US still faces freezing temperatures and power outages amid deadly winter storm pred 1 dnevom, 8 urami in 19 minutami More than 30 have died across a dozen states as deep snow and ice halted traffic, canceled flights and closed schoolsMany in the US faced another night of below-freezing temperatures and no electricity after a deadly, colossal winter storm heaped more snow Monday on the north-east and kept parts of the south coated in ice.More than 30 deaths were registered in more than a dozen states afflicted with severe cold, according to reports. There were still nearly 550,000 power outages in the nation on Tuesday morning, according to poweroutage.us. Most of the outages were in the south, where weekend blasts of freezing rain caused tree limbs and power lines to snap, inflicting crippling outages on northern Mississippi and parts of Tennessee. Officials warned that it could take days for power to be restored. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Recycled plastic packaging claims are misleading, say experts pred 1 dnevom, 8 urami in 27 minutami Manufacturers use method that labels plastic as ‘circular’ and climate-friendly, despite being mostly fossil-basedEurope’s supermarket shelves are packed with brands billing their plastic packaging as sustainable, but often only a fraction of the materials are truly recovered from waste, with the rest made from petroleum.Brands using plastic packaging – from Kraft’s Heinz Beanz to Mondelez’s Philadelphia – use materials made by the plastic manufacturing arm of the oil company Saudi Aramco.This article is part of a cross-border investigation, supported by IJ4EU and coordinated by the independent journalist Ludovica Jona, with the media outlets the Guardian, Voxeurop, Mediapart (France), Altreconomia (Italy), Público (Spain), Investigative Reporting Denmark, Deutsche Welle (Germany) and with reporters Lorenzo Sangermano and Lucy Taylor Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour’s Gorton and Denton byelection campaign hit by fallout from ‘vile’ WhatsApp chat pred 1 dnevom, 8 urami in 41 minutami Exclusive: Report on six Labour councillors comes just weeks before byelection triggered by Andrew Gwynne’s retirementLabour’s campaign for a vital byelection has been dealt a fresh blow after six local councillors were found to have breached standards rules in a “vile” WhatsApp chat.Andrew Gwynne, a former health minister, was suspended last year over offensive messages he sent in the “Trigger Me Timbers” group, including one saying he hoped a 72-year-old woman “croaks it” before an election. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘A militia that kills’: uproar in Italy over ICE security role at Winter Olympics pred 1 dnevom, 8 urami in 53 minutami Milan’s mayor says agents ‘clearly not welcome’ in co-host city and that Italy can take care of security itselfA unit of US immigration and customs enforcement agents (ICE) will have a security role in the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Italy, sparking uproar and petitions against the deployment.Sources at the US embassy in Rome confirmed a statement from ICE, the agency embroiled in a brutal immigration crackdown in the US, saying that federal agents would support diplomatic security details during the Milan-Cortina games but would not run any enforcement operations. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Alex Vindman, key Trump impeachment witness, launches Democratic bid for Senate pred 1 dnevom, 9 urami in 2 minutama Vindman, who served on national security council, will challenge Republican incumbent in Florida if nominatedUS politics live – latest updatesAlex Vindman, who became a key player along with his twin brother in Donald Trump’s first impeachment, announced on Tuesday that he is running for the US Senate as a Democrat in Florida.Vindman, an army veteran, was serving on the national security council in 2019 during Trump’s first presidency. That year, Trump pressured Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sydney Sweeney was ‘not authorised’ to hang her bras on Hollywood sign, say site owners pred 1 dnevom, 9 urami in 10 minutami Hollywood Chamber of Commerce says it did not approve a promotional stunt linked to the actor, after lingerie was draped over the landmark’s lettersThe Housemaid star Sydney Sweeney has been reprimanded by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for a promotional stunt that involved draping bras over the celebrated Hollywood sign in Los Angeles.Sweeney posted footage on social media of her and a group of people climbing up to the sign which is situated on Mount Lee, in the Hollywood Hills area of the city, and hanging dozens of strung-together bras over the 50ft-tall sign’s letters. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘She doesn’t want to be here’: five-year-old US citizen and her mother deported to Honduras pred 1 dnevom, 9 urami in 20 minutami Mother whose visa application was pending says she will send girl back to US soon accompanied by another relativeFive-year-old Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellanos misses her cousins, classmates and kindergarten teachers in Austin, Texas. Despite being a US citizen, she was deported on 11 January alongside her mother, Karen Guadalupe Gutiérrez Castellanos, to Honduras, a country Génesis had never known.Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were acting on an administrative deportation order against Gutiérrez, 26, issued in 2019, before Génesis was born. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Situation is dire’ for Sicily town teetering on cliff edge after landslide pred 1 dnevom, 10 urami in 10 minutami 1,500 people evacuated from Niscemi after battering by Cyclone Harry triggers 4km-long chasm in hillsideThe mayor of a hilltop town on Sicily said “the situation is dire” after a powerful storm brought down a long section of hillside, leaving houses perched perilously on a cliff edge.About 1,500 people have so far been evacuated from their homes because of the landslide, which began to show signs of movement on Sunday before developing a 4km-long front. The chasm continues to widen, raising fears it could swallow the town’s historic centre. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rayner urges government to be more ‘unapologetically Labour’ as PM confirms ground rents cap – UK politics live pred 1 dnevom, 11 urami in 35 minutami Decision to cap leaseholders’ ground rent also seen as a win for former deputy PM Angela RaynerLike the Greens (see 9.09am), the Liberal Democrats are also saying leasehold should be abolished for good. This is from Gideon Amos, the Lib Dem housing spokesperson, commenting on the government’s announcement this morning.This news will come as a relief for thousands of leaseholders who have had their finances wrecked by spiralling ground rents.But the government cannot call this job done. Liberal Democrats demand an end to the absurd, feudal system of leasehold for good. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Facing menu anxiety? Just Eat launches AI chatbot to help pick a food delivery pred 1 dnevom, 11 urami in 43 minutami Delivery firm aims to overcome ‘choice overload’ using voice assistant in its UK app, with global rollout plannedBusiness live – latest updatesIn the beginning, collecting a takeaway was the epitome of a lazy night in. Then delivery apps saved some more energy. Now, consumers can skip even bothering to read the menu as AI takes over the job of choosing the perfect evening meal.Just Eat is rolling out an AI voice assistant that lets customers discuss what they might be interested in eating, and then offers personalised recommendations. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
