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Panama’s high court declares mining contract unconstitutional. Here is what happens next

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:08 GMT

Panama (AP) — In a historic ruling, Panama’s Supreme Court this week declared that legislation granting a Canadian copper mine a 20-year concession was unconstitutional, a decision celebrated by thousands of Panamanians activists who had argued the project would damage a forested coastal area and threaten water supplies.The mine, which is now in the process of shutting down, has been an important economic engine for the country, employing thousands. But it also triggered massive protests that paralyzed the Central American nation for over a month, mobilizing a broad swath of Panamanian society, including Indigenous communities, who said the mine was destroying key ecosystems they depend on.In its decision, the high court highlighted those environmental and human rights concerns, and ruled the contract violated 25 articles of Panama’s constitution. Those include the right to live in a pollution-free environment, the obligation of the state to protect the health of minors and its comm...

Canadian family member of Hamas hostages speaks out after their release

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:08 GMT

Canadian Aharon Brodutch is overjoyed about the release of his sister-in-law and her children from Hamas custody.The Toronto resident’s sister-in-law Hagar, 10-year-old niece Ofri, and two young nephews Yuval and Uriah, were taken by Hamas during a rampage at their Kibbutz near the Gaza border on Oct. 7.The family spent 50 days in captivity before they were reunited earlier this week. Brodutch spoke to media inside a Toronto day camp that his niece attended last summer and described the fear and anguish of not knowing whether they were dead or alive.“We heard nothing, absolutely nothing from them,” said Brodutch. “We were literally living on hope.” He fought back tears while describing the moment he reunited with his niece, nephews and sister-in-law. “They looked terrible, they were extremely thin, they were wearing the same clothes they were kidnapped in.”“For us extreme joy also mixed with a lot of pain, the pain of knowing they’ve b...

Cybersecurity agency warns that water utilities are vulnerable to hackers after Pennsylvania attack

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:08 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Hackers are targeting industrial control systems widely used by water and sewage-treatment utilities, potentially threatening water supplies, the top U.S. cyberdefense agency said after a Pennsylvania water authority was hacked.The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued the warning Tuesday evening, three days after hacktivists shut down a piece of equipment at the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, just outside Pittsburgh. The hack effectively idled pumping equipment in a remote station that regulates water pressure for customers in two nearby towns. Crews switched to manual backup, officials said.The attackers likely accessed the device by exploiting cybersecurity weaknesses, including poor password security and exposure to the internet, U.S. officials said. The Aliquippa water authority did not respond to messages Wednesday.The equipment identified as vulnerable is used across multiple industries, including electric u...

Skilling: Cloudy, possible wet Thursday for Chicagoland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:08 GMT

IT FELT 21-DEG WARMER  WEDNESDAY THAN YESTERDAY when both the temperature and wind chill are taken into account---A BIG CHANGE!Wednesday's temp recovery included an end 65 consecutive sub-freezing hours which began at 6pm Sunday, ran through Monday and Tuesday, and finally ended when the city's official O'Hare temp surged above freezing late Wed morning.Temps rose slowly last night, moving from 19-deg at 11pm Tuesday night to 28 by 8am this morning as the milder air filtered in to the Chicago area—and by mid afternoon had reached 40-deg at O'Hare.  It wouldn't be surprising to see the day's maximum reading top out at 41 before sunset brings on a nocturnal cooling.Dominance of Chicago's weather pattern shifted Wednesday from arctic-origin air to MILDER Pacific air Wednesday as a result in a shift in upper steering winds at the jet stream level.  For several days, those important, weather-guiding winds blew into the Midwest from the northernmost reaches of North America.  With th...

Ed Burke Trial: Prosecutors, defense attorneys continue battle over Old Main Post Office allegations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:08 GMT

CHICAGO — The trial of longtime Chicago alderman Ed Burke continued Wednesday, with testimony centered around the Old Main Post Office and more secretly-recorded video of conversations centered around Burke, fellow former alderman Danny Solis, and a post office developer.One of the conversations presented was from 2017 when Solis asked Burke about a potential kickback, and if he could persuade a post office developer to hire Burke's property tax law firm."The last time we met, you got me thinking," Burke said. "My son is at Ignatius and I have a big mortgage. If there's any thought you have on that.""If you can tee him up, you can be our consultant," Solis said. "That would be okay? No legal problems?""You're not going to get into any trouble and I'm not going to get into any trouble at this stage in the game," Burke replied. More from Dana: Scientists have identified a new way to treat lung cancer — and more Another recording showed Solis and Burke met with Harry Skydell, the pro...

NASCAR reaches $7.7B deal with streaming platforms, major networks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:08 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WGHP) — NASCAR has announced their new media partners for a $7.7 billion media rights deal.The media rights deal includes Fox, NBC, Amazon, and Warner Bros., and will begin in the 2025 season.NASCAR did not reveal monetary figures at the news conference held at the Music City Center one day before its season-ending awards ceremony. The Athletic reports that the deal is worth $7.7 billion — when the previously announced $1.1 billion agreement with The CW is included — and will run for seven years. In 2022, The CW Network was acquired by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns this news station.NASCAR races were already televised by Fox Sports and NBC Sports. With the new deal, NASCAR's coverage will expand to The CW, TNT, Amazon Prime, and B/R Sports on the Max streaming platform, formerly known as HBO Max.The Cup Series will include existing partners Fox Sports and NBC, which will feature a mix of broadcast and cable events. Five races will be on Fox a...

Footlong cookies are coming to Subway restaurants nationwide

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) -- Subway is known for its footlong sandwiches. Now, the fast-food chain is planning to add footlong cookies to the menu. The company announced Wednesday that the cookies will be available at restaurants nationwide in 2024, but some cities will get a chance to try them before the official launch. If you're in Chicago, Dallas, Miami, or New York, select Subway restaurants will turn into "Cookieway," where you can get a free footlong cookie with the purchase of any footlong sub. A $16 McDonald’s meal is going viral again. Here’s why On Dec. 4, which happens to be National Cookie Day, customers can visit the following locations from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. local time to get a free footlong cookie, while supplies last: Chicago: 604 S Wabash Ave., Suite D, Chicago, IL 60605Dallas: 1222 Commerce Street, Suite 150, Dallas, TX 75202Miami: 2795 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33140New York City: 545 8 Ave., New York, NY 10018Subway said that last year’s limited run of footlong cook...

Las Vegas police release images in attempt to ID body found in barrel in Lake Mead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:08 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Police and officials with the Clark County coroner’s office released images Wednesday in an attempt to identify a man found deceased in a barrel in Lake Mead last year.On May 1, 2022, boaters discovered the unidentified man’s body concealed in a barrel near Hemenway Harbor. County officials said the man died from a gunshot wound, with the manner of his death being homicide. Nexstar's KLAS first reported the discovery.More than a year later, DNA testing has yet to reveal the man’s identity.Police and the coroner's office released three images of a composite face the FBI created.Police and officials with the Clark County coroner’s office released images Wednesday in an attempt to identify a man found deceased in a barrel in Lake Mead last year. (Clark County coroner's office/LVMPD/KLAS)Metro police suspect the man was killed in the 1980s based on personal items in the barrel. The victim was wearing clothing and shoes sold at Kmart stores in the mid-to-late 1970s.Hom...

Biden confirms second American hostage released by Hamas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:08 GMT

(The Hill) — President Biden on Wednesday confirmed that a second American hostage has been released by Hamas amid the fragile pause in fighting in the Middle East.Biden told reporters that Liat Atzili, an Israeli-American, is “safe in Egypt just across the border.” The president added that he has spoken with Atzili’s mother and father.“Things are moving well,” Biden said, adding that Atzili “should be home soon.” The American-Israeli citizen was taken by Hamas following the group’s brutal and deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7. She is a mother of three from Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, according to the Times of Israel. Mediators eye Gaza truce extension Her release comes during a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which has been extended to allow for the release of hostages taken by Hamas.Biden earlier this week announced that 4-year-old American Israeli citizen, Abigail Idan, was among the 13 hostages released Sunday from Gaza. The president has p...

Power plants in Texas caused 27K deaths nationwide, UT says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A group of researchers from the University of Texas Austin, along with others from six universities, found that coal-fired power plants have harmed the United States -- causing more than 103,000 deaths nationwide in coal-fired power plants since 1999, according to a news release from UT.The team found that the coal electricity-generating emissions caused approximately 460,000 deaths from 1999 to 2020 in the Medicare population from 480 coal-fired power plants in the U.S., the release said.The highest death rates from coal in 1999 decreased about 95% by 2020, Cory Zigler, senior author and associate professor for UT's Department of Statistics and Data Science noted in the research.Co-author Jessica Roberts, assistant professor in the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, created an online tool that allows comparison of deaths from each power plant. It shows that the power plants in Texas caused 27,000 deaths nationwide during the study, majorit...