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Musician Kauan Okamoto alleges talent manager assaulted him

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:28 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — When Johnny Kitagawa told one of the boys staying at his luxury house to go to bed early, everyone knew “it was your turn.” That was among the recollections shared Wednesday by musician Kauan Okamoto, then 15, about allegedly being sexually assaulted by Kitagawa, a powerful figure in the Japanese entertainment world. The Associated Press does not usually identify victims of alleged sexual assault, but Okamoto has chosen to identify himself in the media.Okamoto was part of the backup boys’ group Johnny’s Jr., which also worked as a talent pool for Johnny & Associates, a talent agency managing male idol actors and singers.He remembered the sound of Kitagawa’s slippers pitter-pattering down the hallway. He turned over in bed, feigning sleep. Sometimes Kitagawa handed him a 10,000-yen ($100) bill the morning after when no one was looking, like in the elevator, according to Okamoto.That continued for four years, starting in 2012 and lasting until Okamoto left Johnny &...

As Ukraine war drags on, civilians’ mental health needs rise

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:28 GMT

KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (AP) — Huddled in the back of a café near the train station where a missile killed dozens of people a year ago, Nastya took slow, deliberate breaths to calm herself. Overnight, her neighborhood had been bombed again, and she just couldn’t take any more.Heeding her parents’ advice, the 20-year-old woman had visited the nearby psychiatric hospital that morning — a place that also bore the scars of war after being repeatedly bombed, including by a missile that destroyed part of the building last September. But the staff swept up the shattered glass, shoveled away the debris and carried on working, determined to stay in Kramatorsk, in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, to help those in need. For Nastya, it was a lifeline. “After today’s shelling, I could no longer cope with anxiety, the feeling of constant danger,” the speech therapy student said, giving only her first name to talk last month about the difficult decision to seek mental health care. The stigma of ...

Fishing regulators need more transparency, ocean groups say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:28 GMT

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Some regional fisheries management organizations that were set up by the United Nations to measure and conserve fish populations — but are difficult to hold to account — need to be more transparent about how they make their rules and regulations if fish species are to be protected and maintained for people reliant on healthy fish stocks for their livelihoods, conservation agencies and fishing industry players say.The 50-some regional fisheries management organizations worldwide bring together local, coastal states and bigger international players to regulate how companies and countries can fish in waters worldwide in a way that best conserves populations of fish and other ocean species based on scientific evidence. For years, these regional regulators have been accused of undemocratic practices that favor large, industrial fishers but now several conservation groups are banding together to renew calls for a culture change.A coalition of conservationists and mar...

Companies skeptical about Egypt’s push to ease industry ties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:28 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — In Egypt, state-owned companies bottle water, make dry pasta and cement, and run gas stations and fish farms. Two of the most powerful economic players in the North African country have long been the government and military. For years, they have faced criticism from economists and international lenders that this approach is stifling economic growth.Increasing pressure, brought on by high inflation and a currency crisis, led Egypt to vow things would finally change.The government said it started to sell stakes in March in some of the 32 state-owned companies it’s promised to privatize, from petrochemical firms to banks. The policy announced in December is part of reforms linked to a loan from the International Monetary Fund but still allows the state to work in key sectors like health, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, oil and gas, insurance and more.Business leaders and analysts are skeptical. Several told The Associated Press that they expect the government and milit...

Firing in Indian army station kills 4 soldiers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:28 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — A firing incident inside a military station in northern India killed at least four soldiers early Wednesday, an army statement said.The statement didn’t give details, saying only that quick reaction teams were activated, and the area cordoned off and sealed. Indian media reports quoted state police officers as saying that the incident in the army camp in Bhatinda in Punjab state bordering Pakistan did not appear to be a terror attack.The shooting took place as the state was on a high security alert a day ahead of Baisakhi, a major Sikh and Hindu festival marking the start of the harvesting season.Punjab had suffered a bloody insurgency in 1980s that led to the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards at her official residence in New Delhi in 1984. It triggered deadly violence against Sikhs in northern India by her Hindu supporters. India accuses neighboring Pakistan of supporting the insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir an...

Wolves’ playoff hopes dwindle to one do-or-die game after offense goes cold late in play-in loss to Lakers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:28 GMT

An offense that started so strong for Minnesota went so cold at an inopportune time Tuesday.After scorching the nets for three quarters, the Timberwolves went mind-numbingly cold in the fourth quarter, squandering a double-digit lead to fall 108-102 to the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime of a play-in game in Los Angeles.Minnesota will now return home, where it will meet either Oklahoma City or New Orleans on Friday. If the Wolves win that game, they’ll be the No. 8 seed with a first-round playoff date with Denver. If they lose it, their season will be over.“It’s disappointing. I feel like we put a lot of effort in. I thought we fought, we put a lot of effort in, we were very scrappy,” Wolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns told reporters. “It’s difficult when you leave without a win and you feel you played good enough to win.”LeBron James found Dennis Schroeder for a corner triple with 1.4 seconds to play to break a tie and put the Lakers up three...

Two killed in Russian strike on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:28 GMT

Authorities in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, reported that a father and son, aged 50 and 11, were killed when Russian forces attacked a residence building in Zaporizhzhia, a south-eastern Ukrainian city.The State Emergency service of Ukraine also reported that a 46-year-old woman was pulled out from the wreckage. It identified her as the mother and wife of the victims.Anatoliy Kurtev, secretary to the city council, stated that two missiles had struck one building and caused damage to dozens more during the overnight strike.He wrote that "severe punishment for occupiers for their criminal war is inevitable" on Telegram.Rescuers sorted through piles of concrete and other debris Sunday morning, amid the resounding sound of air-raid sirens.The family's living room was left with charred walls. A television was still hanging from the wall, despite being smashed into pieces.Local residents claimed that a body was the victim of the murder. It was found wrapped in a blanket near the scene.Viktor Hr...

Foreign direct investment inflow in Kazakhstan hits record high in 2022

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:28 GMT

The gross foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow in Kazakhstan reached $28 billion in 2022, a record-high in the past ten years, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry.FDI inflow went up by 17.7% since 2021 when it reached $23.8bn. In 2012, this figure stood at $28.9bn.The top investing countries in Kazakhstan are the Netherlands with $8.3bn, the United States – $5.1bn, Switzerland – $2.8bn, Belgium – $1.6bn, Russia and South Korea with $1.5bn each, and China – $1.4bn.The largest inflows were directed in such sectors as mining – $12.1 billion (a 25 percent increase), manufacturing – $5.6 billion (2.7 percent), wholesale and retail trade – $5.1 billion (36 percent), professional, scientific, and technical activities – $1.2 billion (2.2 times), transport and warehousing – $1.2 billion (13.5 percent).The Atyrau Region received most of the investment – $8.3 billion (a 48.3 percent increase), followed by Almaty city with $7.6 billion (10.9 percent), Astana – $2.2 billion (107.2 percent), t...

4.4 earthquake strikes in Lake County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:28 GMT

(KRON) -- A 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck in Lake County Tuesday night. The quake was followed by two aftershocks of 2.8 and 2.5 magnitudes. The earthquake's epicenter was measured about seven miles northwest of Cobb, CA. It happened at 10:39 p.m. This is a developing story. Stick with us for updates.

AP PHOTOS: Desperate for new lives, they took to the sea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:28 GMT

Every year, hundreds if not thousands of West African migrants disappear trying to reach the Canary Islands and, they believed, better lives in Europe. The real death toll is unknown, and so many people and boats are never seen again. But in 2021, something strange happened. The boats, boats from the Atlantic coastal nation of Mauritania and other African nations, believed to have been used by migrants, weren’t making it to the Canaries. They were emerging on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Caribbean and even as far as Brazil. All carried a sad cargo — the bodies of young men and women who dreamt of a new life in Europe. Few were ever identified.They had drifted to death.For nearly two years, Associated Press journalists traced the origins of one boat and the people who died in it. Their remains were found aboard a white and blue pirogue — a Mauritanian fishing boat — drifting near the Caribbean Island of Tobago on May 28, 2021.As they traced what became of the me...