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Retailers ready to kick off unofficial start of the holiday season just as shoppers pull back

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:48:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers are kicking off the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season on Friday with a bevy of discounts and other enticements. But executives are growing concerned with a spending slowdown that could temper sales on the day after Thanksgiving as well as throughout the holidays.Shoppers, powered by a solid job market and steady wage growth, had demonstrated a resilience that confounded economists and ran counter to sour sentiments expressed in opinion polls. Such spending, while cautious, came despite higher prices in the grocery aisle and higher borrowing costs. But consumers are now coming under more pressure from dwindling savings, increased credit card debt and still stubborn inflation. In fact, shoppers cut their buying in October, ending six straight months of gains. Shoppers have gotten some relief from easing inflation, but many goods and services like meat and rent are still far higher than they were just three years ago.The latest quarterly results ...

Tens of thousands of protesters demanding a restoration of Nepal’s monarchy clash with police

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:48:54 GMT

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Riot police used batons and tear gas to halt tens of thousands of supporters of Nepal’s former king who attempted to march to the center of the capital on Thursday to demand the restoration of the monarchy and the nation’s former status as a Hindu state.The protesters, waving the national flag and chanting slogans supporting former King Gyanendra, gathered on the edge of Kathmandu and attempted to move toward the center of the city. Riot police blocked them, beating them with bamboo batons and firing tear gas and a water cannon. There were minor injuries on both sides.Authorities had banned protests in key areas of the city prior to the rally.“We love our king and country more than our lives. Bring back the monarchy. Abolish the republic,” the crowd chanted.Supporters of the former king came to Kathmandu from all over the country to demand the return of the monarchy that was abolished in 2008. They accused the government and political parties of corrupt...

Chilly with spot rain Thanksgiving Day

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:48:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A slightly unsettled weather pattern will be with us today through the upcoming weekend, but focus will stay more on the chilly temperatures rather than the meager rain chances.Thanksgiving Day Weather DetailsMorning lows: mid-30s to low 40sAfternoon highs: mid-50s to low 60sWinds: South 5-15 mphSky conditions: Cloudy most of the day, but some late day breaks of sun before sunsetRain chance: 20% for areas near and especially east of I-35 between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., but very light in coverage and intensity (most stay dry)Rain totals: Only a few hundredths of an inch at mostDry air in the lower levels of the atmosphere may have the radar looking wetter than what actually reaches the ground, but some light rain is still possible. Our advice - plan for a few sprinkles but no need to rearrange any Thanksgiving activities.Friday into the WeekendBlack Friday will be cool and mainly cloudy to begin the day. By late morning the sun is coming allowing for a beautiful afternoo...

Now open: Pauly’s Pub and Grill, a very St. Paul neighborhood bar, in the former Kalsada spot

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:48:54 GMT

You really don’t get more classic St. Paul than this: The original founder of Eagle Street Grille, the restaurant formerly across from the Xcel Energy Center, has teamed up with a past Winter Carnival King Boreas to open a neighborhood beers-and-burgers pub on Selby Avenue.It’s called Pauly’s Pub and Grill, stylized with an Irish shamrock for an apostrophe. Named after St. Paul, of course.The exterior of Pauly’s Pub and Grill, a new neighborhood bar on Selby Avenue, is shown on Nov. 17, 2023. In addition to plenty of beers, cocktails and THC drinks, the restaurant also serves a variety of American-food appetizers and burgers. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)The restaurant opened Nov. 15. When you walk in, you’d be forgiven for thinking Pauly’s had been there since 1923, not 2023.Until September, the space was home to the modern-Filipino restaurant Kalsada. And though some decorative elements remain, including a couple hanging light fixtures and the arched trellis behind t...

Ask Amy: Mother wants another baby despite family’s wishes

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:48:54 GMT

Dear Amy: At 54, my mother, already blessed with two academically accomplished children in the eighth and 12th grades, says she wants to have a third child.I am nearly 18 years old and will leave for college next year.My father, who is 57, is adamant that he doesn’t want another baby. He is a middle-school teacher and could retire within a few years. The idea of raising another child weighs heavily on him, having managed students his whole life.Plus — would a 12-year-old want a father in his 70s?Nobody except my mother wants another child. To accomplish this without enduring another pregnancy, she’s exploring surrogacy. She says she is encouraged by medical professionals who believe her fertility levels can produce a baby.I’m also concerned about my mom’s demanding work schedule. She works extremely long hours, and yet still wants to add another child to our family.Am I selfish in questioning the allocation of resources, as my mother contemplates fundin...

Deal reached on stricter EU rules for waste shipments

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:48:54 GMT

Last week, Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on revising EU procedures and control measures for waste shipments.The agreed law aims to protect the environment and human health more effectively, while contributing to achieve the EU’s climate neutrality, circular economy and zero pollution goals.Strengthening the rules governing exports of waste outside the EUEU exports of certain non-hazardous wastes and mixtures of non-hazardous wastes for recovery (i. e. to be used for other purposes) will be allowed only to those non-OECD countries that consent and fulfil the criteria to treat such waste in an environmentally sound manner, including by complying with international labour and workers’ rights conventions. The Commission will draw up a list of such recipient countries, to be updated at least every two years.Parliament ensured that plastic waste can no longer be exported to non-OECD countries within two and a half years after the entry into force of the regulation...

Design and decorate for transitions

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:48:54 GMT

Builders began addressing the needs of buyers before buyers asked for flexible and transitional offerings throughout their homes.As a result, new-home offerings mean spaces within homes can easily convert from one use to the next. Additional en suite bedrooms, workspaces, home gyms, flexible living areas or indoor and outdoor kitchens can be worked into many new-home plans.A bonus space can serve as both a media room and a home studio. A main-level bedroom can have a dedicated entrance separate from the home’s main entrance. The primary suite can be arranged to incorporate a private nook for exercise, reading or hobbies. And the indoor-outdoor ease of a California Room sets new construction apart from older homes.But given so many opportunities for flexibility and transition, the new-home buyer might wonder about how to connect all of these spaces, creating flow and uniformity that still expresses personality and style.Consider taking a seasonal approach.Set the stageNeutral tones a...

Draw for the 2024 European Championship qualifying playoffs

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:48:54 GMT

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Draw made Thursday for the 2024 European Championship qualifying playoffs:Path ASemifinalsMarch 21Poland vs. EstoniaWales vs. FinlandFinalMarch 26Wales or Finland vs. Poland or EstoniaPath BSemifinalsMarch 21Israel vs. IcelandBosnia-Herzegovina vs. UkraineFinalMarch 26Bosnia-Herzegovina or Ukraine vs. Israel or IcelandPath CSemifinalsMarch 21Georgia vs. LuxembourgGreece vs. KazakhstanFinalMarch 26Georgia or Luxembourg vs. Greece or Kazakhstan___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerSource

President and first lady to attend service for Rosalynn Carter in Georgia next week

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:48:54 GMT

(CNN) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Atlanta next week for a tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter.Vice President Kamala Harris and the second gentleman will also attend the Tuesday service.A number of ceremonies  are slated to take place next week to celebrate the life of Carter, the wife of former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 96.According to the Carter Center, members of the public will be able to pay their respects as the former first lady lies in repose at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum on Monday, while the tribute service will be held for invited guests Tuesday at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University. A funeral service will take place Wednesday for family and invited friends at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, according to the schedule shared by the Carter Center.The president, speaking with reporters shortly after Rosalynn Carter’s death, praised the Carter family, sayin...

Jamie Foxx accused of sexual assault in new lawsuit

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:48:54 GMT

(CNN) — Actor Jamie Foxx faces sexual assault and battery charges in a lawsuit filed on Monday with the New York State Supreme Court.The alleged incident occurred in 2015 at Catch NYC, a popular New York City restaurant, according to the complaint obtained by CNN.CNN has reached out to representatives for Foxx as well as the plaintiff’s attorney.The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, claims in the suit that Foxx “intentionally and without consent used force to offensively touch Plaintiff’s person,” including groping her breasts and genitals. The complaint alleges Foxx seemed “intoxicated” at the time of the incident.As a result, the complaint states the woman suffered and continues to suffer “physical and emotional injuries, anxiety, distress, embarrassment and economic harm,” and is seeking an unspecified amount.The plaintiff is also suing the restaurant’s parent company, Catch Hospitality Group, and various related business entities as defendants for negligent hiring, training and...