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Europe's largest desalination plant for drinking water had largely remained idle since its construction near Barcelona over a decade ago. But since a prolonged drought gripped Spain last year the plant has been running at full throttle to help keep some five million people adapt to climate change and not go thirsty. Before the drought desalination provided just 3% of Barcelona's drinking water. Now desalination is its leading source of water, providing 33% of the city’s water compared to 19% that currently comes from its shrinking rivers. But desalination comes with high costs both for taxpayers and for the environment due to its high energy costs which can actually make the underlying conditions of climate change worse.
13 hours agoEight months ago, chef Michael Cellura had a restaurant job and had just moved into a fancy new camper home on Fort Myers Beach. Now, after Hurricane Ian swept all that away, he lives in his older Infiniti sedan with a 15-year-old long-haired chihuahua named Ginger. Like hundreds of others, Cellura was left homeless after the Category 5 hurricane blasted the barrier island last September with ferocious winds and storm surge as high as 15 feet (4 meters). And again like many, he’s struggled to navigate insurance payouts, federal and state assistance bureaucracy, obtaining building permits, and simply finding a place to shower. Hurricane season begins June 1.
14 hours agoAfter weeks of negotiations, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have struck an agreement to avert a potentially devastating government default. The stakes are high for both men — and now each will have to persuade lawmakers in their parties to vote for it. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said last week that the United States could run out of cash to pay the bills and default on its debt obligations by June 5. The ultimate agreement is a two-year budget deal that would essentially hold spending flat for 2024, while boosting it for defense and veterans, and capping increases at 1% for 2025.
15 hours agoThe critically acclaimed HBO drama “Succession” has ended after its fourth and final season finale aired at 9 p.m. ET. The show's dedicated fans watched the whopping 88-minute finale Sunday to find out how the show’s central question would be answered: Which of the Murdoch-esque Roy family siblings will prevail? The fans have also turned online to find emotional support, memes and endless theories about the series. Show creator Jesse Armstrong told The New Yorker earlier this year that “there’s a promise in the title of ‘Succession.’”
15 hours agoThe reviews are starting to come in about the debt ceiling agreement reached by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Even before seeing the details, some lawmakers were criticizing the deal as not doing enough to tackle the nation’s debt, while others worried it’s too austere and will harm many low-income Americans. The legislation will probably need support from a significant number of lawmakers from both parties to clear the closely divided House and gain the 60 votes necessary to advance in the Senate. The 99-page bill that resulted from the Biden-McCarthy negotiations was made public Sunday night.
16 hours ago-
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The debt ceiling deal has come with just days to spare before a potential first-ever government default. On Sunday, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a final agreement and they are urging Congress to quickly pass it. Biden pronounced the development “good news” in remarks at the White House announcing the agreement. This followed a tentative compromise announced late Saturday. The deal risks angering some Democratic and Republican lawmakers as they begin to unpack the concessions, which include spending cuts. McCarthy and Biden spoke Sunday evening as negotiators drafted legislative text. They face a June 5 deadline when Treasury says the U.S. would risk a debt default.
17 hours ago Local officials in Ukraine's capital say Kyiv has been subjected to the largest drone attack since the start of Russia’s war as the city prepared to mark the anniversary of its founding. At least one person has been killed. A senior Kyiv military official said Sunday that Russia launched the “most massive attack” on the city overnight Saturday with Iranian-made Shahed drones. The attack lasted more than five hours, with air defense reportedly shooting down more than 40 drones. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that a 41-year-old man was killed and a 35-year-old woman was hospitalized when debris fell on a seven-story nonresidential building and started a fire.
May 28, 2023Wildlife authorities say a raccoon in Maine was euthanized and tested for rabies after a woman brought it into a pet store for a nail trim and some customers kissed it. A Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife spokesperson said Sunday that the raccoon tested negative for the disease, and there is no rabies risk to the public as a result of the incident. The spokesperson also says raccoons are among the most common carriers of rabies in the state, and bringing the wild animal into a pet store constituted an unnecessary risk to public health.
May 28, 2023For many teens, roaming shopping malls, hanging out at amusement parks, and watching a movie at a local theater with their peers have been long considered the rites of passage to adulthood. But in the recently, that independence has been curbed. An increasing number of malls, amusement parks and other public places where teens gather to meet their friends, have implemented policies just ahead of the summer requiring them to be accompanied by adult chaperones at least for certain times of the day. Requiring an adult chaperone is not new to some malls, but experts say there’s been a renewed push there, and the trend is now spreading to other types of establishments as businesses grapple with increasing rowdy teen behavior.
May 28, 2023China’s first domestically made passenger jet has flown its maiden commercial flight, as China looks to compete with industry giants such as Boeing and Airbus in the global aircraft market. The C919 plane, built by the Commercial Aviation Corporation of China, carried about 130 passengers on the flight. It took off Sunday morning from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and landed less than two hours later in Beijing. The inaugural flight comes as COMAC looks to break into the single-aisle jet market in a direct challenge to Airbus and Boeing. While COMAC designed many of the C919’s parts, some of its key components are still sourced from the West, including its engine.
May 28, 2023Prolonged fighting in Nigeria between farmers and herdsmen is becoming more deadly. The attacks have caused villagers who complain of delayed justice to become more desperate to defend themselves. The violence in Nigeria's northwest and central regions presents a huge challenge for incoming President Bola Tinubu. It threatens to further destabilize the country and drive more of its 216 million people into poverty. Security analysts are warning of a "substantial loss of confidence in the government as a protector of citizens.” The security experts are urging the incoming government to address the root cause of the crisis and bolster the nation's security forces with more personnel and equipment.
May 28, 2023Egypt's national airline says one of its jetliners has blown out a tire but made a safe landing at its destination in Saudi Arabia. EgyptAir says no one was hurt. Flight MS643 took off from Cairo international airport early Sunday and one of its tires burst while landing at King Abdulaziz International Airport in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah. The Boeing 738 made a safe landing on the runway and all passengers have disembarked the airplane with no injuries reported, the EgyptAir statement said. The airline didn’t elaborate on what caused the problem, and said an examination and maintenance of the plane were underway.
May 28, 2023-
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President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have reached an “agreement in principle” to resolve the looming debt crisis. McCarthy outlined the proposed deal Saturday night. Biden and McCarthy spoke by phone earlier in the evening as they raced to prevent a catastrophic debt default. With the outline of an agreement, a legislative package can be drafted in time for votes in Congress next week. That's ahead of a projected June 5 federal default. Negotiators have wrangled over a deal that would also making spending cuts that House Republicans are demanding.
May 27, 2023 -
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The Oakland Athletics are asking Nevada for $380 million for a 30,000-seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip. A bill introduced Friday in the Nevada Legislature details the long-awaited financing plan. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the plan before they adjourn June 5. The bulk of Nevada's contribution would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. The plan doesn't directly raise taxes, meaning it needs a simple majority vote in the Senate and Assembly — not two-thirds approval.
May 27, 2023
