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Ex-Girlfriend alleges billions in FTX cash diversions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:51 GMT

NEW YORK — The trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried took a star turn when his former fellow top executive, and girlfriend, Caroline Ellison, testified against him, saying he directed her to commit crimes before his cryptocurrency empire collapsed last November.The Stanford-educated Ellison, 28, testifying in Manhattan federal court throughout the afternoon, said she committed fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering along with Bankman-Fried and others.Asked by a prosecutor about Bankman-Fried’s involvement, she said: “He directed me to commit these crimes.”Repeatedly, Ellison made clear that Bankman-Fried was behind the biggest financial moves in his companies, to the point that bitcoins he created were sometimes called “Sam’s coins.”She described him as “very ambitious” and envisioning eventually leading huge companies and using his money influentially.He even thought there was a 5% chance he’d become president s...

Ticker: Powerball climbs again, to $1.73B; Movie biz about to be Swifted

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:51 GMT

The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.73 billion after no one matched the game’s six numbers Monday and won the giant prize.The winning numbers announced were: 16, 34, 46, 55, 67 and the Powerball 14.In Massachusetts, $50,000 prizes were won for matching four balls plus the Powerball in Berkley, Charlestown, Marshfield, Newburyport and Raynham.To win the Powerball jackpot, purchased tickets have to match the five white numbers and the red Powerball number. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball.The $1.73 billion prize is for a sole winner who is paid through an annuity, with annual checks over 30 years. Most jackpot winners opt for cash, which for the next drawing Wednesday night would be an estimated $756.6 million.Movie biz about to be SwiftedMovie theaters are readying for an onslaught like they’ve never seen before, beginning Friday when “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” debuts. The concert film, compiled fro...

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle say social media is harming kids and teens mental health

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:51 GMT

By HALELUYA HADERO (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Tuesday called for social media platforms to adopt better content-moderation policies and other fixes, saying modifications need to be made to addictive apps that can harm young people’s mental health. The couple spoke at a panel discussion coordinated by their Archewell Foundation in New York City as part of a second annual mental health awareness festival hosted by a nonprofit called Project Healthy Minds.Harry and Meghan’s comments came after hearing from panels featuring a handful of parents who lost children due to mental health challenges tied to social media use. The parents spoke about their loss and how a community that the foundation has created to talk about these issues is helping them find support.Harry said the foundation has been bringing parents together through Zoom during the past year because many of them didn’t have the opportunity to connect with o...

Will the 'ring of fire' solar eclipse Saturday be visible in San Diego?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:51 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A highly-anticipated solar eclipse will be visible from numerous U.S. states on Saturday, creating a "ring of fire" as the moon passes in front of the sun.Called an annular eclipse, the spectacle is different than other types of eclipses, as the moon will be at its farthest distance from earth on its ellipse-shaped orbit when it moves to block the light from the sun. When it is at this distance, known as the apogee, the moon's positioning blocks less of the sun, causing a bright ring effect around its shape."When an object is closer, it occupies a greater angle in the sky than when it's further away," explained Douglas Leonard, associate professor of astronomy at San Diego State University. "What you'll get is the moon blocking the sun, but there will be a ray of the solar disk around the moon that's still visible. It's called the 'Ring of Fire.'" Fall foliage is soon to arrive in San Diego County: When and where to see it However, the ring will only be visible in the...

Birkenstock prices its initial public offering of stock valuing the sandal maker at $8.64 billion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:51 GMT

Birkenstock has set a price for its initial public offering of stock that values the 249-year-old German maker of upmarket sandals at $8.64 billion.The company said Tuesday that it had priced its IPO at $46 a share, in the middle of its expected price range of $44 to $49 per share. It is due to start trading Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange under the “BIRK” ticker symbol. Birkenstock Holding Ltd. sold about 10.8 million shares in the offering, raising about $495 million. Its shareholders sold an additional 21.5 million shares.The company’s footwear was first cobbled together by Johann Adam Birkenstock in Germany in 1774. The sandals have long been derided as the antithesis of high fashion but have a cult following and this year got a plug in the blockbuster film “Barbie.”Birkenstock’s IPO will be the fourth to launch in the U.S. in the past month, following Arm Holdings, Klaviyo and Instacart. There were just 71 IPOs in the U.S. last year, the lowest number since...

Joly says Canada will airlift citizens out of Israel in ‘coming days’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:51 GMT

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Ottawa is planning to airlift Canadian citizens, permanent residents, their spouses and their children out of Tel Aviv in “the coming days,” as conflict between Israel and Hamas escalates.More coming.

Canada to airlift citizens, permanent residents out of Israel in ‘coming days’: Joly

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:51 GMT

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Ottawa is planning to airlift Canadians out of Tel Aviv in “the coming days,” as conflict between Israel and Hamas escalates. Joly says the government aims to conduct the evacuation using aircraft from the Canadian Armed Forces, and it is working on additional options for people who are unable to reach the airport in Tel Aviv.She says the flights will be available to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, along with their spouses and their children.Joly posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Canadians who are in Israel should register with Global Affairs Canada.The post did not mention the Gaza Strip, where some Canadians are believed to be trapped as Israel closes off the Hamas-controlled territory.Israel is hammering Gaza in retaliation for a surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israeli soil on Saturday, with fighting causing the deaths of at least 1,800 people so far. This report by The Canadian Press was ...

Scrutiny of Arkansas governor’s $19,000 lectern deepens after new records are released

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:51 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — New public records have widened questions over when Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office planned to use Republican Party funds to reimburse the state for a $19,000 lectern, which was bought in June using a government credit card. The Arkansas GOP paid for the lectern in September, but the words “to be reimbursed” were only added later to the original invoice, records released this week show. The undated reimbursement note adds to weeks of scrutiny over the purchase, which has dominated political talk in Arkansas. A legislative panel is expected to vote this week on a lawmaker’s request for an audit of the lectern’s purchase.An email about the reimbursement note was among dozens of documents released to The Associated Press on Monday under a Freedom of Information Act request related to the lectern. Republican Sen. Jimmy Hickey, who requested the audit, told the AP that the email “further indicates the need for a full blown audit to get all the ...

Nebraska voters will decide at the ballot box whether public money can go to private school tuition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:51 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s top election official confirmed Tuesday that state voters will decide next year whether public money can go to private school tuition. A petition effort to get the question on the November 2024 ballot far exceeded the number of valid signatures needed to put the controversial question before voters, the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office said in a written statement.The effort seeks to repeal a measure passed by the Nebraska Legislature earlier this year allowing millions in state income tax to be diverted to organizations that grant private school tuition scholarships. That passage set up a battle between powerful education unions and heavily-funded conservative groups trying to make their mark on school policies following COVID-19 lockdowns and ongoing fights over transgender policies.In August, the Support Our Schools referendum petition effort turned in 117,000 signatures to the Nebraska Secretary of State, nearly double the more than 61,000 valid ...

London’s Luton Airport suspends flights after fire breaks out at one of its parking lots

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:51 GMT

LONDON (AP) — An airport in London said all flights have been suspended late Tuesday after a fire broke out in one of its parking lots.Luton Airport, located about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of central London, said that “all flights are currently suspended as emergency services respond to a car fire that has spread in Terminal Car Park 2.”“Access to the airport is currently restricted and we ask that people do not travel to the airport at this time,” the airport said on X, formerly known as Twitter.Video posted on social media and on British news outlets’ websites showed police and fire department vehicles gathered outside a multi-story parking lot which had its top level engulfed in orange flames. No other details were immediately available.The Associated Press