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PMQs scorecard: Starmer attacks Sunak over the ‘Tory mortgage penalty’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:12 GMT

Prime minister’s questions: a shouty, jeery, very occasionally useful advert for British politics. Here’s what you need to know from today’s session in POLITICO’s weekly run-through.What they sparred about: Rising mortgage rates were the only game in town, as Labour’s Keir Starmer pressed Rishi Sunak on whether the U.K. is facing a “mortgage catastrophe” — and what he will do about it. Sunak argued the best way to support homeowners was to lower inflation, which remains stubbornly high. You should expect to hear more about … the “Tory mortgage penalty.” Starmer has coined the term to directly connect Britain’s spiraling mortgage rates to the government. Also expect to hear more about: Sunak’s wealth in the lead up to the next election. Starmer had a few swipes at the mega-rich PM, pointing to his property in California and use of a helicopter. It’s worth pointing out Starmer isn’t exactly on the breadline either. Happy anni...

Column: Could Chicago Cubs ace Marcus Stroman start for NL in the All-Star Game?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:12 GMT

All-Star voting tabulations released Tuesday provided a clue to the Chicago Cubs’ chances of sending a position player to the Midsummer Classic in Seattle.No one was higher than fifth at their position, so barring a late surge of votes the next two days, none of your favorite Cubs will be in the starting lineup.Dansby Swanson, who led all shortstops in WAR on Tuesday, could be selected as a reserve, and manager David Ross also mentioned Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki as possibilities, while lobbying for Christopher Morel to get an invite to the Home Run Derby.But the Cubs’ only sure bet for Seattle appears to be pitcher Marcus Stroman, who threw seven shutout innings Tuesday in a 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.Stroman, who improved to 9-4 with his seventh straight win, leads the National League with a 2.28 ERA, while his 14 quality starts leads the majors. Home runs by Tucker Barnhart and Mike Tauchman helped the Cubs to their ninth win in 11 games and their fourth s...

Underwater noises heard in desperate search for submersible missing with 5 aboard near Titanic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:12 GMT

By PATRICK WHITTLE and HOLLY RAMER (Associated Press)A Canadian military surveillance aircraft detected underwater noises as a massive operation searched early Wednesday in a remote part of the North Atlantic for a submersible that vanished while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic.A statement from the U.S. Coast Guard did not elaborate on what rescuers believed the noises could be, though it offered a glimmer of hope for those lost aboard the Titan as estimates suggest as little as a day’s worth of oxygen could be left if the vessel is still functioning.Meanwhile, questions remain about how teams could reach the lost submersible, which could be as deep as about 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) below the surface near the watery tomb of the historic ocean liner. Newly uncovered allegations also suggest there had been significant warnings made about vessel safety during its development.Lost aboard the vessel are pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of the company leading the e...

Indian Prime Minister Modi showcases yoga and his country’s cultural diplomacy on the UN lawn

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:12 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Paying tribute at a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined a crowd of diplomats and dignitaries for a morning yoga session Wednesday at the United Nations, kicking off the public portion of his U.S. visit by calmly flexing India’s cultural reach. With a checkerboard of made-in-India yoga mats covering the U.N. headquarters’ spacious north lawn, Modi stopped and bowed at a statue of the assassinated Indian independence leader. Then Modi took a seat on the rostrum as a cloud-filtered sun glinted off the adjacent East River and the flags of the world body’s member nations rippled in the breeze.The event honors the International Day of Yoga, which Modi persuaded the U.N. to designate in 2014 as an annual observance. The leader of the world’s most populous nation arrived in New York on Tuesday for a trip that will offer plenty of time to discuss global tensions. But starting out by highlighting an ancient pursuit of inner tranquility is...

Israeli settlers torch Palestinian homes, cars to avenge deadly shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:12 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Hundreds of Israeli settlers on Wednesday stormed into a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to dozens of cars and homes to avenge the deaths of four Israelis killed by Palestinian gunmen the previous day, residents said.The settler attack came as the Israeli military deployed additional forces across the occupied West Bank, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to build 1,000 new settler homes in response to the deadly shooting.The moves threatened to further raise tensions after day days of deadly fighting in the West Bank.Residents in Turmus Ayya said some 400 settlers marched down the town’s main road, setting fire to cars, homes and trees. Mayor Lafi Adeeb said some 30 houses and 60 cars were partly or totally burned.“The attacks intensified in the past hour even after the army came,” he said. At least eight Palestinians were hurt during the ensuing clashes, which the army tried to disperse by firing rubber bullets and...

What was Hungary’s role in freeing Ukrainian POWs from Russia? The European Commission wants to know

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:12 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Hungary’s government will be asked to provide explanations and details about its role in the transfer to the country of 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war freed by Russia, the European Union’s executive arm said Wednesday.The liberation of the POWs has created further tensions between Ukraine and Hungary’s government, which is led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and is one of the most friendly toward Moscow of the EU’s 27 nations. Budapest has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the bloc’s sanctions against Russia.Ukraine has blamed Hungary for barring access to the prisoners, and the country’s foreign ministry said it wasn’t informed about the negotiations leading to their liberation.“It is very important that the relevant Hungarian authorities involved in this case, and active in this case, explain to their Ukrainian counterparts what happened, how it happened, what was the role of Hungary, who was involved, who was not involv...

Japan’s Kishida says he will attend NATO leaders’ summit, stresses need for dialogue with China

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:12 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday announced plans to visit Lithuania next month to attend a NATO leaders’ summit as his country steps up cooperation with the Western organization amid China’s increasingly assertive military activity.Kishida stressed the importance of dialogue with China in order to develop “constructive and stable” relationship with Beijing while his country cooperates with its key ally, the United States. He said the state of U.S.-China relations are crucial to international peace and stability. At a news conference marking the end of a five-month long parliamentary session, Kishida said reinforcing diplomatic and security measures were among his top policy priorities in the first half of this year. The goal he said, is “to raise Japan’s presence in the international society, to defend the peace of our country and the people’s lives.” Japan has been strengthening ties with NATO against the backdrop of the war in...

Delaware Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester announces bid for US Senate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:12 GMT

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware’s lone representative in the U.S. House, announced Wednesday that she is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by fellow Democrat Tom Carper.Blunt Rochester’s announcement came as no surprise, given that Carper said in announcing his retirement last month that he favored her as his replacement.Blunt Rochester, who once interned for Carper when he was in the House and also served in Carper’s Cabinet when he was governor, was reelected to a fourth term in Congress last November. In a campaign video, Blunt Rochester said she now wants to continue representing Delaware in the U.S. Senate.“It’s been the greatest honor of my life to represent Delaware, to protect our seniors, our environment, our small businesses and women’s reproductive rights,” she said. “But we’ve got so much more to do.”Rochester is the only woman and only person of color to represent Delaware in Washington. She is the first person to announce a ...

Fed’s Powell: More rate hikes are likely this year to fight still-high inflation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:12 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — With inflation in the United States still excessive, most Federal Reserve officials expect to raise interest rates further this year, Chair Jerome Powell said in prepared testimony to be delivered to a House committee Wednesday. “Inflation pressures continue to run high, and the process of getting inflation back down to 2% has a long way to go,” Powell said on the first of two days of semi-annual testimony on Capitol Hill. Even so, the Fed last week kept interest rates unchanged after 10 straight hikes so it could take time to gauge how higher borrowing rates have affected the economy, Powell said. The contrast between the Fed’s stated concern over still-high inflation and its decision to skip a rate hike has heightened uncertainty about its next moves. The hazier messaging suggests that Powell is seeking to balance competing demands from those Fed officials who want to keep raising rates and others who feel the central bank has done enough.In his remarks Wed...

Stock market today: Wall Street quiet ahead of Powell testimony

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:12 GMT

BANGKOK — U.S. markets are largely unmoved early Wednesday ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s appearance before Congress, where he’s expected to field questions about the central bank’s inflation-fighting interest rate policies.Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 each ticked down about 0.1% before the opening bell Wednesday. Oil prices are flat.Markets are concerned the Fed will return to raising rates next month and may have to keep them higher for longer, which would pressure the economy and potentially bring on a recession. Powell will testify before a committee in the House on Wednesday and another in the Senate on Thursday. Last week, the Fed opted to leave its benchmark lending rate alone, the first time in more than a year that it didn’t announce an increase. But it also warned it could raise rates twice more this year.“Investors are turning cautious ahead of another hefty dose of Fedspeak amidst a relatively light data d...