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Santa trades sleigh for fire truck, joins Coral Gables firefighters in neighborhood ride

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:42 GMT

A South Florida city welcomed a special out-of-town guest this weekend.Firefighters in Coral Gables convinced Santa Claus to trade in his sleigh for a fire truck on Sunday.The team rode around the city’s neighborhoods — handing out candy canes, waving to children and spreading plenty of holiday cheer.This is the 13th consecutive year Santa has taken this brief break from his North Pole duties to come hang out in the Gables.

Venezuelans approve a referendum to claim sovereignty over a swathe of neighboring Guyana

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:42 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans on Sunday approved a referendum called by the government of President Nicolás Maduro to claim sovereignty over an oil- and mineral-rich piece of neighboring Guyana, the country’s electoral authority announced.Few voters could be seen at voting centers throughout the voting period for the five-question referendum, but the National Electoral Council claimed to have counted more than 10.5 million votes. The council, however, did not explain whether the number of votes was equivalent to a voter or if it was the sum of each individual answer.Venezuela has long argued the territory was stolen when the border was drawn more than a century ago. But Guyana considers the referendum a step toward annexation, and the vote has its residents on edge.Venezuelan voters were asked whether they support establishing a state in the disputed territory, known as Essequibo, granting citizenship to current and future area residents and rejecting the jurisdiction of the...

Transforming HIV prevention in Europe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:42 GMT

This article is part of POLITICO Telescope: The New AIDS Epidemic, an ongoing exploration of the disease today.The world’s battle to end the HIV epidemic is being fought on two fronts. The first involves getting as many people as possible who are living with the virus diagnosed and rapidly onto antiretroviral medication. This reduces the virus inside their bodies to such a low level that it is undetectable and therefore cannot be passed to others. The approach is known as “undetectable = untransmittable” or “U=U*.”The second front is focused on protecting people from contracting the virus in the first place, even if they have been exposed to it — an approach known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. Taken as prescribed, PrEP makes a person’s body almost entirely resistant to HIV infection.There is a critical need to bring forward new PrEP options that are informed by and designed for the communities that could benefit from PrEP in Europe.Jared Baeten MD, PhD, vice president for HI...

With heavy heart, Brad Marchand lifts Bruins over Columbus with hat trick

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:42 GMT

In his 971 games with the Bruins dating back to the 2009-10 season, Brad Marchand has carried the team in spurts, so what he did over the weekend may not have been all that unusual for him, as notable as it was.But if you noticed he was playing with a little more than his usual doggedness and determination, you weren’t wrong. On Friday night, he learned that his maternal grandmother, Frances O’Leary, had passed away.All he did then was score the dramatic overtime game-winner in Toronto on Saturday – the NESN cameras caught the emotion welling up in the captain as the team celebrated going off the ice – and then Sunday night at the Garden he notched a natural hat trick in 5:50 of the third period to lift the B’s to a come-from-behind 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.Marchand has surely had better weekends from a personal standpoint, but not many as a hockey player.“He threw us on his back and said, ‘I’ll take us across the finish ...

French foreign minister says she is open to South Pacific resettlement requests due to rising seas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:42 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on Monday she was open to any resettlement request from tiny South Pacific nations threatened by rising sea levels, similar to Australia’s agreement with Tuvalu.Colonna said France had watched with “great interest” last month when Australia offered Tuvalu a lifeline to help residents escape the rising seas and increased storms brought by climate change.At a meeting of Pacific leaders in the Cook Islands, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a plan that will initially allow up to 280 Tuvaluans to come to Australia each year. Tuvalu has a population of 11,000, and its low-lying atolls make it particularly vulnerable to global warming.Colonna said she was not sure if the French Pacific territories of French Polynesia and New Caledonia had the capacity to make similar offers.“I’m open to consider any specific request,” Colonna told the National Press Club.“But … the size of the Australian con...

In the Amazon, Indigenous women bring a tiny tribe back from the brink of extinction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:42 GMT

Juma Indigenous Territory, Amazonas, Brazil (AP) — At night, in this village near the Assua River in Brazil, the rainforest reverberates. The sound of generators at times competes with the forest, a sign that there are people here. Until recently, the Juma people seemed destined to disappear like countless other Amazon tribes decimated by the European invasion. In the late 1990s, the last remaining family was made up of three sisters, Boreá, Mandeí, and Maytá and their father, Aruká, in his 50s. In 2021, Aruká died of COVID-19, prompting obituaries like the one in The New York Times that said the “ last man of his tribe ” was gone, pushing the Juma, a patriarchal society, closer to extinction. Or so it seemed.The sisters and their father had another plan. “I became interested in trying to gather more strength,” said Mandeí Juma. “So, I started taking on the role of the leader, the first woman to do so. My sisters and my father encouraged me to assume the position.” In fact, she was ...

Stock market today: Shares mixed in Asia ahead of updates on jobs, inflation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:42 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares traded mixed Monday as investors awaited a slew of U.S. economic data set for release later in the week.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.8% in morning trading to 33,159.03. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.6% to 7,118.40. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.3% to 2,513.03. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.6% to 16,736.45, while the Shanghai Composite edged down less than 0.1% to 3,029.42. China Evergrande’s Hong Kong traded shares were up 7% after a Hong Kong court postponed until Jan. 29 a hearing on its plan to restructure its massive debts. The company faces possible liquidation if creditors reject its restructuring plan. Among the economic updates due this week are data on the job market, including the U.S. government’s closely watched monthly employment report for November.“Traders prepare for a slew of actionable U.S. economic data scheduled for release this week, poised to be crucial in refining traders’ expectations regarding ...

At UN climate talks, fossil fuel interests have hundreds of employees on hand

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:42 GMT

At least 1,300 employees of organizations representing fossil fuel interests registered to attend this year’s United Nations climate talks in Dubai, more than three times the number found in an Associated Press analysis of last year’s talks, as new rules took effect requiring attendees to disclose their employment.Aside from the new disclosure rules, the figure may have been boosted by a surge in attendance as Earth staggered through a year of record heat and devastating extreme weather attributed to climate change — conference registrations are nearly double that of last year’s talks. The United Nations body responsible for running the conference also released the details of far more attendees than in past years, including people not considered part of official state delegations.The hundreds of fossil fuel-connected people make up just a tiny share of the 90,000 people who registered to attend the climate summit known as COP28. But environmentalists have repeatedl...

1 dead after shooting at hotel in Oakbrook Terrace

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:42 GMT

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. — Police are investigating a deadly shooting at the Hilton Hotel in Oakbrook Terrace Saturday night.Police from multiple west suburbs were called to the hotel near 10 Drury Lane at around 8:30 p.m. on a report of shots fired. Brighton Park migrant camp nearing completion, despite opposition When officers arrived on the scene, they found a person who had been shot multiple times, police said. Officers say the victim later succumbed to their injuries.Police say a person of interest was taken into custody and authorities have not yet identified anyone involved.Hotel guests were outside for hours before they were cleared to return to their rooms.Currently, it is unclear what led to the shooting and an investigation is underway.

Gophers football add quarterback transfer Max Brosmer in portal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:42 GMT

The Gophers football program picked up a transfer commitment from New Hampshire quarterback Max Brosmer on Sunday night.Minnesota had sought another QB after the 2023 season and offered Brosmer a scholarship last Monday.“After talking to my family, I have decided to commit to The University of Minnesota,” Brosmer wrote on social media. “I want to thank the entire Gopher coaching staff and team for welcoming me into their program. Let’s rock!”Brosmer led FCS with 3,449 passing yards last season. He had a completion percentage of 64, along with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. He posted a career-high 493 passing yards at Central Michigan.Listed at 6-foot-2 and 221 pounds, Brosmer has played 34 total collegiate games, advancing to the FCS playoffs in 2022 and has one year of eligibility remaining. His 2021 season was lost to a knee injury and the pandemic interrupted 2020.Brosmer, of Roswell, Ga., has a degree in biomedical science, has been working on...