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☆ Ron DeSantis will spend up to $4 billion on school vouchers for Florida families to challenge 'woke' public schools
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ron DeSantis is waging a war against 'woke' public schools. On Monday, the governor signed universal school vouchers into law, which both conservatives and liberals expect to hurt public schools. Public school enrollment has only dropped a few percentage points, from 89.6% to 87.2%, since Republican Gov. Now, however, DeSantis' move to broaden the voucher program to all Florida families could meaningfully threaten funding for public schools. Spar fears universal vouchers "will literally siphon money away" from public schools because it's all under the same education budget.

☆ Alcaraz, Rybakina stay on course for 'Sunshine Double' in Miami
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsMarch 28 (Reuters) - Indian Wells champions Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina stayed on course to complete the 'Sunshine Double' with straight sets wins at the Miami Open on Tuesday. Paul fell behind an early break again in the second set on a missed forehand for 2-1. Alcaraz is now three wins away from the 'Sunshine Double,' something he needs to retain his world number one ranking from Novak Djokovic. The 10th-seeded Kazakh deployed her clean groundstrokes and feasted on the Italian's soft second serve in the tight first set. "I would say that, of course, maybe I'm moving not as good as I was moving in Indian Wells but overall I think that I'm trying to keep that level from Indian Wells," she told reporters after reaching the semi-finals.

☆ Britain raises domestic threat level for Northern Ireland to 'severe'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 28: British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris arrives for a cabinet meeting at Downing Street on March 28, 2023 in London. Britain's MI5 intelligence agency has increased the threat level from domestic terrorism to Northern Ireland to "severe" - meaning an attack is highly likely, Britain said on Tuesday. "The public should remain vigilant, but not be alarmed, and continue to report any concerns they have to the Police Service of Northern Ireland," he said. The change comes roughly a year after Britain lowered the threat level for the province to "substantial" for the first time in more than a decade. It also comes ahead of next month's 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement peace deal that largely ended the "Troubles," three decades of violence that had convulsed Northern Ireland since the late 1960s.

Hedge funds and other money managers sold the equivalent of 142 million barrels in the six most important contracts in the seven days ending on March 21, after selling 139 million barrels in the week to March 14. Fund managers have slashed their combined position to just 289 million barrels (6th percentile for all weeks since 2013) from 570 million (46th percentile) on March 7. The fund community liquidated 163 million barrels of previous bullish long positions in the two most recent weeks, while establishing 115 million barrels of new bearish short ones. The most recent week saw heavy sales across the board, including Brent (-63 million barrels), NYMEX and ICE WTI (-48 million), U.S. gasoline (-15 million), U.S. diesel (-6 million) and European gas oil (-10 million). Anticipating the erosion of the surplus, funds have bought the equivalent of 774 billion cubic feet in the last seven weeks.

☆ India to cut gas prices from April 1 after review panel report - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Nidhi Verma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, March 27 (Reuters) - India's cabinet is set to adopt a gas panel report this week, which has recommended capping the price for most local gas at $6.50 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) in April, two sources said on Monday. India last year set up the panel, led by energy expert Kirit Parikh, to review India's gas pricing formula to ensure fair prices to consumers after state-set prices of gas from old fields and a ceiling price for output from hard-to-access, difficult blocks rose to record highs. The current price of gas from old blocks is set at $8.57 and is valid from October to end-March. Oman and Dubai crudes make up on average 75.6% of India's crude basket, with 24.5% coming from dated Brent. India's current local gas prices are linked to global benchmarks and are revised twice a year in April and October.

☆ NHL roundup: Bruins lock down Atlantic Division title
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

Hathaway has scored three goals since joining the Bruins in late February, two of which have been go-ahead tallies. Linus Ullmark made 11 of his 26 saves in the third period, improving to 11-1-0 in his last 12 starts. For the Lightning, Victor Hedman scored the lone goal and Andrei Vasilevskiy was credited with 32 saves. Leon Draisaitl had a goal and an assist, and Zach Hyman and Warren Foegele also scored for Edmonton. Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk scored his seventh goal in seven games and Mark Kastelic and defenseman Thomas Chabot also tallied.

☆ Fact Check-Lawyer’s speech mistaken for official U.S. response to Nigeria’s presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An online claim that the United States has not officially congratulated Nigerian president-elect Bola Tinubu on his election win is not true. It is based on a speech by a U.S. lawyer that is being misrepresented as reflecting an official U.S. position. “Vote rigging, vote buying and bribery marred Nigeria's presidential elections. But neither the lawyer nor the Nigerian pro-democracy group speak for the U.S. government, which officially congratulated Tinubu on March 1. The U.S. has officially congratulated Nigerian president-elect Bola Tinubu.

☆ Column: East Asia set to win scramble for wind power dominance by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

EAST ASIAN DOMINANCEChina will remain the largest wind producer and top wind capacity developer, but South Korea, Japan and Taiwan will all post faster growth rates than China through 2030, according to GEM. While no other country will match the sheer scale of China's wind power additions, many will dwarf its growth rate as they play catch up with the world's green power leader. Combined, these East Asian countries are set to account for 36.2% of world wind capacity by 2030, GEM data shows, with the region remaining the largest hub for wind power. Wind power capacity breakdownGermany, Spain, France and Sweden plan to boost their collective capacity by nearly 40,000 MW by 2030, and will all rank among the top 10 global wind producers. Saudi Arabia looks set to be the largest wind power producer in the Middle East once it raises current capacity by 125% to 900MW.

☆ Northern Ireland's DUP hardens position against new Brexit deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Amanda Ferguson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A key test of the deal reached by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with Brussels last month is its ability to convince the DUP to end a year-long boycott of Northern Ireland's power-sharing government over the original post-Brexit trade rules. As well as leaving Northern Ireland without a functioning executive, failure to win over the DUP could trigger a rebellion within Sunak's Conservative Party and dash his hopes of presenting the deal as a major diplomatic success. U.S. President Joe Biden has accepted an invitation to visit Northern Ireland to mark the anniversary in April. Clear protection "in UK law" was also needed to protect Northern Ireland's place within the United Kingdom's internal market, he said. Sunak's government has not set out in detail how it intends to implement the deal, known as the Windsor Framework, in law.

The sale means UK startups and investors will be able to access their money. Like its US parent, SVB UK mostly served tech startups and their investors. Insider understands from a person close to SVB UK that there is some internal frustration at the bank run. The feeling is that SVB UK was sold off simply because of groupthink. That evening, it looked feasible that the government would allow SVB UK to collapse.

☆ UK's Sunak will invite Biden to Northern Ireland peace anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Elizabeth Piper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will invite U.S. President Joe Biden to Northern Ireland in April to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which largely brought an end to three decades of political violence. Sunak said on Sunday that he would issue a formal invite to the celebrations, which are due to take place in the middle of April. The Good Friday Agreement was a peace deal that largely ended the "Troubles", three decades of violence that had convulsed Northern Ireland since the late 1960s. It was signed on April 10, 1998, and partially brokered by the U.S. government of then President Bill Clinton. "What I'm concentrating on now is talking to everyone in Northern Ireland so we can find a positive way to move forward and get power-sharing up and running - that's my priority," Sunak said.

☆ Ben Savage of 'Boy Meets World' launches bid to replace Adam Schiff in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ben Savage speaks onstage at the Boy Meets World 25th Anniversary Reunion panel during New York Comic Con 2018 at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on October 5, 2018 in New York City. Savage, 42, filed paperwork in January with the Federal Election Commission to run in the 30th Congressional District as a Democrat. The district Savage seeks covers a chunk of LA that includes Hollywood, Burbank and Glendale and is home to major players in the entertainment industry such as Disney Studios and ABC Studios. The biography on Savage's campaign website touches on his experiences in the entertainment industry as a child actor, though it does not specifically mention "Boy Meets World," the show that made him a household name for a generation of Americans. Savage is the younger brother of Fred Savage, who starred in another coming-of-age TV series, "The Wonder Years."

☆ NBA roundup: Nets stun Celts with NBA's biggest comeback of season
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Cam Johnson added 20 points for the Nets, who also received 17 points apiece from Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith. Jayson Tatum, who turned 25 on Friday, finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, but he missed all eight of his 3-point attempts. Terry Rozier posted 22 points, Gordon Hayward 17 and Mark Williams 13 points for Charlotte, which was hurt by 21 turnovers. Kings 128, Clippers 127De'Aaron Fox recorded 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Sacramento won its fifth straight game by prevailing over visiting Los Angeles. Jonathan Kuminga, coming off the Golden State bench, chipped in with 19 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

☆ NHL roundup: Connor McDavid's historic multi-goal streak hits 5
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

McDavid has scored two goals in each of the past five games and has an NHL-leading 52 for the season. Klim Kostin and former Maple Leaf Zach Hyman added a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who had lost their previous two games. Mitchell Marner logged a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who had a three-game winning streak end. Owen Tippett and Scott Laughton scored one goal apiece for the slumping Flyers, who have dropped four in a row. Jordan Staal and Martin Necas scored goals for Carolina, which took its second straight loss.

☆ Fact Check-Video of former Nigerian cabinet minister challenging INEC chairman dates to 2015
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video of a former Nigerian cabinet minister saying he has lost confidence in the chairman of the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been falsely linked on social media to the 2023 general election. Moreover, social media users have misidentified the INEC chairman. The video shows Attahiru Jega, who was chairman at the time the video was filmed but who retired three months later, on June 30, 2015 (here). Mahmoud Yakubu succeeded Jega as chairman, as was tweeted by the INEC (here) and reported by Nigerian news outlets (here) and (here). Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts (here).

See Insider's picks for the best private student loans >>What is student loan interest? See Insider's picks for the best tax software >>"Student loan interest is tax deductible," says Leslie Tayne, a financial attorney who specializes in student loan debt. Insider's Featured Student Loan Refinance Companies SoFi Student Loan RefinancingSplash Financial Student Loan RefinancingEarnest Student Loan Refinancing Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. APR Variable: 5.09% - 8.99%, Fixed: 4.49% - 8.99% Editor's Rating 4.5/5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star APR Variable: 3.99% - 9.24% with AutoPay, Fixed: 4.39% - 9.24% with AutoPay Editor's Rating 3.5/5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star APR Actual rate and available repayment terms will vary based on your income. See Insider's picks for the best student loans without a cosigner >>Will my student loan interest rate change?

☆ PSG romp to 3-0 win over Marseille thanks to Mbappe-Messi double act
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - World Cup foes Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe inspired Paris St Germain to a 3-0 win at bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille on Sunday to extend their Ligue 1 lead to eight points. Third-placed Monaco slumped to a 3-0 home defeat against Nice, who prevailed thanks to a Terem Moffi double and a superb half-volley by Khephren Thuram. The result left Monaco on 50 points, ahead of fourth-placed RC Lens on goals scored after the northerners drew 1-1 at Montpellier on Saturday. Messi beautifully lifted the ball into the path of Mbappe, who volleyed home with his left foot for his 16th goal of the season in Ligue 1. PSG next face Nantes at home before travelling to Bayern Munich for their Champions League last-16 return leg after losing the first encounter 1-0 at the Parc des Princes.

☆ Russia's Prigozhin says Wagner fighters capture Ukrainian village near Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 25 (Reuters) - Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said forces of his Wagner group had captured the village of Yahidne, just north of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine on Saturday. "At 1900 on 25th February, storm units of the Wagner private military company secured complete control of the locality of Yagodnoye (Yahidne) to the north of Bakhmut," Prigozhin said in the clip. A day earlier, he said Wagner had taken control of Berkhivka, another village on the outskirts of Bakhmut. The months-long struggle for Bakhmut has seen some of the bloodiest attritional fighting of Russia's year-old invasion of Ukraine. Wagner units have suffered heavy losses, prompting Prigozhin to complain bitterly that the Russian defence establishment has failed to properly acknowledge their contribution.

☆ Arsenal go five points clear, Leeds and West Ham boost survival hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Gabriel Martinelli's goal just after halftime sealed the points for Arsenal to crank up the pressure on second-placed Manchester City, who were playing struggling Bournemouth later on Saturday. "We deserved the result and we are so happy with the three points," Martinelli told Sky Sports. Arsenal, bidding for a first title since 2004, have 57 points from 24 games played while champions City are on 52 ahead of their 25th game at Bournemouth (1730GMT). RELEGATION BATTLEThe relegation battle is shaping up to be especially tense this season with clubs changing positions on a weekly basis. West Ham climbed to 16th place with 23 points from 24 games, two above Everton who are third from bottom.

Our experts answer readers' student loan questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess student loans). Federal student loan rates for the 2023-24 school year have risen by the widest margin in about 20 years. While private student loan rates aren't directly affected by federal rates, they're likely to increase because they don't have to stay as low to remain competitive with federal ones. For instance, the Biden administration extended the repayment pause on federal student loans through the end of August 2023. Insider's Featured Student Loan Refinance Companies SoFi Student Loan RefinancingSplash Financial Student Loan RefinancingEarnest Student Loan Refinancing Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

☆ Red-hot Rashford nets double as Man United see off Leicester
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MANCHESTER, England, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford's superb run of form continued as he netted a goal in each half of his side's 3-0 Premier League win over Leicester City on Sunday to extend his scoring streak to five games. Leicester rang the changes in an effort to get back into the game but United continued to have the better chances, with Sancho and Wout Weghorst spurning good opportunities to add a fourth. United moved on to 49 points, three behind second-placed Manchester City after 24 games and five adrift of leaders Arsenal, who have played a game less. Fourth-placed Newcastle United trail Manchester United by eight points. Reporting by Philip O'Connor, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The talks follow weeks of media speculation that a deal was close with the EU to revise the Northern Ireland protocol, which was agreed when Britain left the bloc three years ago. Speaking earlier in Munich, Sunak said a new deal was "by no means done," adding that Brussels and London had an understanding of how the problems could be resolved. "We're working through them (the issues) hard and we will work through them intensely with the EU, but we are by no means done." Sunak reassured the audience at the conference that Britain wanted to have a positive relationship with the bloc. Reporting by Muvija M and Kate Holton; Editing by Jane Merriman and David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rare footage of Titanic wreckage shot in 1986 released
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The footage from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) was shot about 2 miles (3 km) below the ocean's surface, just months after explorers found the wreckage in 1985. Since the discovery, several documentaries about the Titanic have showed footage of the wreckage scene. During 11 dives in July 1986, footage was shot by cameras on a human-occupied submersible and a small remotely operated vessel that maneuvered through tight spaces. The unveiling of the footage has been timed with the re-release of director James Cameron's 1997 film "Titanic" on its 25th anniversary. "By releasing this footage, WHOI is helping tell an important part of a story that spans generations and circles the globe."

☆ Never-before-seen video of the Titanic wreckage to be released nearly 40 years after its discovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution says it will release 1986 footage of the Titanic on Wednesday. Saturday was the 25th anniversary of James Cameron's "Titanic" based on the tragic ocean liner. The 80-minute uncut and unnarrated video, which will be uploaded by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to WHOI's YouTube channel at 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, captures some never-before-seen images of the ocean liner that sank, killing about 1,500 in April 1912, according to AP News. One Titanic historian hobbyist told Insider, "The Titanic is such a phenomenon that any new information you can get from it is instantly intriguing.

☆ Leaders Arsenal held at home by Brentford, sorry Spurs thrashed at Leicester
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Peter Hall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Brighton, who have not lost this year, were held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace. An eight-point advantage in the table beckoned for Mikel Arteta's side but they never looked comfortable against an enterprising Brentford who should have been ahead by halftime. The visitors got their deserved point through Ivan Toney, who pounced in the 72nd minute to head in Christian Norgaard's cross. Only Harry Kane has netted more away goals in the Premier League this season than the Brentford striker. SORRY SPURSWith manager Antonio Conte back in the dugout after missing their win against Manchester City last Sunday following gallbladder surgery, Spurs made a good start at Leicester.

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