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Feeling neglected by Scotland, some in the Orkney Islands mull rejoining Norway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:54 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Sick of being ignored by far-away politicians, officials on Scotland’s remote Orkney Islands are mulling a drastic solution: rejoining Norway, the Scandinavian country that gave them away as a royal wedding dowry more than 550 years ago.Orkney Islands Council is due to debate options for “alternative models of governance” on Tuesday, including exploring the “Nordic connections” of the archipelago, which lies about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of the Scottish mainland.Council leader James Stockan said the islands have been failed by both the Scottish government, 300 miles (480 kilometers) to the south in Edinburgh, and the U.K. government in the even more distant London.“On the street in Orkney, people come up and say to me, ‘When are we going to pay back the dowry, when are we going back to Norway?’ There is a huge affinity and a huge deep cultural relationship there,” Stockan told the BBC. “This is exactly the moment to explore what is possible.”Long an impoverished...

Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 9-15

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:54 GMT

Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 9-15:July 9: Actor Richard Roundtree is 81. Singer Dee Dee Kenniebrew of The Crystals is 78. Actor Chris Cooper is 72. TV personality-turned-musician John Tesh is 71. Country singer David Ball is 70. Business leader Kevin O’Leary (“Shark Tank”) is 69. Singer Debbie Sledge of Sister Sledge is 69. Actor Jimmy Smits is 68. Actor Tom Hanks is 67. Singer Marc Almond of Soft Cell is 66. Actor Kelly McGillis is 66. Singer Jim Kerr of Simple Minds is 64. Singer Courtney Love is 59. Bassist Frank Bello of Anthrax is 58. Actor David O’Hara (“The District”) is 58. Actor Pamela Adlon (“King of the Hill,” “Louie”) is 57. Actor Scott Grimes (“ER,” ″Party of Five”) is 52. Singer-guitarist Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse is 48. Musician Jack White is 48. Actor Fred Savage is 47. Singer Dan Estrin of Hoobastank is 47. Actor Linda Park (“Star Trek: Enterprise”) is 45. Actor Megan Parlen (“Hang Time”) is 43. Singer-actor Kiely Williams of 3LW (“Cheetah Girls” films...

Sudan’s army calls for young people, others, to enlist in fight against rival paramilitary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:54 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — The Sudanese army called Monday on young people and anyone else capable of fighting to enlist at the nearest military command for battle against rival paramilitary force.Sudan descended into chaos after fighting erupted on Apr. 15 between the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. Since then, over 3,000 people have been killed, the country’s Health Ministry said, while about 2.5 million people have been displaced, according to the U.N. The true death toll is believed to be much higher. “The commanders of the military divisions and regions have been instructed to receive and equip the fighters, and they must go to the nearest military command or unit,” the army said Monday morning on their official Facebook page.Monday’s call to arms comes just days after Burhan made a near-identical appeal during a televised speech, asking Sudan’s youth and those capable of fighting to support...

Amazon Indigenous are leaving rainforest for cities, and finding urban poverty

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:54 GMT

ATALAIA DO NORTE, Brazil (AP) — In 1976, Binan Tuku ventured to meet a Brazilian government’s expedition on the banks of the Itui River in a remote area of the western Amazon rainforest. After some initial suspicion, he and his father accepted machetes and soap in what was the beginning of the Matis tribe’s contact with the non-Indigenous world.Nearly 50 years later, Tuku’s own son Tumi exists far from the village of his father, seeking to carve out a living in the impoverished city of Atalaia do Norte. Instead of the traditional blowgun, Tumi held a pastry bag in his hands while working in a bakery, and his face bore none of the tattoos or wooden piercings characteristic of the Matis.“In the village, the quality of education is not as good as in the city,” said Tumi, 24, who said he hopes to go to college to study medicine or journalism. “I want to engage with non-Indigenous people, learn from the challenges I face, and perhaps one day return to my village to shar...

Kenya’s president lifts 6-year logging ban to create jobs. Environmentalists are concerned

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:54 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenyan President William Ruto has lifted a six-year ban on logging over the concerns of environmentalists. The president said Sunday it was “foolish” to have mature trees rotting in forests while local industries lacked timber.“This is why we have decided to open up the forest and harvest timber so that we can create jobs for our youth,” he said.Ruto became Kenya’s president in September. In 2018, while serving as deputy president, he announced a government ban on logging to protect water catchment areas and avert a looming drought.His administration’s first budget imposed a tax on all imported timber products, a move aimed at encouraging local manufacturing.Last year, he launched a plan to plant 15 billion trees in Kenya over 10 years as a way to combat climate change.During an address last month at the Global Citizen Festival in Paris, Ruto said his country was leading the way on taking action to prevent global warming. Green Africa Foundation Exe...

Hong Kong police offer rewards for arrests of 8 overseas pro-democracy activists

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:54 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police on Monday accused eight self-exiled pro-democracy activists of violating the territory’s harsh National Security Law and offered rewards of 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($127,600) each for information leading to their arrests.The rewards are the first for suspects accused of violating the Beijing-imposed legislation since it took effect in June 2020. It outlaws subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism.The eight activists are former pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law, Ted Hui and Dennis Kwok, lawyer Kevin Yam, unionist Mung Siu-tat and activists Finn Lau, Anna Kwok and Elmer Yuen, police announced at a news conference.They are currently living in the U.S., Britain, Canada and Australia after some were earlier accused of various other offenses.Steven Li, chief superintendent of the police’s National Security Department, said arrest warrants have been issued for the eight under the National Security Law. He acknowle...

15-year-old girl among 2 killed in Little Village shooting; man in custody

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:54 GMT

CHICAGO — A man is in custody following a deadly shooting in the city's Little Village neighborhood.The shooting happened around 12:15 a.m. Monday in the 2600 block of South Millard. Police said officers responded to shots fired at a residence and found three people struck by gunfire.According to police, a 15-year-old girl was shot in the face and transported to Mount Sinai Hospital where she was pronounced dead. A 48-year-old woman was shot multiple times in the torso and pronounced on the scene. The medical examiner has identified her as Karina Gonzalez. New law allows police to fly drones over public gatherings An 18-year-old boy was shot in the ankle and transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition.Police said a man was placed into custody at the scene. Charges are pending.The circumstances surrounding the shooting are unclear at this time. A weapon was recovered and Area Four Detectives are investigating.

CTA, Metra resume train services after high standing water, poor track conditions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:54 GMT

Metra and the CTA both announced train services have been temporarily suspended in certain areas in and around Chicago Sunday due to poor track conditions.According to Metra, UPW trains will not operate between Chicago and Oak Park due to high standing water, while trains will not depart from Chicago and only operate from Oak Park to Elburn.Metra Officials urge those affected to seek alternate transportation.According to the CTA, Blue Line train service has been temporarily suspended between their UIC Halsted and Kedzie stops due to poor track conditions. Man in custody after ramming vehicle onto NASCAR Street Race course Metra and the CTA have not announced a timetable for service to return to affected train lines.

CPD: 13-year-old girl missing from Humboldt Park safely located

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:54 GMT

CHICAGO — A girl missing from Humboldt Park was safely located.

Why are rip currents dangerous?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:54 GMT

(WHTM) – With the Fourth of July holiday weekend upon us, some people may be heading to the ocean and beaches to celebrate. But before heading to the beach, revelers might want to take a moment to check out the conditions of the local surf, to help minimize any risk of getting stuck in a rip current while swimming.According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a rip current is a strong narrow seaward channel of water that flows away from the beach and often extends through the breaker zone where waves are formed.Sometimes incorrectly called a rip tide, a rip current can form at any beach with breaking waves and can quickly sweep away even the strongest swimmer.They form, for the most part, in regions with less wave-breaking, or where waves are stuck between regions with larger wave breaks. You can see a rip current as a darker, narrow gap in the line of breaking waves. Rip currents are very fast, moving at speeds of up to 8 feet per second. A usual rip curr...