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Hints of peaking EU inflation signal ECB rate hike slowdown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:22 GMT

The European Central Bank looked on course to slow its campaign of interest rate hikes after fresh data released Tuesday showed inflationary pressures easing a little, as the economy responded to an aggressive tightening of monetary policy over the last year. Core inflation in the eurozone, which strips out volatile food and energy components, fell for the first time in 10 months in April, edging down to 5.6 percent from 5.7 percent in March. That bolstered hopes that it has now peaked — even though headline inflation broke a five-month falling streak by ticking back up to 7.0 percent due to strong food and service prices. Both numbers were broadly in line with market expectations.The strength of core inflation — still over twice the ECB’s medium-term target of 2 percent — makes another interest rate hike at this Thursday’s governing council meeting all but inevitable, but a larger hike seems less likely.ECB board member Isabel Schnabel told POLITICO in April that she want...

Poland calls out Pfizer over vaccine glut

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:22 GMT

Poland has sent a public letter to Pfizer shareholders calling on the U.S. pharma giant to renegotiate its COVID-19 vaccines contract with the EU, marking an escalation in the ongoing dispute over excess doses.The letter, seen by POLITICO, is dated Tuesday and signed by Poland’s health minister, Adam Niedzielski. In it, the minister appeals to Pfizer’s “Corporate Social Responsibility” and calls on the company to come to more favorable terms in negotiations to lower the total amount of doses it is sending to the EU, and to spread them out over a longer time period. Warsaw has been leading the charge in efforts to reopen the EU’s largest contract, for 1.1 billion doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The deal was signed at the height of the pandemic and locks the EU into buying nearly half a billion doses this year, even as vaccination rates have fallen off a cliff as the pandemic subsides.As a result, millions of doses have expired unused in warehouses ...

Police investigating after 1 person injured in Roxbury shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:22 GMT

Police are investigating after one person was injured in a shooting in Roxbury.Boston police said they were called to the scene on Dudley Street around 8:15 p.m. Crews remained on scene for several hours as an investigation appeared to focus on the area of a large apartment complex.The condition of the person who was hospitalized is unknown at this time. Police have asked anyone with information on this incident to reach out.

Dust storm in Illinois leaves at least 6 dead after more than 70 vehicles crash on major highway, officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:22 GMT

(CNN) — At least six people were killed Monday when a dust storm caused more than 70 vehicles to crash along a major highway in central Illinois, officials said.The crashes along Interstate 55 happened shortly before 11 a.m. CT in Montgomery and Sangamon counties south of the state capital after dust from newly plowed fields took over the highway, police said. The state capital, Springfield, is in Sangamon County.Six people were killed and 37 people were hospitalized with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening, Illinois State Police said. Those injured in the wrecks ranged in age from 2 to 80 years old, Illinois State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick said.One of those killed in the wrecks was Shirley Harper, 88, of Franklin, Wisconsin, police said Monday evening. Officials still were working to identify the five others who were killed and notify their families, police said.Seventy-two vehicles were involved in the crashes, which happened along a 2-mile stretch of I-55, polic...

Mayor Wu to announce 2023 ‘Open Streets’ routes and dates for ‘Open Newbury’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:22 GMT

Mayor Michelle Wu will hold an event Tuesday to announce this year’s “Open Streets” routes and the dates for “Open Newbury,” the program that turns Newbury Street in the Back Bay into a temporary pedestrian-only zone.Open Streets, which launched last year, involves closing other roads to vehicular traffic “to create room for community and play.” This year, there will be pedestrian-only zones in three neighborhoods in Boston. Wu is set to make the announcement at noon.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Classes resume at West Newbury school after refrigerant leak causes ‘strange odor,’ sends multiple students to hospital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:22 GMT

Classes will resume Tuesday at a West Newbury school after a refrigerant leak in the HVAC system caused a “strange odor” on Monday, forcing the school to evacuate and sending multiple students to the hospital. West Newbury Police and Fire Chief Michael Dwyer said an initial call came in around 9:40 a.m. reporting a strange smell coming from a science lab in the middle school area of the Pentucket Middle-High School. Four students were transported to area hospitals after they started feeling dizzy and nauseous, according to Dwyer. About 39 others were checked out at the scene and released to their parents. Dwyer said all students impacted by this incident are expected to be okay.At one point, the situation was considered a hazardous materials incident, prompting a large emergency response. Prior to Tuesday’s reopening, officials say the HVAC unit was shut off and the middle school area of the building was vented to disperse the odor.The school is now working to repa...

Battenfeld: Prominent Massachusetts conservative throws weight behind DeSantis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:22 GMT

An influential Massachusetts Republican businessman is bucking former President Donald Trump and throwing his weight behind Ron DeSantis — a much-needed boost for the Florida governor’s sputtering campaign.The Herald has learned that Rick Green, the online auto parts magnate and founder of Mass Fiscal Alliance, is endorsing DeSantis, making him the first prominent conservative figure to break with the Trump wing of the party and back the Florida governor.“The country’s ready for the next generation and I think Gov. DeSantis is it,” Green, of Lowell, said in an interview with the Herald. “I think Gov. DeSantis’s accomplishments in Florida provide a vision for the next generation.”Green, who could provide important financial backing for DeSantis in Massachusetts, said he has no problem with Trump but believes the Florida governor is better positioned to take the nomination and defeat Joe Biden in 2024.DeSantis has struggled to win endorsements...

Bone fragment in hacksaw key clue against accused wife killer Brian Walshe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:22 GMT

A “small bone fragment” found when police took apart a hacksaw purchased by accused killer Brian Walshe could be enough to convict him of slaying his wife if there is a DNA match, experts tell the Herald.What part of the body the bone came from and if it contains any traces of marrow could be the so-called smoking gun in a murder case that has no body, former FBI agents and a forensic specialist say.“If there’s a positive DNA match, that would be enough for a lot of juries,” said retired FBI supervisory special agent Todd Hulsey. “You don’t need a body. But, you can never predict what a jury will do.”The discovery of a tainted hacksaw is part of a trove of evidence listed in court documents now being released in the case.Those documents also state Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man accused of dismembering his wife in the first hours of the New Year, confirmed Ana Walshe was having an affair, the Herald has reported.The entry for the hacksa...

Massachusetts High Tech Council slams tax rebate rewrite

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:22 GMT

The influential Massachusetts High Tech Council is warning lawmakers that altering the tax rebate law is unconstitutional and should not be adopted.The House has already headed down that road, but a memo authored at the request of the council says it’s a legal dead end.The House’s over $56 billion spending plan for fiscal 2024 includes a provision that would change Chapter 62F of the General Laws, a previously unremarkable portion of the state’s tax codes which last year unexpectedly sent nearly $3 billion in excess tax takings back to residents.Passed in 1986 through a ballot measure, changing the law via the Legislature would circumvent the expressed will of voters, according to the High Tech Council.“The proposed change to Chapter 62F would not only alter a law that was approved by the voters, but it would also violate the state’s Constitution with a tax credit formula not authorized by the current flat-tax requirement. Given this concern, any tax reform bill which reaches ...

How does the Patriots’ depth chart look post-NFL Draft?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:09:22 GMT

The Patriots infused their roster with much needed juice during the NFL Draft, adding mostly elite athletes with their 12 picks who more often than not addressed serious needs.Come summer, the position competition in training camp should be the fiercest it’s been since 2019. Here’s how the Pats’ roster breaks down near the end of spring:QuarterbacksMac Jones, Bailey Zappe, Trace McSorley, Malik CunninghamUntil further notice, Jones will start and Zappe should be his primary backup for a second straight season. McSorley offers a mobile option off the bench, and could be a practice-squad candidate come the regular season. Cunningham is reportedly open to a position change, and after running a 4.5 at the NFL Combine — among other elite testing numbers — he could be athletic enough to make the switch.Running backsRhamondre Stevenson, James Robinson, Ty Montgomery, Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris, J.J. TaylorOne of the most straightforward positions on the roster. Stevenson...