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Pakistan’s Imran Khan could face the death sentence in trial over revealing state secrets

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:09:49 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court on Monday indicted Imran Khan on charges of revealing official secrets after his 2022 ouster from office in another dramatic move against the former prime minister who could now face a possible death sentence and will likely be unable to run in parliamentary elections in January.Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a close aide and the deputy leader of Khan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, will go on trial this week at a high-security prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. The charge of revealing state secrets carries a sentence ranging from life in prison to the death penalty, according to Umair Niazi, one of Khan’s defense lawyers. Niazi, however, said he was confident Khan and Qureshi would be acquitted as they had done “nothing wrong.” The trial starts on Friday and both Khan and Qureshi have denied the charges against them. The hearings will take place before a special court behind closed doors at the Adiyala Prison, wher...

Barcelona celebrates another talented teenager making a successful move from its La Masia academy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:09:49 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Barcelona coach Xavi knows from his own experience that taking a chance on youngsters at the club’s famous La Masia soccer academy usually pays off.Xavi himself was a member of the academy before becoming one of Barcelona’s — and Spain’s — greatest players. He was an 18-year-old when given the chance to debut with the first team in a Spanish Super Cup game in 1998. The former midfielder scored in the match against Mallorca to kickstart his successful career. So it’s no surprise that Xavi hasn’t been afraid to give opportunities to the current generation of La Masia players. The latest to get his chance was 17-year-old Marc Guiu, who on Sunday came on late in the second half and scored about 30 seconds into his debut to give Barcelona a 1-0 win against Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish league.At 17 years, 291 days, Guiu became the youngest Barcelona player to score in his debut with the club.“I don’t have a problem with looking at our talent at home,” Xavi said. “On ...

Motivation high for Man United in Champions League in first home game since death of Bobby Charlton

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:09:49 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — If gaining much-needed Champions League points wasn’t motivation enough, Manchester United’s players are sure to be driven by the memory of Bobby Charlton on what will be an emotional night at Old Trafford on Tuesday.The match against FC Copenhagen will be the first at United’s stadium since the death of Charlton, the England great who for so long was the club’s top scorer and is considered by many to be the best player in its illustrious history.A minute’s silence will be observed before kickoff while players will likely wear black armbands. A wreath is expected to be laid on the field.United’s players paid similar respects to Charlton before the Premier League match at Sheffield United on Saturday — only hours after his death was announced — and captain Bruno Fernandes was among those who dedicated the 2-1 victory at Bramall Lane to Charlton and his family.Fernandes and United manager Erik ten Hag were at Old Trafford to sign a book of condolence o...

At least 14 killed and many injured when one train hits another in central Bangladesh

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:09:49 GMT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A cargo train hit a passenger train outside the Bangladeshi capital on Monday, leaving at least 14 people dead and scores more injured, a fire official said.Rescuers joined local residents in extracting people from the wreckage of the train cars, said fire official Mosharraf Hossain at Bhairab, in the central district of Kishoreganj, where the collision happened at 3:30 p.m. He said the bodies of at least 14 people had been recovered and the number of casualties could increase. “Our people are working there. It’s a chaotic situation. We don’t have much information for now,” he told The Associated Press by phone.He said the crash occurred when the Dhaka-bound Godhuli Express collided head on with a cargo train heading to Chattogram. Train service to other parts of the country remained suspended following the accident, he said. Source

Kansas City Current hires former US women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:09:49 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Former U.S. women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski is getting a fresh start in a familiar place.The 47-year-old Andonovski was officially hired as coach of the Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League on Monday, taking over a team that reached the title game a year ago but finished 11th out of 12 teams this season. The Current are the replacement for FC Kansas City, which Andonovski led to two NWSL titles before it folded.The Current fired Matt Potter in April and recently announced that interim coach Caroline Sjoblom would not be retained.“Kansas City is home,” Andonovski, a two-time NWSL coach of they year, said in a statement. “This club is very ambitious, and they have an ownership group willing to do what it takes to meet their goals. … The fans here have always been passionate, and it has been so exciting to see them grow and make Kansas City one of the best atmospheres in the NWSL.”Andonovski, a native of North...

Stock market today: US futures fall as yield on the 10-year Treasury briefly touches 5%

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:09:49 GMT

Wall Street was poised to open lower Monday morning, with markets under pressure from higher interest rates and the risk of broader conflict in the Middle East.Futures for the S&P 500, Nasdaq and the Dow all fell about 0.4% before the bell Monday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury briefly touched 5%, a level it hasn’t reached since 2007. It quickly retreated back to 4.99%.Stocks have been struggling under the weight of the bond market since high yields make borrowing more expensive for everyone and slow the economy while dragging on prices for stocks and other investments. “Indeed, the trajectory of U.S. Treasurys is not merely a question; it is the only question for financial markets,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. “U.S. government bonds are the critical benchmark reference point against which virtually all other global assets are ultimately priced off.”The Federal Reserve raised its overnight interest rate rapidly hoping to quash high inflat...

FAA investigating possible close call between two airliners at Portland airport

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:09:49 GMT

(CNN) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how close two commercial airliners came to colliding at Portland International Airport in Oregon during heavy rain last Monday.Audio of the incident posted online includes an air traffic controller issuing urgent instructions to the crew of an Alaska Airlines flight, telling them to turn away from a nearby SkyWest flight.“While attempting to land at Portland International Airport, the pilot of Alaska Airlines Flight 1299 initiated a go-around due to wind and turned towards SkyWest Airlines Flight 3978, which had just departed,” the FAA said in a statement. “An air traffic controller instructed the Alaska Airlines pilot to turn away from the SkyWest aircraft.”Publicly available flight tracking data shows the flights were climbing out from parallel runways – the SkyWest flight had just taken off from Portland’s runway 28 Right while the Alaska Airlines flight had just attempted to land on runway 28 Left. Aviation weather rep...

The Most Hated App in America? More Than 1 Million Americans Delete or Deactivate Instagram Every Month

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:09:49 GMT

With 170 million Americans using the app, the United States has one of the largest concentrations of Instagram users worldwide. But statistics show that the image-based social media app is also among the country’s least favorite.A 2021 study by the Pew Research Center revealed that four in every ten Americans use Instagram. In a Backlinko global ranking of countries with the most monthly Instagram users, the U.S. landed in second place. Of U.S. users, 71% fall between ages 18 and 29.Despite Instagram’s massive domestic market, research from VPNoverview finds the social media platform to be losing favor among American audiences. The 2023 study found more than one million monthly Google searches in the U.S. contained keywords related to deleting or deactivating Instagram.The Rise of InstagramInstagram was officially launched in October of 2010, and has amassed over two billion worldwide users. The platform allows users to share photos ...

Some Walgreens pharmacy workers say they are planning another walkout. Here are their reasons why

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:09:49 GMT

New York (CNN) — Some pharmacy workers at Walgreens, one of the nation’s largest drugstore chains, say they are planning another walkout at the end of October, and organizers are hoping this time the protest spreads nationwide.Workers have already been staging walkouts in scattered cities to protest working conditions that they say put customer safety at risk. The actions so far this month closed a handful of pharmacies briefly, and slowed business at several others; Walgreens told CNN the impact has been “minimal.”Now some pharmacy staff and organizers in multiple states have confirmed to CNN that they’re planning another walkout, and picket lines, with a window from October 30 to November 1 to protest staffing levels and other issues.Shane Jerominski, an independent pharmacist who used to work for Walgreens and is one of the walkout’s organizers, told CNN that he has been working with representatives from unions to plan demonstrations beginning the da...

Why Patriots first-round flier ate into DeVante Parker’s snaps in win over Bills

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:09:49 GMT

Among the personnel changes head coach Bill Belichick made in Sunday’s win over the Bills was reducing wide receiver DeVante Parker’s workload.Parker was on the field for just 35 snaps, which accounted for just 58% of offensive plays. That was his lowest snap count and play-time percentage since Week 1, when he was inactive with a knee injury.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Bill Belichick gives more context to key Patriots personnel switch in win over Bills New England Patriots | Callahan: Patriots scored a throwback win in home upset of Bills New England Patriots | Demario Douglas sparks Patriots’ offensive rejuvenation in win over Bills New England Patriots | Patriots made key personnel changes in comeback win over Bills New England Patriots | What changed for Mac Jones in Patriots’ first game-winning drive in over two years Wide receiver Jalen Reagor, a 2020 first-round pick b...