Paris— French farmers angry over increased taxes and European agriculture policies they say threaten their livelihoods were on the roads well before dawn Wednesday, blocking highways and access roads to Paris. The protests, now about two weeks old, brought traffic to a standstill in many places as tractors blocked lanes or entire sections of highways for miles, and 18 people …
Read More »
The New Mexico Department of Justice has decided not to press charges against three police officers involved in the shooting death of a Farmington man in April, after they responded to the wrong house during a domestic violence call. In a letter released Jan. 26, the New Mexico Department of Justice said it had made its decision following a review …
Read More »
The U.S. government has raised its travel alert level for Jamaica amid a spate of murders in the Caribbean nation, urging Americans to reconsider visiting the island “due to crime and [unreliable] medical services.” The State Department announced the change, to its Level 3 travel advisory, for Jamaica just a few days after it issued a warning about the Bahamas, …
Read More »
Larry David expressed some contrition over taking part in a high-profile 2022 Super Bowl commercial for the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, the founder of which was last year found guilty of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. “You know, I asked people, friends of mine who were well-versed in this stuff, ‘Should I do this ad? Is there anything wrong with this, …
Read More »
Finding the right assets to add to your investment portfolio can be difficult — and that’s true even for the most seasoned investors. For example, stocks may offer an opportunity to earn big returns on your money, but these investments can also be volatile, with a penchant for quick drops and increases in value. And, other assets, like treasuries and …
Read More »
Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war Wednesday, officials in both countries said, exactly a week after Moscow accused Ukraine of shooting down a military transport plane carrying dozens of captured Ukrainian soldiers. Moscow said the plane was brought down by Ukrainian missiles over far-Western Russia on its way to a prisoner swap, killing everyone on board. The …
Read More »
TALLAHASSEE— A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed Disney’s free speech lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, leaving the company’s remaining hopes of regaining control of the district that governs Walt Disney World to a separate state court challenge. U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in Tallahassee said in his decision that Disney lacked standing in its First Amendment lawsuit against the …
Read More »
Federal Reserve officials capped their first monetary policy meeting of 2024 by leaving the central bank’s benchmark interest rate unchanged,a decision that was widely expected on Wall Street. But policymakers signaled they want to see more progress made on battling inflation this year, heightening investor focus on exactly when the Fed might release the brakes on the U.S. economy for …
Read More »
Despite an unexpected uptick in inflation that occurred in late 2023, the Federal Reserve announced todaythat it would leave interest rates unchanged for now. This is the fourth consecutive rate hike pause by the Fed — keeping its benchmark rate range at a 23-year high of between 5.25% and 5.50%. “The committee does not expect it will be appropriate to …
Read More »
A man has been sentenced to 140 years in prison in California for brutally raping a 9-year-old girl and a 32-year-old jogger more than two decades ago, officials announced this week. Proescutors say Kevin Konther tried to accuse his identical twin brother of committing the crimes – along with the molestation of a former girlfriend’s daughter. Konther, 58, was sentenced …
Read More »