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Powerful earthquakes leave at least 15 dead, destroy buildings along Japan’s western coast

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:06:26 GMT

A building falls on the ground following an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. A series of major earthquakes started a fire and collapsed buildings on the west coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu. (Kyodo News via AP) A building falls on the ground following an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. A series of major earthquakes started a fire and collapsed buildings on the west coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu. (Kyodo News via AP) WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — A series of powerful earthquakes hit western Japan, leaving at least 15 people dead and damaging buildings, vehicles and boats, with officials warning people in some areas on Tuesday to stay a...

Today in History: January 2, John F. Kennedy launches bid for presidency

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:06:26 GMT

Today in History Today is Tuesday, Jan. 2, the second day of 2024. There are 364 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 2, 1960, Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts launched his successful bid for the presidency. On this date: In 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. In 1811, Sen. Timothy Pickering, a Federalist from Massachusetts, became the first member of the U.S. Senate to be censured after he’d improperly revealed the contents of an executive document. In 1900, U.S. Secretary of State John Hay announced the “Open Door Policy” to facilitate trade with China.In 1929, the United States and Canada reached agreement on joint action to preserve Niagara Falls.In 1942, the Philippine capital of Manila was captured by Japanese forces during World War II.In 1967, Republican Ronald Reagan took the oath of office as the new governor of California in a ceremony that took place in Sacramento shortly after midnight. In 1971, 66 people w...

Stock market today: Asian markets mostly slip on the first trading day of 2024

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:06:26 GMT

Asian markets opened the year on a downward trend after Wall Street benchmarks ticked lower on the last trading day of 2023. U.S. futures were mixed and oil prices gained more than $1 a barrel. Japan’s markets were closed for a holiday.The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong sank 1.5% to 16,800.73 and the Shanghai Composite index dropped 0.2% to 2,968.81. Investors were selling property developers like debt-laden China Evergrande, which fell 6%, and LongFor Group Holding, which lost 5.7%. The December survey of the official purchasing managers index, or PMI, in China fell to 49 for the third consecutive month, signaling weak demand and underscoring the challenging economic conditions in the world’s second-largest economy. That contrasted private-sector survey, by financial publication Caixin, which registered a slight improvement in the manufacturing PMI to 50.8, driven by increased output and new orders. However, it showed that business confidence for 2024 remained subdued.South Kor...

Clarkson posts the 1st Utah triple-double since 2008, helps Jazz beat Mavericks 127-90

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:06:26 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jordan Clarkson came off the bench to post the first regular-season triple-double by a Utah player since 2008, leading the Jazz to a 127-90 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.Clarkson had 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds — the first triple-double of his career — and the first for the Jazz in a regular-season game since Carlos Boozer had one on Feb. 13, 2008, a stretch of 1,256 games. Also, Clarkson’s triple-double was the first in more than 40 years for a Jazz player coming off the bench, dating to Feb. 5, 1983, when Mark Eaton had 12 points, 14 rebounds and 12 blocked shots.The 31-year-old Clarkson achieved the triple-double in his 685th regular-season game, and 728th game of his career. He was a second-round pick, 46th overall, in the 2014 draft by Washington before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2019 and moved to the Jazz in 2019.Simone Fontecchio paced the Jazz with 24 points. Lauri Markka...

Tow truck driver killed in hit-and-run SR-125 crash identified

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:06:26 GMT

SPRING VALLEY, Calif. -- An on-duty tow truck driver who was killed in a hit-and-run crash on New Year's Eve on state Route 125 has been identified, local medical officials said. Dale Alan Pumphery, 63, of El Cajon, was announced as the deceased, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office said on its website.The crash occurred around 8 p.m. on SR-125 and Jamacha Blvd. in Spring Valley, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP). San Diego lowriders show out as cruising ban officially lifted Pumphery was removing a vehicle that was stranded on southbound state Route 125, when a Prius sedan struck him as he partially entered the No. 4 lane while moving to the driver's side of the tow truck, according to authorities.First responders attempted lifesaving measures on Pumphery, but he was later pronounced dead.The vehicle that hit Pumphery left the scene.One lane on southbound SR-125, north of Jamacha Blvd., was closed for several hours due to the collision.

Michael Penix Jr. leads No. 2 Washington to 37-31 victory over Texas and spot in national title game

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:06:26 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Michael Penix Jr. passed for 430 yards and two touchdowns, and Washington held off Texas 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl on Monday night to advance to the College Football Playoff championship game, earning both the sixth-year quarterback with two surgically repaired knees and the beleaguered Pac-12 one more game this season.The second-ranked Huskies (14-0) will face No. 1 Michigan next Monday night in Houston, looking for their first national championship since 1991 and the Pac-12’s first since Southern California in 2004. Washington is one of 10 schools fleeing the Pac-12 for other Power Five conferences next year, with the Huskies headed to join Michigan in the Big Ten.But first, the final season of the four-team playoff before expansion to 12 in 2024 comes down to a Pac-12-Big Ten matchup, just like the first when Ohio State beat Oregon.“Huskie Nation stand up,” Penix told the UW crowd in the postgame trophy ceremony. “We goin’ to the natty!”No...

A boozy banana drink in Uganda is under threat as authorities move to restrict home brewers

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:06:26 GMT

MBARARA, Uganda (AP) — At least once a week, Girino Ndyanabo’s family converges around a pit in which bananas have been left to ripen. The bananas are peeled and thrown into a wooden vat carved like a boat, and the patriarch steps in with bare feet.The sweet juice he presses out is filtered and sprinkled with grains of sorghum, which converts the juice into ethanol, and left to ferment for up to a day. The result is a beverage Ugandans call tonto, or tontomera, a word in the Luganda language that alludes to drinkers’ poor coordination. Weaker than bottled beer, the drink has a fruity aroma and bits of sorghum floating on its dark surface.Tonto is legendary in Uganda. Folk singers have crooned about it, politicians seeking a common touch take a sip when hunting for votes, and traditional ceremonies terminate at dusk with tonto parties. Its devotees are many, ranging from officials in suits to laborers in sandals.But its production is under threat as cheap bottled beer becomes m...

Sugar Bowl: Washington Huskies hold off furious Texas Longhorns rally, punch CFP title game ticket 37-31

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:06:26 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns rallied in the fourth quarter and had a chance to take the lead late, but the Washington Huskies are used to playing tight games and didn't waver.The Huskies won their 10th consecutive game by 10 points or less 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl, a College Football Playoff semifinal, Monday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Washington (14-0) will take on Michigan for the CFP National Championship Game on Jan. 8 at NRG Stadium in Houston with the win. Texas' season is over at 12-2. Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. celebrates after the Sugar Bowl CFP NCAA semifinal college football game between Washington and Texas, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in New Orleans. Washington won 37-31. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)Washington players celebrate victory after the Sugar Bowl CFP NCAA semifinal college football game between Washington and Texas, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in New Orleans. Washington won 37-31. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)Texas running back CJ Baxter (4) scores a ...

Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon returns from dog bite injuries sporting dog chain: “I really appreciate the city”

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:06:26 GMT

Aaron Gordon always shows up to work in style, but on New Year’s Day, he combined his sense of fashion with his sense of self-deprecating humor.Making his return after missing two games due to injuries caused by his Rottweiler on Christmas, Gordon wore a chain featuring a bejeweled bulldog as part of his outfit to Ball Arena on Monday night. Gordon scored 10 points in a Nuggets win over the Hornets, playing with 21 stitches on his right hand and face.“It was all good,” Gordon told The Denver Post afterward. “Everything’s good.”He acknowledged that the chain was an intentional touch. It was an accurate representation of how Gordon tackled the unusual situation in his return to practice Sunday. He joked that “when you (mess) around, you find out” while explaining the dog bites to The Denver Post, saying the incident was his own fault. And when teammates asked if it would be insensitive for them to continue barking at Gordon in reaction t...

$1.2 million Powerball ticket sold in Southern California

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:06:26 GMT

While there were no jackpot winners in California for Monday’s $810 million Powerball drawing, one ticket worth more than a million dollars was sold in San Bernardino County, according to the California Lottery. The lucky $1.2 million ticket, which matched five of the six numbers, was sold at the Country Store, located at 72129 Baker Boulevard in Baker.  If you haven’t yet checked your Powerball ticket, the winning numbers were: 12, 21, 42, 44, 49 and 1.  A jackpot winning ticket worth an estimated $842.4 million was sold in Michigan, according to the Powerball website.  Officials also said that six other tickets sold in California matched four out of the six numbers for a payout of nearly $23,000. Several multi-million lottery wins have landed in Southern California over the last several months. In December, a $23 million SuperLotto Plus ticket was sold in Northridge. That win came just days after a $2.9 million Mega Millions ticket matching five ...