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California wildfires are unleashing dangerous metals from soil, Stanford study shows

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:52 GMT

By Todd Woody | BloombergExtreme heat from California’s climate-driven wildfires is transforming a metal common in soil into an airborne carcinogen that can be inhaled by firefighters and people living downwind of conflagrations, according to first-of-its-kind research.In a study published Dec. 12 in the journal Nature Communications, Stanford University scientists discovered what they described as widespread and dangerous levels of toxic chromium in areas of Northern California severely burned by wildfires in 2019 and 2020.“There are vast areas of these metal-rich geologies around the world with landscapes that are ready to burn, such as in Africa, Australia and Canada,” said Scott Fendorf, a professor of earth system science at Stanford University and an author of the paper.Chromium is relatively ubiquitous: A benign form of the metal called chromium 3 exists in soils derived from chromium-laden rocks found on every continent. But as drought and heat waves prime forests and other ...

Police investigating fatal shooting in East Oakland Wednesday morning

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:52 GMT

(KRON) -- A person was shot and killed in Oakland Wednesday morning just after 6:30 a.m., according to the Oakland Police Department. The shooting occurred on the 9900 block of International Boulevard.Police responded to reports of a shooting and located a victim with a gunshot wound or wounds, authorities said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Woman carjacked in Kensington by suspects wielding shotgun OPD said the investigation remains ongoing, and the victim’s identity is being withheld pending notification of family.Anyone with information is asked to contact the OPD’s Homicide Section at (510)-238-3821 or the tip line at (510)-238-7950.

NFL approves regular-season game for Brazil in 2024 in more international expansion

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:52 GMT

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The NFL will play a regular-season game in Brazil in 2024, the first in South America in the latest expansion of the league’s rapidly growing international plan.The league said Wednesday at the owners meetings in the Dallas area the game will be played at Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The stadium has a capacity of nearly 50,000 and was a venue for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.The NFL played its first two regular-season games in Frankfurt, Germany, this year, with three more in London. There are five planned for 2024 as well, three in London to go with games in Germany and Brazil.At the December owners meetings two years ago, the league designated home marketing rights for teams in various countries as part of a strategy to build fan growth internationally. Miami is the only team with such rights in Brazil.“Bringing the NFL to new continents, countries and cities around the world is a critical element of our plan to continue to grow the ga...

‘Something catastrophic’ broke support rod on Rhode Island bridge, transportation director says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:52 GMT

A review of state inspection reports of a critical Rhode Island bridge that was partially shut down over safety concerns, resulting in major traffic headaches, led authorities to believe that “something catastrophic” happened since July that broke a support rod, the state’s director of transportation said Wednesday.State authorities described the problem as a critical structural failure. The bridge carries Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River from Providence to East Providence and serves as a key gateway to Providence, the state’s largest city. The bridge carries close to 100,000 vehicles every day.“Our engineers are telling us that very evidently there was some kind of load imposed that created a kind of catastrophic failure in these supports,” Peter Alviti said at a news conference about the Washington Bridge, showing before-and-after photos of the damage.Travel conditions were improving Wednesday after the sudden westbound closure late Monday afternoon, which stranded comm...

El papa Francisco habló en entrevista sobre Milei, la guerra en Ucrania y Gaza y reveló dónde le gustaría ser enterrado

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:52 GMT

(CNN Español) — El papa Francisco dijo que no desea ser enterrado en El Vaticano en una entrevista concedida este martes al medio mexicano N+. El máximo pontífice, que cumplirá 87 años el domingo 17 de diciembre, puntualizó que desea que sus restos reposen en la basílica de Santa María La Mayor, en Roma.Con esta decisión, Francisco se convierte en el primer papa en pedir no ser enterrado en la Santa Sede en casi 100 años. El último pontífice que no reposa en la Basílica de San Pedro es León XIII, quien falleció en 1903 y cuyos restos fueron trasladados en 1924 a la basílica de San Juan de Letrán, la catedral de la diócesis de Roma.En la entrevista, citada también por Vatican News —el medio oficial de la Santa Sede—, el papa Francisco señaló que se ha reunido con el encargado de los preparativos para los ritos de sus funerales. “Los simplificamos bastante”, señaló. Sobre su decisión de ser sepultado en la basílica de Santa María La Mayor, explicó: “Como siempre le prometí a la ...

Stock market today: Stocks rise, yields sink after Fed indicates rate cuts are coming

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:52 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are rising, and bond yields are sinking Wednesday after the Federal Reserve indicated cuts to interest rates may be coming next year. Wall Street has been craving such cuts, which can relax pressure on the economy and goose prices for investments. The S&P 500 was 0.6% higher, up from virtually flat just before the Fed’s announcement. It’s within 3% of its record high, set early last year, after charging higher since October on expectations that cuts to rates are coming. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 226 points, or 0.6%, as of 2:13 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.6% higher. The Fed held its main interest rate steady at a range of 5.25% to 5.50%, as was widely expected. It’s hiked that rate up from virtually zero early last year in hopes of slowing the economy and hurting investment prices by exactly the right amount: enough to snuff out high inflation but not so much that it causes a painful recession. With infl...

La Reserva Federal deja las tasas de interés como están

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:52 GMT

La Reserva Federal volvió a mantener estables los tipos de interés en su última reunión del año el miércoles.El banco central de Estados Unidos dejó su tipo de referencia entre el 5.25% y el 5.50%, nivel en el que se encuentra desde finales de julio.Esa fue la tercera reunión consecutiva en la que la Reserva Federal dejó las tasas sin cambios después de subirlas a un ritmo históricamente rápido a partir de marzo de 2022.La inflación anual rondaba el 8% cuando la Reserva Federal comenzó a subir las tasas el año pasado. La inflación sigue desacelerándose en EEUU: en noviembre se situó en 3.1% Biden asegura que su gobierno ha logrado avances en la reducción de la inflación En junio alcanzó un máximo del 9.1%. En noviembre, la inflación había descendido a un nivel más manejable del 3.1%.“La inflación ha disminuido durante el año pasado, pero sigue siendo elevada”, dijo la Reserva Federal en un comunicado. “Es probabl...

Legia Warsaw gets $108,000 fine and 5-game away fans ban in Europe for violence at Aston Villa

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:52 GMT

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA banned Legia Warsaw fans from five away games in European competitions on Wednesday after a second outbreak of violence outside stadiums this season.Aston Villa cited in a complaint to UEFA “ unprecedented violence ” from Legia fans ahead of the teams’ game on Nov. 30 in the Europa Conference League in Birmingham, England.Legia’s ticket allocation had been cut by local authorities in response to disorder at the team’s game in the Netherlands at AZ Alkmaar in October.UEFA said its disciplinary panel imposed a fine of 100,000 euros ($108,000) and the five-game ticket sales ban for “crowd disturbances, acts of damage, throwing of objects and lighting of fireworks.”The Polish club also was ordered to contact Aston Villa to settle costs for damage caused by fans.Legia needs just a draw at home against AZ to advance in the third-tier European competition.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/SoccerSource

A common abortion pill will come before the US Supreme Court. Here’s how mifepristone works

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:52 GMT

Medication abortion is the preferred method of ending pregnancy in the U.S., and one of the two drugs used — mifepristone — will now go in front of the U.S. Supreme Court next year. Demand for the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol has grown as states have imposed bans or restrictions or seek to limit abortions after the reversal of Roe v. Wade in June 2022.Conservative groups filed lawsuits targeting mifepristone, which is the only drug approved specifically for abortion, seeking to reverse its approval or rollback policies that have made it easier to obtain. The Supreme Court will hear a case in the spring that could block mail-order access to mifepristone and impose restrictions on its use, even in states where abortion remains legal. The restrictions include shortening the window during pregnancy in which the drug can be used and requiring in-person office visits to get a prescription.Here’s a closer look at how mifepristone and misoprostol work and the legal chal...

Shohei Ohtani to be introduced at Dodger Stadium on Thursday after record $700 million deal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:52 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers called a Thursday news conference to introduce Shohei Ohtani, who has not answered questions from reporters in more than four months.The two-time AL MVP agreed to a record $700 million, 10-year contract last weekend, a deal that the team announced Monday and provides that 97% of the money be deferred without interest and not fully paid until 2043.Ohtani will be introduced during a news conference in Dodger Stadium’s Centerfield Plaza starting 3 p.m. PST.A unique two-way star as both a hitter and pitcher, the 29-year-old left the Los Angeles Angels as a free agent after six years.He last spoke with reporters on Aug. 9, two weeks before a pitching injury that required surgery and will keep him off a mound until 2025. He had the operation on Sept. 19, but the nature of the surgery was not fully announced. Ohtani had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 1, 2018..Ohtani’s move from Anaheim to Hollywood has sent fans on both sides of the Pacific Ocea...