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Brazil slows Amazon deforestation, but in Chico Mendes’ homeland, it risks being too late

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:50 GMT

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Luzineide Marques da Silva knows the location of each of the 748 rubber trees scattered in her area of the Brazilian Amazon, where she and her family hold rights to tap the trees for latex to sell to a sneaker manufacturer. So she watched in pain and anger last week as two of them were badly damaged by a fire she said was started by one of the land-grabbers encroaching on her territory.“I see the fire engulfing my rubber trees, and I feel as if I myself were being murdered right there,” Silva told The Associated Press in an interview. “He’s burning down the trees from which I earn my livelihood, and I cherish them so much.”After nine months in office, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has halved Amazon deforestation, which reached a 15-year high under predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, and has promised to promote development that makes sustainable use of its resources.But progress has been uneven, and in the symbolic Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, it could be to...

Canada’s House speaker resigns over inviting a man who fought for a Nazi unit to Parliament

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:50 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — The speaker of Canada’s House of Commons resigned Tuesday for inviting a man who fought for a Nazi military unit during World War II to Parliament to attend a speech by the Ukrainian president. Just after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an address in the House of Commons on Friday, Canadian lawmakers gave 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka a standing ovation when Speaker Anthony Rota drew attention to him. Rota introduced Hunka as a war hero who fought for the First Ukrainian Division.Observers over the weekend began to publicize the fact that the First Ukrainian Division also was known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, or the SS 14th Waffen Division, a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis.“No one in this House is above any of us. Therefore I must step down as your speaker,” Rota said in Parliament. “I reiterate my profound regret for my error in recognizing an individual in the House during the joint address to Parliament of President Zel...

US international Reggie Cannon joins English club Queens Park Rangers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:50 GMT

LONDON (AP) — United States international Reggie Cannon has joined English second-tier team Queen’s Park Rangers on a four-year contract, the club said Tuesday. Cannon was allowed to sign outside of the transfer window because he was a free agent after leaving Portuguese club Boavista in June. “I have always wanted to play in England, this is an incredible opportunity to show what I can do,” the 25-year-old defender said. “I have always wanted to attack overseas football because I think that is where the best players are, and that is how you find your better game and develop, so I really think this will help me achieve the best that I can be as a footballer.”Cannon previously played for FC Dallas and joined Boavista in 2020. QPR plays in the English second division and was last in the Premier League in the 2014-15 season. The club said the transfer was subject to approval by FIFA, the FA and English Football League. Cannon will also need to receive international clearanc...

4-year-old boy receives groundbreaking gene therapy treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in Orlando

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:50 GMT

Groundbreaking gene therapy provided by a hospital in Central Florida changed the life of a little boy.The 4-year-old suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or DMD, which is a disease that causes progressive loss of muscle mass.He received a one time treatment called Elevidy’s at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando.“This is the first time where we’re able to actually treat the underlying cause of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. We’re able to replace the missing gene in a substantive way,” said Dr. Omer Abdul Hamid, a pediatric neurologist at Nemours Children’s hospital. “It’s really been a game-changer for our families and the community as a whole.”“I’ve been looking forward to getting Jaxson’s gene therapy and I am just grateful that its here,” said Angela Ramirez, the boy’s mother. According to experts, an estimated 20,000 children are diagnosed with Duchenne globally each year. With the ad...

Nonprofit creates custom playground for Hialeah boy battling cancer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:50 GMT

A nonprofit gifted four-year-old Justin Henandez, who is courageously fighting neuroblastoma, his very own custom playground right in his Hialeah home.The nonprofit organization, Roc Solid Foundation, is dedicated to empowering families facing childhood cancer by bringing the joy of play into their lives, a vital aspect often compromised during grueling cancer treatments. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Roc Solid Foundation (@rocsolidfoundation)“It’s important to have this. Due to his illness, he has to be more careful,” Justin’s mother Yolexy Rosell said. “Having this in my house means more peace of mind for myself, for him, and that he’s going to be okay.”The Roc Solid Foundation has embarked on a mission to surprise thirty children battling cancer with playsets during the month of September, aligning with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Their mission is to provide solace and happiness to brave young warrio...

Judge rules Donald Trump defrauded banks, insurers as he built real estate empire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has ruled that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House.Judge Arthur Engoron, ruling Tuesday in a civil lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general, found that the former president and his company deceived banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.The decision, days before the start of a non-jury trial in Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit, is the strongest repudiation yet of Trump’s carefully coiffed image as a wealthy and shrewd real estate mogul turned political powerhouse.Beyond mere bragging about his riches, Trump, his company and key executives repeatedly lied about them on his annual financial statements, reaping rewards such as favorable loan terms and lower insurance premiums, Engoron found.

Bail revoked for man charged in deadly Hingham Apple Store crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:50 GMT

The man accused in connection with the deadly crash at an Apple store in Hingham last year has had his bail revoked after he failed to charge his GPS monitoring bracelet, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s office announced. The DA’s office said Bradley Rein, 54, was taken into custody on Monday. He appeared in court on Tuesday, according to the DA’s office, where a judge ordered his bail be revoked for 60 days. New developments in Rein’s case come months after the crash on November 21 in the Derby Shops plaza in Hingham. 65-year-old Kevin Bradley was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene, according to the DA’s office. More than 20 other people were injured. Subsequent indictments alleged Rein was behind the wheel when his car crashed through the front window of the Apple store. The DA’s office in a statement this week said preliminary investigations found Rein was accelerating his car up to 60 miles-per-hour in the five seconds before the crash, adding “th...

Return of the Sun!

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:50 GMT

It was another cool day out there today, both the temperatures and of course that gusty wind made it feel even cooler. But we are knocking on the door of October after all so we better start getting used to it. Temperatures today ran anywhere from five to 10 degrees below average, but of course the wind made it feel a bit more brisk than that. When temperatures climb above 50° there technically is no longer a wind chill to calculate.Things will settle down overnight as high pressure takes control of our weather for the next couple of days. As high pressure slides in, it will clear out the skies and calm down the winds. That combination will allow temperatures to cool off very efficiently overnight. And since we’re already starting low, we’ll drop pretty low overnight. Most of us will see overnight lows drop into the 40s tonight.So make sure the kids have a layer on for the bus tomorrow morning! Probably more than a hoodie even. Welcome to jacket season! The good news is ...

Biden urges striking auto workers to ‘stick with it’ in picket line visit unparalleled in history

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:50 GMT

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — President Joe Biden grabbed a bullhorn on the picket line Tuesday and urged striking auto workers to “stick with it” in an unparalleled show of support for organized labor by a modern president.Donning a union ballcap and exchanging fist bumps, Biden told United Auto Workers strikers that “you deserve the significant raise you need” as he stopped in the Detroit area just a day ahead of a planned visit by former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in next year’s election.“No deal, no wheels!” workers chanted as Biden arrived at a General Motors parts distribution warehouse, one of several facilities that has been targeted in a widening strike now in its 12th day. “No pay, no parts!”Despite concerns that a prolonged strike could undermine the economy, particularly in the crucial battleground state of Michigan, the Democratic president encouraged workers to keep fighting for better wages at a time when car compani...

Man accused of killing estranged girlfriend in Chelsea arraigned on murder charge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:50 GMT

A 65-year-old man accused in connection with the deadly stabbing of a 59-year-old woman earlier this year was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court Tuesday on charges including first degree murder. Angel Alvarez was arrested after prosecutors said he stabbed his estranged girlfriend, Margarita Morehead, in her Chelsea apartment on May 8. Later speaking in court, prosecutors said Alvarez confessed to officers when he turned himself in one day after the alleged murder.Alvarez was previously arraigned in Chelsea District Court in May. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf and he was ordered held without bail.The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office in a statement this week said Alvarez dated Morehead for several years and lived with her “off and on” in her apartment. “Throughout their relationship, he exhibited jealousy and hostility toward Morehead and frequently accused her of infidelity,” the DA’s office said.The DA’s office said Morehead obtained a restraining order a...