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War in Israel imperils Europe’s fragile economic recovery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:12 GMT

MARRAKECH, Morocco — Europe’s economy is bracing itself for the ripple effects of an escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas that could tear apart a sense that things were beginning to look more positive 20 months on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.With expectations of a ground assault by Israeli troops on Gaza after Hamas militants killed at least 1,300 people in Israel last weekend, governments around the world are fearing the knock-on effect of wider Middle East violence so soon after the economic turmoil wrought by the COVID pandemic and Moscow’s aggression.“The world economy has entered troubled times because geopolitical tensions are the real economic risk,” French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told reporters in Marrakech on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund’s and World Bank’s annual gathering.“Any escalation in the region would have, of course, significant impact on global growth and on global prosperity,” he said.Since the shock of the Kre...

What is a credit card hardship program?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:12 GMT

Erik J. Martin | Bankrate.com (TNS)Finding it increasingly difficult to pay your credit card bills due to some bad luck? Have you overcharged beyond your ability to repay your debt? Worried that your credit rating may be severely damaged if you don’t do something soon?Thankfully, there are options. One of them is to participate in a credit card hardship program, which is a structured offering designed to assist consumers facing personal and financial adversity and help them avoid defaulting on their credit cards.Read on to learn about how credit card hardship programs work, their eligibility requirements, the advantages and disadvantages of participating, the steps involved in the process and alternative options to consider.Credit card hardship programs explainedA credit card hardship program is a financial arrangement offered by credit card-issuing banks and lenders through which you negotiate to make smaller or more manageable payments on your outstanding debt.Often, through these...

Finance nerds share tips for managing holiday budgets and stress

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:12 GMT

By Elizabeth Ayoola | NerdWalletHolidays are meant to be full of love, but sometimes they’re full of stress and anxiety. One of the culprits can be the unspoken financial commitment of family dinners, travel and chaotic gift-buying. Sometimes the stress is beyond your control, but there are some things you can champion like planning and budgeting.We asked a few of our Nerds to write down their best strategies for managing holiday stress and spending. Here are their responses.Set a gift budgetIf money wasn’t a thing, we could buy our loved ones anything they want or need. But money is a factor, so it’s ideal to work within a budget, which means having a limit for how much you spend on gifts. You can also take it a step further by agreeing on a spending cap with your loved ones, something senior copy editor Jim McNett does.“The small circle of people I exchange gifts with have a quiet understanding to keep gifts under about $100,” he said.Give secondhand giftsIt can feel taboo t...

7 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls’ double OT preseason win, including the Big 3′s big minutes and Julian Phillips’ poster dunk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:12 GMT

Chicago Bulls fans saw a rare preseason treat in their return to the United Center on Thursday — double overtime in a preseason game. The Bulls fended off a comeback by the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets in a 133-124 finish.Both overtime periods featured a cast of young bench players helmed by second-year guard Dalen Terry, but the entire game gave a glimpse at the blueprint for the lineups and offensive schemes the Bulls will bring into the regular season.Here are seven takeaways from the game.1. Coby White maintains his place in starting lineup.Coby White started his second preseason game at point guard as he continues to emerge as the frontrunner for the position, finishing with eight points and four assists.Ayo Dosunmu replaced White to begin the second half, but Jevon Carter was not rotated in as coach Billy Donovan continues to weigh different lineups.“The biggest thing with Jevon is getting him comfortable,” Donovan said. “He’s a guy t...

An employee at the Israeli Embassy in China has been stabbed. A foreign suspect is detained

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:12 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — A 50-year-old Israeli man who works at the Israeli Embassy in Beijing was stabbed Friday in front of a supermarket, Chinese police and the Israeli government said.Beijing police said they had arrested a suspect, a 53-year-old foreign man. They described the victim as a family member of an Israeli diplomat. No motive was given for the attack, and it was unclear if it was connected to the war between Israel and the militant group Hamas.“The employee was transferred to hospital and he is in a stable condition,” an Israeli government statement said, without giving additional details.A video posted on social media showed a man with a knife grappling with another man on the ground and stabbing him several times, leaving a trail of blood stains on the sidewalk.People working in the area said they heard the victim shouting as police cars and an ambulance arrived. A police cordon was set up and the blood later washed away. The stabbing occurred as Muslims across the world took...

CP NewsAlert: Surrey, B.C., to ask court to review provincial order on police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:12 GMT

SURREY, B.C. — The City of Surrey says it will file a petition with the Supreme Court of British Columbia for a judicial review of the provincial government’s order that forces it to transition to a municipal police force.The city was in the process of reverting to the RCMP when the provincial government ordered it to resume the shift to the Surrey Police Service. More coming. The Canadian Press

Nun, 97, at former Ontario residential school charged in sex assault case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:12 GMT

A 97-year-old nun has been arrested and charged in a sexual assault case involving allegations dating back decades to an infamous residential school in northern Ontario. Ontario Provincial Police said Francoise Seguin of Ottawa was arrested this week after an individual contacted them in late 2022 about the alleged incidents.The incidents are alleged to have taken place in the 1960s and 70s at St. Anne’s residential school in Fort Albany First Nation and Bishop Belleau school in Moosonee, Ont., as well as a detention facility in Sudbury, Ont., said OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson.“The case involved one victim,” said Dickson, noting the individual was a “young person” at the time of the alleged incidents. “We are not aware of any others but cannot speculate.”Survivors have spoken out for decadesSt. Anne’s operated in Fort Albany until 1967 and survivors have said children at the school were sexually abused, punished with shocks deliv...

House Republicans are mired in chaos after ousting McCarthy and rejecting Scalise. What’s next?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:12 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House has been without a leader for more than a week after majority Republicans threw out Speaker Kevin McCarthy and refused to rally around his No. 2, Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise. Republicans were meeting Friday morning to try to regroup after Scalise abruptly withdrew his name from the running on Thursday evening, just one day after he had been nominated by the conference in a closed-door meeting. Scalise did not back anyone else, but many Republicans say they are supporting House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, who narrowly lost the nomination to Scalise on Wednesday.It’s still unclear if Jordan can get the votes, so the path forward is uncertain. Republicans were feeling increasing urgency to find a successor to McCarthy as a new war in Israel rages abroad and government funding expires in five weeks.What to know about the road ahead as House Republicans search for the next speaker:WANTED: A NEW SPEAKER OF THE HOUSEMcCarthy, R-Calif.,...

Kenya Cabinet approved sending police to lead peace mission in Haiti but parliament must sign off

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:12 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s Cabinet on Friday approved the deployment of 1,000 police to lead a multinational peacekeeping mission to Haiti to combat gang violence.The country’s parliament must now sign off on the resolution.From Jan. 1 until Aug. 15, more than 2,400 people in Haiti were reported killed, more than 950 kidnapped and another 902 injured, according to the most recent U.N. statistics.Kenya’s high court on Monday barred the deployment, approved by the U.N. Security Council earlier this month, for two weeks until a challenge to the deployment filed by a local politician is heard on Oct. 24.On Thursday, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki appeared before a national assembly committee on the deployment and said parliament’s approval should be sought before any troops are sent.The minister was accompanied by the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome, who confirmed that training had started for the first group of officers to be sent to Haiti.The Ken...

Missouri auditor investigates St. Louis jail amid concerns about management and treatment of inmates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:12 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Missouri state auditor is investigating the city jail in St. Louis, citing allegations of mismanagement, inadequate nutrition and medical care, and interference with a civilian oversight board.The investigation by the office of Republican Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick was triggered by a request from Democratic state Sen. Steve Roberts of St. Louis, who said he received whistleblower complaints alleging inmate abuse, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.Following the launch of the investigation on Thursday, Fitzpatrick asked Mayor Tishaura Jones for the jail’s food vendor invoices, facility and operational policies, and health insurance contracts. He also wants correspondence with the city’s Detention Facilities Oversight Board.Tensions between the mayor and community leaders escalated recently after three incarcerated people died within a six-week period. About 700 people are currently housed at the downtown jail.“We have a serious problem in St. Louis i...