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At Japanese nuclear plant, controversial treated water release just the beginning of decommissioning

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:44:04 GMT

OKUMA, Japan (AP) — At a small section of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant’s central control room in northeastern Japan, the treated water transfer switch is on. A graph on a computer monitor nearby shows a steady decrease of water levels as treated radioactive wastewater is diluted and released into the Pacific Ocean.In the coastal area of the plant, two seawater pumps are in action, gushing torrents of seawater through sky blue pipes into the big header where the treated water, which comes down through a much thinner black pipe from the hilltop tanks, gets diluted by hundreds of times before the release. The sound of the treated and diluted radioactive water flowing into an underground secondary pool was heard from beneath the ground during Sunday’s first plant tour for media, including The Associated Press, since the controversial release began.“The best way to eliminate the contaminated water is to remove the melted fuel debris,” said Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdin...

Man killed, several injured in overnight shooting in Louisville

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:44:04 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky (AP) — A shooting near a Louisville restaurant and bar early Sunday left one man dead and five others injured by gunshots, according to police.Police arrived at the scene in downtown Louisville around 3 a.m. and found a man dead, Louisville Police Maj. Shannon Lauder told media near the scene. Another man wounded by gunfire was transported to a hospital and was in critical condition Sunday morning. Four other people suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and another man was hurt in a fall, according to media reports. There have been no arrests in the shooting. Lauder urged anyone with information about the shooting to call police.The shooting occurred near the Southern Restaurant & Lounge on Third Street in the city’s downtown area. Police were continuing to investigate Sunday morning.The Associated Press

Students begin task of moving into university residences this weekend

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:44:04 GMT

A large number of students are beginning the process of moving into campus dorm rooms this weekend for the upcoming school year. Humber College students will be heading to the North and Lakeshore campuses today to claim their room keys with the college saying it expects 1,500 students throughout the coming week. Toronto Metropolitan University says it expects around 1,000 first-year students to claim their dorm keys starting today at one of the university’s three residences. This weekend begins orientation week for new post-secondary students at TMU with the university making its annual world record attempt for the loudest scream on Monday.Move in day for first-year students at York University began on Saturday with the school putting out an information sheet for students indicating that storage is limited in residence, and to bring only the essentials. York University packing list infographic. YORK UFor those students opting to forgo the campus experience, at least one Ontari...

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

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:44:04 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 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:44:04 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 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:44:04 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 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:44:04 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 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:44:04 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 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:44:04 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 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:44:04 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...