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NFL-style lawsuit and brain-injury concerns hang over Rugby World Cup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:22 GMT

Alix Popham traveled the world as a rugby player. He played 33 times for Wales and competed at two Rugby World Cups, and even got to meet Nelson Mandela before a match in South Africa.Or so he’s told.He can’t actually remember.Popham is 43 and his rugby career is, in his words, “all a blur.”“My neuropsychologist described it,” he said, “as when I was playing in those games and in that part of my life, my brain was so inflamed through the contact I was doing continuously over a 10/11-month season, it’s like I was taking photos but with no camera.”Popham has been diagnosed with early onset dementia and is one of a growing number of rugby players in their 30s and 40s — all of whom have brain disorders such as motor neuron disease and epilepsy — to have launched a lawsuit against governing bodies of the sport he still loves. They contend the rugby authorities failed to take reasonable action to protect the players from repeated blows to the head during their careers.The case has similar...

Rare blue supermoon brightens the night sky this week in the closest full moon of the year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:22 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Stargazers are in for a double treat this week: a rare blue supermoon with Saturn peeking from behind.The cosmic curtain rises Wednesday night with the second full moon of the month, the reason it’s considered blue. It’s dubbed a supermoon because it’s closer to Earth than usual, appearing especially big and bright.This will be the closest full moon of the year, just 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) or so away. That’s more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) closer than the Aug. 1 supermoon.As a bonus, Saturn will be visible as a bright point 5 degrees to the upper right of the moon at sunset in the east-southeastern sky, according to NASA. The ringed planet will appear to circle clockwise around the moon as the night wears on.If you missed the month’s first spectacle, better catch this one. There won’t be another blue supermoon until 2037, according to Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project.Clouds spoiled Masi’s at...

Top Chinese official tells the US commerce secretary he’s ready to improve cooperation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:22 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — The top Chinese official in charge of economic relations with Washington told Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Tuesday he was ready to “make new positive efforts” to improve cooperation following an agreement to reduce trade tension by launching groups to discuss export controls and other commercial disputes.The agreement Monday was the most substantial result to date out of a string of visits by American officials to Beijing over the last three months to revive relations that are at their lowest level in decades. They express optimism about better communication, but neither side has given a sign it is ready to compromise on disputes about technology, security, human rights and other irritants.Vice Premier He Lifeng sounded an optimistic note, referring to “in-depth exchanges” in July with his American counterpart, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.“I’m ready to work based on that with you, to make new positive efforts to deepen our consensus and extend our cooperati...

Idalia now a hurricane, with dangerous storm surges forecast for Florida's Gulf Coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:22 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Idalia became a hurricane on Tuesday as it intensified on a path toward Florida’s Gulf coast, with the National Hurricane Center warning of an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds in Florida in the next two days.It’s projected to have sustained winds of up to 120 mph (193 kph) as it approaches Florida, the Hurricane Center said. That would make it a Category 3 hurricane. The center of Idalia is forecast to move over the eastern Gulf of Mexico later Tuesday, reach the Gulf coast of Florida within the Hurricane Warning area on Wednesday, and move close to the Carolina coastline on Thursday. Tracking Idalia: Storm strengthens into Category 1 hurricane, expected to rapidly intensify Florida residents loaded up on sandbags and evacuated from homes in low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast as Idalia intensified Monday and forecasters predicted it would hit in days as a major hurricane with potentially life-threatening storm...

2 drinks a week? US could tighten alcohol guidelines, national director says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:22 GMT

(WJW) — Some hard news for those who like to imbibe adult beverages from time to time — the United States may soon change its alcohol guidelines. Current U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, which have been in place since the 1990s, stipulate that men should stick to no more than two alcoholic beverages a day, while women should cut themselves off after one drink.But Dr. George Koob, the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, recently told the Daily Mail the U.S. could follow a recent move by Canada. The country recently adjusted its recommendations, suggesting people limit themselves to two alcoholic drinks in a week's time (down from the previous 15 weekly drinks for men and 10 for women) in order to reduce health risks associated with drinking. Map: These counties are home to the most excessive drinkers, study finds Koob, who admitted to having a couple of glasses of wine a week, said that when the U.S.'s alcohol consumption guide...

Missing vulnerable adult found

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:22 GMT

WATERVLIET, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Mariann Werner, the missing vulnerable adult reported Monday night, has been found. Before then, she had last been seen around 2 p.m. near 7th Street and 8th Avenue in Watervliet.

Government finance statistics: Currency and deposits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:22 GMT

The general government financial accounts published by Eurostat cover transactions in financial assets and liabilities as well as the stock of financial assets and liabilities. Governments hold currency and deposit assets (stocks) such as money in bank accounts and cash reserves to make daily payments. In the first quarter of 2023, currency and deposits amounted to  €1,278 billion and represented 19.5% of total EU general government financial assets. This information comes from data on quarterly government finance published by Eurostat today. The article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article. Currency and deposit assets tend to decline at the end of the fourth quarter of each year. In some budgetary systems, there are efforts to execute payments by the end of the year, thus shortening the balance sheet. With excess deposits, governments can also decrease their gross debt, for example, by (re)purchasing government bonds. Holding excessive ...

Word Game: Aug. 29, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:22 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — RADIANT (RADIANT: RAY-dee-ent: Glowing; beaming.)Average mark 20 wordsTime limit 25 minutesCan you find 22 or more words in RADIANT? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — UNREST user nest nurse rent rest runt ruse rust sent stern stun suer suet sure tern true tune tuner turnTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at [email protected].

Ask Amy: My family is trying to keep me a secret. I want the truth to come out.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:22 GMT

Dear Amy: Five years ago, late in life, I learned that I was adopted.My birth parents and adoptive parents have died.“Janice,” my birth mother, moved out of state to give birth to me, telling only her siblings and a few close friends.The biological cousins I’ve located were aware of my birth because of whispered conversations but never spoke directly to Janice about it.My birth family has been extremely warm and welcoming. Despite this, they say they don’t want anyone who might have known Janice to find out about my existence, because they believe that is what Janice would have wanted.I understand wanting to honor her wishes, but I do exist, and the family’s wanting to keep me a secret makes me feel like my birth is shameful.Furthermore, these family members are ignoring the fact that Janice never wanted them to know about me, either, and yet they are happy to have a relationship with me.Similarly, my half-brother from my birth father (“Henry”) doesn’t want me contacting Henry’s wid...

A federal hate crime probe is underway after 3 people were killed in a racist rampage in Jacksonville, officials say. Here’s what we know

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:57:22 GMT

(CNN) — A federal hate crime investigation is underway after a White gunman with a swastika-emblazoned assault-style rifle killed three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, authorities said.The shooting claimed the lives of Angela Michelle Carr, 52, Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr., 19, and Jerrald Gallion, 29.The gunman, identified as 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter, left racist writings and used racial slurs before launching the attack Saturday and then killing himself, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said. Palmeter had worked at a Dollar Tree from October 2021 to July 2022, the sheriff said.“There’s no question” the killings were racially motivated, the sheriff told CNN on Monday.“He hated Blacks, and I think he hated just about everyone that wasn’t White,” Waters said. “He made that very clear.”The killer was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun – which were both legally purchased, the sheriff said.The Justice Department is investigating...