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Ecuadorians reject oil drilling in the Amazon in historic decision

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:41 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — In a historic decision, Ecuadorians voted on Sunday against the oil drilling of a protected area in the Amazon that’s home to two uncontacted tribes and serves as a biodiversity hotspot.With over 90% of the ballots counted by early Monday, around six in ten Ecuadorians rejected the oil exploration in Block 44, situated within Yasuni National Park, one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. The area is inhabited by the Tagaeri and Taromenani, who live in self-isolation.In 1989, Yasuni was designated a world biosphere reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, also known as UNESCO. Encompassing a surface area of over 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres), it boasts 610 species of birds, 139 species of amphibians, and 121 species of reptiles. At least three species are endemic.The outcome represents a significant blow to Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso, who advocated for oil drilling, asserting that its revenues a...

Liz Weston: Create a care plan for older parents (or yourself)

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:41 GMT

At some point, most older people will need help getting through the day. Someone turning 65 today has a 70% chance of eventually requiring assistance with basic living activities, such as bathing, dressing and using the toilet, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.That’s the grim reality. Even grimmer is that Medicare typically doesn’t pay for such help. Plus, families often don’t try to figure out how to provide this care until there is a health crisis, which can lead to unnecessary stress, conflicts and escalating costs, says certified financial planner and physician Carolyn McClanahan of Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida.Making a care plan well in advance allows families to get organized, locate appropriate resources and figure out ways to pay for care before a crisis hits.“A care plan is thinking through the logistics of what you’re going to need as you age, so that when the poop hits the fan with aging, then you are prepared,” McClanahan s...

Protests rock government-held areas in southern Syria as economy crumbles

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:41 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Protests spread Monday in two government-held provinces in southern Syria amid widespread anger over increasing prices, the crash of the Syrian pound and the dwindling purchasing power of many people in the war-torn country, opposition activists said.The rare protests are still limited to southern Syria and are far from government strongholds along the Mediterranean coast, the capital Damascus and the largest cities, including Aleppo and Homs. The protests came a week after Syrian President Bashar Assad issued two decrees doubling public sector wages and pensions, sparking inflation and compounding economic woes for others.The U.S. dollar has strengthened from 7,000 Syrian pounds at the beginning of 2023 to 15,000 now. At the onset of Syria’s uprising turned-civil war in 2011, the dollar was trading at 47 pounds.The protests were concentrated in the southern city of Sweida, home to the country’s Druze minority, and the nearby province of Daraa, often considered the bir...

A list of the 5 new vehicles with the lowest average purchase prices in the US

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:41 GMT

A new car that costs under $20,000, once an unofficial threshold of affordability, is all but history in the United States. Blame it on automakers abandoning the low-profit small-car business as American consumers increasingly gravitate toward pricier SUVs and trucks.The compact Mitsubishi Mirage has become the last new vehicle with an average selling price under $20,000. And even the Mirage appears on the way out. The trade publication Automotive News has reported that Mitsubishi will stop selling the Mirage by the middle of this decade. (Though there are other new cars with sticker prices under $20,000, Cox Automotive says those vehicles exceed that price threshold once shipping and options are figured in.)Here are the five new vehicles with the lowest average selling prices in the United States, according to Cox.1. Mitsubishi Mirage, $19,2052. Kia Rio, $20,1573. Nissan Versa, $20,7634. Hyundai Venue, $23,9715. Nissan Sentra, $23,994The Associated Press

UK judge set to sentence nurse Lucy Letby for murders of 7 babies and attempted murders of 6

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:41 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A British judge on Monday was set to sentence Lucy Letby for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others while working as a neonatal nurse at a hospital in northern England.Justice James Goss could level the most severe sentence possible under British law by imposing a whole-life order to ensure that Letby spends the rest of her life behind bars. The U.K. doesn’t have the death penalty.Following 22 days of deliberation, a jury at Manchester Crown Court convicted Letby, 33, of killing the babies over a yearlong period that saw her prey on the vulnerabilities of sick newborns and their anxious parents.The victims died in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England between June 2015 and June 2016.Letby did not attend the hearing to listen to the anger and anguish from parents of the children whose lives she took or those she injured.“I don’t think we will ever get over the fact that our daughter was tortured till she had n...

Southern California prepares for more floods as post-Tropical Storm Hilary brings more rain

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:41 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tropical Storm Hilary deluged arid parts of Mexico and then drenched Southern California from the coast to inland mountains and deserts, forcing rescuers to pull several people from swollen rivers. Millions expected more flooding and mudslides Monday, even as the storm begins to weaken.The storm first made landfall in Mexico’s arid Baja California Peninsula on Sunday in a sparsely populated area about 150 miles (250 kilometers) south of Ensenada. One person drowned. It then moved through mudslide-prone Tijuana, threatening the improvised homes that cling to hillsides just south of the U.S. border. The first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, Hilary dropped more than half an average year’s worth of rain on some areas, including the desert resort city of Palm Springs, which saw nearly 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain by Sunday evening.The National Hurricane Center in Miami downgraded Hilary to a post-tropical storm in its early Monday adv...

Major wildfires burn in Greece, Spain’s Canary Island of Tenerife

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:41 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Major wildfires were burning in Greece and on one of Spain’s Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa Monday, with hot, dry and windy conditions hampering the efforts of hundreds of firefighters battling the blazes, two of which have been burning for several days.European Union officials have blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe, noting that 2022 was the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017.In Greece, authorities ordered the evacuation of two villages in the central Viotia region, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Athens, after a forest fire broke out Monday morning. The coast guard put two patrol boats and several fishing boats and private vessels on standby in case an evacuation by sea was necessary.Authorities said the body of a man was recovered from a sheep pen in the area under evacuation, with local media reporting the man apparently died of smoke inhalation while...

Multi-vehicle crash in Etobicoke sends 4 to hospital with serious injuries

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:41 GMT

Four people are in hospital with serious injuries after a multi-vehicle crash in north Etobicoke on Monday morning.Toronto police say the collision happened just before 6 a.m. at Albion Road and Islington Avenue.Police say three vehicles were involved, including one that flipped over and struck a traffic light.One person became trapped inside a vehicle as a result. Paramedics tell CityNews four people were taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.Southbound Islington is closed at Albion for the investigation.COLLISION:Albion Rd & Islington Ave5:53am– vehicle has flipped and struck traffic light post– 3 vehicles involved– someone trapped in vehicle– police are o/s– unknown injuries– s/b Islington is closed at Albion– consider alternate routes#GO1947712^se— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) August 21, 2023 

The Bidens will travel to Maui to meet with wildfire survivors and first responders

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:41 GMT

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, California (AP) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are traveling to Maui on Monday to comfort survivors of the devastating wildfires that ripped through the western part of the Hawaiian island earlier this month, as his administration responds to the devastation whose full scope is still unknown.The Bidens are taking a detour from their weeklong vacation in the Lake Tahoe area for the day trip to Lahaina, a historic town of 13,000 people that was virtually destroyed by the flames. While there, the first couple will meet with first responders and be briefed by state and local officials about the ongoing response.They will also view the damaged town, both from helicopters and on the ground, and the Democratic president will deliver remarks paying tribute to the victims of the wildfires, which have killed more than 100 people since they began on Aug. 8.The president will also tap Bob Fenton, a regional leader at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as...

Monday Forecast: Temps in low 80s, partly cloudy conditions

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:41 GMT

CHICAGO — Temptures in the low 80s Monday with partly cloudy conditions. Winds: ENE 5-10 G15, wide temp range. High: 82/77. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Partly cloudy tonight. Winds: NE 5-10. Low: 69.Tuesday Forecast: Mainly sunny, cooler lakeside. Winds: ESE 5-10. High: 91.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog