Acting

• Fluctuations in interest and exchange rates are identified as primary financial indicators directly influencing consumer decision-making and investment strategies. • Changes in interest rates prompt individuals to adjust savings plans or reallocate funds to more effective investment channels to meet financial goals. • Exchange rate volatility impacts a broad spectrum of economic activity, including import-export operations, commodity pricing, and individual purchasing power.

Church officials had extended the temporary term of Anthony Odiong, recently convicted of sexual assault, even after women came forward with allegations of abuseKey takeaways from the Guardian’s inquiry into the church’s handling of a predatory priestInternal Catholic church files obtained by the Guardian reveal that clergy leaders wanted to quadruple what was supposed to be a temporary, three-year role as pastor at a suburban New Orleans church for a priest who had nearly a half-dozen women accusing him of sexual misconduct or unwanted advances while ministering to them.Anthony Odiong was supposed to be at the St Anthony of Padua church in Luling, Louisiana, from 2015 to 2018 when – toward the end of that time frame – his supervisors extended his stint by three years despite a series of misconduct complaints, including one that ultimately sent him to prison for life in June. Continue reading...

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) appointed Dr. John Powers III as the acting director of its infectious disease institute, as announced on the agency's website this Tuesday. • In this leadership capacity, Dr. Powers III will advise senior officials on strategic initiatives regarding infectious disease research and the management of clinical trials. • His responsibilities include overseeing efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance and evaluating medical interventions designed to improve overall patient health outcomes.

Lawmakers warn appointment of presidential loyalist will scuttle bipartisan agreement to renew Fisa surveillance lawDonald Trump is pushing ahead with his controversial plan to install political loyalist Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, a move that has sparked bipartisan congressional backlash and imperiled the reauthorization of a powerful surveillance law set to expire at the end of this week.Trump’s Tuesday evening announcement came after he met earlier in the day with the House speaker, Mike Johnson, to discuss Pulte’s elevation to the role, which has prompted widespread concern over his complete lack of national security experience and the prospect that he could use the office’s spying powers to continue his campaign of targeting Trump’s perceived political enemies. Continue reading...

Fewer than one in 10 SEW customers satisfied with firm’s handling of supply crisis, which left tens of thousands without waterSouth East Water failed to adequately communicate with customers during outages last winter that left tens of thousands of people without water, a report has concluded.Fewer than one in 10 SEW customers were satisfied with how the company handled the water supply crisis that stretched across parts of Kent and Sussex last winter, the consumer council for water said. The report found communication was the company’s greatest failing. Continue reading...

However, Todd Blanche said the IRS will still be prohibited from auditing Donald Trump, his family and related entities‘Outright theft’: legal experts decry $1.8bn Trump anti-weaponization fundThe federal government is abandoning an effort to create a $1.8bn secretive fund to compensate Donald Trump’s allies, but is maintaining an agreement that prohibits the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from auditing Trump, his family and related entities, the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, said on Tuesday.“We are not moving forward with the fund, period,” Blanche said during a House appropriations committee hearing on Tuesday. He later added that the department would continue granting immunity to Trump and his family members on tax matters before the agreement was reached last month. Continue reading...

Hung Cao’s comments are latest blow to Taipei after Donald Trump recently cast doubt over US’s enduring supportUS arms sales to Taiwan have been put on “pause” to ensure its military has enough munitions for its Iran operations, according to Washington’s acting navy secretary, in the latest blow to Taipei after a series of comments by Donald Trump.When asked at a congressional hearing on Thursday about a $14bn (£10.4bn) weapons package, which has been awaiting Trump’s signoff for months, Hung Cao said: “Right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury [the Iran war] – which we have plenty.” Continue reading...

Pouria Zeraati, who worked for a dissident Farsi-language broadcaster, was attacked outside his home in 2024The stabbing of a journalist in London was a planned attack ordered by a third party acting on behalf of the Iranian state, a court has heard.Pouria Zeraati, a British journalist of Iranian origin had worked for Iran International, a Farsi-language dissident Farsi-language broadcaster, when he was stabbed in the leg outside of his west London home in 2024. Continue reading...