Inflation cooled sharply in March, a welcome development given the uncertainties surrounding President Donald Trump’s global tariffs. The consumer price index climbed 2.4% last month from a year earlier, a far slower pace than February’s 2.8% increase and less than economists had expected. Over the course of the month, prices...
Prada Agrees to Buy Rival Fashion House Versace in a Deal Valued at $1.4 Billion
ROME — The Prada Group announced a deal Thursday to buy Italy's Versace from the U.S. luxury group Capri Holdings under terms that value the fashion house at 1.25 billion euros ($1.4 billion). Prada said the addition of Versace’s “highly recognizable aesthetic … constitutes a strongly complementary addition” to its...
Kings County Man Arrested After Allegedly Sexually Threatening Women
A Hanford man was arrested Wednesday evening after allegedly making sexually threatening remarks to two women near the Kings County Government Center, authorities said. Deputies responded around 6:51 p.m. to a report of criminal threats near the Ag Commissioner’s Office parking lot, according to the Kings County Sheriff’s Office. When...
EU Pauses New Tariffs on US Goods After Trump Backs Down
The European Union will pause its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports for 90 days, the bloc announced Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump abruptly backed down on his punishing global levies. But the accelerating trade war between China and the United States showed no signs of abating, as Trump...
US Stock Indexes Drop 2% Despite an Encouraging Inflation Update
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks on Thursday are giving back some of their historic gains from the day before as Wall Street weighs a global trade war that has cooled in temperature but is still threatening the economy. The S&P 500 was down 2.3%, a day after surging 9.5% following...
California’s Effort to Hold Oil Companies Liable for Natural Disaster Damage Stalls
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers have blocked a bill to make oil and gas companies liable for damage to homes from natural disasters caused by climate change, warning it could raise gas prices. The bill would have allowed victims of natural disasters, including fires, floods and hurricanes, to sue fossil fuel...
Trump: Israel Would Be ‘Leader’ of Iran Strike if Tehran Doesn’t Give Up Nuke Program
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Israel would be the "leader" of a potential military strike against Iran if Tehran doesn't give up its nuclear weapons program. Trump made the comments ahead of this weekend's scheduled talks involving U.S. and Iranian officials in the Middle East sultanate of...
California Families Question if College Benefits Outweigh Increasing Costs
As higher-education costs rise, California parents and students have begun to ask: Is college worth it? The Public Policy Institute of California broke down the benefits of college alongside rising costs. A college degree does not guarantee financial security, but for most students it represents their best chance. The college...
Fewer Americans Say the Israel-Hamas War Is Important: Survey
While a majority of Americans still view the war in Gaza as personally important in their lives, their numbers are dropping, a survey shows. With that decline also comes a drop in positive views of Israel and and that country's leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Pew Research Center. "As...
Clovis Teen Bicyclist Dies After Being Hit Near Bullard and Temperance
A 13-year-old boy riding his bicycle was struck and killed by a vehicle Tuesday evening in Clovis, authorities said. Agamjodh Singh Cheema, a student at Clark Intermediate School, was riding a mountain bike just before 5:30 p.m. on Bullard Avenue near Temperance Avenue when he was hit by a Toyota...