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Niger’s junta shuts airspace and accuses neighboring nations of plan to invade as deadline passes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger’s mutinous soldiers closed the country’s airspace and accused foreign powers of preparing an attack, as the junta defied a deadline to restore the ousted president and said any attempt to fly over the country will be met with “an energetic and immediate response.”Niger’s state television announced the move Sunday night, hours before a deadline set by West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which demanded the coup leaders reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face military force.A spokesman for the coup leaders, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, warned of “the threat of intervention being prepared in a neighbouring country,” and said Niger’s airspace will be closed until further notice. The junta asserted that two central African countries are preparing for an invasion, but did not say which ones, and called on the country’s population to defend it. Regional tensions have mounted since mutinous soldiers overthrew Niger’s democratically elected president ne...

Suicide bomber prematurely detonates explosives in northwest Pakistan, killing a husband and wife

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber apparently detonated his explosives-laden vehicle prematurely in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban on Monday, killing a married couple in a nearby car, officials said.A local administration official, Rehmant Ullah, said the bombing happened in North Waziristan, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest Pakisan, bordering Afghanistan. He said a team from the bomb disposal unit was also present nearby when the blast took place but they escaped unharmed. “We suspect that the suicide bomber detonated his explosives either by mistake or prematurely, but it killed a man and his wife whose car was near the vehicle of the bomber at the time of the blast,” he said.It is unclear who dispatched the car bomber to the area, but suspicion is likely to fall on the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, who are known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and who have stepped up attacks on security forces since last year. TTP is a separate...

Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco reports $30B in Q2 profits, down nearly 40% from last year

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil giant Aramco made $30 billion in profit in the second quarter, a nearly 40% decline from the same period the previous year, which it attributed to lower crude oil prices.Total sales stood at just over 400 billion riyals (about $106 billion), down from 562 billion riyals ($150 billion in the second quarter of 2022. In an earnings report filed with the Saudi stock exchange Monday, Aramco said the decrease “mainly reflected the impact of lower crude oil prices and weakening refining and chemicals margins.”Last week, Fortune magazine ranked Aramco, officially known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., the second biggest company in the world by revenue, behind only Walmart and ahead of Amazon and Apple. That came after the oil company reported a profit of over $160 billion in 2022, the largest ever recorded by a publicly traded firm.Those kinds of earnings will come under heightened scrutiny later this year when the United Ar...

From Killer Mike to Fat Joe, hip-hop stars talk about how first rap song resonated with them

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Remember the first rap song you heard? Some of your favorite rappers and DJs do. While hip-hop celebrates 50 years of life, The Associated Press asked some of the genre’s most popular artists — including Killer Mike, JT of City Girls, King Combs and Fat Joe — to recall their first memory of hearing a rap song and how it resonated with them. In the second installment of a two part series, the AP highlights the stars who connected with rap music through a song other than “Rapper’s Delight,” the 1979 hit that was the entry point for Chuck D, DJ Jazzy Jeff and many other artists. For some, the rap song that hooked them was the work of Run D.M.C., Tupac Shakur, the performance of a close family member and even (pre-Oscars) Will Smith.Here are the stories of 14 hip-hop legends and young stars talking about how they initially got hooked on rap.FAT JOEFat Joe remembers the first time Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s song “ The Message ” went viral. He’...

Queen Latifah, Chuck D and more rap legends on ‘Rapper’s Delight’ and their early hip-hop influences

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Remember the first rap song you heard? Some of your favorite rappers and DJs certainly do. While hip-hop celebrates 50 years of life, The Associated Press asked some of the genre’s most popular artists to recall their first memory of hearing rap and how the moment resonated with them.In interviews with more than two dozen hip-hop legends, Queen Latifah Chuck D, Method Man, E-40 and eight others cited The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” as the first rap song they heard. But not all were hooked on the new musical style by that track, and their answers reveal the sense of discovery that marked rap’s early years.Hip-hops roots are traced to 1973 in the Bronx and it took a few years before rap records emerged — “Rapper’s Delight” was a major catalyst for introducing the rap music to a much broader audience.Here are the stories of a dozen hip-hop stars who got hooked on the genre around the time “Rapper’s Delight” ruled. In part two, another group ...

EU’s domestic material consumption remained stable in 2022

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

In 2022, the domestic material consumption of the EU economy remained relatively stable at around 14.5 tonnes per person, indicating a very slight increase of 0.4% compared with 2021 (14.4 tonnes per person). Since 2000, the EU reduced its domestic consumption of material by 0.9 tonnes per person. Non-metallic minerals accounted for more than half of the domestic material consumption (54%), biomass for almost a quarter (23%), fossil energy materials for close to a fifth (18%) and metal ores for 5%.This article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained articles on material flow accounts and resource productivity, resource productivity statistics and physical imports and exports. Source dataset: env_ac_mfaDifferent materials, different consumption trendsIn terms of the different materials that make domestic consumption, it’s important to analyse the importance of various materials, their potential for reuse, recovery or recycling, and their consumption...

Washington plays Phoenix, aims to end road skid

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

Washington Mystics (13-14, 6-9 Eastern Conference) at Phoenix Mercury (7-20, 2-12 Western Conference)Phoenix; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Washington will attempt to end its seven-game road slide when the Mystics take on Phoenix.The Mercury are 6-7 in home games. Phoenix ranks sixth in the Western Conference with 24.4 defensive rebounds per game led by Brittney Griner averaging 5.2.The Mystics are 4-9 on the road. Washington is third in the WNBA allowing 80.6 points while holding opponents to 43.4% shooting.The teams square off for the third time this season. The Mystics won the last meeting 84-69 on July 23, with Natasha Cloud scoring 23 points in the win.TOP PERFORMERS: Griner is shooting 58.0% and averaging 18.4 points for the Mercury. Diana Taurasi is averaging 17.1 points over the last 10 games for Phoenix.Brittney Sykes is averaging 14.4 points, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals for the Mystics. Tianna Hawkins is averaging 14.1 points over the last 10 games for Washington.LAST 10...

Saudi Arabia’s oil giant Aramco reports $30B in Q2 profits, down nearly 40% from last year

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil giant Aramcobrought in $30 billion in revenues in the second quarter, a nearly 40% decline from the same period the previous year, which it attributed to lower crude oil prices.Total sales stood at just over 400 billion riyals (about $106 billion), down from 562 billion riyals ($150 billion in the second quarter of 2022.Aramco is one of the biggest companies in the world, and Saudi Arabia is looking to oil revenues to fund ambitious plans to overhaul its economy.The company reported a profit of over $160 billion in 2022, the largest ever recorded by a publicly traded firm.Source

Dallas faces Las Vegas after Sabally’s 25-point showing

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

Las Vegas Aces (24-3, 14-1 Western Conference) at Dallas Wings (15-13, 9-6 Western Conference)Arlington, Texas; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Dallas hosts the Las Vegas Aces after Satou Sabally scored 25 points in the Dallas Wings’ 104-96 loss to the Chicago Sky.The Wings have gone 9-6 against Western Conference teams. Dallas ranks ninth in the WNBA averaging 6.6 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 30.2% from deep. Arike Ogunbowale leads the team averaging 2.8 makes while shooting 32.4% from 3-point range.The Aces have gone 14-1 against Western Conference opponents. Las Vegas has an 18-2 record in games decided by 10 points or more.The two teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Aces defeated the Wings 104-91 in their last matchup on July 30. Kelsey Plum led the Aces with 28 points, and Teaira McCowan led the Wings with 25 points.TOP PERFORMERS: Ogunbowale is averaging 21.1 points, 4.5 assists and 1.7 steals for the Wings. Natasha Howard is averaging 17.8 p...

Indiana takes on Los Angeles following Boston’s 25-point game

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:24 GMT

Los Angeles Sparks (10-18, 6-10 Western Conference) at Indiana Fever (7-21, 4-11 Eastern Conference)Indianapolis; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Indiana plays the Los Angeles Sparks after Aliyah Boston scored 25 points in the Indiana Fever’s 82-73 loss to the Atlanta Dream.The Fever are 2-9 in home games. Indiana is sixth in the Eastern Conference scoring 79.8 points while shooting 43.8% from the field.The Sparks are 3-10 on the road. Los Angeles is fifth in the Western Conference scoring 78.6 points per game and is shooting 42.2%.The teams square off for the third time this season. The Sparks won 81-68 in the last matchup on July 27. Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with 25 points, and Erica Wheeler led the Fever with 17 points.TOP PERFORMERS: Boston is scoring 14.6 points per game with 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists for the Fever. Kelsey Mitchell is averaging 15.8 points and 3.3 assists over the last 10 games for Indiana.Ogwumike is averaging 19.8 points, nine rebounds and 1.6 s...