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ECB keeps eye firmly on inflation amid banking crisis fears

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:53 GMT

FRANKFURT — The European Central Bank moved to raise interest rates by a half percentage point to 3 percent Thursday, sticking to its previous guidance even as fears of a new financial crisis roiled markets in recent days.Policymakers opted to prioritize a continued fight against stubbornly high inflation over financial stability concerns, noting that “inflation is projected to remain too high for too long.”After the collapse of two U.S. banks and turmoil at Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse, worries about a potential banking crisis spooked markets and raised doubts over whether the ECB would keep to its previously signaled rate path. The decision to stick to the well-flagged rate hike may, though, expose ECB President Christine Lagarde to criticism that she is repeating mistakes made by one of her predecessors, Jean-Claude Trichet, who raised rates into the 2011 sovereign debt crisis arguing that anchoring inflation expectations is the best way to boost confidence in the single cur...

Mets closer Edwin Díaz suffers knee injury while celebrating World Baseball Classic win

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:53 GMT

(CNN) — Puerto Rico produced a big upset at the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday night with a 5-2 win against the Dominican Republic. But it came at a cost.While celebrating the win with his teammates, New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz suffered a right knee injury and was taken off the field in a wheelchair.Puerto Rico’s players — including Díaz’s brother, Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Alexis — were in tears as they watched the righter-hander leave the field.The freak injury could be bad news for the Mets, as well as for Puerto Rico.The Mets said Díaz, who agreed on a five-year, $102 million contract with the team last year, would undergo imaging on Thursday.“It comes to a certain point that it gets bigger than the game and something very unfortunate happened,” Puerto Rico center fielder Kiké Hernández told reporters after the game.“As excited as we were about the game and all that, it’s one of our brothers ...

How to avoid these 3 common banking scams

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:53 GMT

About 2.8 million U.S. consumers reported more than $5.8 billion in losses to fraud in 2021 — up 70% compared with 2020, Federal Trade Commission data shows. Those losses include fraud affecting bank accounts. Though banking technology and security have come a long way, bank scams continue to cheat people out of their money.Keeping your bank account funds safe is critical because unlike with fraudulent charges on a debit or credit card, you don’t have much recourse if you give away money from your bank account. Money lost to bank fraud or scams isn’t covered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (or National Credit Union Administration assurance if you use a credit union). It’s like giving away cash — it’s unlikely to be recovered.But you can be proactive about keeping your funds safe. Here are three common bank scams and how to avoid them.1. Automatic debit scamsAn automatic debit scam occurs when a scammer gets your checking account information (including the bank’s routing numbe...

March Madness in San Diego: This pizza shop will host a watch party for Aztecs fans

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:53 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- March Madness is in full swing and it's game day for fans in San Diego.The San Diego State University Men’s Basketball team earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament and are set to face off against No. 12 seed College of Charleston Thursday at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. Tip off is set for 12:10 p.m. San Diego State beats Utah State for Mountain West title This is the Aztecs' first round matchup in the South Region of the bracket and basketball fans across San Diego will be gathering to root on their team in the single-elimination tournament.One college area pizza shop is preparing to layer on the sauce as it expects to host crowds of Aztecs fans who are eager to watch the game. Woodstock's Pizza, located at 6145 El Cajon Blvd., will be serving up three-pointers -- in the form of SDSU-themed pizza slices. Fans can enjoy the Aztec Classic Pizza and the Monty's Revenge Pizza throughout the day Thursday.Not a pizza fan? The location also offers a variety of a...

N. Dakota high court upholds injunction against abortion ban

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:53 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a state abortion ban will remain blocked while a lawsuit over its constitutionality proceeds.The ban was designed to take effect once the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But a district judge had put it on hold this summer while the Red River Women’s Clinic (RRWC) pursued a lawsuit arguing the state constitution protected a right to an abortion.“While the regulation of abortion is within the authority of the legislature under the North Dakota Constitution, RRWC has demonstrated likely success on the merits that there is a fundamental right to an abortion in the limited instances of life-saving and health-preserving circumstances, and the statute is not narrowly tailored to satisfy strict scrutiny,” Chief Justice Jon J. Jensen wrote in the ruling.The law — one of many abortion-restricting measures passed by state legislatures in anticipation of the high court’s decision — includes exceptions to save th...

FBI: Newspaper editor interfered with police at Capitol riot

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:53 GMT

A former top editor of an Orthodox Jewish newspaper in New York City was arrested Thursday on charges that he interfered with police officers who were trying to protect the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot.Elliot Resnick, 39, was chief editor of The Jewish Press when he joined the crowd of Donald Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit.Videos show Resnick grabbing and holding the arm of a Capitol police sergeant who was spraying a chemical irritant to prevent rioters from entering the building, the affidavit says. Another officer tried to remove Resnick’s hand from the sergeant’s arm, the agent wrote.The FBI arrested Resnick in New York City on charges including civil disorder and assault of or interference with law enforcement. Clay Kaminsky, an attorney representing Resnick in New York, declined to comment on the charges.The Jewish Press, based in Brooklyn, bills itself as the largest independent weekly Jewish newspa...

Macron shuns parliament to raise French retirement age

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:53 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron imposed a highly unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 on Thursday by shunning parliament and invoking a special constitutional power. Lawmakers were shouting, their voices shaking with emotion as Macron made the risky move, which is expected to trigger quick motions of no-confidence in his government. Riot police vans zoomed by outside the National Assembly, their sirens wailing. The proposed pension changes have prompted major strikes and protests across the country since January. Macron, who made it the flagship of his second term, argued the reform is needed to keep the pension system from diving into deficit as France’s population ages and life expectancy lengthens.The decision to invoke the special power was made during a Cabinet meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, just a few minutes before the scheduled vote, because Macron had no guarantee of a majority in France’s lower house of parliament.Then, as...

Kingston police release video of brutal unprovoked bus stop beating

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:53 GMT

Kingston police have released a video clip that shows part of a brutal, unprovoked group attack at a bus stop last week.Police say the victim was standing at the bus transfer station at 945 Gardiners Road in the city’s west end on Friday, March 10, at around 3:15 p.m. when he was attacked by half-a-dozen suspects.“The six suspects attacked the victim without provocation while the victim was standing at the bus transfer,” police said in a release.The brief video clip shows the victim in the corner of the bus stop shelter, surrounded by several suspects. One of them throws several punches to the victim’s head and body. Near the end of the clip, a second suspect joins the attack, throwing hard hammering blows to the cowering victim’s head.Police say a brave bystander interjected and confronted the attackers, prompting them to flee south on foot.Inc #23-9228Video footage of assault suspects at west end bus transfer station.Anyone with information in regards...

Tennessee eyes 18+ gun-carry age with court or Capitol deal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:53 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Two years after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee led the charge to allow residents 21 and older to carry handguns in public without a permit, younger adults could soon have the same privilege, with or without the governor’s signoff.A gun rights group sued after the law was passed in 2021, arguing that the age limit should be lower. Then late last year, the state’s top lawyer moved to negotiate a settlement rather than defend the law, citing last year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling expanding gun rights. In January, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti proposed a deal that would allow 18- to 20-year-olds to carry handguns publicly.A judge put the arrangement on hold for a 30-day period that ends Friday. What will happen then is unclear. Conflicting opinions on the settlement within the state are a reflection of a broader U.S. political divide over who should be allowed to have guns — a debate that rages on against a backdrop of continual headlines about dea...

Hungary pressures EU by delaying Finland, Sweden NATO vote

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:53 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden and Finland dropped their longstanding military neutrality and quickly signaled their intentions to join NATO, in a striking sign of how powerful Europe’s security fears had become in the shadow of Moscow’s war. But nearly a year after the Nordic countries officially applied to join the military alliance, their admission remains unresolved because two of the 30 NATO members — Turkey and Hungary — still haven’t approved their bids. Although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly raised specific objections to the countries — especially Sweden — joining NATO, Hungary’s populist prime minister, Viktor Orban, has long signaled that his country’s support for expansion and has repeatedly promised its parliament would soon vote to ratify. “We have already confirmed to both Finland and Sweden that Hungary supports” their NATO bids, Orban said at a meeting of Centr...