Author: KnowledgeHippo
Inflation picked up slightly in February on an overall basis and a measure of underlying price increases was firmer than economists had expected.The new data underscore that a full return to normal inflation is likely to be a bumpy process — and support the Federal Reserve’s decision to proceed cautiously as officials consider when and how much to cut interest rates.The Consumer Price Index rose 3.2% last month from a year ago, up from 3.1% in January. That’s significantly lower than a high of 9.1 percent in 2022, but still faster than the roughly 2 percent that was normal before…
As online dating has become as easy as swiping your phone screen, companies that own apps like Tinder and Bumble have become Wall Street darlings. But nearly a decade later, these platforms are now struggling to live up to expectations, and investors have grown disillusioned and are eager for something new.Match Group and Bumble — which make up nearly the entire industry by market share — have lost more than $40 billion in market value by 2021. Even at a time when apps are a staple on people’s smartphones, the two companies laying off workers and reporting low revenue increases.Both…
“It’s Never Too Late” is a series that tells the stories of people who decide to pursue their dreams on their own terms.Live music was no more. Patrick Milano could come to no other conclusion. But maybe it could spin.It was a summer day in 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and Mr. Milando, a French horn player, was walking through a locked, empty Times Square. By then, 67, he had spent nearly half a century as a professional musician, from the Metropolitan Opera to more than a dozen years with “The Lion King.” Now that musical, along…
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is typically a time of religious devotion, dawn-to-dusk fasting, charity, family gatherings and nightly celebrations.All of that seems far away this year in Gaza, now in the sixth month of an Israeli military offensive and near-total blockade. More than 31,000 people have been killed in Israel’s bombing and ground invasion, severe hunger is spreading and the coastal strip has been devastated. The war has erased the way Palestinians here lived and observed Ramadan.In peaceful times, the streets of Gaza’s cities would be filled with families buying Ramadan decorations and supplies – colorful lamps, food…
The state of Florida and plaintiffs challenging a parental rights law that critics have nicknamed “Don’t Say Gay” agreed to a settlement Monday that clarifies the scope of the law, which prohibits teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through eighth grade.The plaintiffs, a group that included students, parents, educators and LGBTQ advocacy groups, had accused the law, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022, of causing confusion and fear in public schools. The settlement says students and teachers are allowed to talk about sexual identity and gender orientation in public schools as long as it’s not part…
On a stormy afternoon in Bentonville, Ark., a Walmart regional manager told a story about a moment when his humanity got the best of him.He was a 24-year-old store manager anxiously trying to convince his workers to set up Halloween merchandise displays. Instead, workers were clustered around televisions in the electronics department. It was the morning of September 11, 2001.“Why are we here and not having Halloween? Why hasn’t it been done yet?’ he remembered saying. He didn’t fully understand what was happening until a worker broke into him in tears, explaining that she had relatives in New York.”I didn’t…
House Republican leaders are moving this week to pass legislation that would force TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell the platform or face a U.S. ban, even as former President Donald J. vowed to forbid.Representative Steve Scalise, Republican of Louisiana and the majority leader, said Monday that the House would try to speed up passage of the bill under special procedures reserved for uncontested legislation, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass. The approach reflects the bill’s growing momentum on Capitol Hill during an election year in which members of both political parties are eager to show a willingness to get…
Moose, the largest member of the deer family, are probably most closely associated in popular culture with the diminutive but benevolent cartoon character Bullwinkle.But that light-hearted image took a darker turn last week after an Iditarod sled dog runner in Alaska made headlines for shooting and killing a moose to protect himself and his dogs, one of which was injured in the encounter. (He was also punished for badly eviscerating the carcass.)Moose attacks on humans are uncommon, but do occur in states with large moose populations. In Alaska, for example, as many as 10 are reported each year. And in…
A German court on Monday convicted an American of raping and murdering a woman and attempting to kill her partner near Neuschwanstein Castle, one of the country’s most famous tourist destinations.A nearby bridge known for its panoramic views of the fairytale castle became a crime scene in June when the 31-year-old man attacked two young American women who were on a trip to Europe after graduating from college.In imposing a life sentence, the court found “the particular gravity of the guilt”, a court spokesman said, adding that the man was charged with murder and rape resulting in death in relation…
The University of Texas at Austin said Monday it will again require standardized tests for admissions, becoming the latest selective university to reinstate requirements for SAT or ACT scores abandoned during the pandemic.A few years ago, about 2,000 colleges across the country began moving away from requiring test scores, at least temporarily, amid concerns that they helped fuel inequality. However, a growing number of these schools have reversed those policies, including Brown, Yale, Dartmouth, MIT, Georgetown and Purdue, with several announcing the changes in recent months. UT Austin, which accepts a cross-section of high-achieving Texas students as part of a…