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EU moves to quit energy investment treaty

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:53:43 GMT

The European Union on Friday moved to pull the plug on the bloc’s membership in the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) — an investor protection pact that’s seen as hampering decarbonization efforts.Brussels had led a push to reform the treaty and make it more difficult for fossil fuel companies to sue over changes in policy like banning offshore drilling or coal phaseouts that affect their investments. But that effort stalled and eight EU countries —  Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Spain — threatened to quit.“Keeping an unmodernised Energy Charter Treaty is not a viable option for the EU,” Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said in a statement. “The Treaty in its current form is not in line with the EU’s investment policy or our energy and climate goals.”The Commission said it “is also withdrawing its previous proposal to ratify the modernised Treaty, which did not gather the required majority among Member States.̶...

Man barricaded in house in Worcester after shooting 2 family members, shooting at officers, police say 

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:53:43 GMT

Hostage negotiators were on scene in Worcester as of around 12 p.m. Friday after police said a man shot two of his family members and then shot at police before running into a nearby home. The incident happened on Colby Avenue. Police said the man shot at his family members and later opened fire on police when they tried to arrest him. The man, 21, then barricaded himself in the home, according to police. Police said the family members who were shot were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The officers who were shot at are also OK, according to police. Still, the scene in Worcester remained active early Friday afternoon with other fire crews, Massachusetts State Police troopers and Worcester Police officers on scene alongside negotiators. Worcester police, officials said, had the home where the man was barricaded surrounded. Some residents in the area were evacuated from their homes.One neighbor earlier in the day Friday told 7NEWS he heard si...

Texas gunman in Walmart shooting gets 90 consecutive life sentences but may still face death penalty

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:53:43 GMT

By MORGAN LEE and PAUL J. WEBER (Associated Press)EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A white gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack on Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart in a Texas border city was sentenced Friday to 90 consecutive life sentences but could still face more punishment, including the death penalty.Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty earlier this year to nearly 50 federal hate crime charges in the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, making it one of the U.S. government’s largest hate crime cases. Crusius, wearing a jumpsuit and shackles, showed no visible reaction as the verdict was read.Police say Crusius drove more than 700 miles from his home near Dallas to target Hispanics with an AK-style rifle inside and outside the store. Moments before the attack began, Crusius posted a racist screed online that warned of a Hispanic “invasion” of Texas. In the years since the shooting, Republicans have described migrants crossing the southern U.S. border as an “i...

Malaria in the US: A Mayo Clinic expert offers insight, tips on prevention

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:53:43 GMT

Deb Balzer | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkMalaria, a severe and potentially fatal disease most often caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, has been reported in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a health advisory because there have been instances of people getting infected with Plasmodium vivax malaria in Florida and Texas, even though they hadn’t traveled outside the country. Malaria does not spread from person to person.“Malaria is caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium, that are usually injected into people through the bite of a mosquito,” says Dr. Bobbi Pritt, director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.Dr. Pritt says most people become infected with Plasmodium parasites through the bite of an infected Anopheles species mosquito.“Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest of the Plasmodium parasites. But occasionally, Plasmodium vivax can also cause human fatalities, and all of the malaria species ...

Mayo Clinic Minute: What drowning doesn’t look like

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:53:43 GMT

Deb Balzer | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkJust like last summer, there are reports this year of a lifeguard shortage around the nation, meaning many public swimming pools and beaches may be closed or their hours limited. Without trained lifeguards on duty, water safety becomes an issue, especially for children.Dr. Michael Boniface, a Mayo Clinic emergency medicine physician, says drowning happens quickly and quietly so make sure children are always supervised by an attentive adult.A sunny day at the beach or pool can take a dark turn in seconds.“Drowning in this country remains one of the leading causes of accidental death in children and affects adults, as well,” says Dr. Boniface.On average, more than 10 people die from drowning each day, most of them children. But he says drowning doesn’t usually look how people expect it to look.There isn’t the splashing and screaming you see in movies.“In most cases, you don’t see a struggle,” he says....

For the third time this week, Earth sets an unofficial heat record. What’s behind those big numbers?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:53:43 GMT

By SETH BORENSTEIN (Associated Press)Earth’s average temperature set a new unofficial record high on Thursday, the third such milestone in a week that already rated as the hottest on record and what one prominent scientist says could be the hottest in 120,000 years.But it’s also a record with some legitimate scientific questions and caveats, so much so that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has distanced itself from it. It’s grabbed global attention, even as the number — 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17.23 degrees Celsius) — doesn’t look that hot because it averages temperatures from around the globe.Still, scientists say the daily drumbeat of records — official or not — is a symptom of a larger problem where the precise digits aren’t as important as what’s causing them.“Records grab attention, but we need to make sure to connect them with the things that actually matter,” climate scientist Friederike...

‘Vanderpump Rules’ star Ariana Madix joins ‘DWTS’ in wake of Scandoval

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:53:43 GMT

“Vanderpump Rules” star Ariana Madix is dancing away from Scandoval.The Bravo personality and “Anger Management” actress, 38, will be joining season 32 of ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars,” “Good Morning America” announced Friday.“We can’t wait to see her moves on the dance floor!” tweeted the morning show staple.Madix — who first joined “VPR,” a spinoff of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” in 2013 — is the first contestant to be revealed from the upcoming season, which will return to ABC this fall after a season spent on Disney+.Ariana Madix (L) and Lala Kent attend CAA Kickoff Party for The White House Correspondents’ Dinner Weekend at The Henri on April 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for CAA)“We are going absolutely mad for Madix,” Derek Hough, multiple-”DWTS” winner-turned-judge, said. “Say goodbye to the drama and hello to the dance floor.”Madix’s heartbreak became the fascination of the internet earlier this year when her longtime boyfriend Tom ...

US Treasury chief Yellen and China’s No. 2 leader express hope for improved bilateral communication

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:53:43 GMT

By JOE McDONALD (AP Business Writer)BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Premier Li Qiang expressed hope Friday for better communication after Yellen appealed to Beijing not to let frustration over U.S. curbs on technology exports disrupt economic cooperation.Both governments used positive terms to describe Yellen’s visit to China’s capital, which was aimed at improving strained relations, and stressed the importance of U.S.-China economic ties. They announced no plans for more high-level meetings or to revive additional contacts that disputes over technology, security and other respective irritants have disrupted.Yellen is one of several senior U.S. officials expected to travel to Beijing to encourage Chinese leaders to revive interactions between the governments of the world’s two largest economies. Treasury officials said earlier she wouldn’t meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and no breakthroughs were expected.In a one-h...

Canada’s record wildfire season set to worsen as heat builds

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:53:43 GMT

Canada is bracing for higher-than-normal wildfire activity to continue into August, as soaring temperatures and drought turn much of the country’s vast forests into kindling.The Canada fire season, which normally runs from April to September, is barely half over but the country has already surpassed the modern historical record for area burned, with an estimated 8.8 million hectares scorched so far, an area larger than South Carolina. That’s well above the 10-year average of about 805,000 hectares. The previous record of 7.6 million hectares was set in 1989.“Through July, expected warm and dry conditions will increase wildfire risk from British Columbia and the Yukon across the country right to Western Labrador,” Michael Norton, director general of the Northern Forestry Centre at the Canadian Forest Service, said in a briefing. The area at risk is expected to shrink only slightly in August. “It is anticipated that many parts of Canada will continue to see above normal fire activity,...

SoCal teen in finals for annual duct tape prom dress contest

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:53:43 GMT

When you think about duct tape, your first thought probably isn't elegant promwear, but for a Los Angeles teen, it's just that. Karla Torres dedicated 120 hours of her life and used 14 rolls-worth of duct tape to construct a one-of-a-kind prom dress as part of a nationwide contest.Karla is in the finals of Duck brand's annual Stuck at Prom contest, which challenges high school students to transform the utility do-it-all tape into lavish and unbelievable fashion pieces as either a prom dress or tuxedo.Karla drew on inspiration from 18th Century French art for her duct tape prom gown. (Karla Torres)The duct tape brand reviewed hundreds of entries before narrowing down the field to the top 10. Color, craftsmanship, originality and accessories were all considered in the judging criteria, with grand prizes for the two categories of $10,000 in scholarship money being awarded to the winners.For Karla, the amateur fashionista drew inspiration from 18th-century French art to design her duct ...