2024 - Page 258 of 426 - Bean watcher

Aug

22

2024

UK homebuyers take advantage of lower mortgage rates following BOE rate cut

LONDON — In response to the Bank of England’s recent decision to lower interest rates for the first time in four years, the UK’s major banks have cut mortgage rates, significantly reviving the housing market. Lenders such as Barclays, Halifax, HSBC and NatWest are now offering five-year fixed-rate mortgages at rates below 4%, which is below the BOE’s 5% prime rate. The most competitive of these offers is a five-year fixed rate of 3.83% for homebuyers who can put down a 40% deposit, the latest Rightmove report revealed. This rate is the lowest since the economic fallout from the UK’s…

Aug

21

2024

By Lily Chang

Following WHO declaration of global health emergency, first case of multifocal smallpox reported in the Philippines

Health

The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) recently raised the mpox to a global health emergency. Shortly after this declaration, the Philippines confirmed its first case of the disease this year. Philippine health authorities announced the discovery of the disease, but did not disclose whether the individual was infected with the newer, more virulent Clade Ib strain that is currently predominant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is responsible for a surge in infections. The reported case involved the older Clade IIb strain that led to the global mpox outbreak in 2022. This development follows closely on the heels…

Aug

21

2024

By Lily Chang

Hamtramck’s ghost: the rise and fall of a baseball prodigy

Politics

Detroit – Deep in a forgotten cedar chest, a legend lay dormant. Art “Pinky” Deras, once a meteor streaking across the Little League firmament, had become a ghost in his own life. The boy from Hamtramck, Michigan, was a prodigy, a titan before his time. His numbers were otherworldly: 108 innings pitched, 298 strikeouts, an 18-0 record. He was a legend, a name whispered in reverent tones. Yet the man who emerged from the shadows was a quiet enigma, a police officer who seemed content to let his past fade into obscurity. Deras was a phenomenon. Observers flocked to see…

Aug

21

2024

By Lily Chang

The farewell speech that Joe Biden never imagined

Politics

As chants of “Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe!” filled the United Center on a Monday night, a visibly moved President Biden paused to acknowledge the crowd’s appreciation. It was clear that, despite his reluctance to accept it, they were expressing gratitude not only for his decades of public service, but also for his recent decision not to seek reelection. This touching moment highlighted the complex emotions faced by a president who has been in the public eye for more than five decades, and who now faces an unplanned exit. The outpouring of affection in Chicago, while sincere, only partially…