US inflation dips from 4-decade high but still causing pain
Inflation eased slightly in April after months of relentless increases but remained near a four-decade high, making it hard for millions of American households to keep up with surging prices. Consumer prices jumped 8.3% from a year ago, below the 8.5% year-over-year surge in March. Still, there are signs that inflation may be becoming more entrenched. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, so-called core prices jumped twice as much from March to April as they did the previous month. Inflation could remain high well into 2023, leaving many Americans burdened by price increases that have outpaced pay raises. Especially hurt are lower-income and Black and Hispanic families, who on average spend a greater proportion of their incomes on gas, food and rent.
Moderna vaccine provokes strong immune response in children 6 to 11
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine elicits a strong immune response in children ages 6 to 11, researchers reported Wednesday — another signpost in what has become a long and tortuous road to protecting young children against the virus, even as cases again inch upward. On Monday, Moderna requested authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for the vaccine’s use in this age group. Last month, Moderna asked the FDA to authorize its vaccine for use in children 6 months to 6 years old. The agency is already reviewing the company’s data on adolescents and is expected to decide on use of the Moderna vaccine in children of all ages in June.
Florida condo collapse victims reach $997M settlement
Families of the victims of the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida, that killed 98 people last year have reached a $997 million settlement to compensate them for their staggering losses of life. The settlement, revealed at a court hearing Wednesday and still pending final approval, includes insurance companies, developers of an adjacent building and other defendants in the extensive civil case. It comes six weeks before the anniversary of the tragedy June 24. Before Wednesday’s surprise announcement, the judge had approved a far smaller settlement of $83 million to be split among condo unit owners for their property losses.
Judge lifts contempt order against Trump in civil inquiry
Donald Trump was released from a judicial order holding him in contempt of court Wednesday, ending an embarrassing two-week period for the former president, whose business practices are under civil investigation by New York state Attorney General Letitia James. A New York state judge, Arthur Engoron, held Trump in contempt last month after finding that he had failed to comply with the terms of a December subpoena sent by James, requesting documents from his personal files. Engoron ordered Trump to pay $10,000 a day until he complied, leading to a $110,000 penalty. Engoron withdrew the order Wednesday but set conditions, including requiring Trump to pay the fine.
Al-Jazeera journalist is killed in West Bank
A journalist for Al-Jazeera was fatally shot in the West Bank city of Jenin early Wednesday, the news network and the Palestinian Health Ministry said, blaming Israeli forces for her death. The circumstances surrounding the shooting of the journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, a Palestinian American, were not immediately clear, but she was shot as clashes between Israeli military and Palestinian gunmen took place in the city. Al-Jazeera, citing the Health Ministry, said the journalist had been shot in the head by Israeli forces during a raid. A second journalist was hospitalized after being hit in the back, the ministry said.
Bulgaria takes a stand against Russia
A week after Russia invaded Ukraine, Moscow’s ambassador to Bulgaria climbed a mountain pass to honor czarist-era Russian soldiers who died there fighting for Bulgarian independence in the 19th century. That same day, Bulgaria expelled two of the ambassador’s underlings for espionage. In the weeks since, Bulgaria, a country that Moscow long counted as its most ardent and reliable friend in Europe, has joined fellow members of the European Union in imposing ever tougher economic sanctions on Russia, offered to repair broken military helicopters and tanks for Ukraine, and expelled yet more Russian diplomats.
Report catalogs abuse of Native American children at former government schools
An initial investigation commissioned by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland cataloged some of the brutal conditions that Native American children endured at more than 400 boarding schools that the federal government forced them to attend between 1819 and 1969. The inquiry was an initial step, Haaland said, toward addressing the “intergenerational trauma” that the policy left behind. An Interior Department report released Wednesday highlighted the abuse of many of the children at the government-run schools, such as beatings, withholding of food and solitary confinement. It also identified burial sites at more than 50 of the former schools, a number that the department expects will grow as the review continues.
EU will no longer recommend masks be required for air travel
The European Union will no longer recommend that member states require face masks on planes and in airports, two EU agencies announced Wednesday, ending a guideline that had been in place for nearly two years as countries across the bloc lift COVID-19 restrictions. The revised recommendations will go into effect Monday, but rules on mask wearing might still vary depending on the airlines, a statement said, adding that carriers should require masks on flights to and from destinations where masks remain mandatory on public transport. Italy, and Germany still do so; France announced it would lift the requirement starting Monday.
North Korea confirms 1st COVID outbreak, Kim orders lockdown
North Korea has confirmed its first coronavirus infections of the pandemic after holding for more than two years to a widely doubted claim of a perfect record keeping out the virus that has spread to nearly every place in the world. State media said tests from an unspecified number of people with fevers confirmed they were infected with the omicron variant. In response, leader Kim Jong Un called for a thorough lockdown of cities and counties and said workplaces should be isolated by units to block the virus from spreading. The country’s population of 26 million is believed to be mostly unvaccinated, after its government shunned vaccines offered by the U.N.-backed COVAX distribution program.
By wire sources