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A new instant payment system may be coming to a bank near you

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:37 GMT

New York (CNN) — When it comes to getting paid — and paid back — most people and businesses want their money as quickly as possible.While payment processing at financial institutions has become faster over the years — and some large players already are part of a “real-time payment” network — many people still may have to wait at least one business day to have access to 100% of deposits they receive or for payments they make to clear.On Thursday the Federal Reserve launched the first phase of an instant payment infrastructure called FedNow Service that promises to make the option of safe, real-time payments much more widely available, whether someone banks at a large or small US financial institution.“The Federal Reserve built the FedNow Service to help make everyday payments over the coming years faster and more convenient,” said Fed Chair Jerome Powell. “Over time, as more banks choose to use this new tool, the benefits to individuals and businesses will include enab...

Drug to prevent RSV in babies approved: What you need to know

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:37 GMT

By Deb Balzer, Mayo Clinic News NetworkThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a drug to help protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The medication, given as a single-dose injection prior to or during RSV season, is a monoclonal antibody. It is intended for babies born during or entering their first RSV season and for children up to 24 months of age who remain vulnerable to severe RSV disease through their second RSV season.The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the vaccine advisory board for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to review and vote on the drug its next meeting on Aug. 3. The FDA is also evaluating an RSV vaccine for pregnant women.“This is especially exciting for us in pediatrics because vaccinating pregnant women in the second or third trimester of pregnancy can protect babies when they’re most vulnerable for developing severe illness with RSV, usually in the first six to 12 months of life,&...

Did you get COVID but never feel sick? New study hints at why

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:37 GMT

By Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles TimesAs the coronavirus emerged, so did a mystery: Why did some who got infected never develop symptoms?One likely explanation is it may be a person’s lucky genes.A new study published Wednesday in the scientific journal Nature suggests people with a specific version of a gene were far more likely to experience an asymptomatic infection than those without.The relevant set of genes is known as the human leukocyte antigen, or HLA.“This is the first time where, in a really rigorous and robust way, anybody has shown that there is a clear, definitive genetic underpinning to asymptomatic disease [from the coronavirus] — not all asymptomatic disease, but some subset of people who stay asymptomatic,” said UC San Francisco neurology professor Jill Hollenbach, a co-author of the study.Hollenbach and other researchers recruited some 30,000 people for the study — all of whom already had genetic data on file because they had registered as potent...

Fatal Randolph crash claims 2 Brockton teen brothers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:37 GMT

A second teenager has died from injuries following the single-vehicle crash in Randolph Tuesday night.Makhi Boston, 18, of Brockton, was believed to be the driver of the 2011 Nissan Altima that on Tuesday night was traveling southbound on North Main Street in Randolph when it left the roadway and smashed into a tree around the 700-block, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s office.Makhi Boston’s brother, 15-year-old Terry Boston, Jr., also of Brockton, was pronounced dead at the scene when first responders arrived sometime after the roughly 10:30 p.m. crash.“The Randolph Police and Norfolk District Attorney’s Office wish to extend our sincere condolences to the parents, family, and friends of these two young men,” stated a release from the Norfolk DA’s office.In the initial DA statements announcing the crash and the death of Terry Boston, Jr., had said the other male teen, now identified as Makhi Boston, was taken by helicopter to Boston Medical...

Opening Day at Del Mar Racetrack: What to know before you go

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:37 GMT

DEL MAR, Calif. -- Opening Day at the Del Mar Racetrack is slated for Friday, marking the 84th season for the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.Club officials say last season featured the “highest-ever daily average wagering and prize money seen in California," making 2022 a record-breaking year for the wagering sport. Opening Day will feature 10 races, the Opening Day Hats Contest and “all the fanfare that makes it an unofficial San Diego holiday,” said event organizers. Attendees can expect world-class racing, luxury food and drinks, plus horse racing fashion displayed with big hats and more.Last week, the club announced Opening Day tickets are sold out. However, limited tickets remain available for the rest of the weekend -- July 22-23 – as well as throughout the summer season.“This will be the third year we’ve capped attendance on Opening Day and the feedback we have received from our fans over this time has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Del Mar chief executive officer Joe Ha...

This Oceanside restaurant just received a Michelin star

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:37 GMT

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- There's only one restaurant in all of Oceanside that's received a Michelin star and it has a seaside view made for dinner sunsets. Valle -- a contemporary Mexican kitchen -- sits below the Mission Pacific hotel in coastal downtown, an area that has been on the rise in recent years.Led by Chef Roberto Alcocer, this restaurant is known for fusing together fresh ingredients to create authentic flavors inspired by Baja Mexico’s Guadalupe Valley wine region with a California twist. From Oceanside to Valle de Guadalupe: This private jet wine-tasting day trip is luxury On Tuesday, the restaurant received a Michelin star at a California awards recognition ceremony. This accolade may come as no surprise to those who know Chef Alcocer, who's acquired more than 20 years of experience cooking in Mexico, along with some time in Michelin-starred kitchens in both France and Spain.“I've dreamt of this moment since I started cooking in France 21 years ago, and today the dream ...

Protesters storm Swedish Embassy in Baghdad after man threatens to burn Quran in Stockholm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:37 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Protesters angered by an Iraqi man in Sweden who threatened to burn a copy of the Quran stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad early Thursday, overrunning the diplomatic compound and starting a fire.Hours later, Iraq’s prime minister cut diplomatic ties with Sweden in protest over the desecration of the Islamic holy book.Protesters occupied the diplomatic post for several hours, waving flags and signs showing the influential Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr, and setting a small fire. The embassy staff had been evacuated a day earlier.The attack came ahead of a protest by an Iraqi asylum-seeker who burned a copy of the Islamic holy book during a previous demonstration last month. He threatened to do the same thing again in Stockholm.After protesters left the Swedish Embassy, diplomats announced it had closed to visitors, without specifying when it would reopen.Following a meeting with security officials, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sud...

Home sales in June fell to the slowest pace since January with near-historic low inventory for sale

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:37 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell in June to the slowest pace since January, as a near-historic low number of homes for sale and rising mortgage rates kept many would-be homebuyers on the sidelines. The national median sales price fell on an annual basis for the fifth month in a row, though fierce competition led to about one-third of homes selling for more than their list price. Existing home sales fell 3.3% last month from May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.16 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. That’s slightly below what economists were expecting, according to FactSet, and marks the slowest sales pace since January.Sales sank 18.9% compared with June last year. All told, sales are down 23% through the first half of this year.The national median sales price fell 0.9% from June last year to $410,200. That’s the smallest annual decline since March. While down from a year earlier, the median sales price rose from...

Russia imposes travel restrictions on UK diplomats

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:37 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Thursday imposed travel restrictions on most British diplomats in the country, a practice reminiscent of the Soviet Union’s tight control over the movement of foreigners.The Foreign Ministry summoned UK charge d’affaires Tom Dodd to announce the policy, saying it was “a response to the hostile actions of London, including hindering the normal functioning of Russian overseas missions in the UK.”The ministry also said it upbraided Dodd for the UK’s support of “the terrorist actions of the Kyiv regime.” Britain is among the countries most strongly supporting Ukraine in the fighting with Russia. Under the restrictions, most UK diplomatic personnel will be required to give Russia five days’ notice of intent to travel out a 120-kilometer (75-mile) radius and to state the purpose of the trip, the route, accommodations and planned contacts.The ambassador, the consuls in Moscow and the deputy chief of mission are exempt from the order. The Asso...

Kevin Spacey’s lawyer says three of the actor’s sexual assault accusers are ‘liars’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:37 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Three of Kevin Spacey ‘s accusers are liars, his lawyer told jurors Thursday at the actor’s sexual assault trial, and he suggested they not convict him for making a “clumsy pass” at a fourth man.Spacey was an easy mark for men who hopped on a “bandwagon” and fabricated stories in hopes of a payout, attorney Patrick Gibbs said. “A man who is promiscuous, not publicly out, although everyone in the business knows he’s gay, who wants to be just a normal guy,” Gibbs said in describing his famous client. “It’s a life that makes you an easy target when the internet turns against you and you’re tried by social media.”Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including multiple counts of sexual and indecent assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.The jury of nine men and three women is due to begin deliberating on Monday in Southwark Crown Court.The acts alleged between 2001 and 2013 ra...