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Moody’s cuts China credit outlook to negative, cites slowing economic growth, property crisis

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:28 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Credit rating agency Moody’s cut its outlook for Chinese sovereign bonds to negative on Tuesday, citing risks from a slowing economy and a crisis in its property sector. Moody’s said the downgrade, its first for China since 2017, reflects risks from financing troubles of local and regional governments and state-owned enterprises. The world’s second-biggest economy had been slowing before a 2020 crackdown on excessive borrowing brought on defaults by dozens of property developers. Those troubles have crimped local government finances and also imperiled some lenders, further dragging on the economy. The need for government intervention to support banks and local governments poses “broad downside risks to China’s fiscal, economic and institutional strength. The outlook change also reflects the increased risks related to structurally and persistently lower medium-term economic growth,” Moody’s said in a statement. China’s Ministry of Finance said it was “disappoin...

Ukrainian officials say Russian shelling has hit a southern city, killing 2 people in the street

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:28 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian artillery struck the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Tuesday morning, local officials said, killing at least two people in the street as the 21-month war drags into another winter.Regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin posted a video of the attack’s aftermath, showing two bodies in a city center street and blood near holes in the road caused by the shelling.“The medics who arrived promptly at the scene could only declare their deaths,” Prokudin said of the victims on Telegram.The head of the Kherson city administration, Roman Mrochko, added that a medical facility also was struck, wounding two medics.Russian attacks on the Dnieper river port city have become routine since the Ukrainian army liberated the city last year, with civilian deaths reported almost daily.With the war’s front line apparently static along most of its more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) length, and amid wintry weather, both sides in the war have used aerial bombardment to keep up t...

Danish union to take action against Tesla in solidarity with Swedes demanding collective bargaining

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:28 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The labor conflict against Tesla in Sweden is spreading to neighboring Denmark where transport workers with the country’s largest trade union said Tuesday they will take action in solidarity with Swedish workers against the Texas-based automaker.Tesla is non-unionized globally, but the Swedish workers are demanding that the carmaker sign a collective bargaining agreement, which most employees in Sweden have. Tesla has no manufacturing plant in Sweden but has several service centers.The United Federation of Workers in Denmark, known in Danish as 3F, said there had been speculation that Tesla would deliver its cars to Danish ports and transport them on trucks to Sweden after Swedish dock workers blocked the reception of Tesla cars there. “Concretely, this means that dock workers and drivers will not receive and transport Tesla’s cars going to Sweden,” 3F said in a statement. “With the sympathy action, that model is no longer possible.”Jakob Lykke, local head...

Students around the world suffered huge learning setbacks during the pandemic, study finds

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Students around the world suffered historic setbacks in reading and math during the COVID-19 pandemic, with declines in test scores so widespread that the United States climbed in global rankings simply by falling behind less sharply, a new study finds.The state of global education was given a bleak appraisal in the Program for International Student Assessment, the first study to examine the academic progress of students in dozens of countries during the pandemic. Released Tuesday, it finds the average international math score fell by the equivalent of three-quarters of a year of learning. Reading scores fell by the equivalent of half a year.The setbacks spanned nations rich and poor, big and small, with few making progress. In the countries where students were tested, a quarter are now considered low performers in math, reading and science, meaning they struggle to perform basic math problems or interpret simple texts.Usually given every three years, the latest te...

Senior EU official warns of huge security risk in Europe over Christmas as Israel-Hamas war rages

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:28 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Europe faces a “huge risk of terrorist attacks” over the Christmas holiday period due to the fallout from the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the European Union’s home affairs commissioner warned on Tuesday.The warning came as French investigators probe a fatal weekend attack near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Questions were raised about the mental health of the suspect, who swore allegiance to the extremist Islamic State group before stabbing a German-Filipino tourist to death and injuring two other people with a hammer.“With the war between Israel and Hamas, and the polarization it causes in our society, with the upcoming holiday season, there is a huge risk of terrorist attacks in the European Union,” EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told reporters.“We saw (it happening) recently in Paris, unfortunately we have seen it earlier as well,” she said, as EU interior ministers gathered in Brussels....

Greater Toronto home sales fall amid affordability challenges but relief forecasted

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:28 GMT

TORONTO — Greater Toronto home sales fell six per cent last month compared with November 2022 despite an influx in new listings, as high borrowing costs and uncertain economic conditions persisted.The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board says last month’s 4,236 home sales were also down 8.7 per cent from the 4,640 sales in October.The board says a lack of affordability has taken its toll on the market, which remains sensitive to the current environment of high interest rates, but that relief seems to be on the horizon.TRREB president Paul Baron says that with an increasing number of forecasters anticipating Bank of Canada rate cuts in the first half of 2024, this would “help alleviate affordability issues for existing homeowners and those looking to enter the market.”The average home price reached $1,082,179, which was essentially flat compared with November 2022 as the market saw more supply come online.New listings rose 16.5 per cent to 10,545 in November compared ...

Crash on I-88 closes all lanes between exits 24, 25

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:28 GMT

DUANESBURG, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to 511 NY, a crash on I-88 has closed all lanes in both directions between Exit 24; US 20; NY 7 in Duanesburg, and Exit 25; NY 7 in Rotterdam. All lanes are closed eastbound, with one left lane of two closed westbound. Drivers in the area should seek alternate routes. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Check out NEWS10's traffic tracker. You can plan your route and see traffic delays in real-time!Little is known about the crash at this time. Stick with NEWS10 as more information becomes available on the crash.

EU education and training shows some encouraging trends but challenges remain, new report reveals

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:28 GMT

More and more young Europeans obtain a tertiary degree and the average number of early leavers from education and training is in decline. Those are some of the encouraging developments revealed by the 2023 edition of the Commission's Education and Training Monitor, launched by Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Commissioner Iliana Ivanova (pictured) at the European Education Summit last week.The Monitor also shows that almost two thirds of recent graduates from vocational education and training (VET) experienced work-based learning. On the other hand, the report highlights remaining challenges, such as the prevalent underachievement in basic skills, widespread inequity in education access and performance, the gender gap in tertiary qualifications, and the lack of women in STEM disciplines.The 2023 edition of the report zooms in on teacher shortages in Europe and the various efforts to make the teaching profession more attractive. Teacher shortages are an increasing c...

Horoscopes Dec. 5, 2023: Margaret Cho, eliminate delays and restrictions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:28 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Frankie Muniz, 38; Amy Acker, 47; Margaret Cho, 55; John Rzeznik, 58.Happy Birthday: Slow down, consider your options and don’t let anyone sway you in the wrong direction. Eliminate delays and restrictions by handling matters yourself. The fewer people you involve in your plans, the easier it will be to reach your destination on time and successfully this year. Trusting your instincts and getting firsthand information will positively impact what you achieve this year. Your numbers are 4, 12, 15, 28, 36, 42, 49.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Put your money to good use and target what’s important to you. Update documents, contracts and investments to ensure you don’t miss an opportunity. Protect what you do to earn a living and how you handle your cash from people offering misleading information. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Live, learn and move forward. Establish who and what you want to support and initiate your interest and contributi...

Word Game: Dec. 5, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:28 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — PURPORTS (PURPORTS: per-PORTS: Presents the often false appearance of being or intending.)Average mark 22 wordsTime limit 30 minutesCan you find 28 or more words in PURPORTS? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — MESCAL mace male meal mesa sale same scale scam seal seam slam calm came camel case clam acme alms lace lame laseTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at [email protected].