PARIS (AP) — Real-life couple Rossella Fiamingo and Gregorio Paltrinieri will be Italy’s flag bearers for the Paris Gamesclosing ceremony on Sunday, the Italian Olympic Committee announced.
Fiamingo won a team fencing gold in Paris to add to her silver medal from Rio de Janeiro and bronze from Tokyo.
Paltrinieri won silver and bronze in the 1,500- and 800-meter freestyle swimming events, respectively, to give him five Olympic medals for his career.
The engaged couple won their medals within about a half-hour of each other during the first week of the Summer Games.
Defending high jump gold medalist Gianmarco Tamberi lost his wedding ring in the Seine River during the opening ceremony.
The closing ceremony will be held in the Stade de France.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Italy's Rossella Fiamingo Giulia Rizzi Alberta Santuccio Mara Navarria celebrate on the podium after winning the women's team Epee competition during the 2024 Summer Olympics at the Grand Palais, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Italy's Alberta Santuccio, second right, celebrates with her teammates Rossella Fiamingo, second left, Giulia Rizzi, left, and Mara Navarria after winning the women's team Epee final match against France during the 2024 Summer Olympics at the Grand Palais, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Italy's Gregorio Paltrinieri poses for a photo with his silver medal during the awards ceremony for the men's 1500-meter freestyle at the Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
TOKYO (AP) — Japan saw record-high exports last year, as its annual trade deficit declined 44% from the previous year, the Finance Ministry reported Thursday.
The trade deficit, which measures the value of exports minus imports, totaled 5.3 trillion yen ($34 billion), according to government data, as imports ballooned on the back of rising energy costs and growing inflation around the world.
Exports from the world’s third-largest economy totaled 107.9 trillion yen ($691 billion), surpassing the 100 trillion yen mark for the second-straight year, and the biggest value on record for comparable data, which dates back to 1979, the ministry said.
Some companies may have sped up their exports in anticipation of potential tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump has said he expects to put 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting Feb. 1. During his campaign, he threatened to impose tariffs on imports from China, although details on that remain unclear.
For the month of December, exports gained a greater-than-expected 2.8% on-year, while imports rose 1.8%. Exports grew to Asian and European nations, while dipping slightly to the U.S.
Imports grew most from India, Hong Kong and Iran.
Demand was especially strong for Japan's vehicles, semiconductors and other machinery.
The weakening yen, another recent trend, has the effect of inflating the value of imports. The U.S. dollar has been hovering at 150-yen levels, sometimes surpassing 160 yen, over the past year, while a year ago it was often at 140-yen levels.
Japan has recorded a trade deficit for four straight years, but last year's deficit was considerably smaller than the 9.5 trillion yen deficit for 2023.
FILE - Cars for export are parked at a port in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on July 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)