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British economy unexpectedly grows by 0.2% in second quarter largely because of June weather boost

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The British economy unexpectedly grew in the second quarter of the year largely as a result of a strong rebound in June when many businesses, particularly in the leisure sector benefited from the warm and settled weather, official figures showed Friday. The Office for National Statistics said the economy expanded by 0.2% in the April to June period, compared with the three-month period. That was higher than the 0.1% recorded in the first quarter and ahead of economists’ expectations for no change.The positive outcome was due to a 0.5% monthly increase in June when pubs and restaurants were buoyed by the hot weather. June in Britain was the warmest on record. Given that July was one of the wettest ever, there are widespread expectations that those businesses benefiting in June will see a reverse.Over the past few months, the British economy has proven slightly more resilient than anticipated in the face of rising interest rates, with a widely predicted recession a...

Maui residents had little warning before flames overtook town. At least 53 people died

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Maui residents who made desperate escapes from flames, some on foot, asked why Hawaii’s famous emergency warning system didn’t alert them as fires raced toward their homes, in interviews at evacuation centers Thursday.Hawaii emergency management records show no indication that the warning sirens were triggered before a devastating wildfire killed at least 53 people and wiped out a historic town, officials confirmed Thursday.Hawaii boasts what the state describes as the largest integrated outdoor all-hazard public safety warning system in the world, with about 400 sirens positioned across the island chain. But many of Lahaina’s survivors said they didn’t hear any sirens and only realized they were in danger when they saw flames or heard explosions nearby.Thomas Leonard, a 70-year-old retired mailman from Lahaina, didn’t know about the fire until he smelled smoke. Power and cell phone service had both gone out earlier that day, leaving the town with no real-time...

China, Russia and Iran are engaged in foreign interference in New Zealand, intelligence agency says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — China, Iran and Russia are engaged in foreign interference in New Zealand, the nation’s domestic intelligence agency said Friday after making its threat assessment report public for the first time. In the report, Director-General of Security Andrew Hampton said the Security Intelligence Service sees enormous value in sharing more of its insights publicly. The agency had previously taken a secretive approach. It decided to change course after it and other agencies were criticized for focusing too much on the perceived threat from Islamic extremism and being blindsided when a white supremacist shot and killed 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques in 2019.In the report, the agency says the most notable case of foreign interference is the continued targeting of the nation’s diverse Chinese communities by people with links to the intelligence arm of China’s ruling Communist Party. It said China’s efforts to advance its political...

Dengue outbreak in Bangladesh sparks alarm after 364 people die this year and infections rise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

DHAKA,Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh is struggling to deal with higher casualties and infections from dengue this year, with officials warning that the death toll this month could break records. The government’s Directorate General of Health Services reports the 2023 death toll from the mosquito-born illness has reached 364 in the south Asian country. More than 78,000 people have been infected since January this year, it said. Officials warn that the number of deaths and infections this month could set a new, grim record. In the first 10 days of August, more than 23,000 people were diagnosed with dengue, compared to 43,854 cases during all of July. More than 100 people have died so far this month, over a third as many deaths from the illness during all of last year. In 2022, 62,382 people were infected and 281 people died of dengue, according to government figures. Dengue causes flu-like symptoms that most people recover from, but also can rapidly lead to internal bleeding, organ fail...

Worldcoin scans eyeballs and offers crypto. What to know about the project from OpenAI’s CEO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Weeks after its international launch, Worldcoin is drawing the attention of privacy regulators around the world, with the Kenya’s government going so far as to shut down the service indefinitely. The international ID startup, backed by big names in Silicon Valley, is now having to defend itself in investigations over whether the biometric data that the company is collecting is truly secure. Here’s what to know about Worldcoin and the concerns its raising:WHAT IS WORLDCOIN?Worldcoin is the creation of Sam Altman, best known as the CEO of OpenAI, the company that has gained widespread recognition with its artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.The goal of Worldcoin and the company backing it, Tools for Humanity, is to give people a form of identification that could never be stolen or duplicated. Worldcoin creates a “World ID” by scanning someone’s eyeballs through “orbs” — a device that captures an image of their irises, the colored parts of the eyes...

Severe Weather Threat Friday. Meteorology Behind the Maui Wildfires. Flooding in Norway. Potential for Late-Season Heat in Chicago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

Atmosphere is conducive for scattered severe thunderstorms Friday afternoon into Friday evening. Most of the Chicago area in a level 2 of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms—GRAPHICS BELOW SHOW: Probability of damaging thunderstorm winds (58 mph+) or wind gusts of 50 knots or higher within 25 miles of a point. And probability of a tornado within 25 miles of a point:A well-organized and long-lived complex of storms produced widespread severe wind damage across Iowa, northern Illinois, and northern Indiana during the day on Monday, August 10. Much of this severe wind was significant (75+ mph winds) resulting in many downed trees, several toppled-over semi trucks, and many communities receiving at least some minor structural damage. Within the broader area of severe winds, 15 tornadoes were confirmed across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. CONTINUE READINGAuthorities say the flooding is expected to continue until at least Friday. Major roads re likely to be closed for days. CONTINU...

Commission approves €26.7 million Spanish measure to support the upgrade of Cobre Las Cruces' refinery

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, a €26.7 million Spanish measure to support Cobre Las Cruces S.A. (‘CLC') in upgrading its refinery in Gerena, Sevilla. The measure will contribute to the EU's strategic objectives relating to the European Green Deal and to regional development.In particular, the measure will help CLC transform its mono-metallurgical refinery, exclusively extracting and producing copper to date, into a poly-metallurgical refinery. The upgraded single integrated refinery will be capable of extracting and producing several metals, namely copper, zinc, lead and silver. The aid will take the form of two direct grants totalling €26.7 million.The Commission assessed the measure under EU State aid rules, in particular Article 107(3)(a) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (‘TFEU'), which allows aid to promote the economic development of areas where the standard of living is abnormally low or where there is serious underemploym...

Hollywood Hills mansion worth millions trashed by squatters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a mansion in Hollywood Hills West on Thursday after receiving calls of “unknown trouble” and neighbors hearing the screams of a woman coming from inside the residence, authorities announced.   While police did not say exactly what time the call came in, officers responded to 1754 Sunset Plaza Drive and found a group of squatters living in the multi-million-dollar residence, which had been abandoned and trashed.  Three people, a man and two women, who were at the mansion were removed from the residence and handcuffed by police.  “It’s an abandoned house,” an LAPD officer said. “They’re just trespassing, squatting. The screaming was somebody, I think they got bit by a dog.”  The trio was cited for trespassing and released, two of them telling KTLA it was just a misunderstanding. “I was hired to clean up, take the squatters out, get the house ready for lease or for sale,” one of the women said. &...

Gunmen ambush a bus carrying Syrian soldiers, killing at least 20 and wounding others, opposition activists say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Gunmen ambush a bus carrying Syrian soldiers, killing at least 20 and wounding others, opposition activists say.Source

Seahawks WR Cade Johnson taken to hospital as precaution following concussion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle wide receiver Cade Johnson was taken to a hospital during halftime of the Seahawks’ preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night after suffering a concussion. Johnson was placed on a backboard as a precaution and transported to Harborview Medical Center for evaluation of head and neck injuries. Seattle coach Pete Carroll said after the game that Johnson had suffered a concussion, but early tests showed no other findings beyond that. Johnson had full movement in his extremities. It was unclear if he would be spending the night in the hospital. Johnson was attended to in the medical tent behind the bench for several minutes late in the first half by Seattle’s training staff and medical personnel. He was placed on a backboard, loaded onto a stretcher, taken across the field and up a tunnel to where ambulances are parked during games at Lumen Field. “They just went to the max precautions,” Carroll said. Carroll said Johnson was hurt following a k...