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Fewer babies born in 2022, and teen births decline, CDC reports

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:44 GMT

There were fewer babies born in the U.S. in 2022 compared to 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday, suggesting that a rebound in births following the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have ended.An estimated 3,661,220 babies were born nationwide in 2022, according to an initial analysis of data from birth certificates issued last year. That is less than a 1% decrease from 2021.“It’s essentially unchanged. It’s a very small difference, relatively speaking, compared to the total number of births, which are in the millions,” said Brady Hamilton, a statistician demographer at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.For 2021, the final report from the NCHS had tallied 3,664,292 babies born across the country.That amounted to the first annual increase since 2014 of the nation’s general fertility rate — new babies relative to how many women are old enough to give birth — after it plummeted 4% in 2020 ...

Recession ahead? By this metric, one’s already here: Earnings shrink and Wall St fears worse to come

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest round of corporate earnings is leaving Wall Street with a confounding sense of relief and lingering anxiety.Companies are in the midst of an “earnings recession,” meaning profits have contracted for two straight quarters, starting with a 4.6% drop at the end of 2022.Profits for S&P 500 companies shrank just over 2% last quarter, compared with forecasts of a 6.7% drop. That brought some relief to Wall Street that the quarter wasn’t as bad as it could have been. But, analysts also expect more pain ahead.Analysts polled by FactSet now expect a 6.4% contraction for profits in the current quarter. That shows just how worried analysts are about the impact from inflation on businesses and consumers. Fears about a recession continue to weigh on the broader economy and are a big factor in corporate and independent forecasts for company profits.“With a recession still looming, it’s unlikely that earnings have hit rock bottom,” said Michael Arone, chi...

PSG coach confirms Lionel Messi will play final game for club this weekend

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:44 GMT

PARIS (AP) — PSG coach confirms Lionel Messi will play final game for club this weekend.Source

Kim Cattrall set to reprise role in ‘Sex and the City’ spinoff

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:44 GMT

Kim Cattrall attends the "About My Father" premiere at the SVA Theater on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Kim Cattrall attends the "About My Father" premiere at the SVA Theater on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Actress Kim Cattrall is heading back to set to briefly reprise her iconic role as Samantha Jones on the “Sex and the City” spinoff series, “Entertainment Tonight” has learned.According to ET, Cattrall will appear in the finale of the second season of “And Just Like That…”Both the show’s official Twitter account and the streaming service Max, formerly HBO Max, also appeared to confirm th...

Stock market today: Wall Street futures point higher on debt deal, but some tremors in retail

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:44 GMT

Wall Street moved modestly higher early Thursday after the United States House of Representatives approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, avoiding a default crisis. Futures for the Dow Jones industrials are flat before the bell and the S&P 500 rose 0.2%.The hard-fought compromise pleased few, but lawmakers assessed it was better than the alternative,a global economic upheaval. Hard-right Republicans rejected the deal, but President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition to push to passage on a robust 314-117 vote late Wednesday.More employment data will close out the week after a report Wednesday showed that employers posted 10.1 million job openings last month. The number of openings, up from 9.7 million in March and the most since January, surprised investors who worry the Federal Reserve may not pause interest rate hikes as the labor market continues to hum along.Coming later Thursday is the weekly jobless claims report, which tra...

Argentine meteorologist becomes first female head of UN weather agency

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:44 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A leading Argentine meteorologist has been elected as the first female head of the United Nations weather agency.The World Meteorological Organization said Celeste Saulo received the necessary two-thirds backing from member states Thursday.Saulo has served as the director of Argentina’s National Meteorological Service since 2014.An experienced academic and researcher, she succeeds Petteri Taalas, who steps down after two terms as secretary general of the Geneva-based WMO at the end of the year. Saulo joined the WMO’s executive council in 2015.The agency plays a key role coordinating international meteorological work, an issue that has become increasingly prominent due to the weather extremes resulting from climate change. Source

Former Slovakia captain Marek Hamšík to retire from soccer at end of season

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:44 GMT

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Former Slovakia captain Marek Hamšík is retiring from soccer at the end of the season.“Wonderful 19 years of professional career,” Hamšík wrote on Facebook on Thursday. “More than seven hundred competitive matches in clubs, almost 140 duels for the Slovakia national team. Many – many goals scored.”The 35-year-old playmaker made a record 136 international appearances for his country and scored a record 26 goals.“Soccer was my love, my passion and my job to which I gave everything,” he wrote.Hamšík captained Slovakia to its only World Cup appearance at the 2010 tournament in South Africa, where the Slovaks eliminated defending champion Italy and reached the round of 16.With Hamšík, Slovakia also qualified for the 2016 and 2020 European Championships. He retired from international soccer a year ago.At club level, he made the biggest mark at Italian club Napoli, where he spent his best years from 2007-19.He scored 121 goals for Napoli, more than Diego M...

Galmed Pharmaceuticals: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:44 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (GLMD) on Thursday reported a loss of $1.8 million in its first quarter.The Tel Aviv, Israel-based company said it had a loss of $1.09 per share._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on GLMD at https://www.zacks.com/ap/GLMDSource

At least 3 injured in Sweden in incident classed as attempted murder

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:44 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — At least three people were injured in an incident Thursday in the town of Eskilstuna, west of Stockholm, police said. The case is being classified as attempted murder, but police said they had no information on how serious the injuries were. So far, no one has been arrested. A large deployment of police was involved in an action near the Munktellarena sports facility in Eskilstuna, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) west of Stockholm, police said. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital. Swedish broadcaster TV4 said school students were injured in a stabbing. Swedish media say there are several schools nearby. Source

'You're on': Denver Mayor Michael Hancock accepts NBA Finals wager from Miami's mayor

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:44 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The mayor of Miami called for a friendly bet with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock over the NBA Finals outcome. Hancock accepted while of course putting all his faith in the Denver Nuggets.Wednesday, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez tweeted at Hancock welcoming him to the NBA Finals. This is the first time in franchise history that the Nuggets have made it to the finals, and they will face the Miami Heat. Denver Nuggets Way unveiled as ceremonial name for downtown street In honor of the finals, Suarez proposed a friendly wager to Hancock."If Denver wins, I will send you some delicious croquetas and wear a Nuggets jersey, but WHEN Miami wins, you wear a Heat jersey and send over some bison steaks. You in?" said Suarez.According to the Spanish Food Guide, a croqueta is a deep-fried roll containing a thick binder filled with fillings ranging from meats to vegetables and then covered in breadcrumbs for a crunchy finish.Hancock responded and told Suarez, "You're on.""Can’t wait ...