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Stock market today: Asian shares rise buoyed by Wall Street rally from bonds and oil prices

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:09:07 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Thursday, boosted by a cheaper yen that’s a plus for exporting economies in the region, although it recovered slightly in Asian trading. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 edged up 0.9% in morning trading to 30,794.97. Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 0.5% to 6,925.50, while South Korea’s Kospi added 0.6% to 2,420.74. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong gained 0.6% to 17,295.62. Trading was closed in Shanghai for Chinese national holidays, the Mid-Autumn Festival and China’s National Day, continuing through the rest of the week. Oil prices declining overnight on Wall Street also came as positive news, although they regained some of the losses in Asian trading. A cheaper yen works as a plus for Japan and other Asian economies by boosting the value of their nations’ exports when converted from dollars into yen. The S&P 500 climbed 0.8% to claw back more than half its sharp tumble from a day earlier, which sent it to a four-...

Philippine boats breach a Chinese coast guard blockade in a faceoff near a disputed shoal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:09:07 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Two Philippine supply boats breached a Chinese coast guard blockade in the South China Sea on Wednesday in a recurring confrontation near a disputed shoal some fear could spark a larger security crisis that could draw in the United States.Two Philippine coast guard ships escorted the smaller supply boats, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether the ships were blocked by the Chinese coast guard from coming closer to the Second Thomas Shoal, where a small contingent of Filipino marines has stood guard for years aboard a long-marooned but still actively commissioned warship, the BRP Sierra Madre.China also claims the shoal and has surrounded it with its coast guard ships and militia vessels to prevent the Philippines from delivering construction materials that Beijing fears could be used to reinforce the Sierra Madre and turn it into a permanent territorial outpost.“Despite attempts by a significant number of China coast guard and Chinese maritime milit...

Japan has issued a tsunami advisory after an earthquake near its outlying islands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:09:07 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has issued a tsunami advisory after an earthquake near its outlying islands. Officials say a potential tsunami could reach one meter in height. The advisory, which appears to be the lowest level of warning, asks people on islands in the Izu chain, which stretches south from the center of the main Japanese island of Honshu, to stay away from coasts and river mouths, according to NHK TV. Japan is one of the most earthquake prone places on earth. A massive quake in 2011 caused a tsunami that destroyed huge swaths of northern Japan and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. The Associated Press

Fukushima nuclear plant starts 2nd release of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:09:07 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said it began releasing a second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea on Thursday after the first round of discharges ended smoothly.Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said workers activated a pump to dilute the treated water with large amounts of seawater, slowly sending the mixture into the ocean through an underground tunnel.The plant’s first wastewater release began Aug. 24 and ended Sept. 11. In the second discharge it plans to release another 7,800 metric tons of treated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean over 17 days. The wastewater discharges, which are expected to continue for decades, have been strongly opposed by fishing groups and neighboring countries including South Korea, where hundreds of people staged protest rallies. China banned all imports of Japanese seafood, badly hurting Japanese seafood exporters. Japan’s government has set up a relief fund to find new mark...

September sizzled to records and was so much warmer than average scientists call it ‘mind-blowing’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:09:07 GMT

After a summer of record-smashing heat, warming somehow got even worse in September as Earth set a new mark for how far above normal temperatures were, the European climate agency reported Thursday. Last month’s average temperature was 0.93 degrees Celsius (1.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1991-2020 average for September. That’s the warmest margin above average for a month in 83 years of records kept by the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.“It’s just mind-blowing really,” said Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo. “Never seen anything like that in any month in our records.”While July and August had hotter raw temperatures because they are warmer months on the calendar, September had what scientists call the biggest anomaly, or departure from normal. Temperature anomalies are crucial pieces of data in a warming world.“This is not a fancy weather statistic,” Imperial College of London climate scientist Friederike Otto said in an email. “It’s a death sent...

'Naked neighbor' charged after WGN Investigates report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:09:07 GMT

Female residents frustrated by a frequently naked neighbor in a downtown high-rise have finally gotten police to focus on their case. They’ve complained for more than two years to everyone from building management to their alderman, police and even the man himself. All to no avail.A “daily nightmare” is how Streeterville resident Kaitlyn Brynarski summed it up in August.  She described a view so violating she fears opening her curtains and is considering selling her condo. “24/7, he’s nude in his unit,” she said. “For 10-to-15 minutes a day, he will go near the windows and expose himself and touch himself.”MORE FROM WGN INVESTIGATES: Illinois DCFS director resignsA second woman, who asked not to be identified, kept a log during a recent 10-month span. By her count, the man exposed himself a total of 68 times, sometimes multiple times a day. “I do feel like it’s a form of sexual harassment,” she said in August.The women filed police reports that say the man has wa...

Autumn? Says who? In Chicago, it's Affy Tapple Season’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:09:07 GMT

CHICAGO — When the leaves start to turn to color of caramel, and the air is as crisp as an apple, you know it’s fall in Chicago. But to some, the season has another name: “It’s caramel apple season – it’s Affy Tapple season,” said Wendy Bettinger, the customer service manager Affy Tapple, the beloved Chicago company that creates the indulgent snack that has become a fall tradition.Along with brands like Lou Malnati’s, Vienna Beef and Garrett Popcorn, Affy Tapple is one of the city’s favorite foods. “It is definitely one of the iconic Chicago brands,” said Affy Tapple’s owner, Josephine Beavers. This year the caramel apple company is celebrating 75 years in business. In 1948, Affy Tapple opened its first factory on Clark Street in Rogers Park and soon it became a staple of school fundraisers in the city and suburbs.  “It’s a nostalgic brand, obviously, and I think it goes back to a lot of our childhoods,” said Brandon Beavers, the company’s president and CEO. More from Mike Lo...

Englewood woman sexually assaulted at gunpoint during home invasion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:09:07 GMT

***Graphic Content Warning: WGN News would like to warn viewers and readers that some details in this story recall an instance of violent sexual assault and may be hard to process.***CHICAGO — An Englewood woman said she was sexually assaulted at gunpoint Wednesday.According to the Chicago Police Department, officers were called to the 7300 block of South May Street around 11:15 a.m., where a 26-year-old woman told them she was sexually assaulted by a male who also stole her cellphone.Police said the victim told them she was standing on the front porch of her residence when the unknown male offender approached."This guy came over to me, or whatever, and he asked me if he could use the bathroom," the woman told WGN News, who's identity we are keeping anonymous to help protect her safety.The male then put his arm around the victim's neck and pushed her inside of her residence, where he sexually assaulted her and took her cellphone."He choked me and drug me in my house," said the woman...

Travis Kelce says NFL TV coverage is 'overdoing it' with Swift during games

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:09:07 GMT

(AP) -- Maybe there's too much Taylor, not enough Travis.Travis Kelce agreed Wednesday with the idea that NFL TV coverage has been “overdoing it” with the amount of times Taylor Swift has been on screen while attending his Kansas City Chiefs' games the last two weeks.Swift was in a suite Sunday night at MetLife Stadium for the Chiefs' victory over the New York Jets in prime time. Jason Kelce, who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, told his brother during their “ New Heights ” podcast that cameras showed live shots of the suite no fewer than 17 times during the game. It isn’t just Taylor Swift: Every NFL team has a celebrity fan “Damn, that's crazy,” Travis Kelce said. “That's like once a drive.”Travis did say that it's fun when the cameras show which famous people are at a game. Swift was in the suite with actors Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Hugh Jackman.“But at the same time, I think they’re overdoing it a little bit for sure, especially my situation,” Trav...

Infant dead, pregnant woman critical after shooting in Massachusetts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:09:07 GMT

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) - Multiple people are in the hospital, and an infant is dead after a shooting in downtown Holyoke, Massachusetts Wednesday afternoon. Shooting victim arrives at Holyoke Medical Center Tuesday According to Hampden District Attorney's Office Spokesperson Jim Leydon, just before 1 p.m., members of the Holyoke Police Department were called to a reported shooting in the 100 block of Sargeant Street. Leydon said three male suspects were involved in an altercation, during which a shooting occurred, and one of the rounds from that altercation struck a public transportation bus, also hitting a woman on board.The woman, who was pregnant, was treated at a nearby hospital and reported to be in critical condition. The infant was delivered and given life-saving medical services but did not survive, according to officials.Police said all suspects involved are in custody and receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. This incident remains under investigation by the Massachuse...