Pastor column: Plugging into the power of God today

Associated Press
Stock market today: Asian shares mixed after Wall Street's lull stretches to a 2nd day
Automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s shares dropped 4.9% after the company forecasted a 7% lower net profit in the fiscal year that will end in March 2025. Toyota Motor slipped 0.4% after it reported Wednesday that it doubled its net profit in the fiscal year that ended in March. The U.S. dollar rose to 155.72 Japanese yen from 155.52 yen, as reports in Tokyo speculated on the likelihood of further intervention by the Finance Ministry to curb the yen's slide.
Reuters
Vessel carrying aid to U.S.-built pier off Gaza leaves Cyprus
A vessel carrying aid to a pier built by the U.S. off Gaza set sail from Cyprus on Thursday, marine tracking websites showed. The U.S. flagged Sagamore left the port of Larnaca on Thursday morning. U.S. officials have said the vessel will be used to offload supplies onto a floating pier built to expedite aid into the besieged enclave.
AFP
Markets' rally stutters as traders eye rate cut outlook
Equity traders struggled to get a recent rally back on course Thursday following a tepid lead from Wall Street, but record performance in Europe highlighted optimism that central banks were on course to cut interest rates.After London's record, and gains in Paris and Frankfurt were followed by a mixed performance in New York, Asia struggled.
AFP
Spanish bank BBVA goes hostile in Sabadell takeover bid
Spain's second-largest bank BBVA announced Thursday a hostile takeover bid for Banco Sabadell, three days after its smaller rival rejected an offer that would create a European banking giant.BBVA president Carlos Torres Vila is scheduled to take part in a press conference on Thursday at noon (1000 GMT) to discuss its hostile takeover bid for Sabadell.
Associated Press
Yoon rejects South Korean opposition's calls for special investigation of his wife and top officials
South Korea’s president on Thursday dismissed calls for independent investigations into allegations involving his wife and top officials, drawing quick, strong rebukes from his political rivals. After his conservative ruling party suffered a heavy loss in the recent April 10 parliamentary elections, President Yoon Suk Yeol faces what appears to be his biggest political challenge yet as opposition parties would extend their control of the National Assembly to 2028. The opposition has recently stepped up its demand for an independent investigation into first lady Kim Keon Hee over various scandals, such as her alleged involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme and the release of spy camera footage showing her receiving a luxury bag from a Korean American pastor.
Reuters
Vietnam delays meeting with EU sanctions chief ahead of possible Putin visit, sources say
Vietnam's foreign affairs ministry told the European Union it was not available for a meeting next week with the bloc's top official on Russian sanctions, diplomats said, as Hanoi prepares for a possible visit from Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Vietnam has been striving to pursue a neutral foreign policy in its relations with major world powers. It has abstained from condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine, a position that Western countries see as too close to the Kremlin.
NBC News
1 dead, multiple injured as powerful storms, possible tornadoes barrel across the country
One person was killed and others were injured after a suspected tornado struck the Columbia, Tennessee, area south of Nashville on Wednesday, authorities said.
Reuters
Myanmar junta reiterates election plan after ex-Cambodia PM seeks Suu Kyi access
The military government has promised repeatedly to return Myanmar to democracy but has given no timeframe for when an election will happen. Hun Sen, who stepped down as Cambodia's prime minister last year after nearly four decades in charge, on Tuesday said he had asked junta leader Min Aung Hlaing if he could speak to detained Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, whose elected government the military deposed in a 2021 coup.
Associated Press
Fiji's ex-leader, Frank Bainimarama, sentenced to prison for interfering in police investigation
Former Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison for interfering in a criminal investigation while he headed the government of his South Pacific island nation. Acting High Court of Fiji Chief Justice Salesi Temo sentenced the 70-year-old in the capital Suva on a conviction for attempting to pervert the course of justice. Suspended Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho received a 2-year prison sentence on a conviction for abuse of office, The Fiji Times newspaper reported.
Associated Press
Yemen's Houthi rebels claim 2 attacks in Gulf of Aden, another unreported in Indian Ocean
Yemen's Houthi rebels on Thursday claimed two missile attacks in the Gulf of Aden on two Panama-flagged container ships that caused no damage, while also saying they targeted a ship in the Indian Ocean in a previously unreported assault. The claims by Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree come as the tempo of the rebel attacks have waned in recent weeks as they've been targeted by repeated airstrikes launched by a U.S.-led coalition warship in waterways crucial to international trade. The Houthis insist their assaults will continue as long as Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip goes on.
Associated Press
Europe Day marks 1 month till EU elections. Rise of hard right, wilting of Green Deal are possible
The European Union marks its annual Europe Day on Thursday, but instead of the humdrum celebrations, all eyes are on the EU elections in a month's time, which portend a steep rise of the extreme right and a possible move away from the bloc's global trendsetting climate policies. After decades in which the EU elections hardly caused a ripple, the June 6-9 voting is the most important in memory. It is being held at a time of continuous crises on a continent which is experiencing a war in Ukraine, climate emergencies, a shifting of geopolitical plates and fundamental questions on the reach and purpose of the EU itself.
Reuters
Japan's Takeda Pharma to restructure after annual profit slump
TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical announced a restructuring on Thursday after annual profit slid by more than half following the loss of patent protection of major sellers. Japan's biggest drugmaker said it will incur restructuring costs of about 140 billion yen ($899 million) this fiscal year as part of a plan to optimise its workforce, cut costs and strengthen technology. Operating profit was 214.1 billion yen for the 12 months through March, versus 490.5 billion yen last year and a consensus estimate of 265.3 billion yen in an LSEG survey of 13 analysts.
AFP
S. Korea president admits 'shortcomings' in rare address
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held a rare press conference Thursday, admitting "shortcomings" after his party's recent electoral defeat, and laying out policies on issues from the country's low birthrate to Russia's war in Ukraine.- Birthrate ministry - Yoon won the 2022 presidential election by the narrowest margin in South Korean history, and his term has been hampered by a series of scandals and his party's lack of a parliamentary majority.
Associated Press
China's exports and imports return to growth in April as demand improves
China's exports and imports returned to growth in April, suggesting that demand is improving despite an uneven economic recovery, according to customs data released Thursday. China has introduced various policy support measures in recent months to support growth and boost confidence in the world’s second-largest economy. China’s trade surplus grew to $72.35 billion, up from $58.55 billion in March.
AFP
Romania opens first crowd-funded hospital
At Romania's new crowd-funded children's cancer hospital, one-year-old Eric Ivan eagerly walked up and down the corridor, his mother holding his hands to steady him.For Eric's mom, 41-year-old Ildiz Ivan, this was a "radical change" from where she had had to take Eric for treatment before.
CNN
As officials assess damage from deadly storms in Tennessee, the Southeast is bracing for a severe weather threat Thursday
As officials in the central and southern US assess the damage from reported tornadoes and powerful storms that killed at least two people Wednesday, residents from East Texas to South Carolina are bracing themselves for a severe weather threat Thursday that could bring large hail, damaging winds and flooding.
NBC News
Colon cancer rates have been rising for decades in younger people, study finds
Colorectal cancer rates have been rising for decades among people too young for routine screening, new research finds.
CNN
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA’s resignation
Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava resigned Wednesday, writing on Instagram that her “personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”
AFP
Stormy Daniels back in the Trump trial hot seat
Stormy Daniels is to return to the witness stand on Thursday at Donald Trump's historic hush money trial for another round of expected tough grilling by attorneys for the former president.Daniels was being aggressively cross-examined by one of Trump's attorneys, Susan Necheles, when court wrapped up on Tuesday and she will be back in the firing line on Thursday.
CNN
‘Blast-furnace heat every day’: Record temperatures cancel classes, widening learning gaps across Southeast Asia
When temperatures in Cambodia hit a staggering 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in April, Sek Seila, an 11-year-old student studying in the capital Phnom Penh, was promptly sent home from school.

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