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Lebanese central bank governor no-show in Paris corruption probe

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:56 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s embattled central bank governor failed to appear before French prosecutors on Tuesday to be questioned on corruption charges, officials said.A European judicial team from France, Germany and Luxembourg is conducting a corruption probe into an array of financial crimes, including illicit enrichment and alleged laundering of $330 million, implicating the Lebanese governor, Riad Salameh.Salameh, 72, who has held his post for almost 30 years, has repeatedly denied all allegations against him. He has insisted that his wealth comes from his previous job as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, inherited properties, and investments.The three European governments in March 2022 froze over $130 million in assets linked to the probe. During a visit to Lebanon in March, the European delegation questioned Salameh about the Lebanese central bank’s assets and investments outside the country, a Paris apartment — which the governor owns— and his brother Raja Salameh’s ...

The Weeknd has started using his birth name on social media

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:56 GMT

The Weeknd performs onstage during his “After Hours Til Dawn” tour on August 11, 2022, in Atlanta. (Getty Images)This Monday marks not only the end of the weekend, but potentially, the end of The Weeknd, too.Pop star Abel Tesfaye — previously known under his stage name, The Weeknd — has started using his given name on social media accounts, quietly changing his moniker after saying last week that he wanted to “kill The Weeknd” in an interview with W Magazine.“The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd,” he said in the interview, adding, “This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”Fans took to Twitter to express their thoughts on the name change. One user posted a gif of Miley Cyrus quick changing into her former Disney Channel pop star character, Hannah Montana — likening the two transformations.“I don’t know if I’m ready to say goodbye to...

Retail sales up 0.4% in April from March, buoyed by solid job market, easing inflationary pressures

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:56 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Consumers picked up their spending in April from March, buoyed by a solid job market and easing inflationary pressures.Retail sales increased 0.4% in April from March when it was down 0.7%. It marked the first increase since January when unusually warm weather and a big jump in Social Security benefits likely spurred more spending. Excluding car dealers and gas stations, retail sales rose 0.6%. Spending increased 1.2% at online retailers and ticked up 0.6% at restaurants and bars. Department stores, electronic stores and home furnishings stores all saw declines. The figures are not adjusted for inflation unlike many other government reports.Spending by Americans has remained remarkably resilient with signs of weakness elsewhere in the economy, but there are still signs that still high inflation and rising interest rates are taking a toll. Still, a solid job market has helped to prop up spending. Source

Early warning, preparedness likely saved thousands of lives during Cyclone Mocha

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:56 GMT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Early warnings from weather agencies and better preparedness by local governments and aid agencies likely saved thousands of lives during a powerful cyclone that slammed into Bangladesh and Myanmar over the weekend. But there are concerns about a large number of people still unaccounted for in areas where preparations were lacking.At the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district, thousands of Rohingya from Myanmar were moved to safer areas until Cyclone Mocha passed. But at camps for displaced Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where the storm hit harder, the presence of aid agencies is spotty and help from the country’s military government negligible.Only about two dozen deaths have been reported by media in Myanmar, but many people remain missing from the camps, which were reportedly heavily damaged by storm surges. Information from the affected areas has been hard to obtain because telecommunication facilities w...

Orbital Infrastructure Group: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:56 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — HOUSTON (AP) — Orbital Infrastructure Group, Inc. (OIG) on Tuesday reported a loss of $20.2 million in its first quarter.The Houston-based company said it had a loss of $4.66 per share. Losses, adjusted for non-recurring costs and restructuring costs, were $3 per share.The electronics company posted revenue of $80.2 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on OIG at https://www.zacks.com/ap/OIGSource

Cosan: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:56 GMT

SAO PAULO SP, Brazil (AP) — SAO PAULO SP, Brazil (AP) — Cosan S.A. (CSAN) on Monday reported a loss of $174 million in its first quarter.On a per-share basis, the Sao Paulo Sp, Brazil-based company said it had a loss of 38 cents. Losses, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 1 cent per share.The bioethanol company posted revenue of $1.85 billion in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CSAN at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CSANSource

Salman Rushdie warns free expression under threat in rare public address after attack

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:56 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Writer Salman Rushdie has made a public speech, nine months after being stabbed and seriously injured onstage, warning that freedom of expression in the West is under its most severe threat in his lifetime.Rushdie delivered a video message to the British Book Awards, where he was awarded the Freedom to Publish award on Monday evening. Organizers said the honor “acknowledges the determination of authors, publishers and booksellers who take a stand against intolerance, despite the ongoing threats they face.”He said that “we live in a moment, I think, at which freedom of expression, freedom to publish has not in my lifetime been under such threat in the countries of the West.”“Now I am sitting here in the U.S., I have to look at the extraordinary attack on libraries, and books for children in schools,” he said. “The attack on the idea of libraries themselves. It is quite remarkably alarming, and we need to be very aware of it, and to fight against it very hard.”Rushdie, 7...

Seeing a ton of potholes? Here's how to report them

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:56 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — It's back again, pothole season. Denver has already seen record-breaking rainfall this spring, and all the moisture is causing problems on roads and highways.This May is already the 11th wettest on record with 4.65 inches of rainfall so far, and there is still half of the month to go.The Colorado Department of Transportation is addressing the pothole problem and is asking drivers to watch out for road closures as crews work on repairs. 23 Adams County roads still closed after deluge Potholes are a part of life in Colorado, but you can be a part of the solution by reporting them so that repairs can be scheduled. Who you can callTo report a pothole, call one of these CDOT hotlines depending on the area its located:Metropolitan Denver – Region 1: 303-759-2368Southeastern Colorado – Region 2: 719-562-5568Northwestern Colorado – Region 3: 970-243-2368Northeastern Colorado – Region 4: 970-350-2368Southwestern Colorado – Region 5: 970-385-1423CDOT only repairs state roadw...

Fatal crash in Deerfield Beach causes road closure

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:56 GMT

A fatal crash in Deerfield Beach led to a major road closing after police blocked off the area for an investigation.Around 7 a.m. Tuesday, a collision between a vehicle and a motorcycle occurred on Powerline Road near Hillsboro Boulevard.Live video footage showed the scene where skid marks could be seen on the street and the wrecked motorcycle on its side. Yellow tarps were also evident on the road, which indicates a body is underneath it.Details of the incident are limited as police continue to investigate the scene.As a result of this incident, the northbound and southbound lanes of Powerline Road have been affected.https://twitter.com/browardsheriff/status/1658441588983361539?s=20Drivers are urged to avoid the area until crews have cleared the road.

Two rare, unknown Rembrandt portraits worth millions discovered in private collection

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:56 GMT

(CNN) — A pair of unknown and “exceptionally rare” portraits by Rembrandt have been discovered in a private collection in the UK.The intimate paintings of relatives of the Dutch master are now expected to sell for between £5 million and £8 million ($6.25 million-$10 million) at auction.Signed and dated 1635, the pictures are of an elderly husband and wife who were related to Rembrandt by marriage.Measuring just under 8 inches high, the paintings depict wealthy plumber Jan Willemsz van der Pluym and his wife Jaapgen Carels, who were from a prominent family in the Dutch city of Leiden.Their son Dominicus van der Pluym was married to Rembrandt’s cousin Cornelia van Suytbroec. The couple had one child, Karel van der Pluym, who is thought to have trained with Rembrandt and included the artist’s only surviving heir, Titus, in his will.In 1635, the year the portraits were painted, the subjects acquired a garden next to that of RembrandtR...