U.S. Victory Day

GRETNA ITALIAN-IRISH PARADE: The parade will begin at noon March 10 at Burmaster and Franklin streets and end at 4th Street and Huey P. Long Avenue. An after-party will take place 5-8 p.m. at Gretna Market Place, Huey P. Long Avenue between 3rd and 4th streets, with music by Rockin’ Doopsie Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters. www.gretnala.com. DANNY BARKER BANJO & GUITAR FESTIVAL: The fest will take place March 6-10 at various New Orleans locations, with a free banjo and guitar summit and a patron party March 6; and the 10th anniversary celebration March 7. Tickets start at $25. Live performances will be held at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, 400 Esplanade Ave., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on…

ATLANTA (AP) — Communities across the nation celebrated the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday with acts of service, prayer services and parades. But with the November presidential election as a backdrop, some events took on an overtly political turn. Watch Harris’ remarks in the player above. Speaking at the MLK Day at the Dome rally at the South Carolina Statehouse, Vice President Kamala Harris said young people two or three generations removed from King have seen their freedoms shrink — from laws restricting voting to bans on abortions and the ever-present threat of gun violence, especially in schools. “They even try to erase, overlook and rewrite the ugly parts of our past. For example, the Civil War —…

Hanoi (VNA) – Improving qualifications of guest workers and developing foreign labour markets that suit Vietnamese labourers’ standards and skills have been considered as key tasks in 2024 in order to stepping up the sending of labourers to work abroad. According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), in 2023, the number of Vietnamese labourers sent to work abroad under contract reached its peak with 155,000 people, 29% higher than the year’s plan and marking an increase of 8.55% compared to 2022. Currently, there are about 650,000 Vietnamese guest workers in 40 countries and territories in the world, including Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Taiwan (China), among others. The number of Vietnamese guest workers has…

Japan (NKY:IND) +0.92%. Investors now ahead to Japanese inflation figures for December due later this week to guide the monetary policy outlook. In the following days, Chinese officials are set to release crucial data, including the Q4 GDP growth rate as well as figures on industrial output and retail trade. Meanwhile, markets monitored geopolitical developments in the region after Lai Ching-te, considered a strong China skeptic, helped secure a third-straight victory for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan’s presidential election over the weekend. Australian private survey of inflation soared by 1% m/m in December, the most in 17 months. The Melbourne Institute’s Monthly Inflation Gauge showed prices in Australia sharply accelerated to 1.0% in December 2023 from a 0.3%…

SYDNEY, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Asian shares got off to a sluggish start on Monday ahead of a week packed with geopolitical risk, Chinese economic data and earnings reports from major U.S. banks. A holiday in the United States made for thin trading, but at least there was progress on averting an imminent government shutdown as congressional leaders agreed on another stopgap spending bill. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dipped 0.1% after losing 0.8% last week. Japan’s Nikkei held steady near 34-year highs, having enjoyed stellar gains of 6.6% last week. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures were both down around 0.1% in early trade. Earnings season rolls on, with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley among those…

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian shares got off to a sluggish start on Monday ahead of a week packed with geopolitical risk, Chinese economic data and earnings reports from major U.S. banks. A holiday in the United States made for thin trading, but at least there was progress on averting an imminent government shutdown as congressional leaders agreed on another stopgap spending bill. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dipped 0.1% after losing 0.8% last week. Japan’s Nikkei held steady near 34-year highs, having enjoyed stellar gains of 6.6% last week. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures were both down around 0.1% in early trade. Earnings season rolls on, with Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) among those…

SYDNEY, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Asian shares got off to a stumbling start on Monday as China’s central bank wrong footed markets by skipping on a rate cut, even as data due this week is expected to show the economic recovery there remains fragile. China reports economic growth data for the fourth quarter and a slew of monthly figures on Wednesday, and investors have become used to being underwhelmed by activity as Beijing drip feeds its stimulus. Chinese blue chips eased 0.5% in response, reaching their lowest since early 2019. A holiday in the United States also made for thin trading, but at least there was progress on averting an imminent government shutdown as congressional leaders agreed on another stopgap…

LONDON/SYDNEY, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Global stocks held steady on Monday, with U.S. markets closed for a holiday, while Chinese equities fell slightly after the country’s central bank wrong-footed investors by skipping on a rate cut. MSCI’s world stock index was unchanged in morning trading in Europe. It has fallen around 0.35% so far this year after rallying 20% in 2023. China’s CSI 300 index fell to its lowest since 2019 but recovered to stand 0.1% lower as investors digested the central bank’s decision to leave its medium-term policy rate unchanged on Monday, defying expectations for a cut. Despite Monday’s sleepy start, investors are in for a busy week with data on Chinese fourth-quarter growth, UK inflation, and U.S. retail…

LONDON/SYDNEY, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Global stocks held broadly steady on Monday, as U.S. markets closed for a holiday, and Chinese equities fell slightly after the country’s central bank unnerved investors by skipping an expected rate cut. MSCI’s world stock index was slightly lower in European trading. It has fallen around 0.35% so far this year after rallying 20% in 2023. China’s CSI 300 index fell to its lowest since 2019 but finished 0.1% lower as investors digested the central bank’s decision to leave its medium-term policy rate unchanged on Monday, defying expectations for a cut. Despite Monday’s sleepy start, investors are set for a busy week with data on Chinese fourth-quarter growth, UK inflation, and U.S. retail sales all…

LONDON/SYDNEY, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Global stocks held broadly steady on Monday, as U.S. markets closed for a holiday, and Chinese equities fell slightly after the country’s central bank unnerved investors by skipping an expected rate cut. MSCI’s world stock index was slightly lower in European trading. It has fallen around 0.35% so far this year after rallying 20% in 2023. China’s CSI 300 index fell to its lowest since 2019 but finished 0.1% lower as investors digested the central bank’s decision to leave its medium-term policy rate unchanged on Monday, defying expectations for a cut. Despite Monday’s sleepy start, investors are set for a busy week with data on Chinese fourth-quarter growth, UK inflation, and U.S. retail sales all…

LONDON/SYDNEY — Global stocks held steady on Monday, with U.S. markets closed for a holiday, while Chinese equities fell slightly after the country’s central bank wrong-footed investors by skipping on a rate cut. MSCI’s world stock index was unchanged in morning trading in Europe. It has fallen around 0.35 percent so far this year after rallying 20 percent in 2023. China’s CSI 300 index fell to its lowest since 2019 but recovered to stand 0.1 percent lower as investors digested the central bank’s decision to leave its medium-term policy rate unchanged on Monday, defying expectations for a cut. Despite Monday’s sleepy start, investors are in for a busy week with data on Chinese fourth-quarter growth, UK inflation, and U.S. retail…

SAN ANTONIO – On the day after Christmas each year, another holiday begins — Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa isn’t a religious holiday but a celebration of African-American culture and heritage. It’s a time for reflection and connection. The holiday was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor and activist. It became more popular in the 1980s and 1990s. President Bill Clinton was the first U.S. president to officially recognize Kwanzaa. According to the National Museum of African American History & Culture, the ideas and concepts are expressed in the Swahili language. The word Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase, “matunda ya kwanza” which means first fruits, referring to harvest festivals celebrated throughout Africa. The holiday reinforces the Nguzo Saba, or…

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The inflation plaguing European shoppers has fallen faster than expected. The economy is in the dumps. That has people talking about interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank, perhaps as soon as the first few months of next year. No rate move is expected at the bank’s policy meeting Thursday, and analysts say ECB President Christine Lagarde is highly unlikely to confirm any plans to cut. She may even warn that it’s too early to declare victory over inflation despite how it’s improved. Like the ECB, the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks are running into market expectations that they will trim rates to support flagging economic growth now that price spikes have eased.…

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – The inflation plaguing European shoppers has fallen faster than expected. The economy is in the dumps. That has people talking about interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank, perhaps as soon as the first few months of next year. No rate move is expected at the bank’s policy meeting Thursday, and analysts say ECB President Christine Lagarde is highly unlikely to confirm any plans to cut. She may even warn that it´s too early to declare victory over inflation despite how it’s improved. Like the ECB, the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks are running into market expectations that they will trim rates to support flagging economic growth now that price spikes have eased.…

BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) – European stocks are seen opening broadly higher Tuesday on growing expectations that U.S. interest rates may have peaked. That said, overall trading activity may be somewhat subdued due to the Thanksgiving Day holiday in the U.S. on Thursday and a shortened trading day on Friday. The dollar nursed losses while Treasury yields edged up slightly as traders await the minutes from Federal Reserve’s latest meeting later in the day that could offer important clues on the Fed’s rate trajectory. Richmond Fed president Thomas Barkin said it’s not yet the right time to declare victory on inflation and focus should remain and getting price growth back to the 2 percent goal. Gold traded higher and looks all set…

MIDDLESEX, NY — The last two times a group photograph was believed to have been taken of veterans in Middlesex, the subjects served during the Civil War and World War I. That’s why all Middlesex veterans are invited to a photo shoot at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at Middlesex Town Hall, 1216 state Route 245. Any veteran who was born in or lived in Middlesex and served the country is invited to pose for the photo. A sign-in roster for those who attend will be used so there is a permanent record. Win Harper, a Vietnam War veteran and retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who lives in Middlesex, is tackling the project not only for the history, but also…

Hi, China Watchers. Today we decode the outcome of the meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s meeting in San Francisco yesterday and explore the controversy over Xi’s top dollar business banquet. We’ll also check in on Beijing’s “socialist modernization” of Tibet and profile a book that warns that the U.S. government is ignoring Chinese-backed hacker penetration of “thousands of American computing systems.” Let’s get to it. — Phelim Programming note! China Watcher won’t publish next Thursday, Nov. 23 due to the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Biden and Xi — A day of diplomacy and a few seconds of honesty President Joe Biden walked out of a four-hour meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping yesterday afternoon and labeled…

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) – Argentina´s right-wing president-elect gave the first indications Monday of how he plans to start shaking up South America´s second-largest economy: with a slew of privatizations. Populist Javier Milei, a libertarian economist and self-described “anarcho-capitalist,” won a presidential runoff election on Sunday with 55.7% of the vote. He said Monday that he would move quickly to privatize the country’s state-owned media outlets and look to do the same with other public companies. “Everything that can be in the hands of the private sector will be in the hands of the private sector,” Milei told Bueno Aires station Radio Mitre. Experts immediately questioned how far Milei would get in fulfilling that vision without the support of Argentina’s…

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — As soon as Leandro Francisco Diana woke up Tuesday, he reached for his phone like many Argentines on the first business day after the election victory of President-elect Javier Milei. “I opened my eyes, got my phone and looked for the price of the dollar to see how the country had awakened,” said the 26-year-old Diana, who owns a hardware store with his father in Villa Crespo, a middle-class neighborhood of Buenos Aires. The exchange rate of the peso with the U.S. dollar has become a widely watched barometer of the nation’s economic health, and is top of mind for millions of Argentines coping with triple-digit inflation. Knowing a further depreciation of the peso will…

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) – As soon as Leandro Francisco Diana woke up Tuesday, he reached for his phone like many Argentines on the first business day after the election victory of President-elect Javier Milei. “I opened my eyes, got my phone and looked for the price of the dollar to see how the country had awakened,” said the 26-year-old Diana, who owns a hardware store with his father in Villa Crespo, a middle-class neighborhood of Buenos Aires. The exchange rate of the peso with the U.S. dollar has become a widely watched barometer of the nation´s economic health, and is top of mind for millions of Argentines coping with triple-digit inflation. Knowing a further depreciation of the peso will…