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The $3.9 billion UN humanitarian appeal for Ukraine is only 30% funded, UN aid official says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:46 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The $3.9 billion humanitarian appeal for war-torn Ukraine is less than 30% funded as the country starts preparing for a second winter with more residential buildings damaged and destroyed and thousands of people homeless following the collapse of the Kakhovka dam, the country’s U.N. humanitarian coordinator said Monday.Denise Brown told a virtual news conference from Kyiv that 17 million Ukrainians need aid and the U.N. is targeting between 11 million and 12 million — but funding is becoming a serious issue.A report last week from the U.N. humanitarian office said lack of funding “is hampering operations, adding to the challenges imposed by insecurity and other obstacles.” By the end of June, it said, the U.N. and its humanitarian partners reached 7.3 million people but in some parts of Ukraine’s south, east and north, more than 25% of targeted people couldn’t be reached “due to a combination of funding shortages and other operational challenges.”Br...

UN chief welcomes Kenya’s offer to `positively consider’ leading police force to combat Haiti gangs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:46 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief on Monday welcomed Kenya’s offer to “positively consider” leading a multinational police force to help combat Haiti’s gangs and improve security in the violence-wracked Caribbean nation.Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry sent an urgent appeal last October for “the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force, in sufficient quantity” to stop the gangs. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has been appealing unsuccessfully since then for a lead nation to help restore order to Latin America’s most impoverished country.Kenya’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday said its offer includes a commitment to send 1,000 police to help train and assist the Haitian National Police “restore normalcy in the country and protect strategic installations.” The ministry said it was responding to a request from the Friends of Haiti group of nations.“Kenya stands with persons of African descent across the world, including those in the Caribbean, and aligns...

NY shuts down alleged unlicensed cannabis shops as owner insists they only give away free samples

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:46 GMT

New York officials shut down what they called seven unlicensed cannabis dispensaries in the western part of the state Monday, alleging the owner ignored repeated notices to stop operating without approval, sold cannabis products to underage customers and once held hunts for Easter eggs that were redeemable for pot products.The owner of the “I’m Stuck” shops in Cayuga, Oswego and Wayne counties, David Tulley, adamantly denied selling products to minors. Tulley also told The Associated Press that his stores offer consulting and education about cannabis products for a fee and provide free samples, so they do not need state licenses.“We’re ready to go to war with New York state and we get our day in court on Wednesday … so we’ll be happy to talk to them,” Tulley said.Wednesday is when Tulley has been ordered to appear in court in Wayne County as the state seeks orders to close his stores, stop him from dispensing cannabis products and make him pay fines. The shop closures co...

Brain fog, other long COVID symptoms the focus of new small treatment studies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:46 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Institutes of Health is beginning a handful of studies to test possible treatments for long COVID, an anxiously awaited step in U.S. efforts against the mysterious condition that afflicts millions.Monday’s announcement from the NIH’s $1.15 billion RECOVER project comes amid frustration from patients who’ve struggled for months or even years with sometimes-disabling health problems — with no proven treatments and only a smattering of rigorous studies to test potential ones.“This is a year or two late and smaller in scope than one would hope but nevertheless it’s a step in the right direction,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly of Washington University in St. Louis, who isn’t involved with NIH’s project but whose own research highlighted long COVID’s toll. Getting answers is critical, he added, because “there’s a lot of people out there exploiting patients’ vulnerability” with unproven therapies.Scientists don’t yet know what causes long COVID, the ca...

L.A. County man receives 15 years for armed robbery spree

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:46 GMT

A Wilmington man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for carrying out an armed robbery spree targeting businesses in the South Bay area. He was also ordered to pay $2,733 in restitution. According to a United States Department of Justice news release, 20-year-old Stevo Mijanovic robbed six businesses in Wilmington and two other businesses in San Pedro and Torrance, and attempted to rob another business in San Pedro from August 2021 to January 2022. The businesses included restaurants, convenience stores and gas stations and their employees.“[Mijanovic] committed six armed robberies, one attempted armed robbery, and two robberies in which he brandished what appeared to be a firearm,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “He terrorized victim employees and bystanders at each location, using fear to obtain money from the victim businesses.”During a robbery in December 2021, Mijanovic pointed a firearm at a pregnant gas station cashier in Wilmington and took $180 from the ...

Authorities seek help identifying deceased woman

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:46 GMT

Authorities with the coroner’s division of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying a woman found dead in the city of Irvine earlier this year.  The woman, referred to as Jane Doe in a OCSD news release, was discovered deceased on the sidewalk near Mark Dailey Athletic Field located at 308 East Yale Loop just before 5 p.m. on May 26. “She appears to be a Hispanic or Asian Female, estimated to be between the ages of 45-60,” release noted. “She is 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighs 124 pounds. She has black medium-length curly hair, brown eyes and natural (teeth). She does not have any significant scars, marks, or tattoos.”  Investigators with the O.C. Sheriff's Department released a forensic rendering of an unidentified woman found dead in Irvine in May 2023. (OCSD)Authorities also said that the woman, whose cause of death is still pending, may have been experiencing homelessness at the time of her death.  Anyone with informati...

Medellín’s Newest Dental Practitioner: Dr. Andrés Arias’s Journey in Prosthodontics

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:46 GMT

Amid the rapid advancement of medical science, one corner of healthcare has lagged in terms of patient experience: dentistry. For many, the mere mention of a visit to the dentist triggers an onset of stress and anxiety. Yet, a paradigm shift is emerging with the advent of new technologies and practices in the dental industry. Colombian prosthodontist Dr. Andrés Arias is one of the professionals at the forefront of these new changes.Dr. Arias’s mother, also a dentist, was a significant influence on his career. The virtues of discipline and the pursuit of excellence she instilled in him shaped his approach to dentistry. Completing his dental graduation at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in 2014, he began accruing experience in prosthodontics, completing a diploma in aesthetics the same year. By 2018, he graduated as a specialist in prosthodontics, receiving an honorable mention for the best thesis project of the year.In 2018, he opened his first clinic in Neiva. This multi-spec...

Why SF Giants believe deadline acquisition A.J. Pollock will make a difference despite .173 batting average

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:46 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — As they watched other contenders beef up their rosters with less than 24 hours to go until Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Giants made their first move Monday afternoon. But will it be their last?On the surface, the deal with the Seattle Mariners — acquiring veteran outfielder A.J. Pollock and minor-league utilityman Matt Mathias for a player to be named later or cash — might be viewed as underwhelming, especially in comparison to moves made this week by San Francisco’s competition in the race for the NL West or a wild card spot.Pollock is 35 years old, batting .173 this season and currently on the injured list. Even the Pittsburgh Pirates couldn’t find a spot on their 40-man roster for Mathias, who was designated for assignment last month.But president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, reconnecting with his favorite trading partner, believes both players can help the Giants patch some holes.Pollock fills an immediate and acute need in the outfield...

Retiran el letrero gigante “X” de la empresa de Elon Musk, antes conocida como Twitter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:46 GMT

LOS ÁNGELES – El letrero gigante y luminoso del nuevo logotipo de Twitter en forma de X que había sido colocado en las oficinas de la empresa de Elon Musk en San Francisco fue retirado, solo dos días después de que fue colocado, por quejas vecinales.Según información de la cadena estadounidense CNBC, el Departamento de Inspección de Edificios de San Francisco (EEUU) recibió 24 denuncias de vecinos y funcionarios de la ciudad alegando que el cartel no era seguro, que se había colocado sin permiso y que era molesto para los residentes.La oficina también señaló que el propietario tendrá que pagar tarifas por la instalación no permitida de la construcción y el desmantelamiento del letrero, así como por el costo de la investigación. Adiós al pajarito azul de Twitter, Elon Musk lo cambia por una X CNBC: Meta lanza oficialmente Threads, el nuevo rival de Twitter La noticia llega una semana después de que Musk hiciera los cambios má...

FIFA says Women’s World Cup will greet its 1 millionth fan as ticket sales surpass 1.68 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:46 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — FIFA says ticket sales for the Women’s World Cup have reached 1.678 million over the first 38 matches of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.It said in a statement Tuesday that total attendance across those matches had reached 982,975 and it would surpass the 1 million mark for spectators at Tuesday’s final Group E match between the United States and Portugal at the 50,000-capacity Eden Park stadium at Auckland, New Zealand.The tournament has already broken attendance records for a Women’s World Cup.The previous record was around 1.35 million who attended a 52-game tournament in Canada in 2015. The 2023 edition has been expanded to 32 teams and will include 64 matches.The opening games on July 20 set records for women’s soccer matches in both co-host countries. The crowd at New Zealand’s upset win over Norway set a new national mark of 42,137. Australia’s 1-0 over Ireland later that day attracted 75,784 at Stadium Australia.A week later, more ...