Holy Ghost feast at Taunton Eagles this weekend: Taunton Eats

AFP
Asian markets mixed ahead of key US jobs data
Asian equities were mixed on Friday as investors headed into the weekend awaiting the release of US jobs data, while traders kept a nervous eye on Washington where the Trump administration is pressing ahead with a hardball trade agenda.Still, investors are for now enjoying the relative calm as analysts say the White House's moves have so far been less strident than initially feared.
Associated Press
Philippine vice president preparing for impeachment battle but silent on option to resign
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said Friday that her lawyers were preparing for a legal battle in her upcoming impeachment trial but refused to say if resignation was an option so she could preempt a possible conviction that would bar her from running for president in the future. Duterte was speaking for the first time since the House of Representatives impeached her Wednesday on a raft of criminal charges, including plotting to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assassinated, which she again denied. Marcos was her running mate in the 2022 elections but they have had a bitter falling out.
AFP
Ecuador presidential candidates sprint to campaign finish
Ecuador's dueling presidential hopefuls made a last-ditch pitch to late-deciding voters Thursday, wrapping a bitter campaign dominated by surging cartel violence and economic crisis.His campaign finale will take place in a 13,000-capacity Quito bull ring late Thursday.
CBS News
Plane with 10 on board goes missing over Alaska
Crews in Alaska are searching for a plane that went missing with 10 people on board in the vicinity of Nome.
Reuters
Kremlin confirms Putin and Trump have yet to discuss a possible meeting
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump have yet to discuss a possible meeting, CNN quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. It cited Peskov as saying there had been no initial contacts between the two leaders about whether such a meeting was needed or where and how it might take place if it did happen. Leonid Slutsky, head of the Russian parliament's international affairs committee, was cited by the state RIA news agency on Thursday as saying that preparations for such a meeting were at "an advanced stage" and that it could take place in February or March.
TODAY
Chrissy Metz wishes people would stop asking her this 1 question about weight loss
Chrissy Metz of "This Is Us" reveals the lessons she's learned throughout her weight loss journey and from the role she played on the hit show.
AFP
Five facts about Kosovo: three flags, pop royalty and love of US
Kosovo, one of Europe's poorest countries beset with rocky relations with its larger neighbour Serbia, holds parliamentary elections Sunday.Serbia said it has succeeded in convincing some 28 countries to revoke their recognition of Kosovo to date.
AFP
'Trump' thrills fans at Hong Kong theatre's last hurrah
The crack of a gunshot and the blonde man flinches behind the lectern, clutching his ear."(Sunbeam) carries the energy of veteran actors, as well as the emotions and dreams of many people," said Man Chan, who plays Ivanka Trump.
CNN
Trump says China ‘operates’ the Panama Canal – how deep are Beijing’s ties to the key waterway?
Donald Trump has begun his second term as president by ramping up pressure on Panama – threatening to “take back” the Panama Canal and accusing the country of ceding control of the strategically critical waterway to a US rival: China.
Associated Press
Reid G. Miller, longtime AP international correspondent and editor, dies at 90
Reid G. Miller, who traveled the planet as an intrepid international correspondent for The Associated Press and developed a reputation as a supportive editor and unswervingly loyal boss during the toughest of breaking-news moments, has died. Miller died early Thursday in his sleep at his home in Sarasota, Florida, where he had been fighting congestive heart failure, said his son, G. Clay Miller of Brooklyn, New York. In his 43-year AP career, he bore witness to and reported on some of the late 20th century's most momentous — and sometimes most violent — events from Washington to Central America, East Africa to South Korea.
Reuters
Analysis-Big but toothless - Italy's unions blamed for wage stagnation
After three decades of wage stagnation, workers in Italy have plenty to protest about, yet strikes over pay are rare and seldom last more than a day, prompting growing questions about the role of the country's trade unions. Italy is the only advanced country where inflation-adjusted wages declined between 1990 and 2020, data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development shows, leading to weak consumer spending and anaemic growth. Pay has picked up more recently, rising by 9% between the third quarter of 2021 and the second quarter of last year, but it still lagged inflation and wage growth of 14% in Germany and 11% in France, according to German central bank data.
Reuters
UK's tougher immigration policy risks trapping victims in modern slavery
Thousands of victims of modern slavery are being denied support because of Britain's crackdown on illegal migration, according to more than a dozen sources, a decade after the approval of legislation that put the country at the forefront of the global fight against human trafficking. Britain's Modern Slavery Act of 2015 forced large businesses to tackle slavery in their supply chains and strengthened existing protections for victims. But those protections have been eroded by rules introduced in 2023 to curb illegal migration, as the political priority switched to dealing with the tens of thousands of migrants arriving in Britain each year aboard small boats.
Reuters
Puntland offensive deals blow to Islamic State in Somalia
Forces from Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region have captured swathes of territory from Islamic State during a weeks-long offensive they hope will draw increased international support, according to officials and Reuters reporters. The advances come against an IS faction that has gained in importance and was the target last week of the first air strikes of U.S. President Donald Trump's new administration. Before those strikes, Reuters reporters who gained rare access to the village of Balidhidin, which IS controlled for a decade, saw Puntland security forces patrolling and residents circulating on foot near the carcasses of army trucks destroyed in recent fighting.
Reuters
Trump to meet Japan's Ishiba as China trade war simmers
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for the first time on Friday as two allies wary of China's rise work to boost business and security ties while an escalating trade war threatens to rupture the global economy. Trump, whose first three weeks in office have shredded norms and shaken foreign capitals from Ottawa to Bogota, has taken a more conventional approach to Washington's longstanding Asia-Pacific allies, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines. But those friendships may be tested as Trump's early fight with China over synthetic opioids and warnings of tariffs against other countries - Japan included - threaten to disrupt commercial relations in Asia and beyond.
CNN
‘Treated like criminals’: Shackling of Indians aboard 40-hour migrant flight sparks new outrage against Trump
US officials kept around 100 deported Indian migrants in shackles for their 40-hour flight home, including during bathroom breaks, in the latest incident to spark anger overseas at President Donald Trump’s migration crackdown.
USA TODAY
Alaska rescue crews search for missing airplane with 10 onboard
The Bering Air Caravan was reported missing at around 4 p.m. local time, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
CNN
Ukraine gets French Mirage fighter jets, more F-16s from the Netherlands
Ukraine’s Air Force got a boost in its fight against Russia on Thursday with the arrival of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets from France, along with F-16s from the Netherlands.
Associated Press
EV maker Scout Motors wants to sell directly to buyers but can't do it in its home state
Volkswagen-backed Scout Motors is making a massive bet in the electric SUV market with a carefully cultivated experience that will allow some customers to buy the company's vehicle in minutes on an app and then use it to handle everything after from repairs to updates and upgrades. Supporters of the dealership model say the experience allows buyers to compare prices across several businesses. Unlike a pair of pants, where color, style and size are about the only concerns, buying a car involves financing, state registration, taxes, regulations — and often a test drive.
Associated Press
Kosovo elections will decide who will lead stalled talks with Serbia and manage a battered economy
Kosovo goes to the polls Sunday in a parliamentary election expected to be a key test for Prime Minister Albin Kurti after his governing party won in a landslide four years ago. Eligible voters, including those of the diaspora, will cast ballots to elect 120 lawmakers among 26 political groupings and one independent candidate in a vote held from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. The Serb minority has 10 secured seats while 10 more are for other minorities. This is the first time since independence in 2008 that Kosovo's parliament has completed a full four-year mandate.
Associated Press
Judge in Boston to consider latest bid to block Trump's birthright citizenship order
A federal judge in Boston on Friday will consider a request from 18 state attorneys general to block President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of parents who are in the U.S. illegally. The hearing comes after a federal judge in Seattle blocked the order Thursday and decried what he described as the administration’s treatment of the Constitution, saying Trump was trying to change it with an executive order.

Holy Ghost feast at Taunton Eagles this weekend: Taunton Eats

Taunton Eagles to host Holy Ghost feast

Cornhole tournament at The Jockey Club

National Charter 957 closed for summer season

Toasted Coconut is back at Tom and Jimmy’s

Tropical Llama now has rotisserie chicken

Latest Stories

Asian markets mixed ahead of key US jobs data

Philippine vice president preparing for impeachment battle but silent on option to resign

Ecuador presidential candidates sprint to campaign finish

Plane with 10 on board goes missing over Alaska

Kremlin confirms Putin and Trump have yet to discuss a possible meeting

Chrissy Metz wishes people would stop asking her this 1 question about weight loss

Five facts about Kosovo: three flags, pop royalty and love of US

'Trump' thrills fans at Hong Kong theatre's last hurrah

Trump says China ‘operates’ the Panama Canal – how deep are Beijing’s ties to the key waterway?

Reid G. Miller, longtime AP international correspondent and editor, dies at 90

Analysis-Big but toothless - Italy's unions blamed for wage stagnation

UK's tougher immigration policy risks trapping victims in modern slavery

Puntland offensive deals blow to Islamic State in Somalia

Trump to meet Japan's Ishiba as China trade war simmers

‘Treated like criminals’: Shackling of Indians aboard 40-hour migrant flight sparks new outrage against Trump

Alaska rescue crews search for missing airplane with 10 onboard

Ukraine gets French Mirage fighter jets, more F-16s from the Netherlands

EV maker Scout Motors wants to sell directly to buyers but can't do it in its home state

Kosovo elections will decide who will lead stalled talks with Serbia and manage a battered economy

Judge in Boston to consider latest bid to block Trump's birthright citizenship order