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Gongloff: Taxing cheeseburgers could help save the climate

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:10:54 GMT

In the universe of possible tools to fight climate change, it’s hard to think of one that would be more politically toxic than a tax on cheeseburgers. You might as well put a tax on puppies, ice cream or even fun. And yet that cheeseburger tax might be a key to keeping catastrophic global warming at bay.Imagine a fantasy future Earth in which kindly aliens or wizards eradicate fossil fuels overnight, replacing every gas tank, power plant and jet engine in the world with green alternatives. Would this mean the end of worrying about climate change? Sadly, no. And the reason, mainly, is those cheeseburgers.Livestock farming is a dynamo of greenhouse-gas emissions, contributing roughly 18% of the global total, in the form of carbon dioxide, methane from cow burps and nitrous oxide from fertilizer. This is not to mention the associated deforestation, pollution and biodiversity loss, all of which also warp the climate. Even if every other source of warming gases vanished overnight, food p...

Overnight I-95 accident in Fort Lauderdale leaves at least 1 dead

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:10:54 GMT

The southbound lanes of Interstate 95 in the Fort Lauderdale area reopened after a deadly wreck shut them down. According to Florida Highway Patrol, the crash happened around 2 a.m., leaving the lanes closed for most of Saturday morning. Authorities received a call about a fatal wreck on I-95, just south of Broward Boulevard, where several vehicles were involved. Troopers are still investigating the scene and have not reported who the victim was. The lanes are open with a normal flow of traffic. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

We won’t leave, Palestinian Authority leader tells Cairo summit

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:10:54 GMT

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday the Palestinian people would not be displaced, in an address at a peace summit in Cairo aimed at preventing the Israel-Gaza crisis from escalating into a regional war.“We warn of the danger of [the] displacement of our civilians from their houses or their displacement from the West Bank or from Jerusalem,” said Abbas, who leads the PA, which is in charge of semi-autonomous parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. “We will never accept this forcible displacement and will stand tall on our land,” Abbas added.The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since the Hamas militant group’s surprise attack on Israel near the Gaza Strip on October 7, which killed more than 1,400 people. At least 83 people have been killed in clashes with Israeli settlers and police in the West Bank, Agence France-Presse reported Friday.In retaliation for Hamas’ attack, Israel declared a siege of Gaza, launching...

Multiple people hurt after car crash in Nashua, NH

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:10:54 GMT

Multiple people were hurt in a car crash in Nashua, New Hampshire early Saturday morning, fire crews confirmed.The crash happened around 7:15 a.m. near 40 Tinker Road.Officials said the victims were taken to a local hospital.No further information was immediately available.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Police investigating report of suspicious person at West Roxbury bus stop

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:10:54 GMT

Police are investigating a report of a suspicious person in West Roxbury.A young girl was near a bus stop on Bryon Road in the area of Broadlawn Park when an unknown man waved her over to his car, Boston police said. When the victim refused, the suspect chased after her.Police said the victim was able to get away safely, and they did not locate the suspect, who is described as a bald, older Black male driving a gray SUV or minivan.Those with any information can reach out anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).

Four Patriots who should play bigger roles vs. Bills in Week 7

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:10:54 GMT

Even the most optimistic Patriots fans had to come to the conclusion that the 2023 season was effectively over following winnable Week 5 and 6 losses to the Browns and Raiders.Next on their schedule, the Patriots have the Bills at home followed by the Dolphins on the road, meaning the team is likely facing a 1-7 start to the season.Head coach Bill Belichick might as well try something new at the one-third mark of the season. Here are four players we want to see play major roles in a tough matchup against the Bills.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots-Bills preview: How Bill Belichick can upset Josh Allen and Buffalo New England Patriots | NFL notes: How the Patriots and Bills switched places in the AFC East New England Patriots | Patriots-Bills injury report: Bill Belichick lists 16 players as questionable for Sunday New England Patriots | Bill Belichick honors Dante Scarnecchia, Mike Vrabel ahead of Patriots Hall...

Canada-U.S. refugee pact changes expected to ‘exacerbate existing threats’: memo

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:10:54 GMT

OTTAWA — A newly released memo shows federal officials warned last spring that expanding a bilateral refugee pact to the entire Canada-U.S. border would likely fuel smuggling networks and encourage people to seek more dangerous, remote crossing routes.Officials feared the development would also strain RCMP resources as irregular migrants dispersed more widely across the vast border.The April memo, made public by Public Safety Canada through the Access to Information Act, was prepared in advance of a Cross-Border Crime Forum meeting with American representatives.Under the Safe Third Country Agreement, implemented in 2004, Canada and the United States recognize each other as havens to seek protection.The pact has long allowed either country to turn back a prospective refugee who showed up at a land port of entry along the Canada-U.S. border — unless eligible for an exemption — on the basis they must pursue their claim in the country where they first arrived.However, until this year it...

Joly and Hussen take part in Cairo Peace Summit, discussing Israel, Hamas war

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:10:54 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s minister of foreign affairs and the minister of international development will be in Cairo, Egypt, today and tomorrow, to take part in what is being dubbed the “Cairo Peace Summit.”  In an early morning statement, Mélanie Joly and Ahmed Hussen say they will meet with their counterparts and foreign officials. It adds that they will also reiterate Canada’s unequivocal condemnation of the terror attack by Hamas two weeks ago, while also highlighting Canada’s concerns over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.Joly will also meet with staff at the Canadian embassy in Cairo to discuss their efforts to support Canadians in the region, including their work to help Canadians leave the Gaza Strip.The summit includes dozens of regional leaders and other senior western officials, with a focus on deescalating the fighting and seeking a ceasefire. Tensions have been rising as the Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah has been trading fire w...

Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators march in London as Israel-Hamas war roils the world

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:10:54 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched in London and other cities on Saturday to demand Israel stop its bombardment of Gaza, as the Israel-Hamas war entered its third week and its ripples spread around the globe.On the day a trickle of aid entered Gaza, where more than 1 million people have had to leave their homes because of the conflict, protesters gathered in the rain at Marble Arch near London’s Hyde Park before marching to the government district, Whitehall. Waving Palestinian flags, participants called for an end to Israel’s blockade and airstrikes launched in the wake of a brutal incursion into southern Israel by the Hamas militant group that controls Gaza.British authorities have urged demonstrators to be mindful of the pain and anxiety felt by the Jewish community. London’s Metropolitan Police force says it has seen a 13-fold upsurge in reports of antisemitic offenses in October compared to last year. Reports of anti-Muslim crimes have more t...

EU and US envoys urge Kosovo and Serbia to resume dialogue to ease soaring tension

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:10:54 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The envoys of the European Union and the United States urged on Saturday Kosovo and Serbia to resume dialogue as the only way to de-escalate the soaring tension between the two nations. This is the first such visit since Sept. 24 when around 30 Serb gunmen crossed into northern Kosovo, killing a police officer and setting up barricades, before launching an hours-long gun battle with Kosovo police. Three gunmen were killed. EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak and his U.S. counterpart Gabriel Escobar, accompanied by top diplomats from Germany, France and Italy, met with Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti in the capital, Pristina, after which they will head to Belgrade.“If there is no dialog, there might be a repetition of escalation,” said Lajcak after meeting with Kurti.Lajcak said they strongly denounced “the terrorist attack against Kosovo police by armed individuals (that) constitutes a clear and unprecedented escalation.” He added that the attack also “very cle...