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Lifting of US sanctions on Syria could spur refugee returns, says UN official

BEIRUT (AP) — The head of the U.N. refugee agency in Lebanon said Thursday that the move by the United States to lift sweeping sanctions on Syria could encourage more refugees to return to their country.

The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to permanently remove the so-called Caesar Act sanctions after the administration of President Donald Trump previously temporarily lifted the penalties by executive order. The vote came as part of the passage of the country's annual defense spending bill. Trump is expected to sign off on the final repeal Thursday.

An estimated 400,000... Read More

Efforts to reconnect Americans face challenges in a lonely time

It's been called an “epidemic” of loneliness and isolation. The “bowling alone” phenomenon.

By any name, it refers to Americans' growing social disconnection by many measures.

Americans are less likely to join civic groups, unions and churches than in recent generations. They have fewer friends, are less trusting of each other and less likely to hang out in a local bar or coffee shop, recent polling indicates. Given all that, it's not surprising that many feel lonely or isolated much of the time.

Such trends form the backdrop to this Associated Press... Read More

Belgium seeks protection from Russian retaliation as EU leaders weigh a massive loan for Ukraine

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium insisted on Thursday that its European Union partners must provide ironclad guarantees that it will be protected from Russian retaliation before it would back a massive loan for Ukraine.

At a high-stakes EU summit in Brussels, the 27-nation bloc’s leaders are set to decide on whether to use tens of billions of euros in frozen Russian assets to underwrite a loan to meet Ukraine’s military and financial needs over the next two years.

The bulk of the assets — some 193 billion euros ($227 billion) as of September — are held in the... Read More

Bit by bit, small US groups chip away at historic levels of social isolation

Across the country, small groups are working to rebuild social connection amid rising loneliness in their own modest ways.

It sounds simple — building relationships. But they’re up against powerful cultural forces.

By many measures, Americans are socially disconnected at historic levels.

They're joining civic groups, clubs and unions at lower rates than in generations. Recent polling shows that membership rates in religious congregations are around the lowest in nearly a century. Americans have fewer close friends than they used to. They trust each other... Read More

Why I have a financial planner

It might surprise people that my husband and I pay a financial planner, given that I spend a lot of time on financial, tax, and investment planning at work. However, hiring a planner has delivered a return that can’t be quantified: peace of mind.

Here are some key reasons we pay for financial advice.

1) We wanted a second opinion on a few important decisions.

I wanted a different perspective on less-familiar subjects, such as handling employer stock, and whether we needed long-term care insurance. We could have confronted both issues on our own, but having... Read More

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Lifting of US sanctions on Syria could spur refugee returns, says UN official

Efforts to reconnect Americans face challenges in a lonely time

Belgium seeks protection from Russian retaliation as EU leaders weigh a massive loan for Ukraine

Bit by bit, small US groups chip away at historic levels of social isolation

Why I have a financial planner

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