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Hong Kong official vows to mull legal changes after discovery of whale carcass sparked anger

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:12:24 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong government official vowed Tuesday to mull legal changes and set up protocols to better protect whales after the discovery of a carcass sparked anger on social media and speculation that sightseers had contributed to the animal’s death.Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said it was unclear whether wounds on the whale had caused its death. But he suggested whale-watching activities could have disturbed or hurt the whale after it was first spotted in the city in mid-July.“The incident shows we might have treated wildlife in an inappropriate way,” Tse said in a news briefing.He pledged to strengthen public education, set up protocols to handle whales in the city’s waters and review existing laws, which he said had created challenges for officials to restrict vessels from entering certain areas.On Monday, many commenters on social media blamed the whale’s death on sightseers who had flocked to the area over the past two weeks after...

Girl, 15, arrested in string of GTA break and enters, stolen vehicles

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:12:24 GMT

A teenage girl is facing more than a dozen charges in connection with a string of late-night break and enters at residences across the GTA.Police allege the suspect broke into seven homes in the area of Upper Middle Road and Eighth Line in Oakville between July 1 and July 11, with similar break and enters occurring in York and Peel regions.Investigators say the homes were broken into overnight while the residents were sleeping. Six vehicles were stolen along with cash and other valuables.A suspect was identified through a joint investigation led by Halton Regional Police Service, in partnership with police from Peel and York.On July 27, the suspect was spotted by officers driving a stolen vehicle in Scarborough and was subsequently arrested. The investigation also led to the recovery of seven stolen vehicles.Investigators executed a search warrant at a home in Mississauga, seizing a modified replica firearm and recovering a number of other stolen items, including car keys, garage do...

Israeli high-tech investment plummets in first half of 2023, industry monitor says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:12:24 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Investment in Israeli technology startups plummeted in the first half of 2023, an Israeli tech industry monitor said Tuesday, citing the government’s divisive judicial overhaul plan as a main driver of the downturn. Start-Up Nation Central, a nonprofit organization that tracks and engages with Israel’s technology industry, said that it had seen a 29% decrease in private funding in Israeli tech in the first half of 2023 compared to the second half of 2022, and a steep drop in investor participation. Initial public offerings and mergers and acquisitions also hit a five-year low, it said. The organization said that uncertainty in Israel because of the judicial overhaul “is already being felt with indicators such as decreased fundraising and fewer emerging Israeli startups.” Yaniv Lotan, a vice president at Start-Up Nation Central, said the correlation between the judicial overhaul and investor hesitancy is clear. He said that while technology investment has...

Teen girls shot, 1 fatally, during gathering on South Side

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:12:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Police are searching for the person who shot and killed a 16-year-old girl on Chicago's South Side.The shooting happened around 10:10 p.m. Monday in the 400 block of West 72nd Street. Police said a group of kids were at a gathering when shots were fired by unknown offenders.A 16-year-old girl was shot in the back and transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, where she later died. Armored truck robberies on the rise across Chicago area A 15-year-old girl sustained a graze wound to the left arm and was transported to Comer Children's Hospital in good condition.No one is in custody. Area One detectives are investigating.

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in mid 80s with a few light showers possible

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:12:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Mostly sunny start Tuesday with a few light showers possible. Increasing PM clouds. Winds: SE/E 5-15 mph. High 86, near 80 lakeside.  Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Partly to mostly cloudy skies tonight. Winds: ESE 5-10 mph. Low 68.Wednesday Forecast: Partly sunny with a chance of showers/t-storms. Winds: SSE 5-15 MPH. High 87, no lakeside cooling effect. Extended outlook calls for warm and muggy weather to continue into Thursday with highs an even better shot for possible showers/t'storms with highs in the upper 80s.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

X sign removed from Elon Musk company's San Francisco headquarters

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:12:24 GMT

(The Hill) -- The giant, glowing "X" sign has been removed from the San Francisco headquarters of the social media company formerly known as Twitter.Multiple outlets reported on Monday that the sign, which was installed last week amid the company's rebrand, was removed by workers after city residents and officials complained. Over a dozen complaints were filed to the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection after the sign was put up, including criticisms that the display wasn’t permitted and was a nuisance and that its flashing lights made it hard for residents to sleep, according to CNBC. Complaints filed last Friday also said the old Twitter sign on the side of the building, which police had stopped workers from dismantling, was in an "unsafe condition" and that a city inspector had visited the headquarters and requested access to the roof where the "X" sign was installed, but had been denied by the company. An X representative reportedly explained to the inspector tha...

Concerns over Georgetown growth, airport proximity preceded plane crash

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:12:24 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Despite the growth, development and continuously increasing airport activity year-over-over in Georgetown, aviation crashes like the one into a home July 23 have declined in recent decades, according aviation crash data from the National Transportation Safety Board. Of the 49 aviation crashes in Georgetown since 1962, nearly 70% occurred prior to 2000, according to NTSB data. Previous coverage: 3 injured after plane crashes through roof of Georgetown duplex Last Sunday, a single-engine plane crashed into the roof of a duplex in Georgetown located just one mile south of Georgetown Executive Airport runway 18/36.A small plane crashed through the roof of a vacant house July 23 in Georgetown. Three people were injured in the crash. (KXAN Photo/Frank Martinez)The duplex was vacant and the three people on board escaped with minor injuries, according to the National Transportation Safety BoardCarl Norris is a Georgetown resident who moved there with his w...

Report: Almost 47% of Texas counties are 'maternity care deserts'

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:12:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A new report by the charity March of Dimes and healthcare insurer Amerigroup Foundation claims that 46.5% of Texas counties are "maternity care deserts" that lack adequate health care for those who can become or are pregnant.The report, titled "Where you Live Matters: Maternity Care in Texas" categorized the state's counties by looking at the following:How many hospitals and/or birth centers offer obstetric care;How many obstetric care providers work there; and,Proportion of women between the ages of 18-64 lack health insurance. A breakdown of how the counties were evaluated for each category: Analysis: Death rates in new moms and pregnant women increased in 2020 A map of maternity care deserts in Texas. (Courtesy: March of Dimes)"More than 2 million women of childbearing age live in maternity care deserts, areas without access to birthing facilities or maternity care providers," the report's introduction reads. "Access to maternity care is essential for preventin...

Heat-related responses increase for EMS during hottest July on record

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:12:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The month of July was filled with weeks of consecutive triple-digit temperatures throughout Central Texas.As we enter August, this heat wave has brought an increase in calls to first responders.Austin-Travis County EMS responded to 282 heat-related incidents in July -- 28% increase compared to July of last year, when the city’s medical service department responded to 223 calls.ATCEMS captain Christa Stedman says this summer’s record-breaking heat has been a huge factor. Closing in on all-time heat record this week "It has been abnormally hot for a long stretch of time,” she said. “That has resulted in an increase in heat-related incidents."Some assume many of these calls are coming in to treat those experiencing homeless.However, Stedman says most of those needing help in the heat aren't who you might think."The majority of the heat-related incidents we’re seeing are actually outdoor workers between the ages of 18 and 50,” she said.Since April, ATCEMS has responded...

Closing in on all-time heat record this week

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:12:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After the hottest and 6th driest July on record, the month of August starts with similar conditions -- more record heat. July 2023 was the hottest July on record - average temperature: 90.8°Today's forecast high of 107° in Austin is not only expected to tie the current record set in 2011, it will also mark the 25th-straight day of 100° or hotter (total for the year: 41). By Thursday, we're expected to tie the all-time record of 27 consecutive 100°+ days. By Friday, we'll break it.A blend of Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories continue through 9 p.m. tonight (Tuesday).Heat alerts continue until 9 p.m. TuesdayAnd although the majority of us are expected to stay dry, we can't completely rule out a stray storm making it into our eastern counties later today. Coverage and intensity will be extremely limited, so no need to rearrange plans.Central Texas is now in its hottest time of the year, statistically. During the next two weeks the average high is 99°. Highs w...