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$1.5B in unclaimed tax refunds as deadline approaches

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:15 GMT

Taxpayers across the country are urged to act quickly as the deadline for claiming their 2019 tax refunds closes Monday. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) revealed that there is a staggering amount of almost $1.5 billion unclaimed.According to the IRS, individuals who are owed a refund face no penalties for filing their taxes late. However, failing to file their claims in a timely manner will result in the IRS retaining the unclaimed funds. The IRS has made it convenient for taxpayers to access the necessary forms for claiming their tax refunds. These forms can be easily found on the official IRS website.

A $900 million jackpot is up for grabs in Monday night’s Powerball drawing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:15 GMT

(CNN) — Feeling lucky? A $900 million Powerball jackpot grand prize is up for grabs during Monday’s drawing – the third largest jackpot in the game’s history, according to Powerball.If a player wins the jackpot on Monday night, they will have the choice between an annuitized prize worth an estimated $900 million or a lump sum payment estimated at $465.1 million – both before taxes.The jackpot rolled after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Saturday night – white balls 2, 9, 43, 55, 57 and red Powerball 18.There have now been 37 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner since its April 19 drawing, when a ticket in Ohio matched all six numbers to win a grand prize worth $252.6 million.Monday’s grand prize ranks as the third largest Powerball jackpot and the seventh largest US lottery jackpot, according to Powerball. The largest-ever Powerball prize of $2.04 billion was won in California on November 7.The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2...

One person killed after collision on I-93 in Wilmington

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:15 GMT

Authorities say one person was killed after a vehicle hydroplaned across part of I-93 in Wilmington on Sunday night.The two-vehicle crash was reported around 7:20 p.m. in the area of Exit 33 on I-93 southbound, according to Massachusetts State Police.An MSP official said a preliminary investigation found a Honda Civic appeared to hydroplane off of the road and into the median before it struck a guardrail barrier and reentered highway.The sedan then traveled across all lanes of traffic before colliding with a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck travelling in the right lane. MSP spokesperson Dave Procopio said a woman sitting in the Civic’s front passenger seat was seriously hurt as a result, and was taken to Lahey Hospital where she later died of her injuries.“All other involved occupants were transported to Lahey and Winchester Hospitals with apparent non-life-threatening injuries,” Procopio said in a statement.The spokesperson noted that what led up to the crash rema...

Russia halts deal that allows export of Ukrainian grain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:15 GMT

LONDON —  Russia halted a breakthrough wartime deal on Monday that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices have pushed more people into poverty.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would suspend the Black Sea Grain Initiative until its demands to get its own food and fertilizer to the world are met. While Russia has complained that restrictions on shipping and insurance have hampered its agricultural exports, it has shipped record amounts of wheat.“When the part of the Black Sea deal related to Russia is implemented, Russia will immediately return to the implementation of the deal,” Peskov said.The suspension marks the end of an accord that the U.N. and Turkey brokered last summer to allow food to leave the Black Sea region after Russia’s invasion of its neighbor worsened a global food crisis. The initiative is credited with helping lower soaring prices of wheat,...

Algerian leader on a state visit to China to pump up economic ties and lock in support to join BRICS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:15 GMT

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune began a state visit to China on Monday, with both economic and diplomatic priorities as the North African nation looks to become less gas-dependent and raise its global profile.The visit follows Tebboune’s trip last month to Russia, a long-time partner and military provider, although Algeria has remained officially neutral in Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Tebboune spent two days in Qatar before landing in Beijing on Monday. A large delegation accompanied Tebboune to China, reflecting a drive for deeper cooperation beyond the economy. Tebboune is also looking for concrete support for Algerian membership in BRICS, an economic bloc that includes both China and Russia as well as Brazil, India and South Africa, which is hosting a summit next month. The collective was founded in 2009 when the member countries were seen as the potential engine for future global economic growth.BRICS membership has become a diplomatic priority...

Wholesale sales excluding petroleum products and oilseeds and grains up in May

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:15 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grains, rose 3.5 per cent to $83.6 billion in May. The agency says it was the largest monthly increase since November 2021 as sales were up in four of the seven subsectors that it tracks.Sales in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector rose 5.6 per cent to $18.9 billion in May, while the miscellaneous subsector climbed 8.8 per cent to $11.3 billion.The motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories subsector gained 7.1 per cent at $13.7 billion.Constant dollar sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grains, were up 3.3 per cent in May.Statistics Canada began including the oilseed and grain industry group as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade earlier this year, but is excluding the data from its monthly analysis until historical da...

The bridge to Crimea is key to supplying Russia’s war effort in Ukraine and to asserting its control

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:15 GMT

The bridge connecting Russia-annexed Crimea and Russia carries heavy significance for Moscow both logistically and psychologically, as a key artery for Russian military and civilian supplies bound for Crimea and as an assertion of Russia’s control of the peninsula.An explosion that hit the bridge before dawn on Monday, killing a couple and seriously injuring their daughter, left a span of the roadway hanging perilously. The damage initially appeared to be less severe than that caused by a blast in October, but highlighted the bridge’s vulnerability. Russia blamed Ukraine for both Monday’s blast and the October explosion. A spokesman for the Ukrainian Security Service on Monday did not directly acknowledge responsibility but said the service would reveal details about organizing the blast once Ukraine achieves victory in the war.A CRITICAL CONNECTIONThe Crimean peninsula extends south from Ukraine’s mainland, with road connections on two isthmuses, one of which is less that two kilom...

Hong Kong schools and stock market are closed as Typhoon Talim sweeps toward China

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:15 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Schools and the stock market were closed in Hong Kong on Monday as Typhoon Talim sideswiped the city and headed toward the Chinese mainland and the island province of Hainan. Safety alerts were issued for residents and tourists who flock to the region’s beaches during the summer, urging them to stay in safe places away from possible floods or landslides. State broadcaster CCTV showed typhoon-swept winds and waves hitting an oil platform about 200 kilometers (125 miles) offshore. More than 9,800 workers have been evacuated from such facilities as of noon on Monday, CCTV said.In Macao, across the Pearl River estuary from Hong Kong, schools suspended classes and public transport was shut down, CCTV said.In a sign of the typhoon’s power and range, residents outside the city of Fuzhou in Fujian province to the north were trapped in high waters as heavy rain fell, CCTV reported. About 1,000 villagers were affected and more than 50 needed to be evacuated, it said.As ...

Baa-gain? Iconic sheep sweater worn by Princess Diana could fetch $50,000 at auction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:15 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A red sweater adorned with a flock of sheep worn by the young Princess Diana is expected to sell for more than $50,000 at auction.The playfully patterned wool jumper featuring a single black sheep amid a pattern of white ones headlines Sotheby’s online Fashion Icons sale in September.The 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer was photographed in the garment at a polo match in June 1981, soon after her engagement to Prince Charles, who was then heir to the British throne.Diana was already becoming a style icon —- and one of the world’s most photographed women — and the moment gave a big boost to designers Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne, who made the sweater for their small knitwear label Warm & Wonderful.A few weeks later, Muir and Osborne received an official letter from Buckingham Palace explaining that Diana had damaged the sweater and asking whether it could be repaired or replaced. The original was returned, showing damage to a sleeve the designers thought might have be...

Japan’s prime minister visits the UAE as part of a Gulf trip focused on energy and commerce

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:15 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the United Arab Emirates on Monday as part of a swing through the Arab Gulf states focused on energy and commerce.He met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the president of the UAE, which will be hosting the COP28 U.N. climate summit later this year. Kishida visited Saudi Arabia over the weekend, where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The two launched a joint initiative aimed at promoting clean energy. He will visit gas-rich Qatar on Tuesday.Japan is the fifth-largest oil consumer in the world and relies on imports to meet around 97% of its demand. It imports more than 75% of its crude oil from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.The Associated Press