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UK’s opposition Labour Party says if elected it will track down billions lost to COVID-19 fraud

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:47:47 GMT

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Britain’s main opposition Labour Party says that if it wins power, it will appoint a “COVID corruption commissioner” to try and recoup some of the billions lost to fraud and waste during the pandemic.Labour economy spokeswoman Rachel Reeves is due to outline the plan in a speech Monday at the party’s annual conference. She says the commissioner will bring together tax officials, fraud investigators and law enforcement officers will track down an estimated 7.2 billion pounds ($8.8 billion) in lost public money spent on grants and contracts related to COVID-19.Like many countries, the U.K. was forced to sidestep usual rules as it rushed to procure essential supplies and prop up people’s livelihoods during the coronavirus pandemic.Reeves told the BBC the Conservative government was “embarrassed” by the scale of the losses and “doing nothing to get that money back.”A multi-year public inquiry is examining Britain’s handling of the pandemic, which left mor...

Indian rescue copters are flying into region where flood washed out bridges and killed at least 52

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:47:47 GMT

GANGTOK, India (AP) — Air force helicopters were able to land Monday to rescue people in India’s Himalayan northeast after a 6-year-old hydroelectric dam cracked open last week in intense rain, flooding a valley with glacial lake water and washing away bridges and homes as thousands fled.Police said rescuers have found 52 bodies so far, and the search was continuing while around a 100 people are still missing. As weather conditions improved in Sikkim state, helicopters arrived in the worst-hit Mangan district to help some 3,000 stranded tourists.The design and placement of the Teesta 3 dam, the biggest hydroelectric dam in Sikkim state, were controversial from the time it was built. A 2019 report identified Lhonak Lake as “highly vulnerable” to flooding that could breach dams and cause extensive damage.It wasn’t clear what triggered the deadly flood that began early Wednesday, the latest to hit northeast India in a year of unusually heavy monsoon rains. Experts say possible co...

Finland submits request to modify recovery and resilience plan to add a REPowerEU chapter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:47:47 GMT

Finland has submitted a request to the Commission to modify its recovery and resilience plan to add a REPowerEU chapter to it.Finland's proposed REPowerEU chapter would add two new investments, one scaled-up investment and one new reform to the existing plan, thereby further boosting Finland's ambitious target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. The investments will boost new technologies for renewable energy and hydrogen production, including offshore wind power in Åland, and the related R&D, whereas the new reform aims at streamlining and facilitating investment permit procedures related to renewable energy projects.Finland has requested to transfer part of its share of the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR), amounting to €14.2 million, to its recovery and resilience plan. Together with its RRF and REPowerEU grants allocations (€1.8 billion and €113m, respectively), these additional funds make the submitted modified plan worth €1.95bn.The Commission has now up to two months t...

Four-bedroom home sells in San Ramon for $2 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:47:47 GMT

3033 Oakham Drive – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 3000 block of Oakham Drive in San Ramon has new owners. The 2,670-square-foot property, built in 1976, was sold on Sept. 11, 2023. The $1,950,000 purchase price works out to $730 per square foot. This two-story house presents a roomy floor plan, featuring four bedrooms and three baths. In addition, the home includes an attached three-car garage, offering generous space for vehicles and storage requirements.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:In August 2023, a 1,886-square-foot home on Montevideo Drive in San Ramon sold for $1,550,000, a price per square foot of $822. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,750-square-foot home on the 3000 block of Oakham Drive in San Ramon sold in September 2023, for $2,220,000, a price per square foot of $807. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Salem Court, San Ramon, in November 2022, a 2,391-square-foot home was sold for $1,700,000, a price per square f...

Senior Taliban officials visit villages struck by earthquake that killed at least 2,000 people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:47:47 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A senior Taliban delegation was visiting western Afghanistan’s Herat province on Monday in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that killed at least 2,000 people over the weekend and flattened entire villages, a statement said. Saturday’s magnitude 6.3 quake hit a densely populated area in Herat and was followed by strong aftershocks in what was one of the deadliest temblors to strike the country in two decades. The Taliban-appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Abdul Ghani Baradar, and his team will visit the quake-affected region on Monday to deliver “immediate relief assistance” and ensure “equitable and accurate distribution of aid,” according to a statement from the capital, Kabul. The quake also trapped hundreds and people have been digging with their bare hands and shovels to pull victims — both dead and alive — from under the rubble. Authorities said Monday they were still waiting for an update on the latest casualties form Herat.The U.S. ...

This Week in Business: Delta earnings, consumer and producer prices

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:47:47 GMT

Inflation insightThe Labor Department on Wednesday releases producer price data for September.The producer price index measures inflation at the wholesale level, before businesses pass costs along to consumers. On a month-to-month basis, prices rose 0.7% in August, the biggest increase in more than a year. Economists forecast that growth slowed to 0.3% in September.Producer price index, monthly percent change, seasonally adjusted:March: -0.4April: 0.2May: -0.3June: -0.1July: 0.4Aug.: 0.7Sept. (est.): 0.3Source: FactSetDelta Air LinesDelta reports its third-quarter financial results before the bell on Thursday.Analysts expect the Atlanta-based airline made profit of $1.96 per share on $14.6 billion in sales. In the same period a year ago, Delta earned $1.51 per share on $12.8 billion in sales. Like other airlines, rising fuel costs spurred Delta last month to lower its profit outlook in the quarter to a range between $1.85 and $2.05 per share, down from the previous guidance of $2.20...

High stakes for homeowners facing choice between fixed- or variable-rate mortgage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:47:47 GMT

OTTAWA — Deciding between a fixed- or variable-rate mortgage has always been a challenging choice for borrowers looking to buy a home or renew a loan, but with interest rates sitting at levels not seen in decades, the stakes are especially high.Variable-rate mortgages fell out of favour as Bank of Canada interest rate hikes sent the cost of loans linked to the big banks’ prime rates soaring, but the cost of fixed-rate mortgages have also climbed from their pandemic lows.Frank Napolitano, co-founder and mortgage agent at Mortgage Brokers Ottawa, said he’s still seeing some borrowers opt for a variable rate, even noting that a recent client who was struggling with a variable-rate mortgage chose to stick with it after consolidating some other debt and extending the amortization period.“He’s decided he’s going to go variable only because he believes that the rates are now probably at the peak and the payment that’s been set up for him at 25 years is s...

Average First Freeze Dates; Potentially impressive rainfall totals later this week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:47:47 GMT

There is the potential for some impressive rainfall totals through next Sunday evening.  Both the European and the GFS models forecast totals that top more than 2.5".  The GFS is likely too high, but strange things can happen, and we will have watch out for the potential for flooding if several bands of rain set up shop over the same areas.  Check out the graphic below from the Weather Prediction Center.  You get into the bright red and that's 3" of rain.  We aren't married to any of the numbers from the two computer models, but they show that it could get very wet.Autumnal "Harvest Sunsets"This time of year, we can get some stunning sunsets. The graphic explains why sunsets are reddish. Basically, the light must travel through more of the earth's atmosphere.  Shorter wavelength colors, like blue, are scattered away from our eyes, leaving the longer wavelength colors, like red and orange. Then you get into harvest time, there's an abundant amount of dust the farmers put into the air...

Daily horoscope for October 9, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:47:47 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Leo.Happy Birthday for Monday, Oct. 9, 2023:You like people, which makes you perceptive, observant and popular. You are intelligent and multitalented. You are also sensitive and kind. This is a wonderful year for you because you are getting the recognition you deserve. Expect a raise, praise, awards and acknowledgement. Bravo!ARIES(March 21-April 19)★★★Aries parents: Be aware that this is an accident-prone day for your kids. Be smart and keep an eye on them. Know where they are at all times and remove them from hazardous situations. Meanwhile, romantic partners might have a surprise. Note: Duties and obligations will prevail. Tonight: Socialize.TAURUS(April 20-May 20)★★★Your home routine will be interrupted today. Something unexpected might happen. You might run out of something, or someone might show up unexpectedly or cancel when you were expecting them. Romance might disappoint today, b...

Commission sets new reduced limits for nitrites and nitrates as food additives

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:47:47 GMT

To ensure that the food on the market in the EU is as safe as possible for consumers and protect them from carcinogenic substances as part of the actions under Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, the Commission is setting new limits for the use of nitrites and nitrates as food additives. These new significantly reduced limits protect against pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Listeria, Salmonella, Clostridia), as well as reduce the exposure to nitrosamines, some of which are carcinogenic. Based on a stringent scientific assessment by EFSA, the new limits were endorsed unanimously by the member states last spring.Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said: “Our citizens expect the peace of mind that comes with safe food to eat, this has always been a cornerstone of my mandate. Today, by setting new limits for nitrites and nitrates additives in food, we are taking another step in this direction and delivering on another important action under Europe's Beating Cancer Plan. I now call...