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Senate committee investigating Florida’s state-backed home insurance company as private insurers flee

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:26 GMT

(CNN) — The US Senate Budget Committee is launching an investigation into whether Florida’s state-backed home and property insurance company has enough money in the bank to withstand future disasters, as scientists warn warming oceans and sea level rise are making storms more destructive.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation exists as a so-called insurer of last resort – if owners cannot convince a private insurance company to cover their property, Citizens will step in. It insures about 1.3 million policyholders in the state, who typically pay more money for a policy that covers less.But as coastlines disappear and storms get wetter and more dangerous, risk is through the roof for many of the properties Citizens insures, putting intense financial pressure on the state-backed company. During a March press conference, Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said, “I think most people know Citizens has not been solvent.”After Florida was walloped in 2022 and 2023 by major ...

Sunak’s Greek ‘hissy fit’ won’t stop marbles deal, says British Museum’s George Osborne

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:26 GMT

Rishi Sunak may have been indulging in a “hissy fit” with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis before he controversially pulled a bilateral meeting this week, a senior Conservative-turned-British Museum chair said Thursday.George Osborne — who was Conservative chancellor from 2010-2016 — insisted the diplomatic feud that erupted between Sunak and Mitsotakis in recent days wouldn’t stop long-running talks over the future of the Parthenon Sculptures, known as the Elgin Marbles in the U.K.And he suggested Sunak’s abrupt cancellation of a meeting with the Greek prime minister — which No.10 Downing Street blamed on Mitsotakis’ fresh public plea for the return of the ancient sculptures — may have had more to do with the Tories’ dire electoral prospects.The sculptures were removed from Athens by diplomat Lord Elgin in the 19th century and have been housed in the British Museum since then, despite much campaigning for their return.London and Athens h...

Way cleared for Nadia Calviño to become EIB chief

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:26 GMT

BRUSSELS – Nadia Calviño has emerged as the clear frontrunner to lead the European Investment Bank.Belgium’s finance minister Vincent Van Peteghem, who is leading the selection process, will send a letter to his EU counterparts endorsing the Spanish finance minister for the role, two officials told POLITICO on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private.Until now, the Belgians were holding back from putting forward a single candidate because there was no consensus among governments.Finance ministers are now set to vote on whether to endorse Calviño in a meeting in Brussels on Friday next week, the officials confirmed.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz publicly came out in support of Calviño during a meeting of top European Socialist leaders in Spain earlier this month. France had not publicly backed any candidate.Calvino’s main rival for the job was Denmark’s Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition commissioner w...

3 die in Maine when car goes in wrong direction on turnpike, hitting 2 vehicles

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:26 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A wrong-way driver on the Maine Turnpike struck two vehicles, causing a head-on collision that killed three people, police said.Maine police said they were still working to identify the occupants of the vehicles in the Wednesday night crash in Portland. They said the wrong-way vehicle was a sedan that was going southbound in the northbound lane at a high rate of speed.An initial investigation indicates the wrong-way driver hit a pickup truck before striking a sports utility vehicle head-on, police said. The second crash caused both vehicles to catch fire and become fully engulfed, police said.Police said there was only one person in the SUV and they were deceased upon the arrival of emergency responders. They said both occupants of the wrong-way vehicle were also declared deceased on arrival. The driver of the pickup truck was not injured, police said.Police said the crash was still under investigation on Thursday.

Trump will hold a fundraiser instead of appearing at next week’s Republican presidential debate

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:26 GMT

By JILL COLVIN (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — As his Republican primary rivals return to the debate stage next week, former President Donald Trump will be headlining a closed-door fundraiser in Florida.Trump’s campaign has been advertising a chance to win tickets to the “end-of-year reception” in Hallandale Beach, Florida, near Miami on Dec. 6.The former president has chosen to skip his party’s three previous primary debates, citing his commanding lead in early state and national polls. But his decision not to schedule a public counterprogramming event to upstage the debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, marks a change in strategy.Trump held a rally in Hialeah, a Miami suburb, during the last debate, which felt, in many ways, like the main event. He traveled to Michigan in lieu of the second debate to rail against President Joe Biden at an auto-parts manufacturing plant during an autoworkers’ strike. And he sat for a pretaped interview with former Fox...

Patriots offensive leaders on who will start at quarterback: ‘We’ll see’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:26 GMT

Who will start at quarterback for the New England Patriots this Sunday? Bill Belichick won’t say, and two of New England’s offensive leaders kept mum when asked Thursday as well.“I think everybody will be ready,” said tight end Hunter Henry. “We’ve gotten a lot of reps with each guy and I know they’re all taking advantage of each opportunity.”“We’ll see,” said center David Andrews. “We all got a lot we can focus on but no matter what it’s always team success and team failure.”The question of who should be the starting quarterback going forward took on added urgency after incumbent starter Mac Jones was benched for the fourth time this season during last weekend’s 10-7 loss to the New York Giants. Now in his third year, Jones has notably regressed since being named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie and currently ranks among the least productive quarterbacks in the NFL with 2,120 passing yards, 10 touc...

Three San Diego-area eateries among best new restaurants in US: Esquire

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:26 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- New restaurants -- something that most foodies get excited for, especially if the impression is lasting on both the taste buds and the mind.With new eateries opening in troves, finding the best-of-the-best in emerging food spots takes time and dedication. Four food and drink reviewers for Esquire Magazine -- Kevin Sintumuang, Jeff Gordinier, Joshua David Stein, and Omar Mamoon -- spent the last year table-hopping across the country to experience for themselves 200 new restaurants. From fruit to flesh: A day in the ink shop with San Diego tattoo apprentices The meal on each plate varied in cuisine, with the tetrad of eaters feasting on anything from whole fish to noodles and fresh out of the oven bread rolls. Sintumuang explained that after "spirited debates," the quartet of serial diners collectively narrowed down what they considered to be the 50 best new restaurants in America in 2023. There's good news for foodies in San Diego County -- three of those eateries ar...

Man killed while standing in traffic lanes of I-5 after vehicle stalls

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:26 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- A man was killed after being struck by a vehicle on Interstate 5 in Chula Vista Monday night, said California Highway Patrol.Around 10:36 p.m., a Honda Civic was stalled in the southbound traffic lanes of I-5, north of Palomar Street. According to CHP, the Honda was struck by several vehicles. Man hit by San Diego COASTER train dies During the crash the driver of the Honda -- a 39-year-old man from Chicago, Illinois -- was reportedly standing in traffic lanes when he was also struck, authorities explained.As a result of the crash, CHP said the man sustained major injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released at this time.All involved parties stopped, remained on scene, and cooperated with the investigation, CHP confirmed. Alcohol/or drugs are not suspected to be a factor in the crash.The three left lanes of I-5 southbound, north of Palomar Street, were closed for about 4 hours to facilitate the investigation.The cause of t...

Chiefs of Ontario asks for judicial review of carbon price regime

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:26 GMT

TORONTO — First Nations leaders in Ontario are asking a court to review what they call Canada’s “discriminatory” carbon price system. A group representing more than 130 First Nations in the province has filed an application for judicial review in Federal Court, saying the system places an unjust price on their communities without suitable cost relief. The Chiefs of Ontario says the federal government failed to meaningfully engage with repeated attempts to find a solution and denied their request for an exemption only to then make a carveout targeting concerns in Atlantic Canada last month. The application asks the court to order the government back to the table to negotiate a solution that upholds the carbon price’s purpose to “alleviate the climate crisis” without worsening the “human rights crisis” experienced by First Nations.The group says northern and remote First Nations already face high fuel costs with limited ability to transi...

A deadline for ethnic Serbs to sign up for Kosovo license plates has been postponed by 2 weeks

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:26 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s government on Thursday postponed a deadline by two weeks for ethnic Serbs living in the country to register their vehicles with Kosovo license plates instead of Serbian ones.The move was made to give ethnic Serbs more time to comply with the order. The deadline was initially set for Friday, but has been moved to Dec. 15.The program has financial incentives, including the waiving of taxes and the registration fee. After the deadline passes, old number plates would be considered illegal, and violators would first be fined and then have their vehicles towed if they didn’t subsequently abide by the new rules.In recent days, Associated Press journalists have seen scores of ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo lining up to register their vehicles. Authorities say that about 3,000 vehicles out of an estimated 4,000 ones have been registered so far.The issue of vehicle registration has sparked tensions in the past. Vehicle registration was one of the ...