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The sudden death of China’s former No. 2 leader Li Keqiang has shocked many

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:39 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — The sudden death of former China’s No. 2 leader Li Keqiang has shocked many people in the country, and they are paying tribute to the ex-official who promised market-oriented reforms but was politically sidelined. Li, who died Friday of a heart attack, was China’s top economic official for a decade, helping navigate the world’s second-largest economy through challenges such as tensions with the United States and the COVID-19 pandemic.He was known for his advocacy of private business but lost much of his influence as President Xi Jinping accumulated ever-greater powers and elevated the military and security services in aid of the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”A hashtag related to his death on the Chinese social media platform Weibo drew over 1 billion views in just a few hours. On posts about Li, the “like” button was turned into a daisy — a common flower for funerals in China, and many users commented “rest in peace.” Others called his death...

To the resc-EU? Von der Leyen likely to attend Sunak’s AI summit as snubs pile up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:39 GMT

LONDON — Trust one of the European Union’s most senior politicians to spare Brexit Britain’s blushes.After French President Emmanuel Macron became the latest world leader to snub Rishi Sunak’s much-hyped global artificial intelligence event, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to give the Brits at least one big EU cheese besides Italy’s Giorgia Meloni to parade around Bletchley Park next week. The German politician will attend next week’s event, according to two EU officials who were granted anonymity to speak candidly about von der Leyen’s plans.“The President hopes to be able to go and attend the Summit,” a European Commission press officer told POLITICO, adding that Brussels would confirm Von der Leyen’s agenda Friday.One consideration driving a potential trip across the Channel for the Commission president, according to two EU officials, one of whom is cited above, is for Von der Leyen to show support after the United Kingdom rejoined the E...

Everett’s Christian Zamor a leader in every sense

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:39 GMT

EVERETT — One phrase demonstrates the respect Everett coach Justin Flores has for senior standout Christian Zamor.“Oh my God, yes. The running joke right now is, I always tell guys is if something’s going wrong, or you’re struggling, or something in school happens, just think: what would Christian do?” Flores said. “Usually if you do that, you’re going to end up in the right situation. I’ve used that a couple times myself. What would Christian do here, you know what I mean? He (has a) very cool demeanor. I can be a little hot sometimes when things go wrong. Sometimes, just, what would this kid do?”“He actually has used that once,” Zamor said. “We were at a dinner with the guys, and he mentioned that. Yeah, I appreciate coach, and we have a great relationship. I strive to be the best person that I can be, and I appreciate the way that he supports me, and acknowledges the things that I do.”On the field or off, Zam...

A Red Sox fan’s guide to the World Series

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:39 GMT

The World Series is here, and the Red Sox won’t be involved. Instead, the baseball world will watch as the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks square off to determine this year’s champion.You know, just like we all predicted.It’s hard to imagine many World Series matchups as improbable as this one. Entering the year both Texas and Arizona were coming off losing seasons and on multiple occasions each looked like it was cooked. Things were especially dire after the two clubs fell behind 3-2 in their respective league championship series, but then both went on the road and won two straight to deny their opponents a second (or third) consecutive pennant.It should be an exciting series, but if you’re from New England why should you care?Even if the Red Sox aren’t playing there are still plenty of relevant storylines that should interest fans. Here are a few to watch as the Fall Classic kicks off.Old friends on big stageNathan Eovaldi is no stranger to the...

‘One of the best players in the world’: Maple Leafs’ Nylander is money in the bank

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:39 GMT

All right, just pay the man.William Nylander will tell you that his uncertain future, the possibility of bumping his own stock and leveraging his bargaining stance, is not the major motivation behind his torrid beginning to 2023-24.But as far as aligning your most dominant start with your most important money-making campaign, it’s hard to deny that Nylander has struck the perfect time to reach yet another level with his performance.“I mean, obviously, it’s there. But I think the mindset that I’ve always had is to be better every year,” said Nylander, looking like 10 million bucks in his all-black suit before strolling out of Dallas with another key contribution to a Maple Leafs win and another point on the streak. “So, I mean, that’s there. But I don’t think that I’d be playing any different if it wasn’t a contract year.”The great Fat Joe once said: “Yesterday’s price is not today’s price.”...

Canadians split down the middle on handing out Halloween candy, survey suggests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:39 GMT

A new poll suggests Canadians are roughly split down the middle when it comes to handing out Halloween candy this year.Forty-eight per cent of the 1,521 adults who completed the online Leger survey said they would be handing out candy, while 46 per cent said they would opt out and six per cent were undecided.For those with kids in their household, the proportion of those dishing out treats jumps to 63 per cent.But an even greater proportion of families with kids plan to take advantage of the night’s spoils.Of the 350 respondents with kids old enough to go trick-or-treating, 79 per cent said they would do so.The poll from Leger and The Canadian Press, which was conducted between Oct. 20 and 22, also indicates 71 per cent of Canadians expect to spend about the same amount of money on Halloween this year as last. Related: Airbnb is using AI to crack down on Halloween parties in Toronto. Here’s how it works Roughly 15 per cent of respondents said they were c...

Israel strikes the outskirts of Gaza City during a second ground raid in as many days

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:39 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces backed by fighter jets and drones carried out a second ground raid into Gaza in as many days and struck targets on the outskirts of Gaza City, the military said Friday, as it prepares for a widely expected ground invasion of the Hamas-ruled territory.U.S. warplanes, meanwhile, struck targets in eastern Syria that the Pentagon said were linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard after a string of attacks on American forces, and two mysterious objects hit towns in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, adding to the already high tensions fueled by the three-week-old Gaza war.The Palestinian death toll has soared past 7,000 as Israel has carried out waves of devastating airstrikes in response to a bloody Hamas incursion into southern Israel on Oct. 7. The Health Ministry in Gaza, which tracks the toll, released a detailed list of names and identification numbers on Thursday. The toll includes more than 2,900 minors and more than 1,500 women.The o...

Stock market today: World shares rebound following latest tumble on Wall Street. Oil prices gain $2

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:39 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — World shares were mostly higher on Friday and oil prices jumped about $2 after the Israeli military said its troops and tanks had briefly entered northern Gaza.Germany’s DAX gained 0.4% to 14,796.41 while the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.4% to $6,861.30. Britain’s FTSE 100 picked up 0.2% to 7,367.42. The future for the S&P 500 was up 0.6% and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3%. On Thursday, the S&P 500 fell 1.2% for its ninth drop in 11 days. The Nasdaq composite fell 1.8% and the Dow sank 0.8%. Worries that the latest Israel-Hamas war might lead to a wider conflict, disrupting oil supplies from elsewhere in the region, have been pushing oil prices higher. Early Friday, U.S. benchmark crude was up $1.98 at $85.18 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gave up $2.18 on Thursday.Brent crude, the international standard, added $1.94 to $88.88 a barrel. It shed $2.07 on Thursday.In Asian trading, Japan’s Nikkei 225 ind...

Increasingly wet Friday with more rain this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Grab the umbrella as we have another day of rain and storms ahead of us. The rain won't be as persistent as it was on Thursday, but our day will get increasingly wet as rain coverage increases through the morning and peaks during the afternoon. View your neighborhood rainfall totals We're not expecting strong or severe storms today and the tornado risk is much lower.Storms on Thursday brought one confirmed tornado at 8:01 a.m. four miles north-northwest of Lockhart, well southeast of Austin. The National Weather Service will conduct a damage survey to determine the intensity and size of the tornado this morning. Today will generally be a cloudy day, but high temperatures should still manage to slowly climb up to near 80º during the afternoon. Shower coverage becomes widespread during the afternoon before starting to fade slowly tonight. Today's forecastRainfall amounts will range from a quarter inch up to 1 inch with localized amoun...

RPI women's hockey off to its best start since '05-'06 season, and showing no signs of slowing down

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:39 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Just three seasons ago, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's hockey team went winless, finishing the year 0-33-1. Fast forward to the first 10 games of this season, and the Engineers have soared out to their best start in 18 years. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Bryan Vines' squad sits at 6-1-3, and notched victories in its' first two Eastern College Athletic Conference tilts last weekend in thrilling fashion. The Engineers went on the road to Dartmouth College last Friday and Harvard University last Saturday, and in both games overcame 3-0 deficits, and prevailed 5-4 in overtime. Graduate forward Isabelle Hardy played hero in the extra period against the Big Green, while senior forward Nyah Philip netted the game-winner against the Crimson in the weekend finale.Not only is RPI's six wins the most its had through 10 games since the 2005-'06 season, the team's three victories away from Hous...