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A dam collapses and thousands face the deluge — often with no help — in Russian-occupied Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:54 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — For days, the Ukrainian teenager has waited in the attic, just down the street from the cemetery of her flooded town, marking time with her 83-year-old grandfather and two other elderly people and hoping for help to escape the deluge of a catastrophic dam collapse.But help is slow in coming to Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town across the Dnieper River from the city of Kherson with a prewar population of 24,000, according to those stranded and their desperate Ukrainian rescuers. Russian forces are taking rescuers’ boats, they say. Some say the soldiers will only help people with Russian passports. “Russian soldiers are standing at the checkpoints, preventing (rescuers) from approaching the most-affected areas and taking away the boats,” said one volunteer, Yaroslav Vasiliev. “They are afraid of saboteurs, they suspect everyone.”So 19-year-old Yektarina But and the three elderly people with her simply wait, along with thousands of others believed to be trappe...

Social media and duct tape are helping people make DIY air purifiers that filter out wildfire smoke

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Social media users are sharing a surprisingly effective way to protect yourself indoors from the toxic wildfire smoke blanketing much of the East Coast: a box fan, four air filters and a whole lot of duct tape.As searches for “air purifiers” spike on Google, people are posting on TikTok and Facebook about how to build the DIY air purifier. The technique, known as the Corsi-Rosenthal method, has gained attention in recent years amid the pandemic and raging western U.S. wildfires.Some East Coast residents are learning about the box fan method for the first time, unlike their West Coast counterparts who are accustomed to wildfire smoke. Seattle resident Angel Robertson, 34, posted a video on a New Yorker’s TikTok demonstrating how to put it together. In her video, which has amassed more than 600,000 views, Robertson duct tapes four 20-by-20 air filters into a box shape and attaches the fan on top. The whole apparatus costs under $100. “It works extremely well and will s...

DC air quality minimally improving as region shifts to Code Orange

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:54 GMT

The U.S. Capitol is barely visible from the Washington Monument on Thursday, June 8, 2023 as smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed the D.C. area for the third straight day. (WTOP/David Andrews)(WTOP/David Andrews) The U.S. Capitol is barely visible from the Washington Monument on Thursday, June 8, 2023 as smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed the D.C. area for the third straight day. (WTOP/David Andrews)(WTOP/David Andrews) The air quality in the D.C. area shifted into Code Orange early Friday morning, and is expected to remain unhealthy for some groups throughout the day. Here’s what you need to know.What is a Code Orange Air Quality Alert?While Code Red means some members of the public may experience h...

Ticket sales top 1 million for Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:54 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — More than 1 million tickets have been sold for the Women’s World Cup kicking off in Australia and New Zealand next month, with soccer’s international governing body saying the tournament is on track to be the most attended standalone women’s sporting event in history. FIFA President Gianni Infantino issued a statement saying 1,032,884 tickets had been sold up to Friday morning local time in Sydney, surpassing the pre-tournament sales for the 2019 edition in France.Co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the 2023 edition features an expanded field of 32 teams, up from 24 in France. There are 64 total matches during the tournament.“Delighted to share with the world that FIFA has passed one million tickets sold,” Infantino said. “This means that with over one month to go before kick-off … 2023 is on track to become the most attended FIFA Women’s World Cup in history. The future is women — and thanks to the fans for supporting what will be the greatest FI...

Los jóvenes en China están tan preocupados por la economía que piden una intervención divina

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:54 GMT

(CNN) — Se suponía que la reapertura de China tras la crisis del covid-19 iba a ser el estímulo que el mundo necesitaba. Pero tras un primer estallido de actividad, el crecimiento de la segunda economía mundial parece estancarse.Desilusionados por el deterioro de las perspectivas económicas, los jóvenes acuden en masa a los templos budistas y taoístas para pedir la intervención divina a fin de conseguir trabajo, ingresar en buenas escuelas o hacerse ricos de la noche a la mañana.Los datos publicados esta semana muestran que las exportaciones chinas cayeron un 7,5% en mayo con respecto a hace un año, mucho más de lo esperado, debido al debilitamiento de la demanda mundial. La actividad de las fábricas volvió a contraerse el mes pasado, y el desempleo juvenil se sitúa en máximos históricos.La incertidumbre económica ha disparado las visitas a templos y el turismo, según analistas y sitios web de viajes.“No ir a la escuela, no trabajar duro, solo quemar incienso” ha s...

Erdogan appoints former US bank executive as Turkish central bank chief, in sign of policy change

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:54 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday appointed a former U.S.-based bank executive to head Turkey’s central bank, in another sign that his administration might pursue more conventional economic policies.Erdogan named Hafize Gaye Erkan, a former co-chief executive officer of the First Republic Bank, as governor, according to an announcement in the Official Gazette. The Princeton-educated Erkan, 41, becomes the Turkish central bank’s first woman governor.Erdogan won a third presidential term in elections last month as the country grapples with a cost-of-living crisis fueled by inflation that peaked at a staggering 85% in October.Critics blame the turmoil on Erdogan’s policy of lowering interest rates to promote growth. The approach runs contrary to conventional economic thinking that calls for rate increases to combat inflation.On Saturday, Erdogan reappointed Mehmet Simsek, a respected former banker, finance minister and deputy prime minister, to the ...

Inter Milan’s path to the Champions League final against Manchester City

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:54 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan will play in its fifth Champions League final when it faces Manchester City in Istanbul on Saturday.The three-time champion will be bidding for its first title since it won the treble of the Serie A, the Italian Cup and the Champions League under José Mourinho in 2010.For current coach Simone Inzaghi it is a first Champions League final, as is the case for all of his players.Few would have imagined the Nerazzurri would be in this position when the draw was made back in August.But Inter progressed from a tough group containing European giants Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and it went on to eliminate Porto, Benfica and city rival AC Milan en route to the final.Here’s a look:GROUP STAGEAs soon as the draw was made, Inter’s group was dubbed the group of death. Bayern, Barcelona and Inter had 14 titles between them. Czech team Viktoria Plzeň completed the quartet. Inter’s Champions League future looked bleak when it lost 2-0 at home to Bayern in the opener. ...

Governor: Three wounded as drone strikes building in Russian border city

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:54 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Three people were lightly wounded after a drone crashed into a residential building in central Voronezh, a city in southwestern Russia near the border with Ukraine, regional governor Alexander Gusev reported on Friday morning. In a Telegram post, Gusev said that the residents were hurt by shards of glass from broken windows, and received help on the spot. Russian state media published photos showing a high-rise apartment block with some of its windows blown out and damage to parts of its facade. State media reports also cited the building’s administrators as saying that “several apartments were damaged” in the explosion. There was no immediate comment on who may have been behind the drone strike.The Associated Press

In Zimbabwe, announcement of election date triggers both hope and despair

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:54 GMT

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Munyaradzi Mushawatu, an electrician in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, was both ecstatic and jittery after President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced recently that national elections would be held on Aug. 23.“I have voted in every election since 1990. I can’t wait to make my voice heard. I am ready,” said Mushawatu. But the bravado turned to chagrin as he recalled how the country’s “skewed” elections environment has remained intact for decades.“It’s only the election date that is new. The usual old obstacles remain,” said the 56–year-old father of three.Allegations of fraud, violence and harassment of opposition members have characterized elections held in Zimbabwe since independence from white minority rule in 1980.The 2018 elections were the first following a coup that replaced Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s longtime autocratic ruler, with Mnangagwa, amid promises of reform. But after a close-run contest, the Constitutional Court dismissed opposition leader Nelso...

In The News for June 9 : Wildfires still causing poor air quality across Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:54 GMT

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of June 9…What we are watching in Canada …Smoke and flames continue to engulf much of Canada, with Alberta imposing new evacuation orders, Manitoba bracing for heavy, lightning-generating thunderstorms and high wildfire risks and poor air quality from coast to coast.Air pollution from wildfires remained well above healthy levels across much of southern and northern Ontario and several communities in British Columbia and Alberta.Forecasters expect moderately bad air quality on Friday and Saturday throughout most of Ontario.Meanwhile, Alberta issued two evacuation orders for Yellowhead County in the province’s northwest and an evacuation alert for Grande Prairie County. The worst air in that province is near Fort Chipewyan, which remains on an evacuation order as a fire burns out of control. Wood Buffalo and Gran...