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Biden’s commerce secretary is the latest Cabinet member to visit China in a bid for improved ties

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is the latest member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet to visit China as his administration tries to mend the deteriorating ties between the world’s two largest economies. She promises to be “practical” without compromising the U.S. push to “responsibly” manage that economic relationship.Raimondo plans meetings with Chinese officials and U.S. business leaders in Beijing and Shanghai in an effort to “promote a healthy competition, a competition on a level playing field, playing by the rules.”“I’m also very realistic and clear-eyed about the challenges. And the challenges are significant,” she told reporters before leaving Washington on Saturday on a trip that ends Wednesday.The secretary said she wants to find “actionable, concrete steps where we can move forward on the commercial relationship,” but she offered few details. One matter to be discussed is promoting Chinese travel and tourism to the United States, with Raimondo not...

‘It’s really hard’: Ukrainian grandmother lonely but happy family is in Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:54 GMT

Galyna Danyliuk knew she would miss her daughter and grandsons when they fled to Canada shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, but she felt it was best she stay behind to protect their family home.The 68-year-old hairdresser lives in Rivne, with a population of 240,000,  about 330 kilometres west of the capital of Kyiv.“It’s been a little bit lonely but I’m in a safe place,” Danyliuk told The Canadian Press through an interpreter.“I really want to see them, but it’s hard, it’s really hard. I feel like I’m alone. I know they are safe, but right now they are on the other side of the world,” she added.Danyliuk’s daughter Kateryna Stepanchuk and her two sons, ages 12 and 16, left Ukraine last year, just months after the Russian invasion.She and her son-in-law Anatolly Stepanchuk remain behind.“I cannot leave my household and all of this here in Ukraine because my daughter’s husband is left here in Ukraine and he̵...

Wildland firefighters battle mental health, labour challenges atop deadly blazes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:54 GMT

Two-week work cycles. Shifts that can last up to 18 hours. Sleeping in tents or gymnasiums far from home. Dangerous and unpredictable work environments. Those are the working conditions for many wildland firefighters across the country as Canada contends with a record wildfire season. With climate change expected to worsen wildfires in the future, some firefighters say gruelling labour conditions and associated mental health challenges are taking a toll on the workforce. “There’s no question that we are seeing burnout,” said Steve Lemon, safety and well-being officer with the BC Wildfire Service. Officials have called this wildfire season unprecedented, with more than 137,000 square kilometres of land scorched to date — more than six times the 10-year average. Tens of thousands have had to flee their communities under evacuation orders, homes and businesses have been destroyed, and four wildland firefighters have been killed on the job this season. There’s li...

Canadian banks face squeeze between climate expectations, market pressures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:54 GMT

TORONTO — In May, Canadian banks offered support to those affected by an early wave of wildfires in Alberta. In June, they extended the offer to those hit in Nova Scotia, and some expanded it further as fires also raged in Quebec and Ontario. This past week, banks said they would again offer support, through donations and potential payment deferrals, this time to help Canadians reeling from fires in the Northwest Territories and British Columbia.But while banks recognize that Canadians are living through a wildfire season like no other, activists say they aren’t delivering where they’re most needed: on efforts against the climate change trends making the infernos worse.“The Arctic is on fire at the same time as Hawaii, and a hurricane has hit Baja California for the first time in 90 years — what more will it take to get our banks to take the right actions?” said Stand.earth climate finance director Richard Brooks. The group has long been pushing for banks to direct money away ...

Is it time to bring back the COVID mask? We asked 3 doctors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:54 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The COVID-19 public health emergency may be over, but the spread of the virus sure isn't. COVID hospital admissions jumped another 21% last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The summer surge has some people – who haven't donned a COVID mask in months – wondering if they should dust off their N95s. We asked three medical doctors if they thought the rising cases and hospitalizations meant masks are needed now. For Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UCSF, the rationale hasn't really changed. "Masking remains an inexpensive and portable way to reduce risk as always," he said. As COVID surge continues, is the booster still working against new variants? Given the amount of the virus circulating now, Dr. Sherif Mossad, an infectious disease specialist at Cleveland Clinic, said those who are 65 and older or immunocompromised should consider masking in large crowds, especially when indoors. Dr. Anand Parekh, chief medical advisor a...

NASCAR driver 'awake, alert and mobile' following terrifying crash at Daytona

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:54 GMT

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR driver Ryan Preece is “awake, alert and mobile” after his car rolled about a dozen times during a terrifying crash at Daytona International Speedway.Stewart-Haas Racing said Sunday morning that Preece “has been communicating with family and friends." He was hospitalized overnight.The 32-year-old Preece was able to climb out of his mangled No. 41 Ford on Saturday night with help before emergency workers put him on a gurney and into an ambulance. He initially went to the track's infield care center before being transported to Halifax Health Medical Center for continued observation.He will be evaluated by medical personnel again Sunday, the team said, adding that another update is expected in the afternoon. What are NFL players wearing on their necks? Preece tweeted about two hours after the race, posting: “If you want to be a race car driver, you better be tough. ... I’m coming back.”Preece and SHR teammate Chase Briscoe made con...

Map: Air quality is the worst in these counties, study finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:54 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Air quality has been a frequently discussed topic this summer as Canadian wildfire smoke has continued to affect portions of the U.S., and could worsen as wildfires spring up in the West. Other states have suffered poor air quality amid hot and humid weather conditions. Smoke and humid conditions aside, some areas of the U.S. frequently find themselves with poor air quality. Earlier this year, the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released its 2023 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps report, which is meant to raise awareness about factors that can impact health outcomes and disparities nationwide.Researchers use numerous data points to determine the length and quality of life on a state-by-state basis. Among those factors is the physical environment of communities throughout the U.S., including air quality.  Map: These states, counties home to the most excessive drinkers To determine the air quality of states and counties, researchers r...

Former Navy SEAL who claims he killed Osama bin Laden arrested: report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:54 GMT

FRISCO, Texas (NewsNation) — The former Navy SEAL who claims to have killed Osama bin Laden was arrested in Texas.Robert J. O’Neill, 47, was booked Wednesday in Frisco and charged with a Class A misdemeanor of assault causing bodily injury and a Class C misdemeanor charge of public intoxication, The Dallas Morning News reported, although jail records listed only the assault charge.Frisco police have not yet released any further details about the arrest.O’Neill was released the same day on a $3,500 bond.He had been in town to record a podcast at a local cigar lounge, the New York Post reported.In 2016, O'Neill was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Montana after authorities said they found him sleeping in the driver seat of a car, which was still running. He entered a not guilty plea, saying that he had taken "a prescribed sleep aide to help with long-standing severe insomnia."Prosecutors later dropped the charge against O'Neill after both sides in the case deter...

Paved paradise: Maps show how much of US cities are parking lots

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:54 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX) -- Nearly one-third of downtown Salt Lake City is dedicated solely to car parking, according to data released by a nonprofit last week. And Salt Lake is far from alone. In Wichita, it's 35%. In Las Vegas, it's 32%. In San Bernardino, it's even worse: 49% of the central city is composed of parking.The data comes from the Parking Reform Network, an organization that works to inform people about the impact of parking on climate change, housing, traffic and more. The group has published 86 maps of cities across the United States, highlighting the space dedicated to parking lots in city centers. On average, in U.S. cities with over 1 million people, 22% of land in the city center is used for parking. Take a look at Salt Lake City, for example. About 29% of downtown is highlighted red, which represents an area that is a designated parking lot. The city even has a few parking structures that span entire blocks.Many of the maps created by Parking Reform Network look si...

REPORT: Austin ranks as one of the best cities for soccer fans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:10:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 2023 list ranked Austin as one of the best cities for soccer fans in America.WalletHub, a personal finance website, released a report on 2023's best cities for soccer fans Wednesday.Austin took the No. 20 spot on the list, following right behind Dallas at No. 19.The report compared nearly 300 U.S. cities with at least one college or professional soccer team across five divisions comprising 52 key metrics. WalletHub said the data set ranged from minimum season-ticket price for a game to stadium accessibility to the number of championship wins.Austin FC is the city's professional men's soccer club, which competes in Major League Soccer as a member of the Western Conference. The team was founded in 2018, and its home stadium is Q2 Stadium in north Austin.“Americans finally have found their own soft spot for the world’s most beloved professional sport. After what seemed an eternity of low popularity among U.S. fans, soccer — better known as “football” to the internatio...