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BoE under pressure as UK wages rise at fastest pace on record

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:45 GMT

The U.K. labor market has never been hotter according to official estimates, but contradictions in the data represent a headache for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Bank of England.According to estimates released by the U.K.’s Office of National Statistics on Tuesday, British wages rose by record-high levels in July, frustrating hopes that the hot labor market would cool with rising interest rates while putting pressure on the Bank of England to keep on tightening. Despite efforts to keep wages down, average U.K. earnings excluding bonuses rose by 7.8 percent in July from the year before, the highest level recorded since data-gathering began in 2001. The growth was driven in large part by National Health Service workers, who negotiated wage increases and one-off payments in June following strikes earlier in the year.The earnings figures are up from May’s record-high of 7.3 percent, overshooting forecasts by a full 4 percentage points, albeit with part of the ...

Three Boston city councilors ‘bullied,’ ‘harassed’ me, council attorney says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:45 GMT

An attorney for the Boston City Council filed an internal complaint against three city councilors, alleging that she was “intimidated, ridiculed, harassed and bullied” by them after she provided advice on a redistricting matter at an April meeting.Two of the accused councilors dismissed the assertions as “baseless,” however, saying that while the tense exchange cited in the complaint did occur, it was between two members of the City Council and did not involve the staff attorney.“I believe that the events that occurred at the City Council meeting on April 12 create a hostile and toxic work environment, as I was intimidated by a city councilor and ridiculed by other councilors when I was duly conducting my responsibilities as the City Council’s compliance director and staff counsel,” Christine O’Donnell wrote in an April 18 letter that was obtained by the Herald.The complaint is one of several instances that led City Council President Ed Flynn to recommend that the body implement a n...

Massachusetts home prices hit record high for July

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:45 GMT

Massachusetts home prices barreled through a new record for the month of July, handily clearing a whopping $600,000 for the median single-family home, according to data released by the Warren Group and Massachusetts Association of Realtors.“Once again, median single-family home prices continued to set records across Massachusetts, despite mortgage interest rates that are nearly double what they were this time last year,” said Cassidy Norton, the Warren Group Media Relations Director, in a statement accompanying the data. “Demand is obviously still strong among prospective buyers, but inventory can’t keep up.”Single-family homes sales in Massachusetts decreased 23.1% from July 2022 the Warren Group reported, falling to 4,085. As inventory lagged, the group said, the median price for single family home continued to rise year-over-year to $610,000 — a new all-time record for the month of July.Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR) likewise reported a ...

East-end Toronto shooting sends 1 to hospital with serious injuries

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:45 GMT

Toronto police are searching for a suspect after gunshots rang out overnight in the city’s east-end.Officers were called to the area of Pape and Riverdale avenues in the early morning hours on Monday for reports of a shooting.A victim was located at the scene and rushed to hospital in life-threatening condition. Police say their condition has since been upgraded to non-life-threatening.No suspect description has been made available.

Australia has captured its continent as it faces England for a spot in the Women’s World Cup final

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:45 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Sam Kerr released her autobiography roughly three weeks before Australia’s national team opened the Women’s World Cup. Kerr is the leader of the Matildas — she’s actually among the best players in the world — and as captain of the tournament’s co-host team, she was supposed to be the star of the show.But Kerr was injured and missed all of group play. And Australia didn’t really get buzzworthy until the Aussies knocked off Denmark to earn a quarterfinal match against France. Now this rugby-mad nation is paying attention to soccer — women’s soccer, no less — and sold-out crowds are turning out for the Matildas’ historic run.Kerr at last delivered against France when she came off the bench, played through extra time and made her penalty kick in Australia’s 7-6 shootout win over France. Now Australia is in its very first semifinal, Wednesday at supersized Stadium Australia, against European champion England.With a win over En...

Russia unleashes a missile barrage on Ukraine, damaging civilian infrastructure

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:45 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces unleashed a barrage of missiles on regions across Ukraine in the early hours of Tuesday morning, killing civilians and damaging civilian infrastructure. The barrage came just hours before top Russian military officials and their counterparts from Asia, the Middle East and Africa gathered outside Moscow for a security conference, where the fighting in Ukraine is likely to dominate the agenda. Moscow’s war in Ukraine is nearing the 18-month mark.The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia fired a total of 28 cruise missiles at the country. Sixteen of them were intercepted, the statement said. “Deliberate large-scale attacks on civilians. Solely for the sake of killing and psychological pressure,” presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Podolyak added that the barrage was “an undeniable manifestation” of Russia’s “terrorist activity, legally documented by numerous destructions and victims.”In the western region of L...

Pedestrian struck and killed by vehicle in Brampton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:45 GMT

One person is dead after being struck by a vehicle in Brampton late Monday night.Police tell CityNews a pedestrian was struck and killed at Major William Sharpe Drive and Chinguacousy Road just after 11 p.m.The driver remained on scene.Chinguacousy was closed in the area for the investigation but reopened around 5:30 a.m.

Track world championships the latest play by Orbán’s Hungary for global sports spotlight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:45 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A country spends millions, sometimes billions, to deliver a major international sports event to the world. That money buys a chance to project strength at home and abroad and, if the event goes well, maybe even glosses over that country’s oft-dissected shortcomings.It’s a pattern that has played out in China, Russia, Qatar and other countries in the recent past. This month in Budapest, the spotlight will shine on Hungary, a country led by a prime minister with authoritarian leanings and a shaky human-rights record. Budapest’s latest step onto the international stage starts Saturday, the opening of the nine-day track and field world championships.At a cost of nearly $700 million, the sparkling National Athletics Center, on the left bank of the Danube River, will host more than 2,000 athletes from over 200 countries in the biggest international sports event this side of the Olympics.Some see this as a natural move by Prime Minister Viktor Orb...

Who are the 19 people charged in the Georgia Trump indictment?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:45 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump and 18 other associates were charged Monday in Georgia as part of a sweeping indictment alleging they schemed to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss and stop the peaceful transition of power.The indictment, brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, follows an investigation that lasted more than two years and marks the fourth criminal case brought against the former president. Meadows, Giuliani charged in Georgia probe of 2020 election interference Those charged in Monday’s indictment face a slew of charges, including racketeering, violating the oath of a public officer, forgery, false statements and other offenses. Prosecutors say they must all surrender to authorities by Aug. 25.Here’s a look at the 19 defendants charged in the indictment:DONALD TRUMPThen-President Donald Trump fixated on Georgia after the 2020 general election, refusing to accept his narrow loss in the state and making unfounded assertions of widespr...

UAlbany's Gattuso wants more dominance from defense

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:45 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The UAlbany football team may not have been the most productive on defense last season, but head coach Greg Gattuso and his staff have made some moves to rectify that as the 2023 season approaches. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Last season the Great Danes finished seventh in the Colonial Athletic Conference in total defense and were ranked 13th in stopping the run. Despite last season's struggles coach, Gattuso believes that adding some new talent to the defense in the off-season will bode well for the Danes, as they try to turn things around this season. "The front of our defense has to be physical and control the line of scrimmage," Gattuso said. "Last year we didn't do that effectively enough but you gotta realize we literally had four new starters. Anthony Lang was the only guy back he didn't even start for us, so the good thing is they've been through the battles and you can see signs of it now....