Federal Reserve is likely to show little urgency to cut interest rates despite market’s anticipation
WASHINGTON (AP) — Interest rate cuts are coming. Just not yet.
The Federal Reserve delivered that message Wednesday, first in a policy statement and then in a news conference at which Chair Jerome Powell reinforced it.
The Fed did signal that it’s nearing a toward cutting rates, evidence that its officials have grown confident that they’re close to fully taming inflation. No longer does its policy statement say it’s still considering further rate hikes.
Yet the officials made clear that the first rate cut is
Déjà vu? Electoral bans, arrests, attacks, threats again part of Venezuelan presidential race
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Déjà vu? Feels like it.
Assassination plots, arrest warrants for journalists and human rights defenders, attacks against adversaries – from the belittling kind to the judicial type – and other associated government actions have marked the start of 2024 for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his allies. Add and economic sanctions, and the reality of a presidential election year in the South American country becomes clear.
And, once again, the question is: How democratic will
Inflation further cools in Australia as confidence of ‘soft landing’ grows
SYDNEY (AP) — Inflation in Australia has slowed to its lowest rate in three years, the country’s official statistics agency said Wednesday, raising hopes of a “soft landing” for the nation’s economy.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics said the latest consumers price index, or CPI, fell to 4.1%, down from 5.4% in September.
The result means annual inflation rate is now at its lowest level since December 2021, while quarterly inflation was 0.6
Billionaire Sultan Ibrahim sworn in as Malaysia’s 17th king under rotating monarchy system
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The billionaire sultan who rules Malaysia’s Johor state was sworn in as the nation’s new king Wednesday under a unique rotating monarchy system.
Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, 65, took his oath of office at the palace and signed the instrument of the proclamation of office in a ceremony witnessed by other royal families, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Cabinet members. A coronation ceremony will be held later.
One of the richest men in the country, Sultan Ibrahim has an extensive business
Utah is the latest state to ban diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on campus and in government
Utah’s governor signed a bill into law Tuesday that makes the state the latest to prohibit diversity training, hiring and inclusion programs at universities and in state government.
The measure signed by Spencer Cox, a Republican who previously said he supported the idea, had cleared the state House and Senate by wide, party-line majorities.
Headed into the final year of his first term, Cox has shifted to the right on “diversity, equity and inclusion.” After a ban on transgender students playing in girls sports in
Rap lyrics can’t be used against artist charged with killing Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay, judge rules
New York (AP) — The man accused of killing Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay can’t have his rap lyrics used against him at trial, a Brooklyn judge decided Tuesday in a ruling that doubled as a history-filled paean to hip-hop as “a platform for expression to many who had largely been voiceless.”
The ruling came in response to an attempt by federal prosecutors to introduce lyrics penned by Karl Jordan Jr. as evidence of his role in gunning down Jay, a pioneering artist
Utah joins 10 other states in regulating bathroom access for transgender people
Utah became the latest state to regulate bathroom access for transgender people after Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed a law Tuesday that requires people to use bathrooms and locker rooms in public schools and government-owned buildings that match their sex assigned at birth.
Under the legislation, transgender people can defend themselves against complaints by proving they had gender-affirming surgery and changed the sex on their birth certificate. Opponents noted not all states allow people to change their birth certificates and that many trans people don’t want to have surgery.
US pilot safely ejects before his F-16 fighter jet crashes in South Korean sea
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A U.S. Air Force pilot safely ejected from an F-16 fighter jet that crashed into waters off South Korea’s southwestern coast on Wednesday, in the second such crash in less than two months.
The unidentified pilot was conscious and was transported to a medical facility for assessment, the U.S. 8th Fighter Wing said in a statement. It said it closely worked with U.S. and South Korean mission partners to recover the pilot,
Hal Buell, who led AP’s photo operations from darkroom era into the digital age, dies at age 92
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) — Hal Buell, who led The Associated Press’ photo operations from the darkroom era into the age of digital photography over a four-decade career with the news organization that included 12 Pulitzer Prizes and some of the defining images of the Vietnam War, has died. He was 92.
Buell died Monday in Sunnyvale, California, after battling pneumonia, his daughter Barbara Buell said in an email. His final two months were spent with her and her husband, and he died
David Rubenstein has a deal to buy the Baltimore Orioles for $1.725 billion, AP source says
Carlyle Group Inc. co-founder David Rubenstein has reached an agreement to buy the Baltimore Orioles for $1.725 billion, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the agreement had not been announced. Rubenstein, a Baltimore native, would take over as the team’s controlling owner, and he’s assembled an investment team that includes Ares co-founder Michael Arougheti.
The Angelos family has been in control of