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Kenya seeks more Chinese loans at ‘Belt and Road’ forum despite rising public debt

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:21 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s President William Ruto sought $1 billion more in loans from China Monday, despite rising public debt that has now reached $70 billion in the Eastern African country, according to National Treasury figures for 2022/2023. President Ruto was was one of a number of global leaders in Beijing to attend the tenth anniversary meeting of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the ambitious plan that aims to connect Africa, Asia and Europe through massive infrastructure and energy projects.A statement from Kenya’s State House Spokesman Hussein Mohammed said “the president will deliver a keynote address headlined ‘Digital Economy as a New Source of Growth’ at the High-Level Forum.”“Additionally, the president will participate in a Kenya-China investors roundtable to emphasize Kenya’s standing as an investment hub for Chinese companies,” said the statement.One of the signature BRI projects in Kenya is the Standard Gauge Railway line, which runs from the port city of Mom...

Liz Weston: Someday your boss could help you save for emergencies

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:21 GMT

When I wrote about employer-provided emergency savings accounts four years ago, the idea was still pretty novel. Some companies were experimenting with ways to help their workers save for short-term needs, but the concept wasn’t even on the radar for many employers.What a difference the pandemic made. Millions were thrown out of work with little warning, and few had the financial reserves to survive even a few months of unemployment. Big employers, and lawmakers, took notice, says Claire Chamberlain, global head of social impact for investment manager BlackRock. The result: Hundreds of thousands of workers now have options to build emergency savings through their employers, and Congress passed laws to encourage more companies to add short-term savings options.“I think a lot of people woke up,” Chamberlain says.PANDEMIC HIGHLIGHTED AMERICANS’ FINANCIAL FRAGILITYEmployers tend to overestimate their workers’ financial stability, says Timothy Flacke, co-founder and executive director of...

Man facing hate crime charges after allegedly killing 6yo, injuring mother in stabbing attack in Will County

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:21 GMT

WILL COUNTY, Ill. — A man accused of brutally killing a 6-year-old boy Muslim boy and seriously injuring his 32-year-old mother in unincorporated Plainfield Township is facing hate crime charges, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office.Authorities say 71-year-old Joseph Czuba has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of hate crime and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.Detectives say they were able to determine that both victims were allegedly targeted by the suspect due to their Muslim faith and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The charges stem from a violent attack that occurred at a home in the 16200 block of South Lincoln Highway, just after 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.Will County deputies and officers from the Plainfield Police Department initially responded to the scene on reports that a woman was allegedly being attacked by her landlord with a knife. Authorities say the woman told au...

'Unprecedented': Taylor Swift movie hits No. 1 at box office, eyes 'Joker' record

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:21 GMT

*Related video of previous coverage.Movie theaters turned into concert venues this weekend as Swifties brought their dance moves and friendship bracelets to multiplexes across the country. The unparalleled enthusiasm helped propel “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” to a massive, first-place debut between $95 million and $97 million in North America, AMC Theatres said Sunday.It’s easily the biggest opening for a concert film of all time, and, not accounting for inflation, has made more than the $73 million “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” earned in 2011. In today’s dollars, that would be around $102 million. And if it comes in on the higher end of projections when totals are released Monday, it could be the biggest October opening ever. The one to beat is “Joker,” which launched to $96.2 million in 2019.A unique experiment in distribution, premium pricing, star power and loose movie theater etiquette—more dancing and shouting than a Star Wars premiere—have made it an undeniable hit. Compi...

Months after mistrial, jury selection begins in Austin police officer's murder trial

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:21 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Jury selection begins Monday for the trial of Austin Police Officer Christopher Taylor, who was charged with murder in the death of Mike Ramos. Taylor shot and killed Michael Ramos, 42, during a confrontation with police in a south Austin apartment complex parking lot in April 2020.In May, a judge granted the defense's motion for a mistrial following several snags in the jury selection process. The court chose from jury pools of 80 and 50, and could not find enough eligible jurors to sit on the case. This time around, the court will conduct jury selection differently, according to Ken Ervin, one of Taylor’s attorneys. The court will order three panels of 100 potential jurors and move to a bigger courtroom for jury selection PREVIOUS: Motion denied for change of venue request in APD officer’s trial During the previous jury selection process in May, Judge Dayna Blazey said she expects the trial to last three to four weeks. Former prosecutor Gary Cobb is coming out o...

Study reveals the most common car colors on the road in Austin

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:21 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Drive down any road in Austin and what colors do you see around you? Chances are most cars next to you will be black, white or gray.A new study by iSeeCars reveals the most popular car colors in Austin, based on used car sales.According to the study, just over a quarter of all cars in the city are white, while about a fifth are black. Another 18% are gray and 12.5% are silver.Colorful cars are much less common. Only 8.8% of cars in Austin are blue, while 8.3% are red. Other colors, like brown, green, orange and purple, make up about 3% combined.The study looked at more than 10 million used cars sold across the country between 2018 and this year. The numbers are in line with a similar study conducted last year.Just like in Austin, grayscale colors dominate the market nationwide. In 2018, 77.2% of used cars sold in the United States were either black, white, gray or silver. That number increased to 78.9% this year.Across the board, used car prices have increased since ...

New York State colleges waive application fees this month

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:21 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WETM) -- High school seniors will be able to apply to all State University of New York (SUNY) schools, all City University of New York (CUNY) schools, and 40 private colleges across the state for free this month. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! According to Governor Hochul, this is the first time that some of New York's private colleges are joining all of the state's public colleges in waiving fees for students who apply during October, which is New York State College Application Month. The purpose of the fee waivers is to encourage students who can't afford application fees or might otherwise not apply for college to submit applications.“As we embark on College Application Month, we are reminded that higher education is a critical pathway to success, and we must break down every barrier that stands in the way of students achieving their dreams," said President of the New York State Higher Education Services Corpo...

98.3 TRY Social Dilemma: Can a friend change the music at my party without asking?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:21 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Today's 98.3 TRY Social Dilemma came from Carla and it's about a friend's overstepping. Here's the email. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Hi Jaime, I have a social dilemma I hope you can use. I recently threw a 50th birthday party for my husband. I spent a lot of time coming up with the perfect playlist for the party, songs that meant something to my husband. Well, about 45 minutes into the party, one of his friends went to the sound system and put on a completely different playlist. I couldn't believe it. I thought it was rude and way out of bounds. We ended up having an argument about it, but I ultimately let it drop because I didn't want to ruin my husband's time. Do you think I was overreacting, or do you think he was rude? I say keep your hands off my playlist. Thanks.CarlaWell, I'm with Carla in that I like the music I have on in my house to be the music I choose. That being said, I don't think I ...

5+ vehicle crash causes I-270 EB slowdowns, crews responding

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:21 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Crews are responding to a crash involving over five vehicles on Monday.The crash took place a little before 6:00 a.m. on Interstate 270 eastbound at McDonnel Boulevard. Several lanes are currently closed in the area as a tractor trailer and five other cars were involved. Three metros on the verge of passing St. Louis in size There are no reports on the cause of the crash, and so far, no injuries have been revealed. FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.

MetroLink trains operating on single-track this week due to construction

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:21 GMT

ST. LOUIS - There are some big changes you need to know about if you use MetroLink. Some MetroLink trains will operate on a single track every night this week.The affected MetroLink stations include the stadium, 8th and Pine, Convention Center, and Laclede's landing stations. These single-track operations will occur from 6 p.m. until the end of service each evening. This will allow crews to do construction work.This week, blue-line trains will have a modified route. They will only operate between the Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 and Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink stations. Three metros on the verge of passing St. Louis in size This means that passengers traveling west on the blue line will need to make a temporary transfer. Westbound blue line passengers should board a red line train between the Fairview Heights and Central West End MetroLink stations. Afterward, they will need to travel to the Forest Park-DeBaliviere station to transfer to a blue-line train and continue their wes...