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A record numbers of children are on the move through Latin America and the Caribbean, UNICEF says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Record numbers of children are making perilous journeys through Latin America and the Caribbean, often alone, and from countries as far away as Asia and Africa, the U.N. children’s agency said Thursday.UNICEF said in a Child Alert that in the past three years the proportion of children moving along the major migration routes in Latin America and the Caribbean has climbed to a record high of 25%, up from 19% in 2019. Globally, children make up 13% of people on the move and the numbers in Latin America and the Caribbean. and rivaled only by Sub-Saharan Africa where children also account for 25% of the migrant population, it said. “The driving forces behind child migration are numerous and complex, encompassing factors such as rampant gang violence, the escalating effects of climate change, and exacerbated inequalities and poverty, magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns,” Gary Conille, UNICEF’s Latin America and Caribbean director, told a news...

A Norwegian man needed a hobby. His new metal detector found a showy 1,500-year-old gold necklace

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — At first, the Norwegian man thought his metal detector reacted to chocolate money buried in the soil. It turned out to be nine pendants, three rings and 10 gold pearls someone might have worn as showy jewelry 1,500 years ago.The rare find was made this summer by 51-year-old Erlend Bore on the southern island of Rennesoey, near the city of Stavanger. Bore had bought his first metal detector earlier this year to have a hobby after his doctor ordered him to get out instead of sitting on the couch. Ole Madsen, director at the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger, said that to find “so much gold at the same time is extremely unusual.” In August, Bore began walking around the mountainous island with his metal detector. A statement issued by the university said he first found some scrap, but later uncovered something that was “completely unreal” — the treasure weighing a little more than 100 grams (3.5 oz).Under Norwegian law, objects ...

Hong Kong closes schools as torrential rain floods streets, subway station

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong on Friday closed schools and halted trading on the stock exchange as torrential rain lashed the city overnight, flooding streets in parts of the city as well as an underground subway station.Heavy rains poured down on the city from Thursday night, with the government warning that the weather would last till noon Friday.The Hong Kong Observatory said it recorded 158.1 mm (6.2 inches) of rain in the hour between 11 p.m. Thursday and midnight, the highest recording since records began in 1884.The highest “black” rainstorm warning, the first in nearly two years, was issued Thursday night and remained in place Friday morning, with residents urged to seek safe shelter if they were outdoors.Videos circulating on social media showed a flooded underground subway station, as well as water rushing down the stairs and escalators of the station.Other videos showed cars caught in muddy water on flooded streets, including in the city’s cross-harbor tunnel that connects H...

North Korea says it has deployed a new nuclear attack submarine to counter US naval power

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Friday it has christened a purported nuclear attack submarine it has been developing for years, a step leader Kim Jong Un described as crucial in his efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy to counter the United States and its Asian allies.The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said the vessel – named “Hero Kim Kun Ok” – is designed to launch tactical nuclear weapons from underwater but did not specify the number of missiles it could carry and fire.In his speeches at the vessel’s launching ceremony on Wednesday and an onboard inspection on Thursday, Kim expressed satisfaction the country has acquired its own nuclear attack submarine to counter the advanced naval assets of the U.S., KCNA said. In July, the U.S. docked a nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine in South Korea for the first time since the 1980s.Kim said the country is also pursuing a nuclear-propelled submarine and plans to remodel its existing submarines and surface...

‘I want to help you’: SIU clears Toronto officer that fatally shot man in crisis armed with knife

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has cleared a Toronto police officer of wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of a 40-year-old man in crisis armed with a knife.The province’s police watchdog said around noon on May 10, an off-duty paramedic noticed a person in crisis with a knife at the rear of Shoppers World at 3003 Danforth Avenue in the city’s east end. The paramedic notified the police, and a uniformed officer arrived at the scene.Following an interaction with the officer, a firearm was discharged, and the victim, a 40-year-old man, was struck twice. He was rushed to a local hospital and died of his injuries.SIU Director Joseph Martino reviewed the evidence and body-cam footage the officer wore that day. It indicated that the victim approached the uniformed officer with the knife.“Put the knife down,” the officer said, according to Martino’s report. “Drop the knife.”The report states that the officer repeatedly told the armed man to dro...

Trump hosts $100,000-per-person Bedminster fundraiser to help Giuliani pay legal bills

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump hosted a $100,000-a-plate fundraiser for disgraced former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club Thursday night as Giuliani struggles to pay his mounting legal bills.Giuliani, a longtime Trump ally who also served as his lawyer, is facing a barrage of legal fees, fines, sanctions and damages related to his work helping Trump try to overturn the 2020 election and other cases. He was indicted last month along with Trump and 17 others in Georgia for what Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has described as a wide-ranging conspiracy to subvert the will of the voters after Trump lost to Biden in 2020.Giuliani’s son, Andrew, said in a radio interview Thursday morning that the event was expected to raise more than $1 million for his father and that Trump had committed to hosting a second event at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida later in the fall or early winter.“So that will be very helpful,” he said on WAB...

Biden nominates a former Obama official to run the Federal Aviation Administration

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

President Joe Biden on Thursday nominated a former Obama administration official to lead the Federal Aviation Administration after his first choice withdrew in March after running into opposition from Republican senators.The White House said Biden nominated Michael G. Whitaker, a former deputy administrator at the FAA. He is currently the chief operating officer of a Hyundai affiliate working to develop an air taxi aircraft.Whitaker’s nomination had been expected for months, and Biden’s announcement was praised by several industry and labor groups.The FAA, which regulates airline safety and manages the nation’s airspace, has been run by back-to-back acting administrators since March 2022. The agency faces a number of challenges including a shortage of air traffic controllers, aging technology, and alarm over close calls between planes at major airports. In addition, Congress is deliberating over legislation that will direct the agency’s operations for the nex...

Pick for next CPD Superintendent attends first town hall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Police Department Counterterrorism Chief Larry Snelling heard from the public for the first time Thursday night since Mayor Brandon Johnson selected him to become the next police superintendent.The first of five meetings was held on Thursday in Pilsen, a required step before the city council can vote on his confirmation. ‘Three decades of service:’ Mayor Johnson introduces pick for next CPD Superintendent Snelling is the first superintendent pick nominated by the independent Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. The commission’s president said he believes the department, with Snelling at the helm, can get clearance rates up and homicide rates down.Snelling, who’s served on the force for three decades, says his childhood in Englewood informs his understanding of poverty and opportunity."They have to know that the world is bigger than the street corner they’re standing on," Snelling said.The chief took questions on police strategy, mental ...

MRI reveals cause of unbearable headaches for college baseball player, a rare condition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (PIX11) — A former college baseball player from Staten Island thought the headaches he endured for all his life were ordinary despite experiencing them since elementary school. "We just figured I suffered from migraines that a normal everyday person would suffer,” Daniel Sedutto said.  Doing what he loved, playing college baseball at Fairleigh Dickinson University made it worse.  Teachers can get free coffee at Wawa in September "I always felt it after exerting myself excessively like screaming in the dugout cheering for teammates or just lifting weights with the team,” Sedutto added.  When the migraines became unbearable, he got an MRI scan of his brain at Staten Island University Hospital which determined he was born with a rare condition called Chiari malformation.  Dr. Ronit Gilad serves as chair of neurosurgery at the hospital. "Patients with Chiari malformation are born without enough space in this area right here,” Gila...

Cedar Park hanging on to 14-10 halftime lead vs. Round Rock

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Both Round Rock and Cedar Park are looking to right the ship after Week 2 losses, and they'll clash Thursday in the KBVO Game of the Week at John Gupton Stadium.The Dragons (0-2) fell to San Antonio Reagan 35-28 despite quarterback Mason Cochran piling up 282 total yards, 216 passing and 66 rushing, with three touchdowns. The Rattlers bit Round Rock with the ground game as tailback Cole Pryor rushed for 144 yards on 26 attempts with four touchdowns.REPORT YOUR SCORE: We'd love to post your team's score on our website, but we need your help to do it. Email the score of your game to [email protected] and we'll get it on our websiteThe Timberwolves (1-1) met local buzzsaw Vandegrift and lost 41-17. Senior wide receiver Blake Suber reeled in seven catches for 91 yards and a touchdown while senior quarterback Ayden Arp threw for 208 yards. Vipers wide receiver Miles Coleman had a career game against Cedar Park with nine catches for 231 yards and two touchdowns.Roger Wallace...