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AP Election Brief | What to expect in Ohio’s special election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:48:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The battle over abortion rights looms over an Ohio ballot measure that will be put to voters statewide on Tuesday.Known simply as Issue 1, the proposal would raise the threshold needed to amend the state’s constitution from a simple majority of the state’s voters to 60%. It would also increase the petitioning requirements to get a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot.Although the text of the proposal does not specifically address abortion, the issue has quickly become a proxy for the nationwide debate over reproductive rights that was reignited last summer after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.The stakes for both sides grew in July when state officials announced that a separate ballot measure that would establish “a fundamental right to reproductive freedom” in the state constitution had gathered enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. At issue is whether that proposed amendment would require a simple maj...

Lithuania declares more than 1,000 Belarusians and Russians to be national security risks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:48:51 GMT

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuania declared more than a thousand citizens of Russia and Belarus living in the country to be threats to national security on Friday and said it was stripping them of their permanent residency permits.The decision comes after the government asked the Russians and Belarusians to answer a questionnaire that included questions about their views on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the status of Crimea, the Ukrainian territory which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.Lithuania, a Baltic nation that declared its independence from the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago, is a democracy that belongs to NATO and the European Union. It has been a strong backer of Ukraine and also a place of refuge in recent years for many who have fled an authoritarian crackdown in neighboring Belarus and increased repression in Russia.The Migration Department said Friday that it had established that 1,164 Belarusian and Russian citizens residing in Lithuania posed a threat to nat...

Japan’s Kishida hopes to further strengthen strategic cooperation with US and South Korea at summit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:48:51 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday he hopes to discuss further strengthening of three-way strategic cooperation with leaders of the United States and South Korea at a summit hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden at Camp David later this month. The Aug. 18 summit with Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is the first stand-alone summit among leaders of the three countries, not in connection with international meetings. The summit is also the latest sign of warming ties between Tokyo and Seoul. Both governments have moved to set aside decades-long tensions over wartime history, while Washington seeks to deepen its commitment in the Indo-Pacific region. “I have high hopes that this summit meeting will further strengthen the foundation for strengthening ties with the United States and South Korea, which have been built up through multi-layered efforts including at the summit level,” Kishida said, responding to a question about the summit, during a news...

U.N. group says people abused by late Japanese boy band producer deserve apologies and compensation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:48:51 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — The men who came forward to allege they were sexually abused as teenagers by Japanese boy band producer Johnny Kitagawa now have a powerful listener: the United Nations.Damilola Olawuyi, chair of the U.N. Working Group on Business and Human Rights, told reporters Friday the number of victims may total several hundred, and he accused Japan’s mainstream media of standing silent about the alleged abuse for decades.Olawuyi raised serious questions about the sincerity of the response from the talent agency Kitagawa founded, Johnny & Associates. He urged other entertainment industry players to carry out a “transparent and legitimate investigation with a clear timeline.”Junya Hiramoto, one of seven men who talked with Olawuyi’s team, was moved to tears by the U.N. official’s remarks. “I felt our message had been clearly relayed,” he said. “They gave me such courage.”Pichamon Yeophantong, a fellow member of the U.N. group who appeared with Olawuyi at the Japan N...

Dean's Reviews: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem' and 'The Meg 2: The Trench'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:48:51 GMT

Check out Dean's Reviews for the latest on the new Ninja Turtles, The Meg 2 and more.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Dean's Weekender: Lionel Richie with Earth, Wind & Fire, Lollapalooza and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:48:51 GMT

Check out Dean's Weekender for the latest events coming to the Chicagoland area this weekend from Lionel Richie to the rest of the Lollapalooza lineup.

Picking your nose leads to higher risk of COVID-19, study shows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:48:51 GMT

(NewsNation) — It's not something many people will admit to doing — and now, new research suggests picking your nose is linked to a higher risk of COVID-19.A study published Aug. 2 in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One found that nose-picking among healthcare workers is associated with an increased likelihood of contracting a SARS-CoV-2 infection, which causes COVID."We therefore recommend health care facilities to create more awareness, e.g. by educational sessions or implementing recommendations against nose picking in infection prevention guidelines," the study's authors said.To conduct the study, researchers analyzed rates of COVID-19 infection among staff at Amsterdam UMC from March 2020 through October 2020, then in 2021, surveyed participants to see whether they picked their noses. Other behaviors, such as nail biting, or physical attributes like having a beard, were also asked about. Of the 219 healthcare workers who completed the survey, 185 disclosed that they were habitua...

Trees are 'stressed' due to multiple years of extreme weather

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:48:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Central Texas is breaking its record of one-hundred degree days on Friday, another high point in a sweltering summer. While we're all feeling the heat, so are our trees. "Without any rain, the soil is starting to dry out. And obviously, the roots of the trees are in the soil and looking for that water," said Sarah Ruark, a technical advisor with The Davey Institute, part of Davey Tree."Over time, that's going to weaken the tree because it's under stress now, and that allows some secondary insects or diseases to come in, and really take advantage of the trees we can state."It's not just this year's extreme heat and drought impacting the trees, but also last year's drought and the 2021 Winter Storm, according to Rourk."I'm noticing most trees have not really had a good chance to recover. And so they're all feeling a little bit stressed out right now."Looking for a stressed treeThere are several signs that your tree is stressed and possibly sick or dying."Wilting of th...

Train derailed in Cranseville, Route 5 closed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:48:51 GMT

CRANESVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A train derailment in Cranesville on the Montgomery/Schenectady county line has temporarily closed Route 5. Montgomery County Sheriff Jeff Smith confirms with NEWS10 there are no injuries and no spills at this time. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Crews are on the scene evaluating the situation. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office is working with the DOT and several other agencies on this incident. There are no specifics on the train at this time.Stick with NEWS10 for more information as it becomes available.

Tim Brown is helping to restore a 170-year-old photography style

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:48:51 GMT

Editor’s note: An untold number of unheralded artists live in Colorado, those creators who can’t (or don’t want to) get into galleries and rely on word of mouth, luck or social media to make a living. You’ve likely seen them on Instagram, at festivals or at small-town art fairs. This monthly series, Through the Lens, will introduce you to some of these artists.Tintype photographs conjure up images of the Old West or soldiers heading out to fight in the Civil War. They evoke a sense of history, nostalgia and a glimpse into the past.Salida-based Tintype photographer Tim Brown said the process, which was developed in the 1850s, was practically extinct 20 years ago. With the heavy cameras, use of complex chemicals, a complicated multistep procedure and the development of newer camera equipment, the art form was disappearing quickly.But it is experiencing a renaissance, Brown said.Subject Corey Hubbard is upside down in the view finder of tintype photographer Tim Brown’s large wet plate ...