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An Indigenous leader has inspired an Amazon city to grant personhood to an endangered river

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:44 GMT

GUAJARA-MIRIM, BRAZIL (AP) — On the banks of the Komi Memem River, the activity never ceases: women go down the embankment from Laje Velho village carrying basins to wash clothing, while men embark in small canoes on hunting and fishing expeditions. At day’s end, it’s the children’s turn to dive into its tea-colored waters.The river, named Laje in non-Indigenous maps, is vital to the Oro Waram, one of the six subgroups of the Wari’ people, who have inhabited the Western Amazon for centuries. However, this immemorial relationship is under increasing threat. The relentless expansion of soybeans and pastures encroaches on their land, while land-robbers promote illegal deforestation. To protect themselves, the Wari’ people are resorting to a new strategy: the white man’s law. In June, the municipality of Guajara-Mirim passed a groundbreaking law proposed by an Indigenous councilman that designates the Komi Memem and its tributaries as living entities with rights, ranging from maintainin...

The Mega Millions jackpot has soared to $1.55 billion. Here’s how hard it is to win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — There’s no shaking it. Your chances of winning the lottery are extremely slim. After no big winner Friday night, the Mega Millions jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.55 billion. If someone wins it all on Tuesday, when the next Mega Millions drawing takes place, the prize would one of the largest in U.S. lottery history.But don’t plan on entering a new tax bracket anytime soon. The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot — no matter the size — stand at about 1 in 302.6 million. Because of the almost impossible chance of winning big, experts stress that you shouldn’t spend all your money on lottery tickets. If you choose to play, it’s important to be mindful of what you can afford — and maybe consider other places to put your money, even if it’s just a few dollars at a time.Lottery tickets are “definitely not good investments,” Matthew Kovach, an assistant professor in Virginia Tech’s economics department told The Associated Press last month. “They’re not even investme...

2 people are fatally shot on a fifth day of protests in the South African city of Cape Town

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:44 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Two people were fatally shot on a fifth day of violent protests in the South African city of Cape Town on Monday sparked by a dispute last week between minibus taxi drivers and authorities.A person was killed and three others were wounded in a shooting near the Cape Town International Airport after a group of protesters pelted a car with stones and the driver responded by firing shots at them, police said. The shooting happened while minubus taxis blockaded a road near the airport, police said.Police said the shooter would be investigated for murder and attempted murder.A man died of multiple gunshot wounds in a separate shooting that police said they believed was also related to the protests.The unrest on the outskirts of South Africa’s second-largest city followed an announcement last Thursday of a weeklong strike by minubus taxi drivers, who are angered at what they call heavy-handed tactics by police and city authorities in impounding some of...

8-year-old Chicago girl fatally shot by man upset with kids making noise, witnesses say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:44 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — An 8-year-old Chicago girl riding a scooter was fatally shot in the head by a man who was upset over noise, witnesses said.“It just didn’t make sense. None of it made sense,” a neighbor, Megan Kelley, told the Chicago Sun-Times. “Everybody in the community would just tell him they are just kids having fun playing. Just let them be.” The shooting happened Saturday night in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood. Police were at the suspect’s apartment building Sunday, interviewing people and collecting evidence.“Before he shot her, he had said something about them being too loud,” Kelley said.After the shooting, the gunman was tackled by the girl’s father and shot during a struggle, according to a police report. He was taken to a hospital.Stuffed animals and sunflowers were placed at the base of a tree near the shooting scene.“With great sadness, we are devastated at the loss of another young life,” the Chicago school district said in a ...

Russian court imposes 3- to 6-year sentences for distributing tainted drinks that killed 44

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:44 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court on Monday sentenced seven defendants to as little as three years in prison for distributing methanol-tainted drinks that killed 44 people. The court in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, convicted the seven of charges including sale of goods that do not meet safety requirements and result in the deaths of two or more people; sentences ran from three to six years.Prosecutors said the seven had illegally sold alcohol since 2020 and that in 2021 they sold drinks containing excessive amounts of methanol, which is commonly used as a solvent. A total of 51 people were sickened by the drinks, of whom 44 died. The Associated Press

Man charged with murder after woman found stabbed to death in Oak Forest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:44 GMT

TINLEY PARK, Ill. — A man was charged with first-degree murder after a lengthy standoff in the south suburbs due to the deadly stabbing of a 30-year-old woman.Chad Oster, 36, of Tinley Park, was taken into custody Saturday after a search warrant was conducted at his home in the 18200 block of Glen Swilly Circle. Prior to being arrested, a SWAT standoff ensued.He's accused of stabbing 30-year-old Lauren Pikor to death in the 5300 block of Diamond Drive, located in Oak Forest, on Friday night. She was found dead in the roadway outside of a home when authorities arrived. Previous: Woman found stabbed to death on road in Oak Forest On Sunday, Oster was charged with first-degree murder. He's due in bond court on Monday.A GoFundMe for Pikor has raised over $25,000 at this time.

Man shot after hearing catalytic converter being stolen in McKinley Park; critical condition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:44 GMT

CHICAGO — A man was critically wounded after hearing his catalytic converter being stolen in McKinley Park early Monday morning.Just before 4:40 a.m., police said a 35-year-old man heard a noise outside of his residence in the 1700 block of West 34th Street. The man went outside to check and was shot in the right abdomen. Police said he was shot by at least one suspect stealing his catalytic converter at the time.The man was transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. Girl, 8, fatally shot in head in Portage Park; suspect in custody No suspects are in custody. Anyone with information can leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.

Mega Millions jackpot climbs to $1.55 billion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:44 GMT

Another Mega Millions drawing, another night without a jackpot winner.The numbers drawn Friday night were: 11, 30, 45, 52, 56 and the gold ball 20.Because no one matched all six numbers and won the estimated $1.35 billion jackpot, the top prize increased to $1.55 billion for the next drawing Tuesday night.There now have been 31 straight drawings without a jackpot winner. The last time someone won the Mega Millions jackpot was April 18.The $1.55 billion prize would be for a sole winner who chooses the annuity option with payment stretched over 30 years. Most winners opt for a lump-sum payment, which would be an estimated $757.2 million on Tuesday.A big slice of those winnings would go toward federal taxes, while many states also tax lottery payouts.The jackpot is so hard to win because of the 1 in 302.6 million odds of matching the numbers on five white balls and a separate mega ball. The odds are better to win smaller prizes, which start at $2.Mega Millions is played ...

DeSantis dismisses Trump 2020 claims: 'Of course he lost'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:44 GMT

(The Hill) -- Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis (R) in an interview broadcast on Monday dismissed former President Donald Trump's repeated claims that he won the 2020 election, saying "of course" Trump lost.During the interview, which will air on NBC Nightly News Monday evening, the Florida governor was asked by NBC News correspondent Dasha Burns whether he believed Trump won the 2020 election, and he replied that "whoever puts their hand on the Bible on Jan. 20 every four years is the winner."When pushed for a yes or no answer, DeSantis replied, "No, of course he lost. Joe Biden’s the president."The interview comes after Trump's latest indictment over his attempts to stay in power after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. The 45-page indictment alleges Trump led a campaign of “dishonest, fraud and conceit” to obstruct a “bedrock function” of a democracy.” DeSantis's comments to NBC News echo what he said at a campaign event in Iowa on Friday, when he state...

Review: Partnership of Dessa, Minnesota Orchestra gets better and better

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:44 GMT

Singer, rapper and writer Dessa takes the stage triumphantly with the Minnesota Orchestra, continuing a fruitful collaboration going back to 2017. Performing alongside her own band, guest vocalists and the orchestra led by conductor Sarah Hicks, Dessa wears an air of confidence in her singing and rapping, buoyed by the full sound of the orchestra performing her tunes, as arranged by Andy Thompson.The evening starts off with “Jumprope,” featuring a bit of choreography by Dessa and the singers, and even snapping. The back and forth with the backup singers adds a joyful charisma to her poetic lyrics. “Jumprope” also begins the album Dessa cut with the orchestra in 2019, called “Sound of Bells.”“Good Grief,” from “Sound of the Bells,” is a highlight in the show, with its hybridity of styles — both in Dessa’s shifts between rapping and singing, and the melding of orchestral instruments with the distinctive sound of Joey Van Phillips on the drums.“Call off Your Ghost,” meanwhile, features...