Over the last few years, the interest rate environment has shifted dramatically, making borrowing money much more expensive across the board. After keeping rates at rock-bottom levels during the pandemic to stimulate the economy, the Federal Reserve aggressively raised its benchmark federal funds rate over the last couple of years in an effort to rein in persistently high inflation. And, …

Gold’s price has made a spectacular run for the top over the past several months against a backdrop of high demand led by unwavering inflation. According to American Hartford Gold, the commodity was trading at $1,821.35 per ounce on October 5, 2023. Fast forward just over six months later and today, gold’s price is $2,327.05 per ounce – over 27% …

A man imprisoned since last year has been indicted on murder and other charges in the 2012 slaying of a retired farmer found shot to death in his western Indiana home, police said Wednesday. A Sullivan County grand jury indicted William Ray Grimes on charges of murder, burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary in the December 2012 slaying of Lowell …

London — “And so, I watch as you walk into some bar called The Black Dog and pierce new holes in my heart.” As Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” album continues breaking records, that ambiguous reference in the song “The Black Dog” has elevated a small London pub of the same name to new heights. The moody lyrics from …

Paris— A famous landmark in the French capital looked very different Thursday morning. The sails of the iconic Moulin Rouge fell to the ground overnight – leaving the red windmill looking unusually bare. The entertainment venue’s owners said it was unclear how the sails fell — taking the first three letters of the Moulin Rouge sign with them – but …

Italy’s Culture Ministry has banned loans of works to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, following a dispute with the U.S. museum over an ancient marble statue believed to have been looted from Italy almost a half-century ago. The dispute began in March 2022 when an Italian court ruled that the Minneapolis museum was irregularly in possession of the Stabiae Doriforo, …

Finding a place to live in New York City isn’t always easy, but for those who can afford it, the city is filled with hidden and iconic gems — including one that’s about as “New York, New York” as they come. Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow’s former home, a 19th century townhouse on the Upper East Side, is now up …

The pace of babies born each year in the U.S. has slowed to a new record low, according to an analysis of 2023 birth certificate data published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year’s slowdown marks an official end to the uptick in new babies that began during the COVID-19pandemic. At least 3,591,328 babies were born …

Washington — Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a rule issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency. New limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric plants are the Biden administration’s most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution from the power sector, the nation’s second-largest contributor to climate change. …

The Federal Trade Commission is sending more than $5.6 million in refunds to people who purchased Amazon’s Ring camera during a time when the devices were potentially being used to violate their privacy. Payments are coming to 117,044 consumers who had certain types of Ring devices, the result of a settlement of allegations Amazon let employees and contractors access people’s …