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Climate Change and Conflict Are Wreaking Havoc in Somalia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:10 GMT

Al-Hidaya Camp for Displaced Persons, MOGADISHU, Somalia — Nurta Hassan Ebow held her hand over her daughter’s face, shielding her from the sun. As the temperature neared 90 degrees, the tiny child, who has never known a permanent home, lay motionless. Two months ago, Ebow gave birth to her on the road, after fleeing her village in the Lower Shabelle region of southwest Somalia. They had only made it to this camp on the outer fringe of Somalia’s capital the night before we spoke earlier this month.“We had to leave because of the drought and the conflict,” said Ebow, 25, referring to the current offensive by the Somali government against the terrorist group al-Shabab. “We had no food. Our livestock is dead.” Their first night at the camp, Ebow and three of her children slept in a makeshift shelter. When we spoke on May 10, they were waiting for their own small wood-and-plastic-tarp bivouac there.The Horn of Africa is experiencing a historic drought, one of the worst in six decades. A...

Credit cards, car loans and mortgages: Should financial literacy be required for students?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:10 GMT

Does your high school student understand interest rates, car loans and mortgages? That type of knowledge on financial literacy could become mandatory to get a diploma in the Montgomery County, Maryland, school system.“We as a system do believe that financial literacy is important. And it’s certainly important for our students so that they can become those citizens who have this information to better prepare them for their futures,” Superintendent Monifa McKnight told the Montgomery County Board of Education last week.The board is now weighing whether to make a half-credit financial literacy course a requirement to graduate from high school.The options for classes to complete this requirement would include a personal finance class, financial mathematics and online courses where students would meet with a teacher once a week.“This is critical information for our students to have as they leave us,” said Board of Education President Karla Silvestre during a meeting on May 25. “We ...

Thinking about selling? Average time on market in DC is 15 days

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:10 GMT

D.C.-area house hunters took a break in their searches heading into the Memorial Day holiday weekend, but what did sell continued to move briskly.Listing service Bright MLS says the median time on the market for those homes that went under contract last week was 15 days. That’s nine days longer than what the median sale took a year ago, but still considered a brisk pace.Bright MLS now reports on weekly housing market trends in the D.C. metro, in addition to monthly data. Last week was a slow week.In-person showings of houses and condos on the market by real estate agents dropped almost 24% last week, and showings were down 10.3% from a year earlier.The median price of what went under contract in the D.C. metro last week was $590,000. That’s up 1.7% from the same week a year ago. However, the number of contracts signed was down 20.7%, and the number of new listings was down 33.1%.“The three-day weekend may not be as appealing for sellers to list their homes. Similar...

Autoridades alertan sobre el metapneumovirus humano: qué es y cómo prevenirlo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:10 GMT

Las autoridades sanitarias emitieron una alerta sobre un virus que, aunque no es nuevo, su contagio se ha hecho más frecuente en las pasadas semanas. Según datos de los Centros para el Control y Prevención de Enfermedades, el metapneumovirus humano (HMPV) “puede causar enfermedades de las vías respiratorias superiores e inferiores en personas de todas las edades, especialmente en niños pequeños, adultos mayores y personas con sistemas inmunitarios debilitados”. La agencia anunció en su página web que se realizan al menos dos tipos de pruebas para detectarlo: de antígenos y molecular. ¿CUÁLES SON LOS SÍNTOMAS? TosFiebreCongestión nasalDificultad para respirarDe acuerdo con la cirujana general, Nuria L...

Trapped by Sudan fighting, dozens of infants, toddlers and children died in Khartoum orphanage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:10 GMT

This is a locator map for Sudan with its capital, Khartoum. (AP Photo) This is a locator map for Sudan with its capital, Khartoum. (AP Photo) CAIRO (AP) — At least 60 infants, toddlers and older children perished over the past six weeks while trapped in harrowing conditions in an orphanage in Sudan’s capital as fighting raged outside.Most died from lack of food and from fever. Twenty-six died in two days over the weekend.The extent of the children’s suffering emerged from interviews with more than a dozen doctors, volunteers, health officials and workers at the Al-Mayqoma orphanage. The Associated Press also reviewed dozens of documents, images, and videos showing the deteriorating conditions at the facility.Video...

Swiss fashion house Bally names Simone Bellotti design director; 1st collection debuts in September

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:10 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Simone Bellotti, a long-time member of the Gucci design team, was named design director at Bally on Wednesday as the 172-year-old Swiss fashion house continues a process of rejuvenation.Bellotti, a Milan native, will debut his first collection during Milan Fashion Week in September. Bellotti spent 16 years at Gucci before joining Bally last October. He previously worked at Dolce & Gabbana, Bottega Veneta and Gianfranco Ferre where he learned Ferre’s architectural approach to fashion design. Bellotti “brings with him a deep understanding of both ready-to-wear tailoring and accessories craftmanship,’’ Bally said in a statement, adding that while at Gucci Bellotti “developed his keen obsession with detail, interpreting archival references in innovative directions.’’Bellotti succeeds U.S. designer Rhuigi Villasenor, who left Bally earlier this month after one-year tenure during which he helped boost the brand’s visibility as it returned to the runway following a 20-year...

US, Europe working on voluntary AI code of conduct as calls grow for regulation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:10 GMT

Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age and Competition, left, shakes hands with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a stakeholder event, in connection to the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) meeting between Europe and the United States, in Lulea, Sweden, Wednesday, May 31, 2023. (Jonas Ekstromer/TT News Agency via AP) Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age and Competition, left, shakes hands with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a stakeholder event, in connection to the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) meeting between Europe and the United States, in Lulea, Sweden, Wednesday, May 31, 2023. (Jonas Ekstromer/TT News Agency via AP) ...

Oklahoma high court strikes down 2 abortion bans; procedure remains illegal in most cases

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:10 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that two state laws banning abortion are unconstitutional, but the procedure remains illegal in the state in most cases.In a 6-3 ruling, the high court said the two bans are unconstitutional because they require a “medical emergency” before a doctor can perform an abortion. The court said this language conflicts with a previous ruling it issued in March. That ruling found the Oklahoma Constitution provides an “inherent right of a pregnant woman to terminate a pregnancy when necessary to preserve her life.”The laws struck down Wednesday both included a civil-enforcement mechanism that allowed citizens to sue someone who either performed or helped someone perform an abortion.“Despite the court’s decisions today on SB 1603 and HB 4327, Oklahoma’s 1910 law prohibiting abortion remains in place,” Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a statement. “Except for certain circumstances outlined in that ...

Video: avión chino de guerra y avión estadounidense protagonizan peligroso cruce en el aire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:10 GMT

WASHINGTON DC – Un avión de combate chino voló directamente frente a la nariz de un avión de reconocimiento estadounidense sobre el Mar de China Meridional el sábado, dijo el martes el Departamento de Defensa, otro de un número creciente de incidentes que involucran aviones y barcos militares chinos.La “maniobra innecesariamente agresiva” del J-16 chino obligó al RC-125 de EEUU a volar a través de la estela turbulenta del avión de combate, según el Pentágono, que publicó un video del encuentro.El Pentágono dijo que el avión estadounidense estaba “realizando operaciones seguras y de rutina… en el espacio aéreo internacional, en conformidad con el derecho internacional”.En respuesta, el portavoz del Minister...

Heyward to become music director of Mostly Mozart, which will get new name

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:10 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathon Heyward will succeed Louis Langrée as music director of Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Orchestra, which will be given a new and as yet undetermined name by the summer of 2024.The 30-year-old conductor will start a three-year contract in 2024, the performing arts organization said Wednesday.Founded in 1966, the Mostly Mozart Orchestra has had a reduced presence in Lincoln Center’s summer programming in recent years. Lincoln Center in 1996 cut the Mostly Mozart schedule from seven weeks to four. The orchestra gave 15 performances last summer. There are 14 scheduled this summer, including 12 in renovated David Geffen Hall.Heyward will work with Shanta Thake, Lincoln Center’s chief artistic officer, to integrate the orchestra into the larger Summer for the City festival.Langrée, 62, is entering his last summer as music director, a position he assumed in 2003. He replaced Gerard Schwarz, who had been music director since 1984.Heyward becomes music director of the...