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UK wages are rising at a record pace. That makes higher interest rates more likely

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Wages in the U.K. are rising at a record high rate amid stubbornly high inflation, official figures showed Tuesday, bolstering expectations that interest rates will increase again — to the worry of homeowners who are seeing their mortgage payments spike to levels not seen since the global financial crisis 15 years ago.The Office for National Statistics said wages, excluding bonuses, rose by 7.3% in the three months to May, matching the highest rate since records began in 2001. The private sector was the main driver behind the increase.For months, workers have been seeking pay that keeps pace with high inflation, which is running at 8.7% despite declines in energy prices and a series of interest rate hikes from the Bank of England.The central bank has been raising rates since late 2021 to get a grip on rising prices, which were first stoked by supply chain problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic and then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which sent energy and food price...

Best early Prime Day deals for $100 or less

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. DetailsCATCH THESE EARLY PRIME DAY BARGAINS BEFORE THEY DISAPPEAR If you are like many Amazon shoppers, you are eagerly counting down the days until Prime Day 2023 arrives. This year, the epic sales extravaganza will take place on July 11 and 12, but many deals are already live. From inexpensive personal care items to state-of-the-art tech, literally anything can be available at marked-down prices before and during Prime Day. However, many top-selling small appliances, home items, unique gadgets, essential beauty products and more fall into the $100 or less price range when they are on sale for the big event. Now is the perfect time to save on popular items at deeply discounted prices. To help you get started, we’ve rounded up the best early deals of 2023 that are available now and cost less than $100, including a favorite of the BestReviews Testing Lab.Shop this a...

48-year-old Ohio man charged with battery; escorted off United Airlines flight at FLL airport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

An Ohio man was charged with battery and was escorted off a flight at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport.Shawn Levan, 48, was accused of being a problem passenger on a United Airlines flight to South Florida. 7 News spoke with another passenger, Claudia Mondelo who was on the same flight, Saturday. Claudia Mondelo captured the video of the man, who was escorted off of the flight before deputies took him to the Broward County jail.Mondelo said Levan had been a less-than-ideal passenger.“He didn’t want to go back to his seat, he didn’t want to put on his seatbelt, he just wanted to cause a scene,” said Mondelo. Mondelo said the drama began at the counter in Washington DC, where she was waiting for her Fort Lauderdale flight.“He was screaming at the ticket counter lady, pretty much everyone heard him because he was extremely loud, so I was surprised when I saw him on the flight,” she said. Mondelo said during the commotion on the flight,...

Parkland victim’s family launches ‘Guac’s Magical Tour’ to combat gun violence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

The family of Joaquin Oliver, who lost his life in the Parkland school shooting, is hitting the road to demand action on gun violence. In honor of their son’s memory and with a determination to effect change, Manuel and Patricia Oliver have embarked on a nationwide tour called “Guac’s Magical Tour.” The gunman responsible for Joaquin’s death and the deaths of 16 others now faces a lifetime behind bars. However, after the Parkland massacre, there continues to be numerous shootings nationwide.Manuel Oliver, Joaquin’s father, reflects on the devastating aftermath of the Parkland tragedy and subsequent shootings, highlighting the lack of political action to address the pervasive issue of gun violence.“After Parkland, we learned our lesson, and then Santa Fe came, and they learned a lesson, and then many other shootings happened, and a lot of people who are not here learned a lesson, but the political inaction was still there,” said Manuel ...

Murder suspect who escaped from California medical center recaptured

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

(CNN) — A murder suspect who escaped police custody in the Sacramento area over the weekend has been found and taken into custody, according to the Placer County Sheriff, who shared the update via social media.Eric J. Abril, who escaped Sutter Roseville Medical Center in Placer County early Sunday morning, was discovered after a homeowner walking his dog alerted deputies when he noticed his dog barked at some movements in a nearby brush area, Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said Monday.“When he was taken into custody, he was clothed in only his jail boxers and he still had the belly chains around his waist, although his hands were no longer affixed in the handcuffs,” Woo said. Abril also had numerous abrasions on his body, Woo added.California authorities had launched a manhunt after the 35-year-old escaped early Sunday morning.Abril was facing numerous charges, including “murder, kidnapping causing bodily harm, and attempted murder of a police officer,” related to a shooting in Apr...

Germany on track to bin 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

Germany has thrown out 83 million doses of coronavirus vaccines at a rough cost of €1.6 billion and has 120 million more doses sitting unused in stock, even as it is set to receive more jabs at a time when vaccination has flatlined.According to data provided by the country’s health ministry, Germany scrapped 54 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of 2022 and another 29 million in the first quarter of 2023. However, the real tally is likely to be higher. The ministry didn’t provide waste figures for the second quarter of this year and also stressed that federal states and health care providers aren’t required to report vaccine waste. “Accordingly, a total volume of total disposed COVID-19 vaccine doses acquired by the Federal Republic of Germany cannot be quantified,” it said in an email to POLITICO. Meanwhile, another 120 million doses are still in stock as the number of people getting vaccines has plummeted. The EU’s disease control a...

Ex-UConn football player Dennis Hernandez ordered re-arrested on brick-throwing charges at ESPN

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

A judge has ordered the re-arrest of former UConn football player Dennis Hernandez after he failed to appear in court last week on charges related to throwing a brick at the ESPN campus in Bristol, Connecticut.The 37-year-old, who was known as DJ Hernandez when he played quarterback and wide receiver at UConn in the mid-2000s, was originally arrested in March. Police said he went to ESPN in a car, possibly an Uber, and threw a bag containing a brick and a note over a fence and onto the property before leaving.The note said: “To all media outlets, It’s about time you all realeyes the affect media has on all family members. Since you’re a world wide leader maybe you could lead how media and messages are delivered brick by brick. Clean it up! Yours truly, Dennis J. Hernandez,” according to police.Hernandez, the older brother of the late New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez, was scheduled to enter a plea on July 7 to a misdemeanor charge of breach of peace. He did not s...

First hearing on classified documents will be July 18 after special counsel accuses Trump co-defendant of seeking ‘unnecessary’ delay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

(CNN) — The first hearing before US District Judge Aileen Cannon in the federal criminal case against Donald Trump will be on July 18, according to a court order.The hearing will be about handling classified information in the case – the first of likely many proceedings on this topic – and may not be fully conducted in public because of the sensitivity around the issues.The date was set after a fight on Monday where special counsel Jack Smith suggested Trump and co-defendant Walt Nauta were trying to create an “unnecessary” delay by moving it from this coming Friday.The spat highlights how even the most incremental, procedural developments in the historic federal criminal case against Trump and Nauta could become mired in disputes – especially when it comes to scheduling as prosecutors want to go to trial in less than six months and Trump lawyers have been adept at delaying other legal fights he’s facing.In Nauta’s filing requesting the delay, the Trump aide. Nauta cited a...

Former federal prison guard sent to prison for violating civil rights of injured inmate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A former guard at a federal prison in Massachusetts who prosecutors say caused serious head injuries to a handcuffed inmate with severe mental health disorders has been sentenced to a year in prison.Seth Bourget, 42, of Woodstock, Connecticut, was also sentenced in federal court in Boston on Monday to two years of probation, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office. He was convicted by a jury in December of deprivation of civil rights under color of law.“Corrections officers are placed in a position of public trust and the overwhelming majority of correctional officers do their jobs with professionalism, respect and dedication to protect and serve,” acting Boston U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said. “In this case, a jury unanimously found that Mr. Bourget abused his position of authority when he violently struck a mentally ill and defenseless inmate.”The inmate at the Federal Medical Center in Devens had been acting out in June 2019 and had been spraye...

Court sides with Amish families in case that pits septic tank rules against religious beliefs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:25 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Members of a deeply conservative Amish community in Minnesota don’t need to install septic systems to dispose of their “gray water,” the state Court of Appeals ruled Monday in a long-running religious freedom case that went all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.A three-judge panel ruled that the government “failed to demonstrate a compelling state interest” to justify overriding the religious freedom of the Amish families that challenged state regulations governing the disposal of gray water, which is water that’s been used for dishwashing, laundry, and bathing, but not toilet waste.The Swartzentruber Amish in southeastern Minnesota are among the most traditional Amish groups in the country, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch noted in a 2021 ruling. It sent the case back to Minnesota courts for reconsideration in light of a high court decision a month earlier in a different religious freedom case. That ruling went in favor of a Philadelphia-bas...