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More than 90% of people killed by western Afghanistan quake were women and children, UN says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:40 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — More than 90% of the people killed by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in western Afghanistan last weekend were women and children, U.N. officials reported Thursday.Taliban officials said Saturday’s earthquake killed more than 2,000 people of all ages and genders across Herat province. The epicenter was in Zenda Jan district, where 1,294 people died, 1,688 were injured and every home was destroyed, according to U.N. figures. Women and children were more likely to have been at home when the quake struck in the morning, said Siddig Ibrahim, the chief of the UNICEF field office in Herat, said. “When the first earthquake hit, people thought it was an explosion, and they ran into their homes,” he said.Hundreds of people, mostly women, remain missing in Zenda Jan.The Afghanistan representative for the United Nations Population Fund, Jaime Nadal, said there would have been no “gender dimension” to the death toll if the quake had happened at night.“At that time of the day, ...

‘The Care & Keeping of You’ author and her podcast co-host break down puberty for today’s parents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The average onset of puberty is about two years earlier than a generation ago. Well over half of tweens and teens report body image issues. The average age of first exposure to porn is 12 for boys and not much later for girls. Those are just a few of the takeaways in a new book, “this is so awkward,” aptly lowercased and titled to break down all things puberty for today’s parents. The book, out this week from Rodale, is written by pediatrician Cara Natterson, whose “Care & Keeping of You” series has sold more than 7 million copies, and Vanessa Kroll Bennett, a puberty educator and Natterson’s co-host of “The Puberty Podcast.” Collectively, they have six kids ranging from 13 to 20. Here’s our interview with Natterson and Kroll Bennett. It has been edited for length and clarity.AP: Parents today have vast resources available to them. Why is this a moment for a good old-fashioned parenting book?NATTERSON: To cut through the noise, frankly. Th...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts after mixed reports on inflation and the economy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting, and yields are climbing Thursday following mixed economic reports that offered no slam-dunk clues about where interest rates are heading.The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged in early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 26 points, or 0.1%, as of 9:40 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was flat.The stock market has largely been taking its cue from the bond market recently, and rising yields tightened their squeeze after a report showed inflation at the consumer level was a touch higher last month than economists expected.That raises worries about the Federal Reserve keeping its main interest rate high for a long time, as it tries to undercut inflation by knocking down investment prices and slowing the economy.But the inflation report also had more encouraging nuggets for financial markets underneath the surface. After ignoring prices for food and fuel, which Fed officials see as a better predictor of where inflation ...

IOC suspends Russian Olympic Committee for incorporating Ukrainian sports regions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:40 GMT

MUMBAI, India (AP) — The Russian Olympic Committee was suspended by the IOC on Thursday for breaching the Olympic Charter by incorporating sports bodies in four regions in eastern Ukraine.IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the move by the Russian Olympic Committee on Oct. 5 violated the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian Olympic body.Adams said the suspension has not yet affected the possibility of neutral Russian athletes competing at next year’s Paris Olympics.___AP coverage of the Paris Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-gamesThe Associated Press

The US government sanctions two shipping companies for violating the Russian oil price cap

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:40 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department said Thursday that it has imposed its first set of sanctions on two companies that shipped Russian oil in violation of a multinational price cap.The United States, along with the European Union, countries in the Group of Seven and Australia, imposed a $60 a barrel limit last year on what Russia could charge for its oil. The cap was designed to deprive the Kremlin of revenue to fund its war in Ukraine, forcing the Russian government either to sell its oil at a discount or divert money for a costly alternative shipping network.The companies being penalized are based in the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, the department said in a statement.A ship owned by the Emirates-based company Lumber Marine carried oil priced above $75 a barrel from a Russian port. Separately, a vessel owned by Turkey-based Ice Pearl Navigation ferried oil from Russia priced at $80 a barrel. Both companies relied on U.S. service providers. As a result of the sanctions, th...

Uber, Lyft warn of higher costs, long wait times as Toronto moves to cap drivers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:40 GMT

Rideshare companies are warning of costly rides and long wait times as Toronto moves to cap the amount of ridesharing vehicles on its streets.City council voted to freeze the number of Uber and Lyft vehicles on Wednesday. No new licences to private transportation companies will be issued until a staff report on regulating the industry is completed by the end of 2024.Mayor Olivia Chow says the move will benefit app company workers and help reduce emissions.“We need to put a good system in place so that drivers can make a living,” she says. “We will have a good system without contributing too much on the congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.”Opponents warn the move will only drive up prices and prompt legal challenges from ride-hailing companies. Related: Uber to allow Canadian teens to set up ride-share accounts this summer Canadians can rent cars through Uber starting Tuesday. Here’s how it works Uber issued a statemen...

Canadian tech workers make 46 per cent less than U.S. counterparts: TMU study

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:40 GMT

TORONTO — A new study from Toronto Metropolitan University says Canadian tech workers are paid 46 per cent less than their U.S. counterparts.The research from the university’s The Dias public policy institute found a typical tech employee in Canada makes $83,700 per year compared with $122,600 for workers in the U.S. sector.The study says at least 10 per cent of the wage gap is attributable to a larger share of tech workers in Canada being part-time or not working the full year than in the U.S.When only full-time, full-year workers are studied, the research says the gap amounted to $34,800, or a 10 per cent difference.In addition to Canadian tech workers lagging behind on salaries, the study found the average U.S. tech workers’ equity holdings were valued at twice that of a Canadian tech worker.The study also looked at gender gaps, finding the typical male tech worker in Canada makes $86,600 annually compared with $74,000 for the typical female tech worker in the country.This ...

English Football Association to honor the Israeli and Palestinian victims at Wembley Stadium

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:40 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The English Football Association will pay tribute to the Israeli and Palestinian victims of the war in the Middle East when England hosts Australia in a friendly match at Wembley Stadium on Friday.Plans, however, do not include lighting up the national stadium’s iconic arch in the colors of Israel’s flag, despite increasing calls to do so, the FA said Thursday.The England and Australia teams will wear black armbands and observe a moment of silence before kick off.“We stand for humanity and an end to the death, violence, fear and suffering,” the FA said.The soccer body also said it would only permit “flags, replica kits and other representations of nationality” for the nations competing on Friday. The same rules will apply when England hosts Italy in a European Championship qualifier on Tuesday.Wembley’s arch has been lit up in the past in the colors of Ukraine’s flag after it was invaded by Russia and in the colors of Brazil when soccer great Pe...

Man killed, another critical in Chicago Lawn shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:40 GMT

CHICAGO — A 22-year-old man was killed and another was critically wounded early Thursday morning in a shooting on the Southwest Side.Officers responded to a shots fired call in the 6200 block of South Troy at around 2:25 a.m.A 22-year-old man was found dead at the scene with multiple gunshot wounds to the body. CPD said a handgun was found next to him on the ground.A witness told officers they saw a red truck speeding away after shots were fired. One of two brothers expected to plead guilty in fatal shooting of Chicago officer A 19-year-old man was later dropped off at Mt. Sinai in critical condition as a result of the shooting, police said.No one is in custody.

Blinken in Israel: At least 25 Americans killed in 'heinous' Hamas attacks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:40 GMT

(The Hill) -- Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Thursday that at least 25 Americans were confirmed to be killed in the attacks on Israel by Hamas, a Palestinian militant group.“Tragically, the number of innocent lives claimed by Hamas's heinous attacks continues to rise," Blinken said during a press conference in Israel, standing alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Among those, we now know that at least 25 American citizens were killed.""We joined families in Israel in the United States around the world in mourning their immeasurable loss," he added.U.S. officials have been working with Israelis to secure the release of hostages and Blinken noted he will continue to engage in diplomacy in his meetings throughout the region. Military support from the U.S. has already arrived in Israel, he confirmed, pledging to continue adapting it to the needs of Israel.“As Israel's defense needs evolve, we will work with Congress to make sure that they're met,” he told Netanyahu...