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French hunters’ lobby launches EU election bid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:35 GMT

The head of France’s national hunters’ lobby on Tuesday launched a new political party to “defend the countryside” in next year’s European election — a move that could steal votes from right-wing parties looking to capitalize on backlash to the Green Deal. The small list of candidates “will get a big score,” Willy Schraen predicted at a press conference Tuesday in Paris, where he outlined the goals of his new party, which will not only gather hunters but also fishermen, farmers and small entrepreneurs.Dubbed the Rural Alliance, the party will fight to protect the interests of traditional rural occupations — like farming, fishing and hunting — and push back against the “administrative burden” created by EU institutions in Brussels that is “choking” rural communities, he said. Claiming that he is not out to steal votes from France’s far-right National Rally — which has also courted the farmer’s vote — Schraen nevertheless said he wo...

As the Chicago Cubs, like all of MLB, wait for the Ohtani-sized domino to fall, GM Carter Hawkins focuses on preparation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:35 GMT

Big moves appear to be on hold until superstar Shohei Ohtani chooses his next team.As MLB’s annual winter meetings got underway this week, the Chicago Cubs are charting a challenging course: mapping potential avenues to improve the roster while waiting for the Ohtani-sized domino to fall.General manager Carter Hawkins redirected when asked Monday evening about the team’s interest in Ohtani, saying, “we prefer not to talk about any specific players” while adding that the overall market has felt slower. In the meantime, the Cubs are plotting are variety of options they can pivot as needed.“Trying to create this perfect offseason where A is going to happen and then B is going to happen and C is going to happen and D is going to happen, it’s way too complex of a challenge to do that,” Hawkins said. “Instead, you have to be able to look at each transaction and say, ‘hey, this makes sense for us in terms of our goals toward winning mor...

Biography of the late Rep. John Lewis that draws upon 100s of interviews will be published next fall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:35 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — An upcoming biography of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis will draw upon hundreds of interviews, along with the civil rights activist’s FBI files and materials from a planned book that was never completed. Historian David Greenberg’s Lewis biography is scheduled for release next fall, Simon & Schuster announced Tuesday. Greenberg, a professor of history and journalism and media studies at Rutgers University, said in a statement that he began writing the book while Lewis was alive and had received his approval.“Obviously I admired John Lewis at the start of this project,” Greenberg said. “But in the course of it I came to see him as a more complicated person than his public image, and also as a more pragmatic and canny politician than I think most people realized.”The new Lewis book is currently untitled. According to Simon & Schuster, Greenberg will present “a comprehensive, authoritative life of John Lewis, from his extraordinary contributions...

Father of slain Italian woman challenges men to be agents of change against femicide

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:35 GMT

MILAN (AP) — The father of a young woman whose murder galvanized Italian outrage against violence targeting women implored men during her funeral Tuesday in the northern city of Padua to be “agents of change” to a culture that often “undervalues the lives of women.”Outside, thousands of mourners rang bells and shook keys, part of a campaign to “make noise” against gender violence that has grown in intensity in the weeks since 22-year-old Giulia Cecchetin was found dead, her throat slit, in a ditch in a remote area of the Alpine foothills on Nov. 18. She had disappeared along with her ex-boyfriend a week earlier after meeting him for a burger. Filippo Turetta, 21, was later arrested in Germany, and is being held in an Italian jail during an investigation to bring charges. Turetta has not commented publicly, but his lawyer told reporters that he admitted to the crime under prosecutors’ questioning.Cecchetin is among 102 women murdered through mid-November this year in Italy, more than...

Will carbon capture save the climate, or just let us keep burning fuel?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:35 GMT

In today’s Big Story Podcast, very soon, Canada will introduce legislation to offer massive tax credits for projects that include a significant amount of carbon capture. In theory, this is a good way to make sure new projects don’t add much in emissions. But in practice, most carbon capture projects are used to allow us to keep harvesting fossil fuels, which will then be burned somewhere else, adding to emissions in Canada and beyond.Dr. Emily Eaton is a professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Regina. She says carbon capture could be a useful tool if coupled with efforts to decrease emissions, but that it may, in practice, prove to be counterproductive.“This is sort of the new climate denialism, that is investing in things that appear to be solutions to the problems, while still engaging in the main sources of the carbon emissions in the first place,” says Eaton.So how does carbon capture technology work? Could it act...

British Museum loan to Greece coincides with dispute over demand to return Parthenon Marbles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:35 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s Acropolis Museum launched an exhibition Tuesday that includes a renowned ancient Greek water jug from 420 B.C. on loan from the British Museum.The exhibit comes during a dispute between the countries over Greek demands for the return of sculptures from the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis that are housed in the British Museum.U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak canceled a planned meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in London a week ago, accusing him of seeking to “grandstand” by publicly campaigning for the return of the Parthenon Marbles while visiting Britain.Sunak said his government had no intention of re-opening the issue or amending legislation that would block the artifacts’ return.Mitsotakis described the incident as “an unfortunate moment” but added that the campaign for their return had received a boost after Sunak’s cancellation drew international attention.The British Museum said it was continuing talks with Greek authorities...

Woman struck, killed by vehicle on Dan Ryan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:35 GMT

CHICAGO — A woman was struck and killed by a vehicle on the Dan Ryan Expressway.According to Illinois State Police, the crash happened around 2:25 a.m. Tuesday on the southbound Dan Ryan near 18th Street.ISP said a minor crash occurred and the woman exited the involved vehicle — and was then struck by another vehicle not involved in the original accident.All southbound lanes were shut down to traffic for several hours, but have reopened as of 7 a.m. Tuesday.This is a developing story. Check back for details.

Tuesday Forecast: Snow/rain showers with temps in upper 30s

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:35 GMT

CHICAGO — Rain/snow showers Tuesday morning. Some slushy accumulations between a half inch and an inch for the northern suburbs — but elsewhere little to no accumulation. A few rain showers are possible this afternoon. High: 39. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Cloudy, breezy tonight and a few possible showers/sprinkles. Low 31.Wednesday Forecast: Mix of clouds and sun in the morning and mostly cloudy in the afternoon with a slight chance of rain showers. High 42.Extended outlook looks quite mild for a couple days. High temps on Thursday get about 15 degrees above normal with highs in the mid 50s and lots of sunshine. More clouds on Friday but temps a couple degrees milder-- 57 the forecast high. Temps back into the upper 40s for Saturday with some rain likely and a chance for some light snow with highs back in the seasonal upper 30s. Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

70-year-old woman gives birth to twins in Uganda

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:35 GMT

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A 70-year-old woman in Uganda has given birth to twins after receiving fertility treatment, making her one of the world's oldest new mothers.Safina Namukwaya gave birth to a boy and a girl on Wednesday via cesarean section at the hospital in the capital Kampala where she had been receiving in vitro fertilization treatment, said Arthur Matsiko, spokesman for the Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Center.“She's healthy. She's talking. She's walking around if they tell her to walk around the hospital,” Matsiko said Friday, speaking of Namukwaya, who had a daughter at the same facility in 2020 following IVF treatment. Vulnerable Americans are going into the holiday season without COVID-19 protections Namukwaya is the oldest woman to deliver a baby at the hospital, whose proprietor is a prominent gynecologist in the East African region. The hospital specializes in helping couples who struggle to have children.Breakthroughs in research are improving su...

Squirrels, other animals responsible for hundreds of Austin power outages a year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:35 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Energy says there are hundreds of animal-related power outages in the city throughout the year. The biggest culprit of these outages are squirrels. The most recent of these outages happened last week in north Austin near Parmer Lane. Austin Energy officials said almost 4,000 people were impacted when a squirrel came into contact with equipment on a transformer pole. "Any animal can cause a power outage when one part of the animal is touching a power line and another part is touching another piece of equipment such as the power pole," Matt Mitchell, a spokesperson with Austin Energy, explained. "The power will move through the animal to the pole in what is called a phase-to-ground power surge, and a power outage occurs."Snakes, birds, rats, and other rodents continuously cause outages throughout the year. A Pedernales Electric Cooperative spokesperson said animals cause 10% of unplanned outages every year in its service area. Austin Energy says snake caused...