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Ukraine’s GDP crashed by 29.1 percent in year of Russian invasion

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:50:59 GMT

Ukraine’s economy plummeted in the year that Russia started its war in Ukraine, with the gross domestic product (GDP) falling by 29.1 percent in 2022, data from the state statistics service published late on Wednesday shows.Ukraine’s export-led economy has been battered by the consequences of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with the highly restricted access to Black Sea ports hindering crucial metal and grain shipments and the infrastructure industry dramatically weakened.In peacetime, Ukraine’s farmers supplied a tenth of the wheat and half the sunflower oil sold on world markets. Its shipments of grains and oilseeds through the Black Sea fell to zero last March, from 5.7 million metric tons in the previous month.The Ukrainian government has predicted a slightly harder drop of 30 percent drop in earlier forecasts, with risks and uncertainties remaining high. It expects the economy to grow by 1 percent this year, expecting the situation in the transp...

Ukraine’s Naftogaz declares victory over Russia in $5B court battle

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:50:59 GMT

A court in The Hague has ordered Russia to pay $5 billion in compensation for seizing assets from Ukraine’s state energy firm following Moscow’s 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea.In a statement issued Thursday, Kyiv’s Naftogaz group announced that the Permanent Court of Arbitration had ruled in the company’s favor in the case the day before.“Despite Russia’s efforts to obstruct justice, the Arbitration Tribunal obliged the Russian Federation to compensate Naftogaz for losses in the amount of $5 billion,” the statement reads, confirming the compensation relates to “the consequences of Russia’s confiscation of our assets in Crimea in 2014.”Moscow had previously threatened to levy sanctions against Naftogaz if the Ukrainian firm pursued the case in court, and has not yet responded to the decision. However, given Russia has previously refused to comply with other international court decisions affecting Naftogaz, securing restitution may prove challenging. Moscow could ...

Court preserves access to abortion pill but tightens rules

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:50:59 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal appeals court preserved access to the abortion pill mifepristone for now but reduced the period of pregnancy when the drug can be used and said it could not be dispensed by mail.The ruling late Wednesday temporarily narrowed a decision by a lower court judge in Texas that had completely blocked the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the nation’s most commonly used method of abortion. The Texas order unsettled abortion providers less than a year after the reversal of Roe v. Wade already dramatically curtailed abortion access.The case may now be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.Mifepristone was approved for use by the FDA more than two decades ago and is used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol.In a far-reaching ruling last week, a federal judge blocked the FDA’s approval of the pill following a lawsuit by the drug’s opponents. There is virtually no precedent for a lone judge overturning the regulato...

Mother and toddler rushed to hospital after fire at Danvers apartment building

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:50:59 GMT

A mother and her young child were rushed to a hospital after a fire at an apartment building in Danvers Wednesday. The town’s fire chief told 7NEWS the pair were taken to the hospital for possible smoke inhalation after crews were called to the scene on River Drive Wednesday night. Firefighters didn’t see fire coming out of the building when they arrived at the scene, the chief said. Instead, once crews were in the building, the chief said a neighbor told them the fire was in an apartment toward the back of the structure.Firefighters had to rush in to save the pair when a neighbor says the mother collapsed right outside the door, likely from smoke inhalation. The chief said firefighters were able to rescue the mother and her child, estimated to be around two years old, and get them into an ambulance to be taken to the hospital. At last check, the chief said, the pair were in stable condition and expected to be okay. While the chief said the fire may have started in a ...

Guregian: Patriots pre-draft roster projection

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:50:59 GMT

Given their additions in free agency, the Patriots could play a game tomorrow and field a fairly competitive team.With 11 picks in the upcoming NFL draft, a three-day event that kicks off in two weeks on April 27, Bill Belichick should be able to fortify the Patriots roster with the hope of adding a few plug-and-play players.If they prove to be difference-makers, players that other teams fear or have to game-plan around on either side of the ball, all the better.But before the Pats start adding to the mix, it’s important to take a look at what the current group looks like, which players figure to have jobs, and who’s on the bubble fighting for a spot.So without further ado, our pre-draft roster projection.QUARTERBACK (2)MAKING THE TEAMMac JonesBailey ZappeFALLING SHORTNoneBreakdown: If you listen to Robert Kraft, Jones will be the starter, but with Bill Belichick refusing to publicly acknowledge him as the No. 1, much less say his name in front of reporters, he’s left open the...

Global stocks up after US inflation moderates

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:50:59 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Global stocks were mostly higher Thursday after U.S. inflation eased and Federal Reserve officials said they expect fewer interest rate hikes this year to slow economic activity.Tokyo, Hong Kong and Paris rose while Shanghai declined. London and Frankfurt opened little-changed. Oil prices edged lower.Wall Street futures were higher after government data showed U.S. inflation declined to 5% in March from the previous month’s 6%. That encouraged traders who hope signs of weaker economic growth might prompt the Fed and other central banks to postpone or scale down plans for more rate hikes.Also Wednesday, notes from the Fed’s March 21-22 meeting showed officials agreed the next increase in its benchmark lending rate would be one-quarter percentage point instead of half a point. The notes showed Fed economists expect a “mild recession” but said that might be avoided.“If inflation is indeed moderating, and growth is no longer ‘too strong,’ the Fed can pause wit...

Police: Inmate who escaped by faking death back in S. Africa

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:50:59 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A man serving a life sentence for murder and rape who escaped from a top-security prison with help from guards by faking his own burning death was brought back to South Africa early Thursday after going on the run with his girlfriend.The couple were arrested in Tanzania last weekend.State broadcaster SABC showed video of Thabo Bester being driven from Johannesburg’s Lanseria Airport in a police vehicle with bars across the windows. Heavily-armed police put the girlfriend, celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana, into a separate white van at the airport. Magudumana was expected to be charged with murder as part of the elaborate jailbreak plot, which involved getting a dead body into the prison where Bester was incarcerated to help him stage his own death in a fire and escape.A prison guard and Magudumana’s father already were charged with murder in connection with the body of a man found burned beyond recognition in Bester’s cell. The uni...

Thailand hopes for major splash in tourism during Songkran

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:50:59 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Hordes of revelers toted colorful water guns Thursday as Thailand kicked off its exuberant three-day Songkran festival at full blast for the first time since 2019, hoping for a significant boost in tourism after the industry was devastated by coronavirus travel restrictions. The New Year celebration’s signature water fighting — a major draw for tourists — had been banned or discouraged since 2020 to curb the spread of the virus, and its full-scale return was widely promoted. In Bangkok alone, there are 40 designated spots this year for public water splashing, including the touristy Khao San Road where vendors hawked food, clothes and water-fighting gear in the scorching heat. The festival, which is also celebrated in neighboring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, falls at the hottest time of the year when temperatures can creep above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).While many tourists and locals congregate in the capital, millions of workers head home to rural prov...

Haven’t filed taxes yet? Don’t panic. Here’s what to know

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:50:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The deadline to file your taxes is Tuesday, which is just around the corner. Filing U.S. tax returns — especially for the first time — can seem like a daunting task, but there are steps you can take to make it less stressful. Whether you do your taxes yourself, go to a tax clinic or hire a professional, navigating the tax system can be complicated and stressful. Courtney Alev, a consumer financial advocate for Credit Karma, recommends you go easy on yourself.“Take a breath. Take some time, set out an hour, or go through it over the weekend. You’ll hopefully see that it’s a lot simpler than you think,” Alev said.If you find the process too confusing, there are plenty of free resources to help you get through it. If you are worried that you might not have enough time to file your taxes before the deadline, you can file for an extension, though it’s not ideal (more on that below.)Here’s what you need to know:WHEN IS THE DEADLINE TO FILE TAXES?Taxpayers have ...

Germany appeals for reducing tensions over Taiwan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:50:59 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Germany’s government appealed for efforts to reduce tensions over Taiwan as the German foreign minister arrived in China on Thursday for official talks following Chinese military exercises near the self-governed island democracy that Beijing claims is part of its territory.Annalena Baerbock arrived in the northeastern port city of Tianjin for meetings and was due to hold talks with her Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, on Friday in Beijing and with senior diplomat Wang Yi on Saturday. Her ministry said she would discuss Taiwan, Ukraine, human rights and other issues with Chinese officials.China’s ruling Communist Party sent warships and fighter planes near Taiwan last weekend in retaliation for a meeting between U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the island’s president, Tsai Ing-wen.“Threatening military gestures” increase “the risk of unintentional military confrontations,” a spokesperson for Baerbock’s ministry, Andrea Sasse, said in Berlin. “We th...