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Pakistan to compensate Christians who lost homes in rioting over alleged desecration of Quran

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:22 GMT

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Authorities in Pakistan are promising 2 million rupees ($6,800) in compensation for each of nearly 100 poor Christians who lost their homes when a Muslim mob angered over the alleged desecration of a Quran stormed their neighborhoods, burning at least 16 churches and damaging houses, officials said Monday.Police said they have arrested dozens more rioters in ongoing raids, bringing the total number of detainees to 160.Mohsin Naqvi, the top official in Punjab province, made the announcement on X, previously known as Twitter, a day after he visited Jaranwala in Punjab, where hundreds of Muslims went on a rampage last Wednesday over allegations that a Christian man and his friend had desecrated Islam’s holy book.Naqvi held a Cabinet meeting at a burned church in Jaranwala to get approval for the compensation for the victims of last week’s violence in the presence of local priests and residents.Hundreds of terrified Christians who fled their homes hav...

Women’s World Cup teams head home to different futures

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:22 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Teams headed home from the Women’s World Cup with uncertain futures but hopes that the monthlong tournament would spur new interest and further investment in the game.For some teams, like Nigeria, the Philippines and Jamaica, the struggle for funding, support and recognition will continue.More established teams like Germany, Brazil, Canada and the United States now begin the post-tournament soul-searching about what went wrong.Spain, which defeated England 1-0 in the final on Sunday, can revel as first-time champions.“We need to be ready, because after this FIFA Women’s World Cup women’s football is going to explode in every single one of your countries,” FIFA chief women’s football officer Sarai Bareman said at a women’s soccer conference held in the days before the final. “We need to be ready for it. There will be millions and millions of women and girls around the world who will sign up to play football for the first time ever aft...

Guatemala elects progressive Arévalo as president but there are legal moves to block him from office

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:22 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A progressive from outside Guatemala’s power structure was resoundingly elected the country’s next president Sunday in a reprimand to the governing elite over widespread allegations of corruption.Despite preliminary results showing a potential landslide for anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arévalo, the attention immediately turned to whether he would be allowed to assume power as the Attorney General’s Office attempts to suspend his party’s legal status.With 100% of votes counted, preliminary results gave Arévalo 58% of the vote to 37% for former first lady Sandra Torres in her third bid for the presidency. The official results will still have to be certified.“We know that there is a political persecution underway that is being carried out through the institutions and prosecutor’s offices and judges that have been corruptly co-opted,” Arévalo said Sunday night. “We want to think that the force of this victory is going to make it clear that there is no pl...

Stock market today: Global stocks up as traders await Fed conference for interest rate update

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:22 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Global stocks were higher Monday as traders looked ahead to the Federal Reserve’s summer conference for signs of whether the U.S. central bank thinks inflation is under control or more interest rate hikes are needed to cool inflation.London, Tokyo, Paris and Wall Street futures advanced. Shanghai declined. Oil prices rose.Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index declined Friday ahead of this week’s closely watched Jackson Hole, Wyoming, conference. Fed officials have used the event in previous years to indicate changes in policy direction.There “may be rude hawkish surprises” for investors who assume rate hikes are finished, said Tan Boon Heng of Mizuho Bank in a report. Chair Jerome Powell “may allude to structurally higher (and potentially more volatile) inflation being the new norm.”In early trading, the FTSE 100 in London rose 0.3% to 7,281.64. The CAC 40 in Paris gained 1% to 7,237.32 and the DAX in Frankfurt advanced 0.6% to 15,672.15.On Wall Street...

Biden administration announces more new funding for rural broadband infrastructure

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:22 GMT

The Biden administration on Monday continued its push toward internet-for-all by 2030, announcing about $667 million in new grants and loans to build more broadband infrastructure in the rural U.S.“With this investment, we’re getting funding to communities in every corner of the country because we believe that no kid should have to sit in the back of a mama’s car in a McDonald’s parking lot in order to do homework,” said Mitch Landrieu, the White House’s infrastructure coordinator, in a call with reporters.The 37 new recipients represent the fourth round of funding under the program, dubbed ReConnect by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Another 37 projects received $771.4 million in grants and loans announced in April and June. The money flowing through federal broadband programs, including what was announced Monday and the $42.5 billion infrastructure program detailed earlier this summer, will lead to a new variation on “the electrification of rural America,” Landrieu said, repea...

Looking for a new car under $20,000? Good luck. Your choice has dwindled to just one vehicle

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:22 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Just five years ago, a price-conscious auto shopper in the United States could choose from among a dozen new small cars selling for under $20,000. Now, there’s just one: The Mitsubishi Mirage. And even the Mirage appears headed for the scrap yard.At a time when Americans increasingly want pricey SUVs and trucks rather than small cars, the Mirage remains the lone new vehicle whose average sale price is under 20 grand — a figure that once marked a kind of unofficial threshold of affordability. With prices — new and used — having soared since the pandemic, $20,000 is no longer much of a starting point for a new car.This current version of the Mirage, which reached U.S. dealerships a decade ago, sold for an average of $19,205 last month, according to data from Cox Automotive. (Though a few other new models have starting prices under $20,000, their actual purchase prices, with options and shipping, exceed that figure.)The Mirage, with hatchback and sedan versions, costs le...

Potential abounds for UAlbany women's field hockey in 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:22 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Field Hockey season is fast approaching, and the UAlbany women's team is ready to make another run at a championship season. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Last year the Dane experienced a lot of success. They won the America East Conference championship last November after beating Stanford 2-1. As a result, they made an NCAA tournament appearance knocking off then-No. 4 Michigan before falling to Penn State in the second round.Despite the sting of that loss, head coach Phil Sykes believes his team has a lot of upside as the Great Danes prepare for the start of the 2023 season."I think there is an incredible amount of potential," Sykes said. "You know injuries can be a part of that you never know how behaviors are, but I think so far we have such a nice group, and they're very supportive of one another, and if we keep growing one day at a time in practice, and have that patience and realize it's a proc...

Physicians and physiotherapists in the EU: How many?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:22 GMT

In 2021, the EU had an estimated 1.82 million practising physicians. The highest number of practising physicians was recorded in the largest EU countries: Germany (377,000, equivalent to 21% of the EU total), followed at some distance by Italy (243,000), France (216,000) and Spain (213,000).Among the EU countries, Greece (629.2) and Portugal (562.0) recorded the highest numbers of physicians (physicians licensed to practise) per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Austria (540.9). By contrast, the lowest ratios were registered in France (318.3), Belgium (324.8) and Hungary (329.8). Source dataset: hlth_rs_prs2611,000 physiotherapists working in the EU in 2021In 2021, 611 000 physiotherapists were working in the EU, the equivalent of an average of 136.7 physiotherapists per 100 000 inhabitants. The relative distribution of physiotherapists across EU countries ranged from 234.4 per 100 000 inhabitants in Germany and 215.9 in Belgium down to 12.7 in Romania. Source dataset:...

Ask Amy: This man deserves to be snubbed, but his wife is asking for my help

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:22 GMT

Dear Amy: My husband has gone skiing with seven of his male peers for 17 years.One of these friends, “Patrick,” is an alcoholic whose out-of-control behavior during previous ski trips has been difficult for them to tolerate.Last year, Patrick was so offensive and unruly during a ski trip that it was the last straw, so the guys will not be inviting him to join them again.My husband has blocked him on his phone.Although all agreed that this shunning was justified, the loss of this friend caused my husband great emotional pain.I am from a family who has suffered from generations of alcoholism. I have a low tolerance for the pain caused by that sad addiction. As a result, the shunning is not a problem for me.However, I am friends with Patrick’s wife, who knows he has been banned from the ski group for his frightening behaviors.She is choosing to continue to support him and his painful, risky lifestyle, trusting that he will recover.Although none of us share her trust in him, she is aski...

Harriette Cole: Will I be able to convince my fiance we should have babies?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:22 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been a nanny for the past decade, and I’ve cherished every moment of it because I love children.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: This disagreement over my luxury car might break our engagement Advice | Harriette Cole: We went on one date, and he’s so gross every time I see him Advice | Harriette Cole: I learned that my new friend used to badmouth me. What should I do? Advice | Harriette Cole: Was it rash to choose this job over my boyfriend’s objections? Advice | Harriette Cole: What does it mean that my boyfriend’s sister called me by this name? I have been patiently waiting to have my own some day because I wanted to find the right partner to have them with. I recently got engaged to a man I love dearly, but he is adamant that he doesn’t want children.He is turning 50 soon and doesn’t want to have to raise babies now that he’s old...