Free Republic

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday said it will likely not raise interest rates until at least late 2014, much later than it had said previously, as it nurses a still-sluggish economic recovery. The Fed, after a two-day policy meeting, repeated its view that the economy faces "significant downside risks" but it offered little to suggest it was close to launching another round of bond-buying to prop up growth. It did say, however, that it would maintain a "highly accommodative" monetary policy stance. Economic conditions "are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate at...

The University of California has issued thousands of low-interest home loans to executives, faculty members and other selected employees but has refused to reveal who received the money. That includes an unidentified UC Berkeley professor who received a $250,000 home loan at one-half of 1 percent interest a year -- far less interest than any bank would demand. ... --snip-- The university provided data showing there are nearly 2,000 active loans totaling $702 million but cited employee confidentiality in refusing to identify the recipients. In dozens of cases, UC wouldn't even reveal the titles of people who received the loans....

<p>MANILA, Philippines -Public health officials say they are stumped by a paradox in the Philippines, where a very low rate of condom use and a very low rate of HIV infection seem to be going hand in hand.</p> <p>AIDS-prevention efforts often focus on the use of condoms, but they are not widely available here -- and are mostly shunned -- in this conservative Roman Catholic country.</p>