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The Key Factor in the Saudi-Iran Deal: Absolutely No U.S. Involvement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:25 GMT

Ever since it pushed aside colonial Britain and France, the United States has prided itself on being the dominant outside power in the Middle East. That lofty image was shaken this past week by the surprise announcement that Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. partner, and Iran, a longtime enemy, had negotiated a normalization agreement on their own to restore diplomatic ties. The final meeting to conclude the agreement took place in the Chinese capital of Beijing.The symbolism of the signatures being put on paper with the support of the preeminent U.S. adversary China without an American presence starkly underlined the failures of an approach to the Middle East that prioritized belligerence and confrontation over cooperation and impartiality. Few can deny that U.S. policy has ended up playing a destabilizing role in regional geopolitics.For years, hawks have argued that U.S. military and political drawdowns from the Middle East risk generating a chaotic vacuum. What unfolded in Beijing appe...

New Legion Bridge or not, VDOT says extending Express Lanes will speed commute

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:25 GMT

While it’s not clear if and when a new American Legion Bridge will be built, now that the group Maryland chose to build the Potomac crossing and toll lanes on parts of the Beltway and I-270, has pulled out of the project, Virginia is moving full speed ahead to extend its 495 Express Lanes.Regardless of whether a new bridge is built, Virginia’s Department of Transportation is seeking to reassure drivers that traffic will continue to improve — at least south of the Potomac River — and that its new express lanes are scheduled to open by late 2025.More Local NewsMore Transportation NewsBeginning its second year of construction — and Beltway work zones — VDOT’s work is readily visible to drivers Wednesday morning, with clearing and digging at what will be an improved George Washington Parkway interchange.In a statement specifying that its 495 NEXT project is a separate entity from Maryland’s stalled efforts, VDOT says the extended express lanes “will move 2,...

Retail sales dip 0.4% in February after buying burst in Jan.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — America’s consumers trimmed their spending in February after a buying burst in January, underscoring the volatility of the economic environment.The government said Wednesday that retail sales slipped 0.4% after jumping a revised 3.2% in January, helped by an increase in auto sales. Retail sales were down in November and December, the critical holiday period.The February retail sales figure was weighed down by a 1.8% drop in auto sales as well as declines at restaurants and stores selling furniture and clothing. Excluding autos, sales slipped 0.1% from January, according to the Commerce Department. Sales at furniture stores fell 2.5%, while business at restaurants declined 2.2% in February from January. Sales at department stores slid 4%. But shoppers spent more online and at electronics stores, health and beauty stores and food retailers, according to the report.Shoppers remain relatively resilient, getting a boost from a strong job market. America’s employers added ...

Credit Suisse shares sink as global fears about banks grow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:25 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Battered shares of Credit Suisse lost more than one-quarter of their value Wednesday, hitting a record low after its biggest shareholder — the Saudi National Bank — told news outlets that it would not inject more money into the Swiss bank beset by problems long before the failure of two U.S. lenders.The turmoil prompted an automatic pause in trading of Credit Suisse’s shares on the Swiss market and sent shares of other European banks plunging by as much as double digits. That fanned new fears about the health of financial institutions following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in the United States in recent days. Credit Suisse stock dropped more than 27%, to about 1.6 Swiss francs ($1.73), in mid-afternoon trading on the SIX stock exchange Wednesday. That’s down more than 85% from February 2021. The shares have suffered a long, sustained decline: In 2007, they were trading at more than 80 francs each.With concerns about the possibility of mo...

Wizardry, warfare, Wii on ballot for World Video Game HOF

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:25 GMT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Wizardry, warfare and Wii are on the ballot as the World Video Game Hall of Fame narrows down its contenders for the class of 2023.The Hall of Fame on Wednesday announced 12 finalists that are being considered for induction in May. The games for consideration include Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Barbie Fashion Designer, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Computer Space, FIFA International Soccer, GoldenEye 007, The Last of Us, NBA 2K, Quake, Wii Sports and Wizardry.A panel of experts and the public will vote on the winners.“It’s always difficult to narrow the World Video Game Hall of Fame nominations down to just 12 finalists because there are so many games that have had an enormous influence on popular culture or the video game industry itself,” said Jon-Paul C. Dyson, director of the The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games in Rochester, where the hall is based.“This year’s finalists are some heavy-hitters,” he said.The ...

Floods kill 11 in Turkish earthquake-battered provinces

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:25 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Floods caused by torrential rains hit two Turkish provinces that were devastated by last month’s catastrophic earthquake, killing at least 11 people and increasing the misery for thousands who were left homeless, officials and media reports said Wednesday. At least five other people were reported missing.One person died in the town of Tut in southeastern Adiyaman province, where surging waters swept away a container home sheltering a family of earthquake survivors, Gov. Numan Hatipoglu said.The governor of neighboring Sanliurfa province, Salih Ayhan, told HaberTurk television that four people were killed by the floods in his region. Later, rescuers found the bodies of five Syrian nationals inside a flooded basement apartment in Sanliurfa, and retrieved another body inside a van that was trapped at an underpass, the private DHA news agency reported. Television footage from Sanliurfa showed flood waters surging along a street and sweeping away cars, as well as a ...

Thai officials search for radioactive cylinder from plant

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:25 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Authorities in Thailand expanded their search Wednesday for a metal cylinder with radioactive contents that has gone missing from a power plant, warning the public that it poses a danger to health.The 30-centimeter- (12-inch-) long cylinder containing the radioactive material Caesium-137 was discovered missing last Friday from a piece of machinery at a steam power plant in Prachinburi province, 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Bangkok.Ake Wongjinda, a public relations officer for the provincial government, said Wednesday that authorities have inspected locations such as junk shops, scrap metal yards and secondhand stores in Prachinburi and neighboring Chachoengsao province for the 25-kilogram- (55-pound-) cylinder.Health officials cautioned the public that prolonged direct contact with radioactive material can cause skin rashes, hair loss, canker sores, fatigue, and vomiting. They said short-term contact with Caesium-137 may not show immediate symptoms but could lead...

Stocks fall on Wall Street on renewed fears about banks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are back to falling on Wall Street Wednesday as worries worsen about the strength of banks on both sides of the Atlantic.The S&P 500 was 1.1% lower in early trading, while markets in Europe fell more sharply as shares of Switzerland’s Credit Suisse tumbled to a record low. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 418 points, or 1.3%, at 31,737 as of 9:45 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% lower. Credit Suisse has been fighting troubles for years, including losses it took from the 2021 collapse of investment firm Archegos Capital. Its shares in Switzerland sank more than 28% following reports that its top shareholder won’t pump more money into its investment. Wall Street’s harsh spotlight has intensified across the banking industry recently on worries about what may crack next following the second- and third-largest bank failures in U.S. history last week. Stocks of U.S. banks tumbled again Wednesday after enjoying a brief, one-day resp...

Officials investigating tuberculosis exposure at George Washington High School

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:25 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The Public Health Institute at Denver Health is investigating tuberculosis exposure at a local Denver High School.According to PHIDH, tuberculosis exposure is being investigated at George Washington High School, located at 655 S. Monaco St. Pkwy., in the Denver Public School District. Students, staff and parents have already been notified and those who may have been exposed to the disease have been contacted and will be tested. Colorado teachers could be reimbursed for supplies bought on their dime PHIDH did confirm there is no ongoing risk for TB exposure at the school currently. It is safe for students and staff to attend school as normal. "There's no reason for families, students, and parents of George Washington to be concerned right now. This individual is, again, not in school and is being treated. There is no risk of ongoing exposure and they should feel safe going to school," Dr. Bill Burman with the tuberculosis clinic at Denver Health said. What is tuber...

Florida man guilty in 2019 fatal shooting of 5 women at bank

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:25 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man has pleaded guilty to fatally shooting five women at a small-town bank branch in 2019 and will face either life in prison or a death sentence during the penalty phase next year.Court records show 25-year-old Zephen Xaver entered guilty pleas Tuesday to five counts of first-degree murder. He had previously pleaded not guilty, with a trial initially set for January in Sebring, located about 84 miles (135 kilometers) southeast of Tampa.Now, a Highlands County judge has set the penalty portion of the case to begin Jan. 16, 2024.Xaver admitted shooting four employees of a SunTrust Bank branch and one customer on Jan. 23, 2019. All five female victims were ordered to lie on the floor and then were shot one by one, investigators said. They added that robbery did not appear to be a motive and that Xaver had no connection to the victims.““We believe it was a random act,” Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said shortly after the slayings. “Aside ...