Shawnee girls tennis team takes third; Wolves fourth

AFP
Asian stocks hit as trade worries overshadow upbeat US inflation
Asian markets fell Thursday as ongoing concerns about the global impact of President Donald Trump's trade war overshadowed positive US inflation data.And Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management warned that while markets reacted positively to the data, there was still a lot of uncertainty in markets.
AFP
Couche-Tard bosses make case in Tokyo for 7-Eleven buyout
The directors of Canadian convenience store giant Alimentation Couche-Tard (ACT) said on Thursday they were seeking a "friendly" buyout of 7-Eleven but lamented a lack of progress towards a deal.It would be the biggest foreign takeover of a Japanese firm, merging the 7-Eleven, Circle K and other franchises to create what CEO Alex Miller described on Thursday as a "global champion of convenience stores".
AFP
All-women marching band livens up Taiwanese funerals
At a funeral in rural Taiwan, musicians wearing pleated mini-skirts and go-go boots march around a coffin to the beat of the 1980s hit "I Hate Myself for Loving You". Da Zhong women's group is part of a long tradition of funeral marching bands performing in mostly rural areas of Taiwan for families wanting to give their loved ones an upbeat send-off.
AFP
At least 25 bodies retrieved from Pakistan train siege
The bodies of at least 25 people, including 21 hostages, killed in a train siege by separatist gunmen in Pakistan were retrieved from the site on Thursday ahead of the first funerals, officials said.A railway official in Balochistan said the bodies of 25 people were transported by train away from the hostage site to the nearby town of Mach on Thursday morning.
Associated Press
Taiwan's leader says tougher measures needed to counter stepped-up Chinese infiltration and spying
Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te said Thursday tougher measures are needed to counter stepped-up Chinese infiltration, spying and other efforts to weaken the island's defenses. Lai cited a range of recent incidents involving China that fall into a “gray area” of psychological warfare short of open armed conflict. China has refused almost all official contact with the DPP since Lai's predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, was elected eight years ago.
CNN
‘Things took a darker turn’: Survivors recall horror of deadly Pakistan train siege
Nearly 350 hostages were rescued at the end of a deadly standoff between Pakistan’s military and armed militants who hijacked a train in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan, a security source told CNN Wednesday. The incident, which began Tuesday, left dozens dead.
CNN
Putin makes surprise visit to Kursk as Trump says peace is ‘up to Russia now’
President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Russia’s occupied Kursk region on Wednesday, as the Kremlin considers a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with his troops closing in on Ukraine’s only territorial bargaining chip.
USA TODAY
20 people charged in Nevada maximum-security prison brawl that left 3 inmates dead
Nevada prosecutors have filed multiple charges against 20 defendants over the incident, including first-degree murder and attempted murder.
AFP
Trump optimistic about potential Ukraine ceasefire
President Donald Trump expressed optimism that US negotiators could secure a ceasefire in the Ukraine war, even as Kyiv and Moscow launched fresh aerial attacks early Thursday.Russia downed 77 Ukrainian drones overnight, its defence ministry said Thursday, two days after Kyiv carried out its largest direct strike on Moscow during the three-year war.
AFP
Ukraine ceasefire bid, trade war to dominate as G7 diplomats meet
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet his Canadian counterpart at a G7 gathering Thursday, but discussion of American annexation threats has been ruled off-limits at talks expected to be dominated by efforts to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine. Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said she expected her talks with Rubio will be centered on "Ukraine and the ceasefire that's on the table."
Associated Press
'We will just die in silence': US aid cuts hit Ethiopia's fragile Tigray region
As a displaced person in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, 76-year-old Haile Tsege is no stranger to hunger. During its war with Tigray fighters that devastated the region in 2020-2022, Ethiopian government restrictions on the rebellious region reduced aid flows to a trickle. Now the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, has again halted food deliveries to a sprawling camp of over 20,000 people outside Tigray’s regional capital, Mekele.
CNN
It’s official: This is the world’s highest urban microbrewery
LeVel33 was recently named the World’s Highest Microbrewery in a Building by Guinness World Records. The Singapore craft beer maker had to bring its equipment in via crane.
Reuters
Turkey could be a vital partner as Europe, Ukraine seek new security framework
Turkey has emerged as a key potential partner in restructuring European security, diplomats and analysts say, as Europe scrambles to bolster its defence and find guarantees for Ukraine under any forthcoming ceasefire deal urged by the United States. European countries have been unsettled by U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the Ukraine war, which has upended Washington's policy, halted Russia's isolation with possibility of rapprochement, piled pressure on Kyiv after disastrous talks with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and endangered transatlantic ties.
AFP
Australia tells US influencer: 'leave baby wombat alone'
Australia's top diplomat urged a visiting American influencer on Thursday to "leave the baby wombat alone", after a video appeared to show the woman pestering a young marsupial."I think everyone who would have seen that would have thought, look, leave the baby wombat alone."
Associated Press
Syria flashes signs of peril and promise in a week of violence and diplomacy
After Syria’s longtime autocratic ruler was toppled late last year, the man who led rebel groups to victory immediately faced a new challenge: unifying the country after more than a decade of civil war. The peril and promise of Syria under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa — the former leader of an Islamist insurgent group — were on dramatic display over the past week. After days of deadly sectarian violence, a diplomatic triumph united a powerful force in the country’s northeast with the new national army.
CNN
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil will remain in ICE detention in Louisiana after first court hearing
Prominent Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil will remain in an ICE detention facility in Louisiana for now following a procedural hearing in New York, days after he was arrested by federal officials at his Columbia University residence in an attempt by the Trump administration to deport him.
Associated Press
International cricketer Stuart MacGill found guilty of supplying cocaine in Australia
Ex-International cricketer Stuart MacGill has been found guilty of taking part in the supply of cocaine in Sydney. The 54-year-old MacGill, a leg-spin bowler who played 44 test matches for Australia and took 208 wickets, was cleared by a jury of knowingly taking part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug but found guilty of participating in the supply of a prohibited drug. MacGill, who pleaded not guilty, is expected to return to court on May 9 to be sentenced.
Associated Press
Asian shares decline despite rebound on Wall St as investors await next steps in trade wars
Asian shares were mostly lower on Thursday despite a rebound on Wall Street fueled by an encouraging update on U.S. consumer prices. U.S. futures fell and oil prices were little changed. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shed 0.7% to 23,426.80, while the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.4% to 3,357.02.
AFP
Doubts over climate funding as donors squeeze aid
There are growing doubts about a pledge by rich nations to provide more climate finance to poorer nations, as foreign aid budgets are slashed and the US guts environmental spending."Climate finance for developing countries was already insufficient, but the recent cuts to foreign aid budgets represent a renewed challenge," the COP30 presidency said in a written statement to AFP. - 'Not looking good' - Donors have struggled to meet their climate finance pledges at the best of times, even for commi
Associated Press
Vaccinating poultry could help cut soaring egg prices but US remains hesitant
Vaccines could be a key means of suppressing bird flu and avoiding the slaughter of millions of chickens, which is blamed for egg prices averaging nearly $6 a dozen. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced plans to spend $100 million to study bird flu vaccines to fight the disease in concert with meat chicken, egg and turkey groups. Chicken meat producers remain the most resistant to vaccines because of concerns they could harm meat exports, which totaled nearly $4.7 billion last year.

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