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For many cities around the world, bad air an inescapable part of life

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thick, smoky air from Canadian wildfires made for days of misery in New York City and across the U.S. Northeast this week. But for much of the rest of the world, breathing dangerously polluted air is an inescapable fact of life — and death.Almost the entire world breathes air that exceeds the World Health Organization’s air-quality limits at least occasionally. The danger grows worse when that bad air is more persistent than the nightmarish shroud that hit the U.S. — usually in developing or newly industrialized nations. That’s where most of the 4.2 million deaths blamed on outdoor air pollution occurred in 2019, the UN’s health agency reported.“Air pollution has no boundaries, and it is high time everyone comes together to fight it,” said Bhavreen Kandhari, the co-founder of Warrior Moms in India, a network of mothers pushing for clean air and climate action in a nation with some of the world’s consistently worst air. “What we are seeing in...

UN agency says Myanmar has suspended international aid deliveries to cyclone-hit areas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:19 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government has rescinded its approval for international organizations to distribute food, shelter and medicines to thousands of residents of cyclone-hit areas in the country’s west, a U.N. agency said Friday. Cyclone Mocha hit the coastline of Bangladesh and Myanmar in mid-May with winds of up to 209 kilometers (130 miles) per hour. The damage was worst around the coastal city of Sittwe, the capital of Myanmar’s Rakhine state, but was also severe as the storm moved inland into Chin state.The military authorities also suspended travel authorizations for international humanitarian organizations, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a situation report. It said the suspension of aid activities “could not have come at a worse time” because of the arrival of the annual monsoon season.The report did not say why the military government’s Disaster Management Committee suspended the travel authorizations.Myanm...

Russia claims it blew up advanced Ukrainian tank, but video shows its helicopter attacked a tractor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A grainy black-and-white gunsight video Russia released this week to bolster a claim its military blew up some of Ukraine’s most fearsome tanks actually documented the destruction of a tractor, according to a visual analysis by The Associated Press. The Russian Embassy in Washington announced Monday on Twitter its forces had “annihilated” eight German-made Leopard tanks, among the most advanced and powerful weapons NATO countries have provided to Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense then posted a video Tuesday on the social media network Telegram with text saying it showed “footage of the destruction of foreign armored vehicles, including Leopard tanks.”The video was shown extensively by Russian state-controlled broadcasters and news sites, which said it was recorded from the thermal imaging system of a KA-52 Alligator attack helicopter. Several black silhouettes of vehicles can be seen, before the helicopter launches a guided missile that strikes one, ca...

Here’s a quick glance at unemployment rates for May, by Canadian city

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:19 GMT

OTTAWA — The national unemployment rate was 5.2 per cent in May. Statistics Canada also released seasonally adjusted, three-month moving average unemployment rates for major cities. It cautions, however, that the figures may fluctuate widely because they are based on small statistical samples. Here are the jobless rates last month by city (numbers from the previous month in brackets):_ St. John’s, N.L. 5.0 per cent (4.9)_ Halifax 4.9 per cent (4.7)_ Moncton, N.B. 5.5 per cent (5.5)_ Saint John, N.B. 5.2 per cent (5.5)_ Saguenay, Que. 3.4 per cent (3.4)_ Quebec City 2.6 per cent (1.7)_ Sherbrooke, Que. 4.6 per cent (4.9)_ Trois-Rivières, Que. 3.9 per cent (3.8)_ Montreal 4.4 per cent (4.8)_ Gatineau, Que. 3.9 per cent (4.3)_ Ottawa 4.3 per cent (4.2)_ Kingston, Ont. 4.3 per cent (5.1)_ Belleville, Ont. 5.3 per cent (4.1)_ Peterborough, Ont. 7.1 per cent (5.3)_ Oshawa, Ont. 5.1 per cent (4.6)_ Toronto 5.9 per cent (5.6)_ Hamilton, Ont. 5.0 per cent (5.4)_ St. Catharines-Niagara,...

WATCH LIVE | Mayor Johnson addresses Basic Income Guarantee Conference

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:19 GMT

CHICAGO — A government guaranteed minimum income for all is the dream of those behind the Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) Conference and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is set to address the annual gathering Friday. Trump indicted: What to know about the documents case and what’s next The two-day conference is being held in Chicago and marks the 21st time these like-minded individuals have come together. According to the conference website:"The event has grown over recent years to become the annual national conference for the basic income movement, bringing together grassroots activists, policy wonks, artists, pilot administrators, social and economic justice organizations, think tanks, researchers, community-based nonprofits and more. The goal of the conference is threefold: 1) to take stock of the current state of the movement 2) to inspire, conspire and collaborate on efforts for the upcoming year; and 3) provide a space to build strong relationships for coordinated, highly collabor...

Doctors turning to temp work, but is it good for patients?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:19 GMT

CHICAGO (NewsNation) — In the world of medicine, part-time work was usually reserved for doctors transitioning into retirement, but amid an uptick in physician burnout rates, many are opting to make full-time careers out of temporary jobs. But it doesn't come without challenges, especially for hospitals and physicians who rely on them.Medical professionals have been overwhelmed with work since the start of the pandemic; it's led to overloaded patient rosters and burnt-out nurses and doctors. According to the American Medical Association, burnout rates exploded over the last several years, with a 25% spike in the number of physicians who reported at least one burnout symptom. That combined with shrinking pay has many health care professionals looking to make a change.Nearly a quarter of all physicians in the U.S. said they planned to quit in the next two years, according to a recent study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, However, for those still looking to practice medici...

Oregon man boobytrapped house with rolling hot tub, rigged wheelchair that fired shotgun at FBI technician, officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:19 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – An Oregon man was found guilty of several crimes after an FBI bomb technician was injured by a boobytrap the man had placed inside his former home.In Sept. 2018, FBI agents and officers with the Oregon State Police went to a home formerly owned by Gregory Lee Rodvelt, 71, who had previously lost the house in a lawsuit. Rodvelt, apparently unhappy with the decision, had set several boobytraps throughout the property after learning it would be sold off, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Oregon.Upon arrival, officials said Rodvelt had set multiple boobytraps, including spike strips on the road, and steel animal traps on the gate and under the hood of a minivan. They said they also found that the gate was rigged so that when opened, a hot tub — which had been placed on its side — would roll toward the person who had opened the gate. Non-custodial mother arrested in Malheur County, OR after late-night Amber Alert In the house's garage, the technicians s...

When will Chick-fil-A's peach milkshake return?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:19 GMT

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) -- Summertime is here and two peachy menu items are returning to Chick-fil-A's menu.The Peach Milkshake will make its return to menus from June 12 through Aug. 26. "Its arrival signifies the beginning of summer at Chick-fil-A, and this year, the excitement from our fans has inspired us to expand our peach offerings," said Leslie Neslage, director of menu and packaging at Chick-fil-A.Peach Milkshake and White Peach Sunjoy (Source: Chick-fil-A)Along with the milkshake, the White Peach Sunjoy, first introduced in 2018, is also returning. "Introducing the White Peach Sunjoy and several other refreshing variations, we are excited to witness the peachy choices our guests will make all summer long," said Neslage. The White Peach Sunjoy is a combination of Chick-fil-A’s Sunjoy® beverage that blends the chain's Lemonade and Sweetened Iced Tea with white peach flavors. The white peach flavor can also be tried with Lemonade, Frosted Lemonade and Iced Tea.The limit...

Dean's Weekender: Kevin Hart, 'The October Storm' and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:19 GMT

Check out Dean's Weekender for a variety of events coming to the Chicagoland area this weekend.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Police investigate fatal Orange County crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:19 GMT

GREENVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Police are investigating a fatal crash in the Town of Greenville that happened on Thursday around 7:30 p.m. Nemesio Barrera Tello, 78, was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! According to State Police, a preliminary investigation found a 2009 Toyota Camry was driving southbound on Mountain Road and failed to stop at a flashing red light. As it continued through the intersection, it was struck by a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado driving eastbound on State Route 6. Police say Barrera Tello was a passenger of the Camry. She was unconscious at the scene and was pronounced dead after being taken to Bon Secours Hospital. Guilderland man arrested on child pornography charges Police say two other passengers were in the car, one was entrapped. They both were taken to Garnet Medical Center where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of...