The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage eased to where it was three weeks ago, modest relief for prospective homebuyers challenged by rising home prices and stubbornly high borrowing costs. The long-term rate slipped to 6.72% from 6.74% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.73%. Borrowing
BEIJING — China’s famous Shaolin Temple announced on Sunday that its abbot is under investigation on suspicion of misappropriation and embezzlement of project funds and temple assets. Shi Yongxin is alleged to have committed criminal offenses and violated Buddhist precepts by maintaining relationships with multiple women over a long period and fathering at least one
A Manhattan judge agreed Wednesday to release on bail two men charged with torturing a man in a luxury SoHo townhouse to obtain his cryptocurrency. Over the objection of the Manhattan district attorney’s office, Judge Gregory Carro set bail at $1 million each for John Woeltz and William Duplessie, who have both pleaded not guilty
Watch weeks-old peregrine falcon chicks at the Ojai Raptor Center Peregrine falcon eggs were transferred to the Ojai Raptor Center in May 2025. Watch what happens next. Pamela Greer, former Ojai finance director, filed a 22-page claim July 15. She said the real reason for her March 3 firing was her exposure of internal improprieties.
BANGKOK — World shares were mixed on Monday as investors focused on tariffs and corporate earnings updates. An announcement over the weekend by U.S. President Donald Trump that he plans 30% tariffs on goods from Mexico and the European Union had a modest immediate impact, as analysts said they expected progress toward trade deals before
Banking secrecy graphic: Sept 2000 swissinfo.ch The Swiss public is becoming increasingly uneasy about the country’s controversial banking secrecy laws, according to new studies. This content was published on September 14, 2000 – 11:44 Two surveys show that most Swiss favour at least a partial removal of bank customers’ right to confidentiality. The studies, conducted
The Senate voted 68-30 late Tuesday to pass the GENIUS Act, a bill that aims to regulate some cryptocurrencies. The bill faced some Democratic opposition over President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency ventures, but it ultimately garnered support from 18 Democrats, including Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif. The industry-backed measure establishes rules targeting stablecoins,
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order paving the way for a Nippon Steel investment in U.S. Steel, so long as the Japanese company complies with a “national security agreement” submitted by the federal government. Trump’s order didn’t detail the terms of the national security agreement. But the iconic American steelmaker
Two New York City police detectives were placed on modified duty after the department learned they had a prior connection to a Manhattan townhouse where an Italian businessman was allegedly held and tortured. One off-duty detective drove the alleged victim from the airport to the SoHo townhouse on May 6, sources told ABC News. The
On May 2, Jennifer Benoit-Bryan opened a distressing email. “The National Endowment for the Arts will no longer offer award funding for the project … ” Benoit-Bryan, director at Southern Methodist University DataArts, said the research center for the arts will now need to put the AI project on hold indefinitely. The project focuses on