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Russia lifts rates to 12 percent to boost ruble

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

The Central Bank of Russia ratcheted up its key interest rates by a hefty 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent on Tuesday as it moved to bolster a crumbling ruble.The panicked response, during an emergency meeting of the bank, came after the ruble weakened beyond a critical psychological level of 100 to the dollar on Monday, hitting 102.25 and a 16-month low. The combination of a weak currency and a diminishing current account surplus, which measures the difference between what a country imports and exports, are now contributing to inflation in the Russian economy. The deterioration is the result of both weaker commodity prices and Russian commodity exports being curtailed by sanctions. This comes despite Russian crude, known as Urals grade, trading above the internationally agreed price cap of $60 since mid July.The worsening inflation outlook is, however, likely to be met with swift and assertive action from the CBR. The central bank’s governor, ...

UK police forces accidentally shared victims’ details in data breach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

LONDON — The details of hundreds of crime victims, suspects and witnesses were accidentally shared by two police forces in their responses to freedom of information (FOI) requests.Norfolk and Suffolk police said on Tuesday a “technical issue” meant the raw data, which could be used to identify individuals and included descriptions of offenses, was included in files provided in response to requests for crime statistics between April 2021 and March 2022.The information related to domestic abuse, sexual offenses, assaults, thefts and hate crime.The data was hidden from anyone who opened the files, but the forces are now contacting the 1,230 people whose data was breached, they said. The U.K. data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), has also been notified.The ICO confirmed it is investigating the breach, as well as a separate incident in November 2022, but said it is not yet able to determine the impact.The disclosure comes a week after the Police Service of Nor...

A charity says it will help search for mementos that survived Maui fires. Follow live updates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER (Associated Press)Follow live updates about wildfires that have devastated parts of Maui in Hawaii, killing dozens of people and destroying the historic town of Lahaina. The wildfires are the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. The cause was under investigation. Even where the fires have retreated, authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain, including in drinking water, after the flames spewed poisonous fumes.Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian humanitarian aid organization, airlifted 17 tons (15.4 metric tonnes) of emergency relief equipment, tools, and some volunteers Tuesday to help after the deadly wildfires on Maui.Volunteers with the North Carolina-based ministry plan to help search for mementos and other items that might have survived the fires, the group said in a news release.Its disaster-response specialists have been in Hawaii since Thursday, conducting assessments and coordinating with local authorities and church partn...

Bedzone bash! Patriots, Bob’s Furniture pitch in for families

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

Retail sales rose solidly last month in a sign that consumers are still spending freely

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans increased their purchases at retailers last month – for clothing, dining out, online goods and other areas – in a sign that solid consumer spending is still powering a resilient U.S. economy.Retail sales rose a better-than-expected 0.7% in July from June, according to the Commerce Department’s report Tuesday. The gain followed a revised 0.3% gain the previous month, the government said.Analysts noted that spending on Amazon Prime Day, the online juggernaut’s big two-day sales event that took place earlier last month, also helped boost online sales.Excluding autos and gas, sales rose a solid 1%. A closely watched category of retail sales that excludes auto dealers, gas stations and building materials and feeds into the gross domestic product jumped 1% last month compared to the prior month, the biggest move in six months, analysts said.“Maybe it’s a one-off, but Americans put aside their penny-pinching ways and spent big on food and fun in July,&...

Widespread blackout leaves parts of Brazil without electricity

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A blackout left large parts of Brazil’s north and northeast regions without any electricity Tuesday, and power disruptions were detected in the rest of the country, the National System Operator said.At least 19 of Brazil’s states were affected, according to a tally by online news site G1.The outage affected public transportation. Passengers had to evacuate subway lines in major cities, including Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Salvador. Traffic lights were out in other cities. The blackout happened at 8:31 a.m. local time, government authorities said. Power was restored in some parts of the country by 10:00 a.m., the National System Operator said in a statement, but many areas remained without electricity.The cause of the blackout was under investigation.The Associated Press

Spice up your after-school snacks with uncommon ingredients

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

Afterschool snacks can cater to more than just the kids. A few simple, sophisticated tweaks to classic treats — popcorn and peanut butter cookies — creates snacks everyone will enjoy.Peanut butter cookies are tasty, but can be one-dimensional and too sweet. Looking for a bit of balance, we were inspired by the wildly popular peanut butter cookies from Falco Bakery in Melbourne, Australia. Their surprise ingredient is brown rice miso, which combats the sweetness of a normal peanut butter cookie and heightens the nuttiness.Our adaptation substitutes white miso, which is easier to find and adds interesting depth to make the cookies taste full and complex. A sprinkle of turbinado or raw sugar adds a little crunch to the chewy texture for a savory but balanced treat.Because sodium content varies greatly among brands of miso, look for one with about 300 milligrams per 12 grams of miso (check the nutrition facts on the label). And don’t use natural peanut butter. Differences in fat and sug...

Stock market today: Wall Street falls with markets worldwide after weak economic data from China

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks worldwide are falling as China’s faltering recovery raises worries for the rest of the global economy. The S&P 500 was 0.4% lower at the open of Tuesday’s trading after data showed a deepening slump for the world’s second-largest economy. The Dow was down 133 points, and the Nasdaq was 0.3% lower. A separate report on the U.S. economy was more encouraging, showing sales at retailers accelerated by more last month than expected. That raises hopes the U.S. economy can avoid a recession, but it also raises the threat that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates high for longer to snuff out inflation.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street is sliding before Tuesday’s opening bell following yet more troublesome economic signals from China.Futures for the benchmark S&P 500 index and for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were each down 0.6% before the bell Tuesday.China’s economic slump deepened in July and...

July home sales little changed from June, see largest annual rise in two years: CREA

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

OTTAWA — The Canadian Real Estate Association says July’s home sales were little changed from June but saw the largest year-over-year increase in more than two years.The association says seasonally-adjusted sales amounted to 40,028, a 0.7 per cent drop from June.On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, sales edged up 8.7 per cent from the prior July to 41,186.The average home price was $668,754, up 6.3 per cent from a year earlier.On a seasonally-adjusted basis, the average was $690,867, a two per cent slide from June.New listings ticked down 0.2 per cent from last year to 73,215 and rose 5.6 per cent on a seasonally-adjusted basis to 67,636.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2023.The Canadian Press

Opera Philadelphia head to retire, and postpone 2023-24 production to save money

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:23 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — David Devan will retire next spring as head of Opera Philadelphia following 13 years as general director and has postponed one of this season’s productions to balance the company’s budget.In addition, music director Corrado Rovaris was given a three-year contract extension through 2026-27.Opera Philadelphia made the announcements Tuesday ahead of its 2023-24 opening night on Sept. 21, the pandemic-delayed world premiere of Rene Orth’s “10 Days in a Madhouse.”Devan, who turned 60 in January, has been with the company since 2006 and headed it since 2011. His contract expires May 31 and he felt “the need to allow new leadership to come up with the answers.”“A bunch of 60-, 70-year-olds figuring out the future is probably not the most robust way of doing it as a leader,” he said in a telephone interview.“The Anonymous Lover,” a 1780 work by Joseph Bologne who is believed to be the first Black classical composer, was postponed to 2024-25, resulting in $750,000 in sa...