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Snow will taper off and end this morning but skies will remain cloudy this afternoon. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%..
Overcast. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low around 25F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: December 16, 2022 @ 8:31 am
How Fed’s series of rate hikes could affect your finances
NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s move to raise its key rate by a half-point brought it to its highest range in 14 years. The Fed’s increase — its seventh rate hike this year — will make it even costlier for consumers and businesses to borrow for homes, autos and other purchases. If, on the other hand, you have money to save, you’ll earn a bit more interest on it. As rates increase, many economists say they fear a recession remains inevitable — and with it, job losses that could cause hardship for households already badly hurt by inflation. Here’s what to know.
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Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Rapa Nui, the Chilean territory widely known as Easter Island, is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth. Its tourist-based economy — and the core of its Indigenous culture — revolve around the Pacific Island’s nearly 1,000 moai. Those are massive, human-like statues carved many centuries ago. So it was a profound blow when scores of the moai were damaged in a recent fire. Many of them were blackened by soot, though the extent of damage to the stone remains undetermined. Each moai represents an ancestor of the Rapanui community. Said one elder, recalling his reaction to the fire, “It was like my grandparents were burned.”
The European Union says its latest round of sanctions will hit Russia’s military-industrial complex, as well as people and groups that are attacking Ukrainian civilians or kidnapping children. Valdis Dombrovskis, a European Commission vice-president, said Friday the package will deal a blow to 168 “entities” — companies or state organizations — as well as some two dozen individuals. The ninth package of EU punitive measures against Russia for its war in Ukraine was approved by EU leaders at a summit Thursday. It was formally adopted Friday by written procedure.
The International Energy Agency says coal use across the world is set to reach a new record this year amid persistently high demand for the heavily polluting fossil fuel. The Paris-based agency said in a report published Friday that while coal use grew by only 1.2% in 2022, the increase pushed it to an all-time high of more than 8 billion metric tons, beating the previous record set in 2013. The report notes that “robust demand” in emerging Asian economies would offset declining use in mature markets. Experts say the use of coal and other fossil fuels needs to be drastically cut to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) this century.
Dutch colonizers kidnapped men, women and children and enslaved them on plantations growing sugar, coffee and other goods that built wealth at the price of misery. On Monday, the Netherlands is expected to become one of the few nations to apologize for its role in slavery. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte plans to speak in the Netherlands as members of his Cabinet give speeches in seven former Caribbean colonies, including Suriname. Symbolism around crimes against humanity is controversial everywhere and debates over Monday’s ceremonies are roiling Suriname and other Caribbean countries.
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Facebook parent Meta is sparring with the FTC over its pending acquisition of a virtual reality fitness company Within Unlimited in federal court in San Jose, California, where CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify as a witness. At issue is whether Meta’s purchase of this small company that makes a VR fitness app called Supernatural will hurt competition in this emerging space. If the deal is allowed to go through, the FTC argues it would violate antitrust laws and dampen innovation, hurting people who could see higher prices and fewer options outside of Meta-controlled offerings.
Twitter suspended the accounts of several journalists who cover the social media platform, the latest battle over what can and cannot be said on the site since billionaire Elon Musk took control of it. Accounts of reporters with The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Voice of America and other publications, went dark Thursday. The company hasn’t explained why it took down the accounts and made their profiles and past tweets disappear. The sudden suspension of news reporters followed Musk’s decision Wednesday to permanently ban an account that automatically tracked the flights of his private jet using publicly available data.
The third-place playoff at the World Cup is little more than a meaningless exhibition match to some. But for others it’s a chance to become “immortal.” Morocco coach Walid Regragui says “you are so disappointed, you’ve just lost a semifinal and then two days later you have to go back out there.” Morocco became the first team from Africa to reach the World Cup semifinals but then lost to France. The Moroccans will face 2018 World Cup runner-up Croatia for third place on Saturday at Khalifa International Stadium. Croatia forward Andrej Kramarić described the match as the chance to “become an immortal hero in your country.”
The head of the proposed Super League says the project is still going forward even though the scheme to form a breakaway European soccer competition was dealt a legal blow by the European Union’s legal adviser. Bernd Reichart, the chief executive of the company sponsoring and assisting the creation of the Super League, says “the Super League is not dead in the very least, it is alive and kicking.” That comes a day after the advocate general proposed that the European Court of Justice should recognize that FIFA and UEFA’s regulations aimed at blocking the breakaway competition were compatible with European Union competition law.
Spain midfielder and World Cup winner Sergio Busquets is retiring from international soccer. Spain’s national team announced that Busquets is retiring after 143 appearances. The 34-year-old Busquets captained Spain at the World Cup in Qatar. He was one of three Spain players to miss a penalty in a surprising shootout loss against Morocco in the round of 16. The Barcelona defensive midfielder was the only remaining member of Spain’s world champion team from South Africa who was still playing for his country.
2 cities pursued more school for kids. Only 1 pulled it off.
Qatar’s World Cup is ending on Sunday, but the climate pledges that were central to the gas-rich Gulf nation’s successful bid to host the event are staying in the world of mega sporting events. Scientists, environmental advocates and other experts say that sporting events such as the World Cup and the Olympics have grown to such a scale that efforts to make them more sustainable need to go far beyond Qatar’s efforts. The main problems are the buildout of stadiums and roads, and air travel for fans. One group, the International Olympic Committee, is considering shifting the Winter Olympics to a fixed pool of qualified host countries that already have the infrastructure.
Excitement for Sunday’s World Cup final in Argentina is rising fast and anxiety is running particularly high in Messi’s hometown as many are hoping he will finally win the one major trophy missing from his illustrious career. The neighborhood in Rosario popularly known as La Bajada has turned into a sort of altar for Messi with murals and graffiti that praise him. Graffiti reads “From another galaxy and from my neighborhood.” Fans from all over the world come to visit Messi’s old house and the small soccer field in the corner where he learned the skills that would eventually turn him into an all-time great.
Pakistan’s foreign minister is seeking the United Nations’ help securing long-term aid for survivors of deadly, record-breaking floods before recovery funds run out next month. That threshold could come as soon as Jan. 15, according to Chris Kaye, the country director for the World Food Program. Pakistan’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Friday that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had pledged ongoing help for the flood-ravaged country. He said he also thanked the U.N. chief for agreeing to co-host an international conference on “climate resilient Pakistan” in Geneva next month.
Facing massive pandemic learning loss, the superintendent in Richmond, Virginia, tried to remake one of the most untouchable aspects of school – the academic calendar. His goal was to give kids more time with teachers. It’s the kind of drastic intervention some experts say is needed to help students recover after two-and-a-half years of interrupted schooling. While school board members in Richmond said it would be too expensive and disruptive, a district 20 miles away, in Hopewell, became the first in Virginia to adopt full-year schooling systemwide. Richmond’s superintendent met opposition from teachers and parents, particularly among more affluent families.
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A U.S.-French satellite that will map almost all of the world’s surface water has rocketed into orbit. The predawn launch Friday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California capped a highly successful year for NASA. The satellite will conduct the first global survey of its kind. Besides oceans and seas, it will measure the height and flow of water in millions of lakes and more than 1 million miles of rivers. Scientists say the measurements are needed more than ever as climate change worsens droughts, flooding and coastal erosion.
LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 16, 2022 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Olea Kiosks®, Inc., the premier provider of innovative self-service kiosk solutions, is proud to welcome industry veteran Michael Tulloch to its team as Director of Solution Sales.
Available at the Winery for Last Minute Luxury Holiday Shopping – New Holiday Cocktail will add panache to festive gatherings
The Italian ski team says two-time Olympic medalist Sofia Goggia broke two fingers in her left hand when she hit a gate en route to a second-place finish in a World Cup downhill. The often-injured Goggia broke her index and middle fingers during the race in St. Moritz and was being transported to Milan for immediate surgery with the aim of getting her back to the Swiss resort by evening to race in another downhill scheduled for the Corviglia course on Saturday. Goggia’s teammate Elena Curtoni won Friday’s race.
Greek authorities say four Turkish nationals have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling migrants after a boat with nearly 100 people on board was found in trouble off an island near Athens. The coast guard says the four were among 97 people on board the boat found Thursday northeast of the island of Kea, which lies off the southeastern coast of the Greek capital. The passengers, who were transported to the Greek mainland by a coast guard vessel, were from Egypt, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Israel and Iraq, the coast guard said. The boat had set sail from Izmir in Turkey and had been bound for Italy, with the migrants paying smugglers 8,000 euros each for the trip.
The World Cup final between Argentina and France is rich in storylines as the 22nd edition of the tournament ends with a match fit for the occasion. Lionel Messi is looking to win the game’s biggest prize for the first time in likely his last World Cup appearance. Some think he needs a World Cup title to join Pelé and Diego Maradona in the pantheon of the game’s greatest ever players. Kylian Mbappé is trying to emulate Pelé by winning his first two World Cups and Didier Deschamps is attempting to became a two-time champion as a coach. Four players are in contention for the Golden Boot as top scorer.
Pope Francis has decided to give back to Greece the three fragments of Parthenon marbles that the Vatican Museums have held for centuries. The Vatican on Friday termed the gesture a “donation” from the pope to His Beatitude Ieronymos II, the Orthodox Christian archbishop of Athens and all Greece. The Vatican said it was “a concrete sign of his sincere desire to follow in the ecumenical path of truth.” The Vatican thus becomes the latest Western state to return to Greece its fragments of the Parthenon marbles, leaving the British Museum among the holdouts.
China’s Cabinet is ordering rural areas to prepare for the return of migrant workers for the holiday season in hopes of preventing a major surge in COVID-19 cases in communities with limited medical resources. Orders issued Friday said returnees must wear masks and avoid contact with elderly people. The guidelines said village committees must monitor their movements, but didn’t mention the possibility of isolation or quarantines. China last week dramatically eased some of the world’s strictest COVID-19 containment measures and now says it has shifted focus from prevention and control to treatment. The moves have sparked fears of a major surge in cases in the world’s most populous nation, particularly around the Lunar New Year travel rush.
Over 15,000 demonstrators have braved the bitter cold in Brussels to call for more measures to shield them from high energy prices and better pay to counter runaway inflation. Because of the protest backed by the three main unions, public services were affected throughout Belgium, especially rail and subway systems in and around the capital and Brussels international airport. With people increasingly under pressure from high prices, the unions demanded pay increases at a time when companies such as energy giants are making massive profits. They seek a freeze in energy prices and increased taxation on capital.
Kyiv authorities say Ukrainian air defenses shot down nearly all missiles in one of Russia’s biggest attacks on capital.
A men’s World Cup super-G slated for Friday in Val Gardena has been canceled due to a mixture of fog, rain and warm temperatures. The start of the race was initially postponed while workers cleared 8 inches (20 centimeters) of overnight snowfall off the Saslong course. But then the race was called off when the fog moved in. It wasn’t immediately clear if the race will be made up later this season at another resort. Vincent Kriechmayr won a shortened downhill on the Saslong on Thursday in a race that had been postponed from Beaver Creek, Colorado. The regularly scheduled downhill on the Saslong is set for Saturday.
US safety regulators are investigating reports that autonomous robotaxis run by General Motors’ Cruise LLC can stop too quickly or unexpectedly come to a halt, potentially stranding passengers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it opened the probe after getting three reports of Cruise autonomous vehicles braking so hard that they were rear-ended by other vehicles. At the time, robotaxis were staffed by human safety drivers. The agency also says it has multiple reports of Cruise robotaxis without human safety drivers becoming immobilized in San Francisco traffic, possibly stranding passengers and blocking lanes. It has no reports of injuries in the crashes.
Morocco has been rewarded by FIFA with hosting rights for the next Club World Cup in February. European champion Real Madrid, South American champion Flamengo and Seattle Sounders from the United States will play in the seven-team tournament. The decision by FIFA’s ruling council follows Morocco’s inspiring run to the World Cup semifinals in Qatar. FIFA also commits to launching a 32-team version of the Club World Cup in 2025.
Before she became one of the biggest-selling female solo artists of the 20th century, Dionne Warwick was a teenaged piano major who earned tuition money as a background singer on records by The Drifters, Dinah Washington, Brook Benton, Solomon Burke and other vocal greats.
Eleven years after the “Shrek 2” spinoff “Puss in Boots,” the sassy Spanish feline voiced by Antonio Banderas has returned for another fairy-tale-busting adventure, directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, and written by Paul Fischer (with a story by Tommy Swerdlow and Tom Wheeler). Cra…
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Otis Williams, the last of the original Temptations, says each time he sees “Ain’t Too Proud,” the Broadway musical based on the lives of the legendary Motown vocal group, it feels as amazing as the first.
I have a Christmas confession.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Actress Mallori Johnson first encountered the work of writer Octavia Butler when she read “Fledgling,” a novel about a young Black vampire. It was the summer before she left home for the Julliard School in New York City.
Three generations of audiences have come of age to Idina Menzel’s voice. She originated the role of Maureen in “Rent,” Elphaba in “Wicked” — both Broadway musicals — and Elsa in the animated film “Frozen.” Her other film roles include everything from “Uncut Gems” to “Enchanted” and its seque…
Micah Parsons took a lot of heat this week for expressing an opinion many people share. The Dallas Cowboys’ star linebacker said the Philadelphia Eagles are 12-1 more because of the overall talent on the team than Jalen Hurts. The Eagles’ third-year quarterback is a frontrunner for NFL Most Valuable Player entering Week 15. Speaking on Von Miller’s podcast, Parsons pointed out the Eagles have an excellent defense and superb players on offense around Hurts. He’s not wrong. The conversation between Parsons and Miller about Hurts and other MVP candidates is a similar debate voters are having.
FIFA expects to earn $11 billion through 2026 with a 48-team men’s World Cup in North America set to deliver a huge rise in revenue. The four-year budget was presented to the ruling FIFA Council. It foresees almost 50% increase in income mainly tied to broadcasting and sponsor deals for the men’s World Cup. FIFA typically makes conservative budget estimates and ends up overshooting targets. The $7.5 billion revenue announced in Qatar last month for the 2019-22 commercial cycle was $1 billion more than the forecast.
