Category: Climate

Humanitarian groups have launched an urgent appeal as the Venezuela earthquake death toll continues to climb, thousands remain unaccounted for and emergency rescue teams try desperately to help survivors.
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has warned that the crisis could worsen if assistance is not provided after the country has been ravaged by years of economic crisis.
“Thousands of people in Venezuela have survived the unimaginable horror of two devastating earthquakes only to face the trauma of missing loved ones and finding their homes and neighbourhoods destroyed,” said chief executive Saleh Saeed.
“Right now, many of these families are sleeping in makeshift tents on the street. They urgently need shelter, food, water, and medical care. 
“DEC charities are working around the clock with their local partners to reach people. The needs are overwhelming and the British public’s support could be a lifeline for families affected by this devastating disaster. Please donate now.”..

Some Idaho voters want to see a medical marijuana initiative on November’s ballot – but their efforts hit a snag after a judge determined thousands of signatures supporting the measure were turned in late.
The Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho wants state residents to vote on legalizing marijuana for people with certain medical conditions. To get the initiative on November’s ballot, the group is required to gather petition signatures from voters across the state.
But their work hit a setback after a judge determined they were late to turn in about 4,000 signatures from residents of Minidoka County, located about 160 miles southeast of Boise. The ruling, issued by District Court Judge W. Reed Cotten on June 18, was first reported by the Idaho Capital Sun.
In his ruling, Cotten said a contractor with the Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho attempted to turn in the Minidoka County petition signatures on May 1, the day they were due, but arrived at the county clerk’s office around 5:07 p..

Comedian John Oliver tore into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday for doing what he alleged was a racist impression of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“Holy s***,” Oliver said of the impression during an episode of HBO’s Last Week Tonight. “I never thought I’d see blackface without the makeup, but it seems there’s a first time for everything. I don’t have a ton to say about that really except, A: f*** you.”
Blackface was a key feature in minstrel shows, a form of musical theatre in the mid-19th and early 20th centuries in which mostly white performers used dark stage makeup on their faces and exaggerated behavior to mock Black people using racist, demeaning stereotypes.
Oliver’s comments were in reference to a speech in April from DeSantis, in which the Republican governor imitated Jeffries, among the most prominent Black political leaders in the country.
On the clip aired on Last Week Tonight, DeSantis appeared to imitate Jeffries by lowering his pitch, waving a finger and ado..

A British man has been arrested in Ecuador after a woman’s body was discovered inside a suitcase despite him reportedly tellingThe Sun that he was watching England at the time.
Local authorities say Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith is alleged to have caused the death of 36-year-old Natalia Villalba in an apartment in the Chico neighbourhood of Bogota, Colombia, on 18 June.
The 46-year-old from Bournemouth reportedly rang The Sun a day before his arrest and said: “I was watching England versus Croatia on a big screen in an Irish bar so it wasn’t me.
“After the match I went into the shopping centre, I mooched about, bought an ice cream, and came back later for the later games.”
England’s World Cup match took place on 17 June.
The Sun reported that the suspect made a second call to its newsdesk on Friday, before his arrest, with a source telling the newspaper that he was located via the phone calls he had made.
open image in galleryMatthew Ashley Foster-Smith was held at Quito International A..

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing heat from a key House Republican as he continues reshaping the Pentagon to fit Donald Trump’s agenda.
Rep. Don Bacon, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told CNN on Sunday that the firings at the Pentagon and the reported campaign of Hegseth slow-walking or denying promotions to senior officers, disproportionately women and people of color, was harming America’s fighting forces.
The criticism comes as the administration tries to wrap up a war with Iran that the president’s critics are calling a tactical defeat.
His comments follow another surprise resignation at the Pentagon. General Chris Donahue is stepping down as commander of U.S. forces in Africa and Europe after just a year and a half in the job, opting for retirement. Donahue was the U.S. commander who oversaw the final days of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan during the Biden administration, boarding the last plane out of Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“I think it’s..