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Bahrain prison inmates on hunger strike in latest sign of simmering unrest in island kingdom

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Bahrain prison inmates are taking part in a hunger strike over conditions there, activists and authorities said Wednesday, the latest sign of simmering unrest in the island kingdom a decade after the Arab Spring. The strike targets the Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center, a facility holding many of the prisoners identified by human rights activists as dissidents who oppose the rule of the Al Khalifa family. The country’s Sunni rulers long have faced complaints from the island’s Shiite majority of discrimination. In a statement published by the outlawed Al-Wefaq opposition group, the prisoners said they started the hunger strike over what it described as prison officials blocking inmates from worshipping and 23-hour lockdowns daily. It also alleged prison officials put inmates in isolation arbitrarily, interfered with family visits and provided inadequate health care to those incarcerated. “Our demands are not trifles, but very necessar...

Sony’s profits drop as it warns of the impact from US movie strikes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Sony’s April-June profit slipped 17% from a year earlier, as worries grew about revenue damage from a strike in the movie sector, the Japanese electronics and entertainment company said Wednesday.Tokyo-based Sony Corp.’s fiscal first quarter profit totaled 217 billion yen ($1.5 billion), down from 261 billion yen a year ago.Quarterly sales rose 33% to 2.96 trillion yen ($21 billion), as sales for the period grew in games and network services, the music business, financial services and imaging solutions.Sony said its results got a boost from a favorable exchange rate. The yen has been declining lately, trading at about 143 yen to the dollar, and a weak yen is a plus for Japanese exporters like Sony.Sony’s revenue in the movies segment was expected to suffer because of the strikes by the Writers Guild of America, or WGA, and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA.Release dates of movies, as well as deliveries of TV se...

Commission clears acquisition of Gruppo Florence by Permira

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 GMT

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of Gruppo Florence S.p.A. of Italy by Permira Holdings Limited (‘Permira') of Guernsey.Gruppo Florence is active in the development and production of high-end apparel, footwear and leather goods for luxury brands. Permira manages private equity funds, which include portfolio companies active across the consumer, services, healthcare and technology sectors. Permira controls, amongst others, the companies: (i) Golden Goose S.p.A, active in retail sale of luxury shoes, apparel and leather accessories; and (ii) Italian Fashion Team S.r.l., active in the manufacture of luxury apparel, footwear and leather goods.The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given the limited horizontal overlaps and vertical links between the companies' activities in the European Economic Area. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review pro...

Single family residence sells for $2.5 million in San Jose

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 GMT

6453 Hidden Creek Court – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 6400 block of Hidden Creek Court in San Jose has new owners. The 2,762-square-foot property, built in 1965, was sold on July 17, 2023, for $2,511,000, or $909 per square foot. This two-story home provides a generous living space with its four bedrooms and three baths. Inside, there is a fireplace. Additionally, the house provides a two-car garage, granting ample space for parking and storage purposes. The lot of the property covers a substancial area of 7,000 square feet, complete with a pool for outdoor enjoyment.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:On Camden Avenue, San Jose, in August 2022, a 1,899-square-foot home was sold for $1,585,000, a price per square foot of $835. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In March 2023, a 1,477-square-foot home on Camden Avenue in San Jose sold for $1,460,000, a price per square foot of $988. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 1...

Indiana takes on Minnesota, aims to end 3-game skid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 GMT

Minnesota Lynx (13-15, 8-7 Western Conference) at Indiana Fever (7-22, 4-11 Eastern Conference)Indianapolis; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Indiana heads into the matchup with Minnesota as losers of three straight games.The Fever have gone 2-10 in home games. Indiana is second in the WNBA with 9.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Aliyah Boston averaging 3.0 offensive boards.The Lynx are 8-6 on the road. Minnesota allows 84.8 points to opponents while being outscored by 5.2 points per game.The teams play for the third time this season. The Lynx won the last matchup 90-83 on July 6. Napheesa Collier scored 32 points to help lead the Lynx to the win.TOP PERFORMERS: Boston is averaging 14.8 points and eight rebounds for the Fever. Kelsey Mitchell is averaging 16.7 points over the last 10 games for Indiana.Collier is scoring 21.6 points per game and averaging 7.9 rebounds for the Lynx. Kayla McBride is averaging 2.1 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Minnesota.LAST 10 GAMES: ...

Connecticut puts road win streak on the line against Phoenix

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 GMT

Connecticut Sun (21-7, 11-3 Eastern Conference) at Phoenix Mercury (7-20, 2-12 Western Conference)Phoenix; Thursday, 10 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Connecticut will try to keep its four-game road win streak alive when the Sun take on Phoenix.The Mercury are 7-7 in home games. Phoenix is 3- when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 15.6 turnovers per game.The Sun are 12-3 on the road. Connecticut ranks fifth in the WNBA with 8.2 offensive rebounds per game led by Brionna Jones averaging 3.2.The two teams play for the second time this season. The Mercury defeated the Sun 72-66 in their last meeting on July 19. Sophie Cunningham led the Mercury with 17 points, and DeWanna Bonner led the Sun with 19 points.TOP PERFORMERS: Diana Taurasi is averaging 18 points and 4.8 assists for the Mercury. Brittney Griner is averaging 11.6 points over the last 10 games for Phoenix.Alyssa Thomas is averaging 14.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.9 steals for the Sun. Bonner is av...

Atlanta faces Seattle on 4-game road slide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 GMT

Atlanta Dream (15-13, 9-8 Eastern Conference) at Seattle Storm (7-21, 5-8 Western Conference)Seattle; Thursday, 10 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Atlanta will look to break its four-game road slide when the Dream take on Seattle.The Storm are 2-13 in home games. Seattle is third in the WNBA averaging 8.6 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 34.6% from deep. Jewell Loyd leads the team averaging 3.3 makes while shooting 38.6% from 3-point range.The Dream are 7-7 on the road. Atlanta ranks seventh in the WNBA scoring 35.5 points per game in the paint led by Cheyenne Parker averaging 8.1.The teams play for the second time this season. The Dream won the last meeting 85-75 on July 12, with Allisha Gray scoring 19 points in the victory.TOP PERFORMERS: Loyd is averaging 24.3 points and 3.5 assists for the Storm. Ezi Magbegor is averaging 12.6 points over the last 10 games for Seattle.Rhyne Howard is averaging 17.6 points and 3.3 assists for the Dream. Gray is averaging 16.9 points over the last 10...

UK signs deal with Turkey to tackle small boat gangs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 GMT

LONDON — The U.K. has announced a deal with Turkey aimed at disrupting smuggling gangs organizing small boat Channel crossings.Announcing the agreement Wednesday morning, the Home Office said U.K. and Turkish law enforcement officers will “step up joint operations” in an attempt to disrupt the supply of boat parts and other materials used by asylum seekers to make the journey to England. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made “stopping the boats” one of his five key priorities, with tens of thousands of asylum seekers now making the dangerous journey every year. His team see the issue as a key dividing line with the opposition Labour Party ahead of next year’s general election. Sunak’s Conservatives are currently trailing Labour 19 percentage points in the polls. The government has amplified its various efforts to curb cross-Channel migration, most recently by moving a handful — accounting for fewer than 1 percent of Britain’s asylum backlog — ...

Italian government softens shock 40 percent bank tax 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 GMT

The Italian government has backtracked from plans to levy a one-off 40 percent windfall tax on banks after the news caught markets by surprise and shares plummeted. In a statement released late Tuesday, the finance ministry said a cap of 0.1 percent of banks’ total assets would be applied for the tax, announced 24 hours previously, in order to “safeguard financial stability.” While no limit had been specified during the original announcement on Monday, the follow-up was widely perceived as a watering down of the proposal that had caused bank shares to sharply drop. The SX7E index, a key measure of eurozone banks, recovered slightly on what Italian media described as the evening’s “clarification.” When the Italian government announced the plan ministers said the profits reaped by banks from rising interest rates had not been passed onto people hit by the cost-of-living crisis. It said the proceeds of the tax would be used to fund tax cuts and mortgage relief. Mark...

All-Star Félix Bautista blows 3-run lead in 9th as Orioles fall to Astros, 7-6, after Kyle Tucker’s grand slam

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:47 GMT

One swing of Kyle Tucker’s bat turned what would have been one of the Orioles’ best wins of the season into one of their worst losses.Félix Bautista entered his office Tuesday evening with a three-run lead — an advantage almost insurmountable against a pitcher having the type of season Baltimore’s closer is. But the 6-foot-8 right-hander allowed three of the first four Houston Astros batters to reach, bringing up Tucker with the bases loaded. On the ninth pitch of the at-bat, the two-time All-Star turned on a center-cut 100.4 mph fastball and deposited it into the right field bleachers.The grand slam was enough for Astros closer Ryan Pressly, who slammed the door in the ninth, as Houston won, 7-6, and ended Baltimore’s four-game winning streak. Pressly retired Jordan Westburg, Adam Frazier and Ryan O’Hearn in order to end the game.“Honestly, I just think it wasn’t my day,” Bautista said through team interpreter Brandon Quino...