NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Pope Francis warned Thursday that it would be “catastrophic” for world leaders to let special interest groups get in the way of a global agreement to curb fossil fuel emissions as he brought his environmental message to the heart of Africa on the eve of crucial climate change talks in Paris. … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Impoverished migrant workers in Thailand are sold or lured by false promises and forced to catch and process fish that ends up in global food giant Nestle SA’s supply chains. The unusual disclosure comes from Geneva-based Nestle SA itself, which in an act of self-policing planned to announce the conclusions of its … Continue reading
PENAS BLANCAS, Costa Rica (AP) — As summer began to bake the central Cuban city of Sancti Spiritus, Elio Alvarez and Lideisy Hernandez sold their tiny apartment and everything in it for $5,000 and joined the largest migration from their homeland in decades. Buying two smartphones for $160 apiece on a layover on their way … Continue reading
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — After making their fortunes from new software or social networks, some Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have vowed to apply their skills to “hacking” philanthropy and “disrupting” old models for funding charity. Not so Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who isn’t afraid to take a more conventional approach to giving. Local officials … Continue reading
HONOLULU (AP) — The Hawaii Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily suspended a permit that allows a giant telescope to be built on a mountain many Native Hawaiians consider sacred. The court granted telescope opponents’ request for an emergency stay of the effectiveness of the permit until Dec. 2, or until another court order. The ruling … Continue reading
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Aggressive action to fight climate change will be a boon for businesses in Asia and beyond, President Barack Obama has asserted as he reaches for a global climate change agreement he hopes will burnish his environmental legacy. World leaders are just weeks away from a deadline for an unprecedented carbon-cutting deal … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — If “The story of Jack and Oskar” was pitched as the script for a Hollywood movie, it’s a good bet no one would believe it. Separated sixth months after birth in 1933, Jack Yufe was raised as a Jew in his native Trinidad while his identical twin, Oskar Stohr, grew up … Continue reading
THREE RIVERS, Calif. (AP) — Tourists and animal lovers hoping to see a bear in Sequoia National Park this fall probably stand a better chance of spotting one in this tiny town at the park’s entrance. Three Rivers is literally crawling with hungry bears driven down from the mountains by drought in search of food … Continue reading
DIAMNIADIO ISLAND, Senegal (AP) — The place where Fatou Faye’s kitchen once stood is now outlined with short branches of mangroves, a small and perhaps futile attempt to prevent the sea from destroying the rest of her house. The rising sea levels pushing into the waters of Senegal’s Saloum Delta threaten to carve the rest … Continue reading
BOSTON (AP) — Moshe Kai Cavalin has two college degrees, but he’s too young to vote. He flies airplanes, but he’s too young to drive a car alone. Life is filled with contrasts for Cavalin, a 17-year-old from San Gabriel, California, who has dashed by major milestones as his age seems to lag behind. He … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Improvise isn’t a word parents want to hear from their kid’s doctor. Yet pediatric specialists too often have to jury-rig care because many of the medical devices needed to treat sick children were built for adults. Part of the problem is size. Doctors fixed Alice de Pooter’s faltering heartbeat by wedging an … Continue reading
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Snowy white winters are likely to become a thing of the past for most Swedes. The national weather service on Monday released a new analysis of how climate change will affect the Nordic country — and it’s bad news for skiing enthusiasts. It said the length of the snowy season is expected … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a not-so rosy report card for the nation’s schoolchildren. Math scores slipped for fourth and eighth graders over the last two years, and reading grades were not much better, flat for fourth graders and lower for eighth graders, according to the 2015 Nation’s Report Card. The results of the test, officially … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Students, parents and teachers have long lamented the hours that kids spend taking standardized tests, especially since the introduction of the Common Core academic standards. But just how much time each year? A. Between 10-15 hours. B. Between 20-25 hours. C. Between 30-35 hours. The correct answer is “B,” according to a … Continue reading
CAIRO (AP) — Restorers put their work on the famed golden burial mask of King Tutankhamun on display in Cairo on Tuesday, over a year after the beard was accidentally knocked off and hastily glued back on with epoxy. A German-Egyptian team of experts showed off the mask in a laboratory in the Egyptian Museum, … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 