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Jakarta is the world’s most polluted city. Blame the dry season and vehicles for the gray skies

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:37 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The dry season and and motorized vehicles are the main causes of the air pollution in Jakarta, Indonesian authorities said Friday, after a Swiss air quality technology company named the city as the most polluted in the world. Thick smoke and gray skies have appeared every morning for the past few months in Jakarta, the capital city of the world’s fourth most populous country.Jakarta routinely tops listings of the world’s most polluted cities, most recently in a ranking by IQAir, which is based in Switzerland. “In fact, the condition of Jakarta’s air quality throughout 2023 has fluctuated quite a bit,” Asep Kuswanto, head of Jakarta Environment Agency said at a conference on Friday.Indonesia is now in the dry season, which runs from July to September, when air pollution will peak. Air quality in the greater Jakarta area deteriorates as it is impacted by dry air from the eastern side of the country.The use of motorized vehicles is also a major fac...

Scuffles break out outside Athens court as arrested Croatian soccer fans testify over deadly attack

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:37 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Clashes broke out in front of court buildings in Athens where scores of arrested Croatian soccer supporters were giving evidence Friday following deadly fan violence this week.Some 200 fans of AEK Athens gathered outside the court complex, some hurling bottles of water and other objects at police and television crews.No arrests or injuries were reported.A Champions League qualifier between AEK and Dinamo Zagreb was called off Tuesday after scores of Croatian supporters wielding wooden clubs and metal bats attacked bystanders outside AEK’s Opap Arena.One AEK fan, 29 year-old Michalis Katsouris, died at the scene from a stab wound, while 10 others were injured.More than 100 people were arrested — mostly Dinamo fans — and have been charged with murder, membership of a criminal gang and other offenses.A funeral service for Katsouris was due to be held later Friday at his hometown of Elefsina, 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Athens. Local authorities suspended seve...

Why are millions of kids missing weeks of school across US?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:37 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — When in-person school resumed after pandemic closures, Rousmery Negrón and her 11-year-old son both noticed a change: School seemed less welcoming.Parents were no longer allowed in the building without appointments, she said, and punishments were more severe. Everyone seemed less tolerant, more angry. Negrón's son told her he overheard a teacher mocking his learning disabilities, calling him an ugly name.Her son didn’t want to go to school anymore. And she didn’t feel he was safe there.He would end up missing more than five months of sixth grade.Across the country, students have been absent at record rates since schools reopened during the pandemic. More than a quarter of students missed at least 10% of the 2021-22 school year, making them chronically absent, according to the most recent data available. Before the pandemic, only 15% of students missed that much school.All told, an estimated 6.5 million additional students became chronically a...

Suicide rate hits all-time high in US last year

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:37 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — About 49,500 people took their own lives last year in the U.S., the highest number ever, according to new government data posted Thursday.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which posted the numbers, has not yet calculated a suicide rate for the year, but available data suggests suicides are more common in the U.S. than at any time since the dawn of World War II.“There's something wrong. The number should not be going up,” said Christina Wilbur, a 45-year-old Florida woman whose son shot himself to death last year.“My son should not have died,” she said. "I know it's complicated, I really do. But we have to be able to do something. Something that we're not doing. Because whatever we're doing right now is not helping."Experts caution that suicide is complicated and that recent increases might be driven by a range of factors, including higher rates of depression and limited availability of mental health services.But a main driver is the growing availab...

Popular kiwi brand recalled in 14 states, including Illinois, over listeria threat

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:37 GMT

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A large fruit distributor has issued a voluntary recall for one-pound packages of kiwifruit.The fruit, sold under brand name Zespri, is being recalled by David Oppenheimer and Company I LLC due to possible contamination with listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious infection and illness. The recalled kiwi was grown in New Zealand and repacked for sale in North America by Zespri. The issue was detected after the Kentucky Department for Public Health conducted routine sampling on July 7. As of August 8, there had been no illnesses reported. (Courtesy of FDA)The recalled products were shipped between June 14 and July 7 and sold at retail locations in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.Affected packages are printed with the UPC number 8 18849 02009 3, and the individual kiwifruit bear stickers with the code 9400 9552, according to an FDA ...

'Nothing left': Future unclear for residents who lost it all in Maui fire

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:37 GMT

WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — Retired mailman and Vietnam veteran Thomas Leonard lived in the historic former capital of Hawaii for 44 years until this week, when a rapidly moving wildfire burned down his apartment, melted his Jeep and forced him to spend four terrifying hours hiding from the flames behind a seawall.“I’ve got nothing left,” Leonard said Thursday as he sat on an inflatable mattress outside a shelter for those who fled the blaze that decimated the town of Lahaina. “I’m a disabled vet, so now I’m a homeless vet,” he added with a small laugh. Maui residents had little warning before flames hit town. At least 55 people died The fire that tore across the coastal Maui town and caught many by surprise has already claimed dozens of lives — a toll expected to climb — and burned more than 1,000 buildings. It has turned a centuries-old hamlet beloved by travelers and locals alike into a charred, desolate landscape.The devastation has resonated worldwide in part because tourists from...

'7 out of 10' homes have drought foundation problems

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:37 GMT

Editor's Note: The above video explains the best type of grass for the Central Texas climate.GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) -- Drought has already been a contributing factor in our recent increase in wildfires, but more problems may be developing under your feet. What are the best grasses for Central Texas homes? The lack of rain in Central Texas is creating a shift in the earth below. Soil is contracting, drying up and pulling away from homes, leaving the foundation with room to move.Grass and soil pulling away from the foundation during drought in August 2023Steps separating from the soil outside of a Georgetown homeThat movement could cause either plumbing issues or cracks in the foundation.Joshua Trevino with G.L. Hunt Foundation Repair said fixing a shifted foundation could range from $10K to $50K depending on the severity. KXAN asked Trevino about the scope of that problem right now in Central Texas."It's pretty huge," Trevino said.It's not just homes that are having issues becaus...

Austin Public Libraries closed Friday; Cooling Centers impacted

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin-Travis County EMS said Thursday all Austin Public Libraries would be closed on Friday, impacting cooling center locations across the city. ATCEMS said the libraries will be closed for staff training. Because of the closure, only one of the libraries will be available as a Cooling Center. The Terrazas Branch Library will be available as a cooling center from 12 to 8 p.m. on Friday, ATCEMS said. According ATCEMS, the libraries will reopen on Saturday.Here is a link to a map of the cooling centers that will be open on Friday.

ACSO: Rochester man accused of stealing rental car from Albany International Airport

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:37 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Rochester man was arrested on Thursday and is accused of stealing a rental car from Enterprise Rent-A-Car at the Albany International Airport. Antoine Witcher, 28, is charged with third-degree grand larceny. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On Thursday, deputies from the Albany County Sheriff's Office responded to the rental car garage at Albany International for a report of a rental car in the process of being stolen. Deputies say Enterprise representatives claimed a Blue 2022 GMC Terrain was stolen from their rental inventory.With the help of OnStar, deputies were able to track the car after further investigation. Deputies say while talking to OnStar, they received "live information" and relayed it to the New York State Police working on the New York State Thruway. Car flips, one hospitalized in Shaftsbury crash Law enforcement says the car was located and stopped safely. The driver, identified a...

Illinois State Fair continues today after Thursday rain shut down rides

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:52:37 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill - Hundreds showed up for the opening day of the Illinois State Fair on Thursday, but some were surprised to find that a lot of the rides were closed. The Illinois Department of Labor shared that due to the heavy rain on Wednesday, they weren't able to finish inspecting the rides.'Losing that whole day, the day before the fair, meant that a huge number of inspections couldn't happen, and we had to push a lot to today," explained. "So we're getting them all done today, making sure that every single ride, even if it's been permitted earlier in the year, gets a fresh inspection right before the fair. We wanted to just in an abundance have caution and make sure that we operate as safely as possible." St. Louis County prosecutor not licensed attorney, must resubmit 114 cases The fair continues Friday with Agriculture Day, where Illinois' farmers are highlighted for their work. Saturday is 'Kids Day,' so children 12 and under can get in free.Sunday is also 'Veteran'...