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EU countries bin €4B worth of COVID vaccines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:33 GMT

At least 215 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines purchased by EU countries at the height of the pandemic have since been thrown away at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of €4 billion, an analysis by POLITICO reveals. And that’s almost certainly an underestimate.Since the first coronavirus vaccines were approved in late 2020, EU countries have collectively taken delivery of 1.5 billion doses (more than three for every person in Europe). Many of these now lie in landfills across the Continent.Calculations based on available data show that EU countries have discarded an average of 0.7 jabs for every member of their population. Top of the scale is Estonia, which binned more than one dose per inhabitant, followed closely by Germany, which also threw away the largest raw volume of jabs.If this average waste rate is projected across the rest of the EU, it would equal more than 312 million destroyed vaccines.It’s not easy to discover how many vaccines have been thrown out. Gover...

Ravens beat mistake-prone Jaguars 23-7 for 4th consecutive victory and clinch AFC playoff spot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:33 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw a touchdown pass and made the play of night when he avoided a sack and threw to Isaiah Likely near the goal line, and the Baltimore Ravens clinched a postseason berth with a 23-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night.Gus Edwards ran for a touchdown for the Ravens (11-3), who won their fourth in a row and moved a step closer to securing the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.The Jaguars (8-6) lost their third straight — all against AFC North teams — and fell into a tie with Houston and Indianapolis atop the AFC South. Self-inflicted mistakes were a common thread in Jacksonville’s skid.Trevor Lawrence fumbled twice in the latest letdown, including one in the fourth quarter that essentially sealed Baltimore’s eighth victory in its last nine games.This one may have been costly for the Ravens.Promising rookie running back Keaton Mitchell injured his left knee early in the fourth quarter and was qui...

Stock market today: Asian shares mostly lower as Bank of Japan meets, China property shares fall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:33 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower on Monday as the Bank of Japan began a 2-day meeting that is being watched for hints of a change to the central bank’s longstanding near-zero interest rate policy. U.S. futures and oil prices gained. Investors have been speculating for months that rising prices would push Japan’s central bank to finally shift away from its lavishly lax monetary policy. But the meeting that ends Tuesday is not expected to result in a major change.Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.8% to 32,708.35, while the U.S. dollar edged higher against the Japanese yen, rising to 142.20 from 142.11.The BOJ has kept its benchmark rate at minus 0.1% for a decade, hoping to goose investments and borrowing to help drive sustained strong growth. One aim is to get inflation to a target of 2%. But while inflation has risen, wages have failed to keep up, and central bank Gov. Kazuo Ueda has remained cautious about major moves at a time of deep uncertainty about the o...

Man hospitalized after attempted carjacking, shooting in Homewood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:33 GMT

HOMEWOOD, Ill. – A man was hospitalized on Sunday after police say he was shot during an attempted carjacking in Homewood.According to Homewood police, officers were called to the scene around 7:30 p.m. in the 17900 block of Halsted Street after receiving reports about a gunshot victim in the area.Police say the 19-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound during an attempted carjacking and was transported to the hospital in serious condition. Woman in custody after 1-year-old found dead on South Side Officers say following the shooting, the people responsible fled the scene in an unknown direction.Aurhtories have not yet made any arrests in connection with the shooting and an investigation by Homewood police and the Illinois State Police is underway.Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Homewood Police Department Criminal Investigations Unit at 708-206-3420.

Sunday Forecast: Overcast skies, building winds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:33 GMT

Sunday Night: Overcast skies and building NW winds. WNW 10-20 mph. Low: 30Monday: Blustery, cold & AM snow showers with falling temps. NW 15-25, G45 mphNoon temp around 27Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Extended outlook calls for more sunshine Tuesday with a high around 33. Back to near 40 on Wednesday with increasing clouds. Thursday is the Winter Solstice and we'll end up in the mid 40s with a chance of evening rain showers. Chance of rain on Friday with highs in the mid to upper 40s. 

Christmas in the Wards holiday giveaway held in the south suburbs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:33 GMT

CHICAGO — Christmas in the Wards continued its mission to bring joy to families with a giveaway in the south suburbs on Sunday. The countdown to Christmas is on and the giving spirit was present at the second annual Christmas in Southland event in Matteson.  Chicago Bears blow another late lead, Mooney boots Hail Mary, bears lose to Cleveland Browns, 20-17 300 families received gifts during the event, which was held only one day after a giveaway event at McCormick Place.Larry Huggins, the CEO of Riteway-Huggins Construction, launched Christmas in the Wards 27 years ago and the effort has since expanded."I’m telling you next year we’re going to take this show to Kankakee where there are communities that need our help," Huggins said.  Search underway after bank robbery in Elmhurst 17-year-old Tatiyana Davis was grateful to take home something she wanted. After winning a raffle, she picked out a new TV.I didn’t really think it was real when we walked in here and I was like 'Th...

Police shooting reported near North Boulder Recreation Center

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:33 GMT

Boulder police said an officer discharged their weapon near the North Boulder Recreation Center on Sunday night.According to a post on X sent out at 6:11 p.m., Boulder police requested the Boulder County Investigation Team to look into an officer-involved shooting.Please avoid the area near the North Boulder Rec Center at 3170 Broadway as we are investigating an officer-involved shooting. There is no threat to public safety. No officers were injured. The Boulder County Investigation Team (BCIT) has been requested. We’ll share more info as… pic.twitter.com/YaUA3SNUsK— Boulder Police Dept. (@boulderpolice) December 18, 2023Boulder police said no officers were injured and there was no threat to the public, but did not say if there were any other injuries or fatalities involved.Police are requesting residents avoid the area around 3170 Broadway while the case is under investigation.

Aurora firefighters continue to battle construction fire Sunday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:33 GMT

Firefighters in Aurora continued to battle a construction fire Sunday that has shut down the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Peoria Street for more than a day.Hot spots that continue to rise in the burning apartment building have put firefighters on the defense, preventing them from entering the construction site.No one has been in the apartment complex since Saturday afternoon, when crews were forced to withdraw due to the fire’s intensity and danger, said Aurora Fire Rescue spokesperson Dawn Small in an emailed statement on Sunday.As long as the investigation is in progress, the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Peoria Street will remain closed, which could take days, said Matthew Longshore, spokesperson for the Aurora Police Department.“Investigators will not be able to get into the structure until crews can determine that it is safe for them to enter, and after heavy equipment can be used to remove debris and identify the origin and cause of the fire,” Small ...

Warriors’ Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins soar in narrow win over Portland Trail Blazers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:33 GMT

PORTLAND — An off shooting night for Steph Curry did not spell disaster for the Golden State Warriors, who barely escaped Portland with a 118-114 win over the Trail Blazers on Sunday night when two struggling Warriors stepped up to fill the scoring void.Klay Thompson’s 28-point night shooting 11-for-16 from the field and 5-of-10 from 3 fueled a strong first half for the Warriors in which they led by as many as 22 and by 16 by halftime. But as plenty of Warriors games have gone, that lead dissipated in a tumultuous third quarter in which Portland tied the game.Off the bench for a third game in a row after starting every regular season game in his career previously, Andrew Wiggins came out with some vengeance. Wiggins was a nuisance on defense and scored 25 points shooting 9-of-12 from the field with four 3-pointers.Trayce Jackson-Davis got extended run off the bench and challenged Portland big Deandre Ayton under the basket on both ends. He 14 points, including a few high...

All westbound lanes blocked after fatal crash on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:33 GMT

(KRON) -- All westbound lanes on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge are blocked after a fatal crash Sunday night, California Highway Patrol announced on X. The crash happened on the I-580 westbound lanes near the middle part of the bridge. There is no estimated time for when the lanes will reopen. CHP says only one vehicle was involved in the crash. Another person was taken to the hospital; their condition is unknown at this time.CHP tweeted about the crash at 8:41 p.m. No other information was immediately available. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.