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Stock market today: Wall Street opens lower as deal on raising debt limit remains elusive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:24:02 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are slipping on Wall Street as the U.S. government creeps closer to the edge of a potentially disastrous default on its debt. The S&P 500 was 0.4% lower early Tuesday, in the first trading after President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy closed a meeting late Monday that they called productive but ended with no deal. Washington is facing a deadline as early as June 1. The stock market has remained resilient, but a worry on Wall Street is that Washington may not feel enough urgency to act until markets shake enough to show the stakes. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street dipped modestly early Tuesday after talks in Washington on government debt ended with no deal to avoid a default.S&P 500 futures were off less than 0.2% before the bell, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average inched down about 0.1%.“The resumption of debt ceiling negotiations spurred some hopes despite distinct risks of brinksmanship and...

Turkish strike kills 3 Yazidi militiamen in northern Iraq, local officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:24:02 GMT

SINJAR, Iraq (AP) — A Turkish strike in northern Iraq killed three Yazidi militiamen and wounded three others on Tuesday, regional officials said. A local official affiliated with the militia disputed that account, saying none of its fighters were killed, but that a shepherd died in the Turkish drone strike. According to the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdish regional government, the early morning strike in the district of Sinjar targeted a headquarters of the Shingal Resistance Units, or YBS, in the village of Chumu-Khalaf. An official with the central government in Baghdad, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the strike had targeted a meeting of high-ranking YBS officials.Naif Shemo, head of the Sinjar Yazidi council, told The Associated Press that the area targeted by Turkish drones was an abandoned Yazidi village where most of the houses had been previously destroyed by the militant Islamic State group.The YBS, made up of mostly minority Yazidis, was instrumental in driving out...

Kentucky sheriff’s deputy fatally shot during traffic stop

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:24:02 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed during a traffic stop by someone who fled before being taken into custody, officials said.Scott County Sheriff’s Deputy Caleb Conley was shot Monday evening during a traffic stop on Interstate 75 near Georgetown just before 5 p.m., and the shooter fled, Sheriff Tony Hampton said at a news conference. Someone called in to report that a deputy had been shot, and responders arrived relatively quickly, Hampton said. The suspect was in custody, but Hampton said he didn’t know anything about the suspect. He did not know why the vehicle was pulled over. Conley was taken to a hospital, where he later died, Kentucky State Police said in a news release. A state police team is investigating the shooting at the request of the sheriff’s office, officials said. “This hero made the ultimate sacrifice, and we will be forever grateful,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement.Conley, who had been with the sheriff’...

Indian wrestlers hold candlelight march demanding arrest of sports official for sexual abuse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:24:02 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s top female wrestlers led a candlelight march of nearly 1,000 protesters in the capital on Tuesday demanding the resignation and arrest of the president of the wrestling federation for allegedly sexually harassing young athletes, one of whom was a minor.Carrying India’s national flag, they marched to India Gate, a monument close to the country’s parliament building. A strong presence of police accompanied them on the marching route.The protesters have been staging a protest in the center of New Delhi for nearly a month, amid a brutal heat wave, while foregoing their training schedules. Two Olympics medalists, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, are part of the protests and have threatened to hand back their medals if no action is taken against Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.The protests have grown with many members of opposition parties and farmer unions taking up the wrestlers’ cause. Most of the Indian wrestlers co...

Dye & Durham buying South African legal software company GhostPractice

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:24:02 GMT

TORONTO — Dye & Durham Ltd. has signed a deal to buy South African legal software company GhostPractice Inc.Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.GhostPractice provides cloud-based software designed to help manage law firms, organize cases and collaborate with clients.It has about 10,000 users working mainly in small- and medium-sized law firms.GhostPractice is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and has about 110 employees.Dye & Durham CEO Matthew Proud says the acquisition complements the company’s existing products and expands its global practice management capabilities and footprint.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:DND)The Canadian Press

19-year-old charged with threatening a president after crash near White House

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:24:02 GMT

(The Hill) -- The driver of a box truck is facing multiple charges, including threatening to kill, kidnap or inflict harm on a president, after a crash near the White House late Monday, authorities said.Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a tweet that uniformed officers detained the driver after the box truck collided with security barriers on the north side of Lafayette Square.No injuries were reported, he said.Guglielmi added in a subsequent post that the truck was deemed safe and a preliminary investigation revealed the driver may have intentionally struck the barriers.According to the U.S. Park Police, the man was arrested on charges including threatening to kill, kidnap or inflict harm on a president, vice president or member of their family; assault with a dangerous weapon; reckless driving; destruction of federal property, and trespassing.Park Police identified the suspect as 19-year-old Sai Varshith Kandula, from Chesterfield, Missouri. E. Jean...

These were the fastest-growing cities in 2022, Census data shows

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:24:02 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - While the housing market is cooling, some Americans are still on the move. That seems to be especially true for cities in the south, nine of which were among the 15 fastest-growing cities last year, according to newly-released U.S. Census Bureau data. Texas overwhelmingly dominated the list, claiming six of the top spots, per the Census’ Vintage 2022 Population Estimates.Topping out the list was Georgetown, Texas, which, between the summer of 2021 and 2022, saw its population increase by 14.4%. The city, located about 30 miles north of Austin, has a population of more than 86,500. It was the fastest-growing city in 2021 as well.  Check your mail: TurboTax users start receiving settlement checks from Intuit Santa Cruz, California ranked as the second-fastest growing U.S. city at 12.5%, replacing Leander, Texas, which landed in the No. 2 spot last year. The next three cities - Leander, Little Elm, and Westfield - are all from Texas, as are No. 11 Conroe an...

Mark Hamill remembers a 1977 visit to WGN on 'Dean's A-List Interview'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:24:02 GMT

CHICAGO — While the actor has taken part in a number of projects over the last few decades, it's hard for his most famous movie not to come up. Mark Hamill had that happen when talking with Dean Richards on his "A-List Interview" this week as he promoted his new action comedy movie "The Machine" on Tuesday morning. Back in 1977, he appeared at the WGN studios in Chicago with Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford as part of a promotion tour for the original "Star Wars" movie that was released that year. Dean showed him that photo during his Zoom interview - and believe it or not - he remembers the time in which he along with the co-stars in the original film in the iconic series visited with then WGN entertainment reporter Roy Leonard.You can hear Mark's recollections of his visit to Channel 9 almost 50 years ago to promote the original "Star Wars" in the video above. Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You...

TxTag customer: ‘Amazing how fast it was all fixed’ after KXAN report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:24:02 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for May 23, 2023. Watch Josh Hinkle's investigation tonight at 6 p.m. on KXAN.Investigative Summary: This story is part of KXAN’s “TxTag Troubles” investigative project launched May 7, 2023. Following related reports in recent years, our team rededicated its resources to this major consumer issue, after hundreds of viewers complained to us about resurfaced billing and customer service problems with the state’s tollway operator and its contracted vendors. During our reporting, the Texas Department of Transportation began reaching out to viewers who had contacted KXAN to resolve their issues, and state lawmakers renewed their approach to fixing future TxTag problems.AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Transportation confirms it has attempted to contact the more than 720 KXAN viewers who reached out to our team after receiving no resolution or reply from the state agency about persistent problems with the tollway...

Transportation tech startup opens headquarters in Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:24:02 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Getting around Austin’s busy roads can be tough at times, and transportation for larger groups presents even more of a challenge.With a goal to transform the charter bus industry through technology, one tech startup just opened a headquarters in Austin.CharterUP runs an online charter bus booking platform that aims to connect customers with available shuttles in under 60 seconds.CEO Armir Harris launched the company in 2018.“Historically, this was an experience that took several hours to several days with very little transparency,” he said. “We've been able to compress that to 60 seconds.”CharterUp plans to hire over 100 employees, driving job opportunities and further establishing Austin as the country’s next tech hub.Similar to Expedia or Priceline — for booking group transportation — the online platform is one-stop-shop connecting riders and corporations with available charter services, on-demand booking, ratings, real-time tracking and more.CharterUP is already w...