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Cheaper gas and food provide some relief from US inflation

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:55:55 GMT

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER (AP Economics Writer)WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer inflation eased in March, with less expensive gas and food providing some relief to households that have struggled under the weight of surging prices for nearly two years.The government said Wednesday that consumer prices rose just 0.1% from February to March, down from 0.4% from January to February and the smallest increase since December.Measured from a year earlier, prices were up just 5% in March, down sharply from February’s 6% year-over-year increase and the smallest rise in nearly two years. Much of the drop resulted from price declines for such goods as gas, used cars and furniture, which had soared a year ago after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Excluding volatile food and energy costs, though, so-called core inflation remains stubbornly high. Core prices rose 0.4% from February to March and 5.6% from a year earlier. The Fed and many private economists regard core prices as a better measure of underly...

Times for Heat games Friday, and (if they win) Sunday announced

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:55:55 GMT

After a loss that only muddled the Miami Heat’s postseason outlook, the NBA has added clarity for what comes next for Erik Spoelstra’s team in the play-in tournament and what might come next in the playoffs.In the wake of the Los Angeles Lakers’ late overtime victory on Tuesday night over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Heat’s winner-take-all game on Friday to close out the Eastern Conference play-in round has been scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Kaseya Center, to be solely televised on TNT, without local South Florida coverage on Bally Sports Sun.The game was moved to an earlier time than Tuesday’s 7:30 p.m. play-in start because of Minnesota hosting the second game of Friday night’s nationally televised play-in doubleheader in the Central time zone.The Heat were forced into a Friday game with Tuesday night’s 116-105 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks, who thereby secured the No. 7 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference and will play the No. 2 Bost...

Ukraine probes video purported to show soldier’s beheading

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:55:55 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine launched an investigation Wednesday into a gruesome video circulating on social media that purportedly shows the beheading of a Ukrainian soldier.The video spread quickly online and sparked outrage from Ukrainian officials. The Kremlin called the footage “horrible” but said it needed to be verified. The Associated Press was not able to verify the authenticity of the video or the circumstances of where and when it was shot.Meanwhile, a Russian defense official claimed that fighters from Russia’s paramilitary Wagner group have seized three districts of Bakhmut, the embattled city that for months has been the focus of Moscow’s grinding campaign in the east.The video circulating online appears to show a man in green fatigues wearing a yellow armband, typically donned by Ukrainian fighters. He is heard screeching before another man in camouflage uses a knife to decapitate him.A third man holds up a flak jacket apparently belonging to the man being beheaded. A...

Germany scales back cannabis liberalization after EU talks

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:55:55 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s government presented scaled-back plans Wednesday to liberalize the country’s rules on cannabis, including by decriminalizing possession of limited amounts and allowing members of nonprofit “cannabis clubs” to buy marijuana for recreational purposes. In a second step, German officials also envision setting up regional test projects to sell cannabis through “commercial supply chains,” Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said. But the proposal differs from one he presented in October, which foresaw allowing the sale of cannabis to adults across the country at licensed outlets. The German government revised the plan following talks with the European Union’s executive commission. Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir said EU law “sets us limits we must respect, but that I will also say we are pushing.”Lauterbach had cautioned all along that the government would only proceed with its original plan if it got the green light from the EU. Germany has al...

Buffett says people shouldn’t worry about Berkshire, banks

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:55:55 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett assured investors Wednesday that Berkshire Hathaway will be fine when he’s no longer around to lead the conglomerate.Buffett said shareholders shouldn’t worry about the future of the company after Vice Chairman Greg Abel takes over because he will do a great job and Berkshire will still follow the same model of allowing its subsidiaries to largely run themselves while looking for other companies to buy with the substantial cash reserves it keeps on hand at all times.“The problem for our board of directors is the day I’m not around and Greg’s running it, I am not giving him some envelope that tells him what to do next,” Buffett said. But Abel and Berkshire will still be ready to say within minutes whether they are interested in an acquisition and have the resources to do it.Buffett said Berkshire is “so damn lucky” to have Abel ready to take over as CEO because there aren’t many executives like him out there. The 92-year...

Poland to test quality of Ukraine grain amid farmer protests

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:55:55 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s new agriculture minister vowed Wednesday to introduce detailed quality controls on the massive inflow of grain from Ukraine transiting through the country, and to ensure its efficient transport abroad. The move follows protests by angry Polish farmers, who say they face bankruptcy because of a glut of cheap Ukrainian grain.Minister Robert Telus faced sharp criticism from lawmakers in parliament, who alleged that trading companies linked to the government were making huge profits from selling cheap, untested Ukrainian produce in Poland, instead of facilitating its transfer to grain-hungry Africa.Telus replaced the previous agriculture minister, Henryk Kowalczyk, who resigned last week just hours before an official visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the visit, the Polish and Ukrainian leaders said they had found a rapid resolution to the “grain problem” but provided no details.Amid the Russian invasion, the European Unio...

Abortion clinics reassure worried patients, set backup plans

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:55:55 GMT

Since a court ruling threatened the availability of a key drug used in medication abortion, calls have been pouring in to the clinics Adrienne Mansanares oversees.Patients from near and far are “incredibly worried about whether or not they still have a valid appointment, whether they can obtain the care that they need. It’s heartbreaking,” said Mansanares, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, which has clinics in Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. For now, the clinics — and many others around the country — are trying to assure patients that nothing has immediately changed while also devising backup plans in case the ruling stands.U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Texas said the approval of the drug mifepristone should be revoked, a decision handed down at the same time a federal judge in Washington ordered the government to make the drug more easily accessible. The Supreme Court is expected to eventually settle the matter.If mifepristone becomes unava...

White House plots strategy to counter abortion pill ruling

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:55:55 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House officials warned on Wednesday that access to nearly any medication is in jeopardy after a federal judge ordered that a pill commonly used for abortions be pulled off the market, and they said they’re consulting with lawmakers, doctors and pharmacies to fight the ruling. Texas Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s decision to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone threatens to upend abortion access for the entire country by Friday if another court doesn’t step in. The Justice Department appealed the ruling on Monday. Vice President Kamala Harris will meet Wednesday with President Joe Biden’s Cabinet to discuss other ways the administration can respond to the latest in a string of blows to abortion access in the U.S. The meeting will include Attorney General Merrick Garland and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, according to two senior White House officials. For months, the White House has struggled to counter the abortion restrictio...

Man dies after being shot in head while inside vehicle on South Side

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:55:55 GMT

CHICAGO — A man has died after being discovered inside a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head on the city's South Side, according to police.Officers responded to shots fired around 3 a.m. Wednesday in the 10-100 block of East 75th Street. Upon arrival, a man was found inside a white SUV with a gunshot wound to the head.According to police, there were two bullet holes on the windshield of the vehicle. 12-year-old in custody after loaded handgun found at East Chicago school The man was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.No one is in custody. Area One detectives are investigating.

Ukraine probes video purported to show soldier's beheading

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 18:55:55 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine launched an investigation Wednesday into a gruesome video circulating on social media that purportedly shows the beheading of a Ukrainian soldier.The video spread quickly online and sparked outrage from Ukrainian officials. The Kremlin called the footage “horrible” but said it needed to be verified. The Associated Press was not able to verify the authenticity of the video or the circumstances of where and when it was shot.Meanwhile, a Russian defense official claimed that fighters from Russia’s paramilitary Wagner group have seized three districts of Bakhmut, the embattled city that for months has been the focus of Moscow’s grinding campaign in the east.The video circulating online appears to show a man in green fatigues wearing a yellow armband, typically donned by Ukrainian fighters. He is heard screeching before another man in camouflage uses a knife to decapitate him.A third man holds up a flak jacket apparently belonging to the man being beheaded. A...