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LONDON  – British grocery inflation rose again in March to a record 17.5 percent, inflicting yet more pain on consumers battling a cost-of-living crisis, industry data showed on Tuesday. Market researcher Kantar said prices were rising fastest in markets such as eggs, milk and cheese. It said UK households now face an additional 837 pounds ($1,028) on their annual shopping bills if they do not change their behavior to cut costs. “It’s more bad news for the British public, who are experiencing the ninth month of double-digit grocery price inflation,” said Fraser McKevitt, Kantar’s head of retail and consumer insight. The Kantar data for March provides the most up to date snapshot of UK grocery inflation. Official UK data published last week showed overall consumer price inflation rose to 10.4 percent in February, which higher food and drink prices in pubs and restaurants pushed up, with shortages of salad items also playing a role. Overall inflation for food and non-alcoholic … [Read more...] about UK grocery inflation hits new high of 17.5% -Kantar

After a 10-month wait, the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11659, the law that redefines the meaning and scope of public utility services, are now in place. The law amended the 85-year-old Public Service Act, which was the foundation of the 1987 Constitution’s provision that limits the operation of public utilities to Filipino citizens or organizations that are 60-percent owned by Filipinos. Henceforth, the term “public utility” shall apply only to persons or entities that operate, manage or control the following services: (a) distribution of electricity (b) transmission of electricity, (c) petroleum and petroleum products pipeline transmission systems, (d) water and wastewater pipeline systems, (e) seaports and (f) public utilities vehicles. The length of time it took to prepare the 43-page IRR is understandable because it involved 21 government offices and the modification of seven laws on the supervision of businesses engaged in public-oriented … [Read more...] about New definition of public utility

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Late last year, Congress passed and President Biden signed SECURE 2.0 legislation as part of the Omnibus spending bill. Enactment of this legislation is a clear signal that policymakers understand the depths of the frightening retirement savings shortfall facing millions of Americans. The reasons are many for the nation’s retirement crisis – from rising costs to fewer pensions to longer life expectancy. Despite these challenges, one segment of the workforce has been on stable ground when it comes to retirement: the state and local government workforce. Today, the vast majority of state and local workers have a defined benefit (DB) pension, and nearly three-fourths of public employees participate in Social Security. Many state and local workers also are offered a retiree medical plan by their employer and have access to supplemental individual retirement savings plans similar to 401(k) accounts in the private sectors. … [Read more...] about There’s A New Retirement Normal For Public Employees: Supplemental Savings

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Buying holiday gifts for gamers should be a piece of cake—just get them a game, like Cyberpunk 2077 , Animal Crossing or Doom Eternal . But games are so predictable; you can do better than that. There are a slew of gaming-related gifts that show you understand what gaming is all about. We’ve rounded up 17 of the best gift ideas for gamers, from items priced (and sized) for stocking stuffers all the way up to showstopper gifts that’ll be the subject of conversation on Discord for weeks to come. A Working Retro Arcade Cabinet that Fits on a Desk My Arcade Dig Dug Micro Player You can buy full-size arcade cabinets to recreate the 80s arcade experience in your basement (just scroll down the list for a killer example) but not everyone has room for that. Instead, My Arcade offers a handful of tabletop micro-sized arcades. It’s all a matter of taste and personal memories, of course, but this Dig Dug cabinet … [Read more...] about 17 Of The Best Gifts For Gamers Will Level Up Their Love

While it’s possible to find cheap car insurance for 17-year-olds, you’ll need to shop around and compare quotes if your driver is getting insurance for the first time. Or, you may need to switch their insurer if they already have a policy. There are many things that impact rates for 17-year-olds, including the fact that younger drivers have an increased risk of accidents. Learn how to get cheap car insurance for 17-year-olds and which companies have the lowest premiums. Factors Influencing Cost The cost of car insurance for teens depends on a variety of factors. Here are some of the things that insurance companies often look at when calculating teen driver rates. Location Your state, city, and ZIP code will impact your car insurance premium. Location-specific factors like accident rates, the number of uninsured drivers, population density, weather risks, and vehicle theft rates can all contribute to your teen’s personalized premium. Gender In most states, auto … [Read more...] about How to Find Cheap Car Insurance for 17-Year-Olds

A broken compact fluorescent bulb/STOCK PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — Broken used-up fluorescent lamps pose danger to public health due to mercury vapor that may cause life-threatening chemical pneumonitis and respiratory failure when inhaled. This was the warning of Quezon City-based environmental groups as they reminded the public to properly dispose of spent fluorescent lamps to prevent mercury vapor release. Mother Earth Foundation (MEF) and EcoWaste Coalition on Tuesday appealed for adherence to the provisions of Quezon City Ordinance No. 1483-2005 and Quezon City Ordinance No. 2350-2014 on the safe management of used fluorescent lamps containing mercury. “Spent fluorescent lamps should be separated from other discards and handled with great care to avoid breakage,” MEF chairman Sonia Mendoza said. READ: Mercury level rising in Philippine waters, mine sites; 18 hot spots tagged EcoWaste Coalition National Coordinator Aileen Lucero said the public should be informed … [Read more...] about Don’t break spent fluorescent lamps and discard them properly, green groups tell public

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Monday said only tweets from verified accounts would show up on the platform’s curated timeline as of next month, likely restricting it to mostly paying users as the firm plans to remove verified badges from “legacy” users not subscribed to Twitter Blue for a monthly fee. Key Facts In a tweet , Musk said only verified accounts would be “eligible” to be featured in Twitter’s “For You” recommendations page, starting April 15. The Twitter chief reasoned that this change was the “only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over.” Musk added voting in Twitter polls will also require verification going forward, a change he had previously said he will carry out. Twitter will, however, allow “verified bot accounts” that follow the platform’s terms of service and do not impersonate humans, although he did not clarify if tweets from these accounts will … [Read more...] about Twitter’s ‘For You’ Page Will Be Mostly Restricted To Tweets From Paying Subscribers Under Upcoming Changes

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin TL;DR The Fed elected to raise base interest rates by 0.25 percentage points, sticking to the script despite financial uncertainty from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank AI continues to make headlines as both big and small tech companies release new products and features almost daily Crypto has been quietly picking up big gains, and some believe the current financial wobbles could mean it has further to run Top weekly and monthly trades Subscribe to the Forbes AI newsletter to stay in the loop and get our AI-backed investing insights, latest news and more delivered directly to your inbox every weekend. And download Q.ai today for access to AI-powered investment strategies. Major events that could affect your portfolio A month ago, it was all but guaranteed that the Fed would be raising rates by 0.25 percentage points in their March meeting. Some analysts were even … [Read more...] about Tech Companies Big And Small Look To Include AI Technology And Crypto Picks Up Big Gains – Forbes AI Newsletter March 25th

An educator at a Denver school is on paid leave after being arrested for allegedly possessing a loaded handgun on campus — a weapon that was discovered after security staff searched for a student who had said he brought a gun to school. Dante Quint, 25, was arrested on suspicion of the felony charge on March 1 after school security allegedly found a gun in his backpack on Feb. 28 at Bruch Randolph School, court records show. Quint works as a paraprofessional at the school and is on paid leave while the investigation continues, Denver Public Schools spokesman Scott Pribble said in an email. The arrest came as Denver’s school district grapples with gun violence among its students. Quint was arrested the same day a 16-year-old student died of gunshot wounds after being shot outside East High School and three weeks before a 17-year-old student shot two and wounded administrators at the same high school before taking his own life hours later. Denver police responded to Bruce … [Read more...] about Educator at Denver’s Bruce Randolph School arrested after being found with loaded gun on campus

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A researcher tweeted what he called a “fun fact” about the Marburg Virus that’s currently spreading and threatening lives in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea. But various experts around the world didn’t seem to find what he had posted on Twitter to be too “fun” or provide all of the relevant facts. The Marburg virus itself is certainly not fun. It belong to the same Filoviridae family as the Ebola virus and is similar in many very bad ways. Being similar to Ebola virus is typically a bad thing as few people will tell you affectionately, “I like you. You are kind of like the Ebola virus.” As I described for Forbes in August 2022 , Marburg virus disease (MVD) can have a case-fatality rate of between 24% and 88%, depending on how quickly one can get good medical care. Tanzania has just declared its first-ever MVD outbreak that so far has had eight reported cases and five reported deaths. That was one month after Equatorial … [Read more...] about Researcher Calls 1st Marburg Virus Outbreak A ‘Lab Leak,’ Here’s Why Experts Pushed Back