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China’s flagging economy gets a temporary boost as holiday travel returns to pre-pandemic levels

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:34 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Tourism in China bounced back to pre-pandemic levels during a recent eight-day national holiday, giving a temporary boost to the nation’s flagging economy.The government said that tourism revenues reached about 753 billion yuan ($103 billion) during the combined Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday period that ended Friday, a rise of 1.5% over 2019 and 130% compared to last year when pandemic restrictions were still in place.China maintained locked-downs and other restrictions much longer than most other countries, enforcing a “zero-COVID” policy until last December. But a hoped-for consumer spending boom after the lifting of restrictions hasn’t materialized, as many Chinese remain cautious with an unfolding real estate crisis weighing on the economy and youth unemployment topping 20%.Planes and high-speed trains were heavily booked over the holiday. The tourism ministry said that 826 million domestic trips were made, up 4.1% from 2019 and 71.3% fr...

Trump is inserting himself into the messy race to become the next House speaker. Will it matter?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is again testing the power of his endorsement.With an early morning social media post on Friday, Trump inserted himself into the chaotic race to replace Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker by backing Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan for the post. The move was the latest example of Trump attempting to flex his influence within a Republican Party he has already fundamentally reshaped in the eight years since his first White House bid.“I think he does well. I hope he does well,” Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination, said of Jordan in a Friday interview with Real America’s Voice. “He’s got competition, as you understand. And they’re friendly with me, too. Very nice people and good people. We’ll see what happens.”With Trump’s firm grip on the GOP base, his endorsement can effectively clear the field in many congressional primaries. But the speaker’s race is more complex, an intraparty fight that will play out in secret at points and in a tense en...

Witnesses to FBI hunt for Civil War gold describe heavily loaded armored truck, signs of a night dig

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:34 GMT

PENFIELD, Pa. (AP) — In the heart of Pennsylvania elk country, Eric McCarthy and his client, Don Reichel, woke before sunrise to scour the forest for so-called “brown gold,” a rack of freshly shed antlers to add to Reichel’s collection.One hill over, a team of FBI agents was also hunting for gold. The metallic yellow kind.The FBI’s highly unusual search for buried Civil War-era treasure more than five years ago set in motion a dispute over what, if anything, the agency unearthed and an ongoing legal battle over key records. There’s so much intrigue even a federal judge felt compelled to note in a ruling last week: “The FBI may have found the gold — or maybe not.”Now, two witnesses have come forward to share with The Associated Press what they heard and saw in the woods, raising questions about the FBI’s timeline and adding plot twists to a saga that blends elements of legend, fact and science — and a heavy dose of government secrecy.The FBI insists nothing came of the 2018 excavatio...

Former Tropical Storm Philippe’s remnants headed to waterlogged New England and Atlantic Canada

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:34 GMT

The remnants of former Tropical Storm Philippe headed toward waterlogged New England with the promise of more precipitation, gusts and isolated power outages after lashing Bermuda with heavy rain and winds.The storm was expected to arrive late Saturday with gusts up to 50 mph (80 kph) in eastern and northern Maine, strong enough to cause power outages, along with 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 centimeters) of rain over a broader area in a state where the ground is already saturated from previous rain, said Anne Strauser, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Maine.Down East Maine and Atlantic Canada were expected to bear the storm’s brunt just three weeks after being hit by Tropical Storm Lee. Philippe, now a low pressure system, no longer a tropical storm, should be milder but will still pack a punch.The National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, said a high surf advisory was in effect for Sunday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. with waves from 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 meters) on t...

Sex education classes often don’t include LGBTQ+ students. New restrictions could make it worse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:34 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — In fifth grade, Stella Gage’s class watched a video about puberty. In ninth grade, a few sessions of her health class were dedicated to the risks of sexual behaviors. That was the extent of her sex education in school. At no point was there any content that felt especially relevant to her identity as a queer teenager. To fill the gaps, she turned mostly to social media.“My parents were mostly absent, my peers were not mature enough, and I didn’t have anyone else to turn to,” said Gage, who is now a sophomore at Wichita State University in Kansas.Many LGBTQ+ students say they have not felt represented in sex education classes. To learn about their identities and how to build healthy, safe relationships, they often have had to look elsewhere. As lawmakers in some states limit what can be taught about sex and gender, it will be that much more difficult for those students to come by inclusive material in classrooms. New laws targeting LGBTQ+ people have been prolife...

Texas high school football scores for Friday, Oct. 6

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Rouse knocked off Class 5A Division II No. 10 Belton 32-30 on Friday to hand the Tigers their first loss of the season.East View clipped Glenn 42-38, Flatonia edged Hearne 21-19, Liberty Hill topped SA Veterans Memorial 28-21 and then there were a fair share of blowouts around the viewing area.REPORT YOUR SCORE: We'd love to post your team's score on our website, but we need your help to do it. Email the score of your game to [email protected] and we'll get it on our websiteVandegrift thumped McNeil 49-3, Lake Travis blanked Del Valle 49-0 and Weiss took care of Copperas Cove 49-7. Check out the rest of the scores from around the area and Texas below:Scores from around the KXAN viewing areaA&M Consolidated 42, Hendrickson 3Bastrop 34, Cedar Creek 7Blanco 48, Marion 7Canyon Lake 52, Marble Falls 13College Station 56, Cedar Park 28Crockett 51, Navarro 3Cuero 55, Giddings 14De Leon 42, San Saba 20Dripping Springs 48, Akins 0East View 42, Glenn 38Flatonia 21, Hearne 19...

Austyn Modrzewski shows why he’s one of Colorado’s top QB recruits as Mountain Vista beats Rock Canyon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:34 GMT

CASTLE ROCK — As Mountain Vista trailed early in the second quarter of Friday’s rivalry game against Rock Canyon, Golden Eagles coach Garrett Looney threw down the gauntlet with star quarterback Austyn Modrzewski.“We might have to score 60 for the win, but I think we can score 70,” Looney challenged Modrzewski and the Mountain Vista wideouts in the huddle on the sideline. “I really do. Now, let’s cut out the mistakes and go do it.”Modrzewski threw a TD less than a minute later, giving Class 5A No. 9 Mountain Vista its first lead of the night. The Golden Eagles didn’t look back, and neither did Modrzewski, whose play highlighted a 37-14 win over the Jaguars at Douglas County Stadium.While Mountain Vista struggled early, and tempers flared with an ejection on each team in the first half, Modrzewski stayed calm. His offense averaged 45.3 points per game coming in, and they put on another Air Raid clinic behind Modrzewski’s powerful ...

Beverly Hills woman missing since June found alive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:34 GMT

A Beverly Hills woman and accomplished musician, who was missing for three months, was found alive, a friend confirmed. Camela Leierth-Segura, 48, was last seen in the Beverly Hills area on June 29, according to her missing persons page on the California Department of Justice website.Leierth-Segura’s friend, Cecilia Ross, took to Instagram to share the news of her safe return. “I wanted to let you all know that my friend Camela who has been missing for the past three months was found yesterday,” Ross wrote on her IG story. “Her family has asked for privacy and I can’t share any of the details, but she is safe now. Thank you to everyone who helped look for her and shared her story, and to the Beverly Hills Police Department for doing an incredible job finding her.”Leierth-Segura is a singer and songwriter whose credits include Katy Perry’s “Walking On Air.”There are no further details about her disappearance at this time.

Today in History: October 7, Anita Hill alleges sexual harassment by Clarence Thomas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:34 GMT

Today in History Today is Saturday, Oct. 7, the 280th day of 2023. There are 85 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Oct. 7, 1991, University of Oklahoma law professor Anita Hill publicly accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of making sexually inappropriate comments when she worked for him; Thomas denied Hill’s allegations and would go on to win Senate confirmation. On this date: In 1765, the Stamp Act Congress convened in New York to draw up colonial grievances against England. In 1916, in the most lopsided victory in college football history, Georgia Tech defeated Cumberland University 222-0 in Atlanta.In 1949, the Republic of East Germany was formed. In 1982, the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical “Cats” opened on Broadway, the first of what would become a record 7,485 performances in an 18-year run. In 1985, Palestinian gunmen hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro (ah-KEE’-leh LOW’-roh) in the Mediterranean Sea. (The hijackers shot and kill...

Chocan un avión y un autobús en el aeropuerto de Chicago: hay al menos dos personas heridas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:34 GMT

(CNN) — Al menos dos personas resultaron heridas después de que un autobús de enlace y un avión chocaran en el aeropuerto O’Hare de Chicago el viernes por la noche, informó el Departamento de Bomberos de Chicago en un correo electrónico enviado a CNN.El vuelo 6209 de Air Wisconsin se disponía a despegar cuando se produjo la colisión, según informó la Administración Federal de Aviación (FAA, por sus siglas en inglés).Air Wisconsin es una aerolínea regional que realiza vuelos para American Airlines operando como American Eagle, según el sitio web de la aerolínea.American Airlines dijo a CNN que seis de sus empleados a bordo del autobús fueron trasladados a un hospital local para ser evaluados. El avión fue dejado fuera de servicio y los clientes han embarcado en otro avión para continuar hacia Dayton, Ohio. No se han registrado heridos en el avión, añadió American Airlines.El pasajero Kevis Mitchell dijo a CNN que el avión se disponía a despegar cuando fue golpeado por el ...