungary’s populist prime minister, Viktor Orban, whose lukewarm support for Ukraine has rankled other EU countries. The pontiff recalled the lofty ideals behind the bloc’s founding and lamented that rising nationalism and “adolescent belligerence” had replaced them.“We seem to be witnessing the sorry sunset of that choral dream of peace, as the solists of war now take over,” Francis said. “...

Couche-Tard signs deal for 112 gas station and convenience store sites in U.S.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:52 GMT

LAVAL, Que. — Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. has signed a deal to buy 112 gas station and convenience store sites in the United States from MAPCO Express Inc. Financial terms of the agreement were not immediately available.The deal is contingent on a separate transaction that will see MAPCO and its other locations acquired by Majors Management LLC.Couche-Tard says the sites it is buying are mostly in Tennessee and Alabama, but also in Kentucky and Georgia. It says the locations are company-operated and most of the real estate is owned. The transaction also includes surplus property and a logistics fleet.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:ATD)The Canadian Press

Should you own a pet? Should anyone?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:52 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, there are about 28 million pets in Canada. And on any given day, most of them are trapped inside with nothing to do. This doesn’t mean their owners don’t love them, or provide for them, or even try to exercise and stimulate them regularly. It just means that they are animals, mostly or totally confined. So, they’re bored.Kenny Torrella is a staff writer at Vox, focusing on animal welfare. He doesn’t think we shouldn’t own pets, but he does say we could do a better job at taking care of them.“It might seem a little silly on the surface. But boredom is a really, really frustrating emotion. And I think for humans, we’re lucky enough that we don’t really have to experience it as much,” says Torella. “But for cats and dogs and other animals, they are completely dependent on us for their basic needs.”So what do we know about what domesticated animals need, compared to what they get? And how can you i...

Man, 18, shot and killed in Near South Side drive-by, ID'd

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:52 GMT

CHICAGO — An 18-year-old man is dead after a drive-by shooting in Near South Side Thursday afternoon. The medical examiner's office identified the victim as 18-year-old Cameron D. Rayford According to police, two 18-year-olds were in a car when they were approached by a stolen white Kia and shots were fired. One man was struck on the hand and transported to a hospital initially in good condition. Man, woman dead after shooting at Burbank restaurant Another 18-year-old was struck in the body and was transported to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Kia was found unoccupied near Cermak Road and State Street. There is currently no one in custody and police are investigating the incident.

Gap to cut 1,800 jobs, joining growing list of corporate layoffs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:52 GMT

(The Hill) - Gap, Inc. announced on Thursday that it plans to cut about 1,800 jobs, joining the growing list of major U.S. companies engaging in corporate layoffs.The company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it plans to lay off employees from its “headquarters and upper field workforce,” as part of a “restructuring plan” expected to result in about $300 million in annualized savings.“We are taking the necessary actions to reshape Gap Inc. for the future — simplifying and optimizing our operating model, elevating creativity, and driving better delivery in every dimension of the customer experience," executive chairman and interim CEO Bob Martin said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.Gap had about 95,000 employees as of late January, of which approximately nine percent worked at its headquarters locations, the company said in its latest annual report.The retail giant — which is also the parent company of Old Navy, Banana Repu...

What to know about prescription drugs that promise weight loss

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:52 GMT

Obesity is a major and growing problem around the world, but especially in the U.S., where more than 40% of adults and about 20% of children now meet the criteria for what doctors say has become an intractable chronic disease.Rates of the disease have soared in recent decades, spurred by the complex interaction of genes that make people more likely to store food as fat, a food system that provides easy and cheap access to processed treats explicitly designed to be overconsumed, and social settings that limit access to healthy options and exercise for many people.Obesity is linked to scores of health problems that can lead to disability or even death, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer and joint problems.Researchers have long looked for medications that can help people lose weight, mostly with disappointing and, in some cases, dangerous results. In recent years, however, drugs designed to help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar l...

Meet the cheapest US states to buy a house

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:52 GMT

(The Hill) -- A new study analyzing Zillow data has found that the monthly median sale price of a house last year was over $500,000 in Utah, California and Colorado — and over a staggering $800,000 in Hawaii.The study, conducted by Studio City realtors, found that Hawaii clocked in as the most expensive state in the U.S. for homebuyers. On the island, the average home price was a staggering $805,775 — hundreds of thousands of dollars more than the cheapest state on the list. Studio City realtor Tony Mariotti noted that market turbulence has contributed to a “significant increase” in house prices across the U.S.Home prices went up nationwide in February after months of declines, amid low inventory and a small uptick in demand, and experts have said they expect affordability will continue to be a problem for prospective homebuyers in the months ahead. Here are the priciest and cheapest U.S. states to buy a home:FILE - Kelly Slater surfs in the In Memory of Eddie Aikau big wave surf co...

Austin musician performing with Parkinson's Disease

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:52 GMT

LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — We’re in the final stretch of Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month. In Central Texas, the debilitating disease isn’t holding back 71-year-old Felix Pompa.The Austin-based musician is giving the gift of music to those in hospice care with terminal illnesses."I’ve been playing guitar all my life,” Pompa said. “Played in big bands, small bands and I've played with a lot of people."Back in the 1970s, the U.S. Army veteran avoided being deployed to the Vietnam War because his musical talent helped him a gig in the military, as a chaplain's assistant."I was very lucky with my music,” Pompa said. “It got me through it.”Nowadays, he’s volunteering his time serenading seniors."The most rewarding thing that I have done is volunteered my music and time to the people that need it most,” he said.Pompa volunteers with Blue Water Homecare and Hospice. The Leander-based business provides a wide variety of services for folks with less than six months left to live.Jennifer Pres...