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Russia’s ruble hits low point amid war in Ukraine

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:00:02 GMT

LONDON — The Russian ruble on Monday reached its lowest value since the early weeks of the war in Ukraine as Moscow increases military spending and Western sanctions weigh on its energy exports.It led Russia’s central bank to announce an emergency meeting for Tuesday to review its key interest rate, raising the likelihood of an increase in borrowing costs that would support the flagging ruble.The Russian currency had passed 101 rubles to the dollar, continuing a more than one-third decline in its value since the beginning of the year and hitting the lowest level in almost 17 months. The ruble recovered slightly after the central bank’s announcement.The meeting was set after President Vladimir Putin’s economic adviser, Maksim Oreshkin, blamed the weak ruble on “loose monetary policy” in an op-ed Monday for state news agency Tass. He said a strong ruble is in the interest of the Russian economy and that a weak currency “complicates economic restruct...

On Nutrition: Form of food we eat may have more impact than we think

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:00:02 GMT

Barbara Intermill | Tribune News Service (TNS)Bill W. asks, “Is drinking many of our fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds in a smoothie as healthy and nutritious as eating them?”Surprisingly, even though the whole food we pop into the blender may have the same nutrients as the liquid smoothie, how those nutrients are absorbed can be affected by their form and structure.A 2019 paper published in the journal Food & Function describes how researchers tested the digestibility of three different forms of foods (solid, semisolid and liquid) that were identical in nutrient content. Then they measured how the varied forms of food affected appetite and specific blood tests in human subjects.Interestingly, scientists found that the liquid food caused a higher rise in triglycerides (a form of fat in the blood) than the solid food. The liquid food also caused less fullness and satisfaction (satiety) than the solid food.Other studies (cited in this same article) have found similar results. Gro...

Consumer Health: Enjoying the summer sun safely

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:00:02 GMT

Laurel Kelly | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkAugust is Summer Sun Safety Month, which makes this a good time to learn more about protecting yourself and your family from the harmful effects of ultraviolet, or UV, radiation from sunlight.Summertime is here, and for many, that means family vacations and spending time outdoors. Exercising and enjoying time outdoors are important for good health, and activities such as biking, hiking, swimming and boating can be a lot of fun. But these activities also require precautions to stay safe, healthy and protected from the sun.Exposure to UV radiation from the sun damages your skin, and increases your risk of developing skin cancer, wrinkles and age spots. Children are especially vulnerable because they tend to spend more time outdoors and can burn easily.Skin cancer, which develops primarily on areas of sun-exposed skin, including the scalp, face, lips, ears, neck, chest, arms, hands and legs, is the most common type of cancer, according to th...

Tech breakthrough could boost states’ use of geothermal power

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:00:02 GMT

Alex Brown | Stateline.org (TNS)Lawmakers in some states have been laying the groundwork to add geothermal power to the electrical grid and pump underground heat into buildings. Now, a technological breakthrough could dramatically expand those ambitions — and perhaps unleash a new wave of policies to tap into geothermal sources.Last month, a company announced the successful demonstration in the West of a new drilling technique that it says will greatly expand where geothermal plants could be built. And in the Eastern half of the country, where geothermal’s potential is mostly as a heating and cooling source, a community recently broke ground on the first utility-run thermal energy network.Some officials say those advances show great promise. A handful of states approved laws this year and others are considering measures that would provide money and regulations to help the industry.“There have been enormous technological breakthroughs in geothermal,” Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Po...

Manhattan judge rejects Trump’s request to boot him off Stormy Daniels hush money case

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:00:02 GMT

By Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily NewsDonald Trump’s effort to boot the judge presiding over his Manhattan hush money case failed resoundingly, according to court papers made public Monday.State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan rejected the former president’s recusal motion on all grounds.“[This] Court has examined its conscience and is certain in its ability to be fair and impartial,” Merchan wrote in his decision.Trump is charged with 34 felonies in the case alleging he covered up an illegal payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election paid by his former fixer Michael Cohen. He’s pleaded not guilty.Trump’s May 31 motion sought to get Merchan off the case, claiming the judge’s daughter stood to profit from his downfall at her job at a digital agency that represents primarily Democratic candidates.The former president also argued that small-dollar donations to Democrats from the judge represented an impartiality issue. He further cited Merchan’s ...

New Hampshire woman sues after allegedly slipping a breaking her ankle on a piece of prosciutto

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:00:02 GMT

A woman who fractured her left ankle during a trip with her husband to the Italian food emporium Eataly in Boston last year is blaming her injury on a piece of ham.Alice Cohen was heading to an area where food samples are distributed to customers on Oct. 7 when she slipped on a piece of prosciutto and fell, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston.“Alice Cohen sustained bodily injuries, a loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, and incurred necessary medical expenses for medical care and attention,” the lawsuit says.Her medical expenses, including a hospital visit and physical therapy, have resulted in more than $7,500 in bills, according to court papers.Cohen and her husband Ronald, of Gilford, New Hampshire, are seeking a jury trial and at least $50,000 in damages.The lawsuit claims Eataly was negligent for not properly cleaning the floor. The lawsuit also claims loss of consortium.The restaurant “had a duty to ensure that th...

Clarence Avant, ‘Black Godfather,’ dead at 92

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:00:02 GMT

By Brian Niemietz, New York Daily NewsWheeling, dealing and innovating entertainment executive Clarence Avant is dead at 92.Dubbed “The Black Godfather” in a 2019 documentary detailing his work with stars including Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron, Michael Jackson, Bill Withers and five U.S. presidents, Avant died “gently” in his Los Angeles home, according to a statement from his family published by Variety.“The joy of his legacy eases the sorrow of our loss,” his loved ones wrote.The Climax, N.C. native moved to Newark, N.J. as a teenager and got involved in the music business as a nightclub manager. He soon came under the mentorship of Joe Glaser, who helped launch artists including Louis Armstrong and Barbra Streisand.Avant developed a knack for developing talent and recognizing potential. He takes credit for introducing former NFL star Jim Brown to acting, which launched a hugely successful second act for the “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” star.Avant started a pair of record labels and help...

Gallery: Maui wildfire death toll climbs, damages continue to rise

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:00:02 GMT

The wildfires in Maui continue to wreak havoc on the Hawaiin island’s population and environment, with roughly 3% of the affected area searched as of Sunday, according to officials.A wildfire burns in Kihei, Hawaii late Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Thousands of residents raced to escape homes on Maui as blazes swept across the island, destroying parts of a centuries-old town in one of the deadliest U.S. wildfires in recent years. (AP Photo/Ty O'Neil)Charred remains of an apartment complex in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 12, 2023. Hawaii's Attorney General, Anne Lopez, said August 11, she was opening a probe into the handling of devastating wildfires that killed at least 80 people in the state this week, as criticism grows of the official response. The announcement and increased death toll came as residents of Lahaina were allowed back into the town for the first time. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via G...

An accident at Germany’s biggest theme park injures 7 people, police say

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:00:02 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Seven people were injured in an accident on Monday at Germany’s biggest theme park, police said.The accident happened at the Europa-Park in the town of Rust, near the French and Swiss borders. The park said that a mobile pool cracked and diving platforms attached to it from which acrobats jump collapsed during a show on Monday afternoon, German news agency dpa reported. Water from the pool flowed into a water ride attraction called Atlantica SuperSplash.Police said that five performers and two visitors were injured, and that three of the performers were taken to a hospital for checks. The cause of the accident wasn’t immediately clear.The park is a popular tourist attraction that drew more than 6 million visitors last year, mostly from Germany, France and Switzerland.It has areas with themes based on different European countries, and three based on fantasy settings. The park also hosts conferences and is a popular venue for events and television productions...

Biden says auto workers need ‘good jobs that can support a family’ in union talks with carmakers

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:00:02 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is asking major U.S. automakers and their workers’ union to reach an agreement that takes “every possible step to avoid painful plant closings” as the sector transitions to electric vehicles.The president has not yet been endorsed by the United Auto Workers as he seeks reelection, despite his broad support from organized labor going into the 2024 campaign. The UAW represents 146,000 workers at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, which are commonly known as the big three automakers. The workers’ contracts expire at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14.Biden said in a statement Monday that as the market moves away from gasoline-powered vehicles, the auto industry still must provide “good jobs that can support a family” and ensure that “transitions are fair and look to retool, reboot, and rehire in the same factories and communities at comparable wages, while giving existing workers the first shot to fill those jobs.”“The UAW helped create the American...