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Review: ‘Pathogenesis’ offers different lens on history

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:24 GMT

“Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues,” by Jonathan Kennedy (Crown)Great historical changes are often conceived of as being brought about by the genius and tenacity of great men, or occasionally women, but Jonathan Kennedy argues in his book “Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues,” that germs are largely responsible for everything, from the decline of the Neanderthals to the current poverty of sub-Saharan Africa. His quick history of the world from the Paleolithic to the present day offers a different lens to view many of the big events of the past. Some of Kennedy’s conclusions are mere speculation, like his idea that deadly plagues in the Roman empire led to the swift rise of Christianity. In the midst of so much death, he argues, the new religion offered a more enticing view of the afterlife than paganism. Most of his observations are bolstered by more historical research and are more convincing. In showing how pathogens helped the Spanish c...

Spain frees up ‘bad bank’ houses to ease housing crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:24 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s leftist coalition government on Tuesday approved a plan to make available around 50,000 houses for rent at affordable prices as part of measures aimed at curbing soaring rents and house prices. The apartments will come from the state-controlled SAREB “bad bank” that was set up in 2012 to manage and sell off troubled banks most toxic assets during the international financial crisis.The SAREB plan follows a much-hailed agreement last week between the coalition parties and their parliamentary supporters for what would be democratic Spain’s first-ever housing law.The bill, expected to get full parliamentary approval in the coming weeks, envisages putting a 3% cap on apartment rent increases in 2024 in so-called high-tension areas where rents increase most and restricting increases in future years.As of 2024, rent increases will no longer be linked to the country’s high inflation rate but rather to a new, lower index.Rents and house prices, alongside unemploym...

Poland building electronic barrier on border with Russia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:24 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland has begun building a state-of-the-art electronic barrier at its land border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave to monitor and counteract any illegal activity, the Polish interior minister said Tuesday. The barrier, which will be equipped with 24-hour monitoring cameras and motion detectors, will run for 210 kilometers (130 miles) and is due to be completed in the fall. “We will have full monitoring of the border with Russia,” Mariusz Kaminski told a news conference.“I am sure that this will be the best secured EU border,” he said. Last year, Poland, which is an EU member, built a wall on its border with Belarus, a Russian ally, to stop a massive illegal inflow of migrants. Warsaw said the crossings were organized by the Belarus and Russian authorities to destabilize Poland and the rest of the EU. Poland’s eastern borders with Russia and Belarus, which are also EU external borders, will be “perfectly prepared for any type of illegal activities that a...

Swiss charge Gambia ex-minister with crimes against humanity

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:24 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Swiss prosecutors said Tuesday they have charged a former interior minister of Gambia with crimes against humanity for his alleged role in years of repression by the west African country’s security forces against opponents of its longtime dictator.Ousman Sonko was Gambia’s interior minister from 2006 to 2016 under then-President Yahya Jammeh. He applied for asylum in Switzerland in November 2016 and was arrested in January 2017.The attorney general’s office said the indictment, which was filed Monday in Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, covers alleged crimes between 2000 and 2016. Sonko “is accused, in his various capacities and positions, of having supported, participated in and failed to prevent systematic and generalized attacks as part of the repression carried out by the Gambian security forces against all opponents of the regime,” the office said in a statement.Jammeh, who seized control in a 1994 coup, lost Gambia’...

China’s military chief vows to bolster ties with Russia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:24 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — The Chinese defense chief vowed Tuesday to take military cooperation with Moscow to a new level, a statement that reflects increasingly close Russia-China ties amid the fighting in Ukraine.Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu after attending a meeting Sunday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.“The armed forces of China and Russia will implement the agreements reached by the heads of state and expand military cooperation, military-technical ties and arms trade,” Li said in opening remarks at Tuesday’s meeting with Shoigu. “We will certainly take them to a new level.”Li’s trip follows last month’s three-day state visit to the Russian capital by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, reflecting China’s strengthening engagement with Russia. Moscow and Beijing have closely aligned their policies in attempt to reshape the world order to diminish the influence of the United States and its Western alli...

Man charged after allegedly shooting 51-year-old in head, beating woman to death on South Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:24 GMT

CHICAGO — A 55-year-old man has been charged with two counts of murder after a man and woman were killed early Sunday morning in an apparent domestic-incident.Steven Hawthorne, 55, was arrested just before 2 a.m. in the 2200 block of East 83rd Street on Sunday.Minutes earlier, police allege he chased down a 26-year-old woman in the 8200 block of South Paxton and then beat her to death with a blunt force object.Prior to that, Hawthorne allegedly walked into a residence in the 8300 block of South Luella and shot a 51-year-old man in the head, killing him. Previous: 2 dead, person in custody, after dispute on South Side Police allege Hawthorne also opened fire on a 63-year-old man, but he was not injured.He faces two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and resisting arrest. Hawthorne is due in bond court on Tuesday.

Teen gets stuck in claw machine at North Carolina theme park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:24 GMT

CHARLOTTE (WJZY) – A 13-year-old boy climbed inside a claw machine at a North Carolina amusement park and got stuck over the weekend, a spokesperson for the theme park confirmed.Staffers at the Carowinds theme park in Charlotte were notified of the odd occurrence just before 2 p.m. on Sunday, the spokesperson said. The boy had climbed inside the machine — the Cosmic XL Bonus Game located in the Thrill Zone — in the hopes of stealing a toy, according to the park representative.The park's crew extricated the boy from the machine, after which medical staffers attended to him. He was stuck for about 17 minutes, the park said.The teen was released to his guardian after medical treatment. He has since been banned from the park for one year due to attempted theft, a park representative told the Associated Press. Are these the best theme parks in the US? Photos of the boy stuck in the machine have been published to a Carowinds fan account on Facebook, where commenters appeared equally amu...

Over $2 million raised on GoFundMe for Missouri teen shot after going to wrong house

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:24 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — In just over a day, more than $2 million has been raised for a Missouri teen who was shot after going to the wrong address.As of Tuesday morning, more than $2.7 million had been raised through a GoFundMe campaign to support 16-year-old Ralph Yarl. Kansas City police say just before 10 p.m. on Thursday, Ralph was picking up his younger siblings at a home on N.E. 115th Terrace when he mistakenly went to a house on N.E. 115th Street. Ralph didn’t have a phone with him and went to the wrong block, his aunt, Faith Spoonmore, wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to help pay medical bills. Spoonmore wrote that Yarl pulled into the driveway and rang the doorbell.The homeowner allegedly came to the door and shot the teenager in the head before shooting him again, The Associated Press reported.Police would not confirm to Nexstar’s WDAF how many times or where Yarl was shot, but said he was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.The homeowner, later...

Rat ambassadors try to counter bad press after NYC declares war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:24 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — As an ambassador for rats, it's never easy to win over the public. There's that hairless tail after all.But Runa at the San Diego Zoo is doing her best to counter the bad press. She is one of a handful of such so-called ambassadors showing off the virtues of rats at three U.S. zoos. The rats were provided by a Tanzania-based organization that is training African giant pouched rats to combat wildlife trafficking, detect diseases and perform other useful tasks.San Diego Zoo wildlife care specialist Lauren Credidio provides a treat to Runa, an African giant pouched rat, after she searched and found a pouch of chamomile tea during a presentation at the zoo Thursday, April 13, 2023, in San Diego. Runa weekly in demonstrations at the zoo to show how her keen sense of smell can be used to find everything from illegal shipments of wildlife to landmines. The organization that trained Runa has started providing the rats to U.S. zoos with the hope of changing the public's perc...

Person hit, killed by car near Lamar Boulevard, 12th Street intersection

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A person has died after they were hit by a car near the intersection of North Lamar Boulevard and 12th Street. Austin-Travis County EMS tweeted at 8:38 a.m. that one person was pronounced dead on the scene of an auto-pedestrian collision in the 1100 block of North Lamar Boulevard. MAP: AutoPed deaths endemic along I-35, US-183, Ben White Blvd. Police said on Twitter there are road closures in the north and southbound lanes of Lamar near 12th Street. Expect delays and avoid the area if possible.