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Biden administration suspends funding for Wuhan lab

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:24 GMT

(CNN) — The Biden administration has suspended funding for the Wuhan Institute of Virology following a monthslong review that determined that the Chinese research institute “is not compliant with federal regulations and is not presently responsible,” according to a memo from the Department of Health and Human Services.HHS, which conducted the review, also proposed barring the Wuhan Institute from doing business with the federal government going forward, according to the memo, which is dated to Monday and was first reported by Bloomberg.The lab has not received any federal funding from the US National Institutes of Health since July 2020, according to an HHS spokesperson.The determination came after the research institute failed to provide the National Institutes of Health with requested documents amid reported safety concerns at the lab.“This action aims to ensure that WIV does not receive another dollar of federal funding,” an HHS spokesperson said in a statement. “The move was und...

Tropical Wave Fueling Storms into South Florida

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:24 GMT

More showers, storms and clouds continue this Wednesday across South Florida courtesy of a tropical wave passing by just to our south. This will lead to deep, tropical moisture flowing in from the Atlantic while preventing temperatures from turning as hot as its been.Regardless, a Heat Advisory remains in effect through today and tomorrow across mainland South Florida for feels-like temperatures up to 110F.The best chance for seeing the rain this Wednesday will be through the early afternoon as bands and clusters of storms roll onshore. Then we will see some additional sunshine and fewer showers during the second portion of the day.The next couple of days will remain unsettled with scattered showers and storms around South Florida but rain chances won’t be as high while more sunshine returns and therefore hotter temperatures. The outskirts of a large plume of Saharan dust will also begin to enter the picture, making for hazy skies.That dust will really settled in by this weeke...

Brave 6-year-old honored by Miami Police for fighting off abduction attempt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:24 GMT

Less than two weeks ago, 6-year-old Lyric could have become another statistic. However, her bravery and quick thinking saved her from a potential abduction, and today, she stands tall as her own hero, with a new bicycle gifted to her by the Miami Police Department as a token of honor.Lyric, whose standout personality matches the vibrant purple of her new bicycle, was playing outside her home when a man attempted to kidnap her. In a terrifying interaction, the accused individual tried to carry her away, but the fearless young girl fought back with all her might. “He grabbed me and picked me up and started running with me, and I bit him, and then he slapped me and then he threw me on the floor and started running to his car,” Lyric recounted.The courageous act of biting the perpetrator’s arm proved to be a turning point. The man fled the scene, but not before being caught on surveillance cameras. Miami PD quickly apprehended the suspect, Leonardo Venegas, with the he...

At least 1 person was treated for ‘heat-related discomfort’ in a plane at a Las Vegas airport

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:24 GMT

(CNN) — First responders treated at least one person for “heat-related discomfort” in a Delta Airlines flight that experienced “uncomfortable temperatures inside the cabin” at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport Monday, the airline said.Flight 555, which was scheduled to fly from Las Vegas to Atlanta, was ultimately canceled, Delta said in a Tuesday statement, but did not share further details.The airline also did not say how long the plane was on the tarmac or how warm the plane cabin got.Harry Reid International Airport recorded temperatures of more than 100 degrees on Monday, with a high of 115 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.Medical teams responded to a call aboard an aircraft on Monday afternoon, said airport spokesperson Joe Rajchel. Rajchel referred CNN to the airline for further comment.Delta said it apologized to the passengers aboard the flight, made a compensatory offer for their experience and accommodated them on other flights.“Delta teams are...

007 things the chief of MI6 told POLITICO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:24 GMT

On the 55th anniversary of the Prague Spring, the head of Britain’s secret intelligence service sat down with POLITICO’s Anne McElvoy — a journalist with deep experience reporting from behind the Iron Curtain — to talk about Russia, Wagner warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin, China and AI in spycraft.In the rare exclusive interview, Richard Moore issued a thinly-veiled recruitment call to Russians who’ve become disillusioned with their leadership while assessing that President Vladimir Putin was “under pressure” internally after a mutiny by mercenaries exposed his weakness.“Join hands with us — our door is always open,” Moore — known as “C” inside the agency — said in a speech at a POLITICO event hosted by the British embassy in Prague.The MI6 chief, who rose to lead the agency in 2020 after a career in diplomacy, repeatedly referred to Prague’s history as a center of resistance against Russian dominance as a parallel to current times. While the...

Italy sees uptick in hospitalizations due to heat wave

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:24 GMT

Hospitals in Italy are seeing an uptick in heat-related hospitalizations as a record-breaking heat wave continues to suffocate southern Europe.Thousands are flocking to hospitals with symptoms of heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses. A quarter of all hospital visits are now being caused by the extreme temperatures, according to Simeu, the Italian society of emergency medicine, La Repubblica reported. The Italian government issued a red alert for 23 of the country’s 27 main cities on Wednesday, along with warnings of the dangers of extreme temperatures. In Rome, temperatures surpassed 41 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, beating last year’s record of 40.7C, while Licata, in Sicily, saw the highest temperature in the country with a high of 46.3C.In recent days, hospitals reported a 20 percent increase in emergency department visits and calls due to the heat, local media reported, with the elderly being the most affected. The government is asking citizens to stay indoors during the h...

Europe’s heat wave: Greek wildfires force hundreds to flee as temperatures rise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:24 GMT

Hundreds of people have been evacuated as wildfires rage in Greece, and Southern Europe faces another week of sweltering, above-40C temperatures in a heat wave that experts say is linked to climate change.“In the last 48 hours our country has been confronted with more than 123 forest fires,” a spokesman for the fire service told Greek media on Wednesday, as several towns across the country were evacuated.On Tuesday, 1,200 children were evacuated from a summer camp in Loutraki, a coastal town west of Athens, fleeing a nearby blaze. “[Tuesday] was the first really tough day of this summer,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a statement while on a trip to Brussels, which he was forced to cut short on Tuesday afternoon because of the wildfires at home. “It is certain that more will follow. We’ve had, we have and will have fires, which is also one of the results of the climate crisis that we experience with increased intensity,” Mitsotakis sai...

Brazil’s Lula upbeat on EU-Mercosur deal, calls for peace in Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:24 GMT

BRUSSELS — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva raised hopes on Wednesday that a landmark EU-South America trade deal can be finalized this year, but stuck to his more ambiguous line on Russia’s war against Ukraine.Reaching a common position with Latin American countries that condemns Russia’s invasion is a priority for EU leaders, as the bloc hopes to strike a major trade and political cooperation agreement with the Mercosur bloc that comprises Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.Speaking to reporters in a hotel conference room following a two-day EU-Latin America summit, however, Luiz warned that “the world is getting tired” of the war and said that “a path toward peace” must be found.For the moment “neither [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy nor [Russian President Vladimir] Putin want to talk about peace now because they both think they can win,” Lula said. He reiterated his proposal to create a peace-orient...

Scott Morton pulls out, throwing EU into disarray

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:24 GMT

American economist Fiona Scott Morton has withdrawn from her appointment as the European Commission’s chief competition economist after a political backlash culminating in criticism from French President Emmanuel Macron about the choice of a non-EU candidate for the role.“Given the controversy that has arisen because of the selection of a non-European to fill this position, and the importance that the Directorate General has the full backing of the European Union as it enforces, I have determined that the best course of action is for me to withdraw and not take up the Chief Economist position,” Scott Morton said in a letter published by European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager on Twitter Wednesday morning.The Yale University professor’s former ties to Big Tech companies including Microsoft and Apple raised eyebrows, as she would have been in charge of advising on the Digital Markets Act, the EU law designed to tame those very companies. Scott ...

Manchester, NH man arrested for alleged sexual assault of a child

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:24 GMT

A Manchester, New Hampshire man was arrested in Sandwich last week as a result of an investigation into the reported sexual assault of a child in Manchester over a period of time, officials announced.James L. Aubuchont, 51, was arrested by the US Marshal Service with the assistance of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and the US Forest Service.He was ordered held without bail on a charge of aggravated felonious sexual assault and violating his parole.Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Adrianne Davenport at 603-792-5549, or the Manchester Police Department at 603-668-8711.