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ECB leaves rates unchanged, winds down crisis program early

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:21 GMT

FRANKFURT — The European Central Bank left its key discount rate unchanged at a record high of 4 percent on Thursday and signaled it has no plans to cut interest rates any time soon.  The decision had been widely expected, as inflation has started to slow and economic growth has gone into reverse as a result of previous rate increases, which are now squeezing corporate and household borrowers hard.The bank now expects a sustainable return to the 2 percent inflation target from 2025 onwards, implying that it won’t need to add to what has been its most aggressive policy tightening in 25 years.However, it warned against reading too much into a sharp drop in headline inflation in recent months, saying: “Underlying inflation has eased further. But domestic price pressures remain elevated, primarily owing to strong growth in unit labor costs.”And at her press conference, ECB President Christine Lagarde stressed that the ECB was not about to ‘pivot’. “We did not di...

Pedestrian injured in multi-vehicle crash involving school bus in front of Hyde Park school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:21 GMT

School officials say a multi-vehicle crash by the Henry Grew School in Hyde Park left a pedestrian injured and multiple cars damaged, including a school bus.According to Boston police, only the driver was onboard the school bus when it allegedly struck multiple vehicles as well as a pedestrian by 40 Gordon Ave around 8:15 a.m.Two people were taken to a hospital as a result, with police stating both suffered non-life-threatening injuries.Images shared with 7NEWS showed at least four vehicles were damaged in the crash, including an SUV that was left partially in the air as it sat between an adjacent property and a heavily damaged sedan.A series of cars also had visible damage to their front- and rear-ends. Damage to the school bus was not readily visible.In a letter to parents, School Principal Christina Michel stated that a Boston Public Schools crisis team was brought on-site to support students and staff who might have witnessed the accident.“We understand that this incident ...

Boston police arrest alleged package thief accused of stealing items in Brighton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:21 GMT

A 31-year-old man from Dedham is facing multiple charges after police say he allegedly stole multiple packages from an address in Brighton.The Boston Police Department said Jeremie Rowell was arrested Wednesday afternoon, following an investigation into a breaking and entering case on Commonwealth Avenue.The department said officers initially responded to the area of 1152 Commonwealth Ave after a person reportedly tried to enter a building there. After receiving a description of the suspect, Boston PD said police were able to make an arrest after spotting the individual leaving the area.“Officers ordered the suspect to stop, which he refused, and attempted to flee,” Boston PD stated in a news release. “A lengthy foot pursuit ensued and officers were able to place the suspect into handcuffs.”Police added that it appeared Rowell was also likely involved in package thefts that occurred the day before in the same area.The 31-year-old was later charged with attemp...

Trump’s first criminal trial is scheduled to begin in March but legal appeals threaten that date

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:21 GMT

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case in Washington once appeared likely to be the first of the former president’s criminal trials to begin, with the judge having scheduled a March 4 start date. But appeals of issues central to the case are threatening to change that.U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Wednesday put the case on hold while Trump pursues his claim in higher courts that he is immune from prosecution. Chutkan raised the possibility of keeping the March date if the case promptly returns to her court, but it is possible the appeal could tie up the case for months. Potentially further complicating prosecutors’ effort to go to trial swiftly is the Supreme Court’s review of an obstruction charge used against Trump and hundreds of his supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump’s lawyers have made clear that their legal strategy involves push...

Bull on tracks at New Jersey’s Newark station delays train traffic outside New York

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:21 GMT

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A loose bull on the tracks at a New Jersey train station snarled rail traffic on Thursday. New Jersey Transit posted on X, formerly Twitter, a photo of the horned bovine apparently standing on the tracks at Newark Penn Station.It’s unclear how the creature got there or if it’s yet been captured. Newark police said there were no injuries reported.The transit agency wrote that service is delayed up to 45 minutes between Newark and Penn Station New York because of “police activity,” and posted a photo of the animal. The Associated Press

New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh, wife Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu welcome second baby girl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:21 GMT

TORONTO — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and his wife, Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu, are the proud parents of their second baby girl. Party officials say the baby is healthy and doing well, as is her mother. The baby was born Monday, the same day the Liberal government announced plans for a national dental-care program championed by the NDP. Singh’s party has agreed to support the minority Liberals on key votes in Parliament in exchange for government actions on NDP priorities.To date, those priorities have also included one-time rental supplements for low-income tenants and a temporary doubling of the GST rebate. The confidence-and-supply agreement took shape after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called to congratulate Singh on the birth of the couple’s first child last January. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2023. The Canadian Press

Mexico’s search for people falsely listed as missing finds some alive, rampant poor record-keeping

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:21 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government announced Thursday that its controversial effort to look for people falsely listed as missing has turned up 16,681 individuals who had returned to their homes but not notified the authorities. The nationwide effort was widely viewed as an attempt by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to pare down the country’s politically embarrassing total of 113,000 ‘disappeared’ people, a number that has skyrocketed under his administration.Instead of looking for the clandestine graves and crematoriums that dot the country, the government sent about 5,000 police and other officials to perform more than 111,000 visits to homes to look for people who might have shown up on tax roles, hospital or bank records. Another 17,843 people who appeared to have used a credit card, gotten a vaccine or applied for government benefits while listed as disappeared could not be located. The government set up a hotline urging people to call in information on them, in wh...

US Rep. Drew Ferguson, a Georgia Republican, says he won’t seek reelection in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:21 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Republican Rep. Drew Ferguson said Thursday he won’t seek reelection to his Georgia seat in 2024.“Julie and I look forward to spending more time with our children and grandchildren while continuing to work to keep Georgia the best state in America to live and do business,” Ferguson said in a statement.He said he plans to serve the remainder of his fourth term representing western Georgia’s 3rd District, which expires at the end of next year.The announcement comes two months after Ferguson said his family had received death threats amid the inner turmoil Republicans faced in electing a new House speaker following the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California.The threats came after Ferguson publicly withdrew his support for GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, a favorite of hard-right conservatives. Ferguson said he refused to support “a bully” for speaker and that the threats were “unacceptable, unforgivable, and will never be tolerated.”A former mayor of W...

Black people in Toronto disproportionately stopped and searched by police: Human rights commission

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:21 GMT

A new report by the Ontario Human Rights Commission has found Black people in Toronto are disproportionately stopped and searched by police despite the Ontario government’s efforts to regulate so-called “street checks.”The commission’s final report on anti-Black racism within the Toronto Police Service, released today, says that while official street checks appear to have been effectively eliminated, Black people still report being stopped and searched at a much higher rate than people from other racial groups.It points to, among other things, a survey conducted in 2019 — two years after the provincial regulation banning official street checks took effect — that found 40.4 per cent of Black respondents reported being stopped by police at least once in the previous two years, compared with 24.7 per cent of white respondents and 24.9 per cent of Asian respondents.The report says part of the problem is the existence of “significant gaps” ...

Fergus should stay as Speaker, pay a fine for controversial video: committee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:21 GMT

OTTAWA — A House of Commons committee says Greg Fergus should stay in his job as Speaker, but he should apologize again and reimburse Parliament for using its resources to make a video that was shown at a partisan event. In a report released this morning, the procedure and House affairs committee also says there should be clear guidelines for future Speakers about the impartiality of their role.The Conservatives and Bloc Québécois have called for Fergus to resign over a video in tribute to the outgoing interim leader of the Ontario Liberals, and renewed those calls today.Fergus shot the video in his office while wearing his ceremonial robes, and it was played at the provincial party’s recent leadership convention, though the Speaker says he didn’t know it would be used that way. The committee’s report does not say how much Fergus should pay to reimburse Parliament. All members of Parliament are expected to vote on the report later today. This report by The Canadian...