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Cyprus hails Moody’s two-notch credit rating upgrade bringing the country into investment grade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:54 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus on Saturday hailed a two-notch upgrade by credit ratings agency Moody’s to bring the east Mediterranean island nation back into investment-grade territory a decade after a financial crisis left the country on the brink of bankruptcy.President Nikos Christodoulides said he was “deeply satisfied” with the upgrade that he said was the culmination of years of fiscal discipline and will translate into attracting quality foreign investment and creating new jobs.“We unwaveringly continue on this path as a government … and so we will carry on with our governance,” Christodoulides said in a written message. “We will carry on buttressing our economy and expanding its dynamic course.”Moody’s said in its statement the upgrade from Ba1 to Baa2 with a concurrent change in outlook from positive to stable is due to previous and continuing economic, fiscal and banking reforms, as well as a significant drop in bad bank loans.The agency pointed to “sustained structural im...

Death toll from Pakistan bombing rises to 54 as suspicion falls on local Islamic State group chapter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:54 GMT

QUETTTA, Pakistan (AP) — The death toll from a bombing in southwestern Pakistan as people celebrated the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday rose to 54 after two critically wounded patients died in hospitals overnight, officials said Saturday. A suspected suicide bomber or bombers blew themselves up Friday among a crowd in the Mastung district. It was one of the deadliest attacks targeting civilians in Pakistan in months. Nearly 70 people were wounded, including five who remain in very critical condition, authorities said. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack in Mastung, a district of Baluchistan province. But suspicion is likely to fall on the Islamic State group’s regional affiliate, which has claimed previous deadly bombings around Pakistan. IS carried out an attack days earlier in the same area after one of its commanders was killed there. Also Friday, a blast ripped through a mosque located on the premises of a police station in Hangu, a district in the northwestern K...

St. Paul high school coach charged with sexual contact with 15-year-old student

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:54 GMT

Prosecutors charged a St. Paul high school volleyball coach Friday with sexual contact with a 15-year-old student.Officers were called to Como Park Senior High School Thursday on a report of criminal sexual conduct and met with a teen who said Keng Cha, 29, “engaged her in sex on four occasions” from last fall to this month, according to a criminal complaint.She said that Cha had started texting her last year and, after about a month, asked her for sexual favors and nude videos. They had sex in the backseat of Cha’s vehicle and the last time was in the back parking lot of the high school on Rose Avenue, the complaint said.As officers were talking to the teen in the school office area, Cha sent texts to her, including one that asked, “Did you say anything to anyone about us?” the complaint said.Officers learned Cha was at the school with the athletic director, who was terminating his employment with the school district. Police took Cha into custody. He told po...

Horoscopes Sept. 30, 2023: Marion Cotillard, do something that makes you happy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:54 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Lacey Chabert, 41; Marion Cotillard, 48; Jenna Elfman, 52; Fran Drescher, 66.Happy Birthday: Recap your money management over the years, and you’ll discover a pattern that needs to be tweaked. Incorporate physical activity into your everyday routine, encouraging a healthier lifestyle. Be passionate about life, love and the things you decide to pursue. It’s your life, and it’s up to you to do something that makes you happy. Rid yourself of people and situations that bring you down. Your numbers are 3, 7, 22, 28, 35, 39, 43.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Recognize and separate good from evil. Speed things up to ensure you finish what you start and honor your promises. Share your feelings and intentions with someone you want to work with or have by your side. Make romance a priority. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Refuse to let emotions and temptation stand between you and the goal you want to reach. Put thought into your plans and turn the...

Word Game: Sept. 30, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:54 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — DEPARTS (DEPARTS: dih-PARTS: Goes away or deviates.)Average mark 46 wordsTime limit 60 minutesCan you find 57 or more words in DEPARTS? The list will be published Monday.YESTERDAY’S WORD — OBTRUDE orbed outed outer bode bore bout bred brut brute buteo tore tour trod true tube tuber turbo rebut redo redoubt robe rode rote roue rout route rube rude debt debtor debut detour doer dote doter doubt doubter dour drub duet euroTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Ga...

Bridge: Sept. 30, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:54 GMT

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.If you’ve followed this week’s columns, you’ve seen a treatment of “avoidance,” an elementary technique that involves preventing a “dangerous” defender from gaining the lead.In today’s deal, West leads a low spade against 3NT. If he has led from the king, South can play low from dummy, take the queen, go after the diamonds and make at least one overtrick.But that play is risky. If East has the king of spades, he will win and may shift to hearts, threatening declarer with the loss of too many tricks.WILL BE SAFECan South afford to win the first spade with the ace? Yes, because when he finesses in diamonds next, he will be safe even if West has the king. South’s queen of spades will be safe from attack, and he will have four diamonds, three clubs, a heart and a spade.As in many deals, declarer must consider what measures — such as avoidance &#...

Ask Amy: She won’t follow the bed rule and we’re thinking of barring her from our home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:54 GMT

Dear Amy: My wife and I bought a condo in downtown Chicago a couple of years ago. We are often not there and have offered its use to friends and family.Our only request is that guests leave the condo tidy when they depart. This includes washing the sheets for the beds they’ve used and remaking the beds. We have a washer/dryer in the unit.My sister does not like doing this, so she brings a twin-sized flat sheet and a pillowcase with her when she visits. She puts the sheet on top of the flat sheet on the king-sized bed. She uses the blanket and the cover that we have on the bed.She believes this is sufficient and that she does not need to wash the sheets on the bed she has slept on.My wife and I don’t think my sister’s solution is appropriate and are considering telling her that if she is not willing to follow our rules, she is not welcome to use our condo.What do you think?– House ProudDear House Proud: I once had a well-traveled (invited) houseguest bring two sheets and a pillowcase...

Harriette Cole: Why should my boss care that I’m bad at parties?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:54 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I got passed over for a promotion at my job, and I am wrecked.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I’ll never be OK with my former colleague dating my daughter Advice | Harriette Cole: Should I tell her she’s not burly enough to come on the road trip? Advice | Harriette Cole: She’s ignoring the do’s and don’ts of pregnancy, and I want to say something Advice | Harriette Cole: I hate to think it, but maybe I’m a helicopter mom Advice | Harriette Cole: This macho guy is now being kind to me, and I’m suspicious I have been working so hard to complete my work and to take on more projects. I always have a good attitude and work well with people, though I will admit that I am an introvert.I do not hang out with my co-workers at the end of the day. I do not drink. I stick to myself and go home when the work is done. I feel like I may have been penali...

The Feds Take Big Tech to Court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:54 GMT

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and 17 state attorneys general filed a antitrust lawsuit against Amazon on Tuesday. Meanwhile the U.S. Department of Justice’s trial against Google is shrouded in secrecy. This week on Deconstructed, we break down the antitrust lawsuits the federal government has brought against Google and Amazon, and the anticompetitive and monopolistic practices on trial. Ryan Grim is joined by Amanda Lewis, a partner at the law firm Cuneo, Gilbert, and LaDuca and co-founder of the Responsible Online Commerce Coalition. They are also joined by Matt Stoller, director of research at the American Economic Liberties Project and author of “Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy.”Transcript coming soon. The post The Feds Take Big Tech to Court appeared first on The Intercept.

How a DC woman went from aspiring film director to award-winning pastry chef

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:54 GMT

Georgetown pastry chef Isabel Coss wasn’t expecting to learn of national recognition when Food & Wine recently called her and said they wanted to ask her about Jello.She wanted to ensure she’d be prepared the way she always had for similar conversations: equipped with answers to any potential questions that could arise.So, the night before the interview, she made sure she knew everything there is to know about Jello — what temperature it comes in and what year it was invented, among other things.Despite the preparation, the organization wasn’t calling to interview her about gelatin, but instead to tell her she’d been selected as one of Food & Wine’s best new chef’s in America this year, a list that includes 11 people from 10 restaurants across the country.“I’m so humbled,” Coss said. “I still can’t believe it. It’s an incredible award.”Nominees are collected from food critics, authors and previous award winners, Coss said, and then the restaurant editor travels around the co...