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Precious water: As more of the world thirsts, luxury water becoming fashionable among the elite

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:15:30 GMT

SAMTSE, Bhutan (AP) — Monsoon rains have finally passed and floods blocking the lone dirt road have retreated enough for a small truck to climb these Himalayan foothills to a gurgling spring. It spews water so fresh that people here call it nectar.Workers inside a small plant ferry sleek glass bottles along a conveyer. The bottles, filled with a whoosh of this natural mineral water, are labeled, packed into cases and placed inside a truck for a long ride.Ganesh Iyer, who heads the operation, watches like a nervous dad, later pulling out his phone, as any proud parent might, to show the underground cavern the waters have formed in this pristine kingdom, the world’s last Shangri-La.This is no ordinary water. It will travel hundreds of miles to some of India’s luxury hotels, restaurants and richest families, who pay about $6 per bottle, roughly a day’s wage for an Indian laborer. Millions of people worldwide don’t have clean water to drink, even though the United Nations deemed water a...

Vivek Ramaswamy struggles to gain traction with Iowa Republicans as critics question his path ahead

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:15:30 GMT

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Ten minutes before Vivek Ramaswamy was to take the stage in a dated casino hotel in western Iowa, no one was in the conference room except for two staffers from the Iowa GOP, which organized the event, and a group of journalists.Guests started trickling in at the time the event was scheduled. By the time Ramaswamy began his remarks an hour later, there were about 60 people.While Ramaswamy is packing his schedule with stops across Iowa, he has failed to move up in the 2024 Republican primary race and is increasingly at risk of becoming an afterthought. He is polling in the mid to high single digits and has left critics asking what his endgame is or if he is staying in the race only to boost former President Donald Trump.Ramaswamy is falling behind just as the GOP campaign enters the critical final weeks before the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15. After an earlier flurry of attention, the 38-year-old biotech entrepreneur and first-time political candidate is gaini...

With patriotic reggaeton and videos, Venezuela’s government fans territorial dispute with Guyana

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:15:30 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Middle school student Jeanmaikol Castrillo can quickly point out Venezuela on a map and identify what’s around it — the Caribbean Sea and the countries of Colombia, Brazil and Guyana. But the map with which he is familiar differs greatly from those included in plenty of books, textbooks and even a CIA website. It shows a much larger Venezuela, one that includes a big chunk of Guyana.Venezuelans hold as self-evident truth that their homeland’s eastern end includes Guyana’s Essequibo region next to the Atlantic — a territory larger than Greece and rich in oil and minerals. As students, they learn it is subject to a century-old dispute and then, for the most part, forget about it.These days, however, Venezuela’s government wants it to be the focus of their attention.President Nicolás Maduro and his allies are appealing to Venezuelans’ patriotism as they summon voters supposedly to decide the territory’s future in a Dec. 3 referendum, although the l...

Police identify suspect in Koreatown killing

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:15:30 GMT

L.A. police have identified a 28-year-old suspect in connection with the homicide of a 59-year-old man in Koreatown earlier this year, authorities announced late last week.  The deadly encounter occurred on Oct. 30 at around 7:40 p.m. at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Kingsley Drive, the Los Angeles Police Department said.  Officers responded to the area on reports of an “ambulance battery” and discovered suffering from serious injuries. Medical personnel with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded and took the man to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Nov. 6.  The victim’s identity was not immediately released.  Investigators learned that the suspect, now identified as Jacob Williams James McFadden, is alleged to have physically assaulted the 59-year-old until nearby witnesses intervened.  He was last seen fleeing on foot northbound on Kingsley Drive.  Jacob Williams James McFadden, 28, is wanted in connection with the killing...

Warriors snap losing streak vs. Rockets behind Klay Thompson’s best game of season

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:15:30 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — After six straight losses, Steph Curry was concerned about the “stink” of a “losing mentality” seeping into the Golden State Warriors’ locker room.They got a breath of fresh air Monday evening.Klay Thompson got his shot going, Curry received a healthy dose of support, and the Warriors snapped their skid with a 121-116 win over the Houston Rockets.The losing streak was the Warriors’ longest since their disastrous 2019-20 season, finally earning their first win of the home stand in its sixth and final game. With a well-rounded offensive showing, 121 points were the most they scored in regulation since the start of the streak.“We weren’t perfect, obviously,” coach Steve Kerr said. “But at this stage, you just need to win a game. That was the focus tonight.”Things began to turn, as they usually do, on a shot by Curry.After going more than 20 minutes in the first half without a field goal attempt, Curry flew off ...

Curry extends NBA 3-point shooting record as Warriors top Rockets 121-116

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:15:30 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 32 points with five 3-pointers to extend his latest NBA record, Klay Thompson broke out of his shooting slump with a season-high 20 points, and the Golden State Warriors snapped their six-game losing streak with a 121-116 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday night.Already the league’s all-time leader in made 3-pointers, Curry is the first player in league history to have four or more in his first 13 games to start a season. The nine-time All-Star and two-time MVP was 8 of 14 from the floor and 5 of 9 beyond the arc.It’s Curry’s seventh game this season with 30 or more points, and 10th with at least 25.Thompson entered the night shooting 15 of 42 (3 of 19 from 3-point range) over his previous four games but came out strong early against the Rockets with three 3s and 12 points in the first quarter. He finished 7 of 16 and had five 3-pointers.Chris Paul added 15 points and 12 assists helping Golden State to its 12th consecutive win against Ho...

Al menos 4 heridos tras tiroteo en un Walmart de Ohio; muere el presunto atacante

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:15:30 GMT

Al menos cuatro personas resultaron heridas este lunes por la noche en un tiroteo en un supermercado Walmart de la ciudad de Beavercreek, en Ohio, según confirmaron las autoridades locales. El atacante, cuya identidad se desconoce al momento, se habría quitado la vida de un disparo autoinfligido, dijo la policía. “No hay ninguna amenaza activa”, dijo el Departamento de Policía de Beavercreek a través de su cuenta de Twitter. Según la policía, la balacera se desató alrededor de las 8:35 p.m. hora local. Todas las víctimas fueron transportadas a hospitales de la zona, y al momento de publicación se desconocía su condición médica o si alguna persona además del atacante había fallecido. No estaba claro hasta ahora los posibles motivos detrás del tiroteo en el supermercado Walmart de Beavercreek, un suburbio al este de Dayton.Este artículo será actualizado cuando haya más información disponible. Tiroteo en un hospital en New Hampshire termina con dos muertos,...

Record crowds are expected to take to the air and roads for Thanksgiving

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:15:30 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Despite inflation and memories of past holiday travel meltdowns, millions of people are expected to hit airports and highways in record numbers over the Thanksgiving break.The busiest days to fly will be Tuesday and Wednesday as well as the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday and 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday. Sunday will draw the largest crowds with an estimated 2.9 million passengers, which would narrowly eclipse a record set on June 30.Meanwhile, AAA forecasts that 55.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between next Wednesday and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with roads likely to be the most clogged on Wednesday.The weather could snarl air and road traffic. A storm system was expected to move from the southern Plains to the Northeast on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing severe thunderstorms, gusty wind and possible snow.U.S. Transportation Secretary Pet...

Ingram, Williamson power the Pelicans to a 129-93 win over Pacific Division-leading Kings

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:15:30 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram hit all five of his 3-pointers and led all scorers with 31 points, and Zion Williamson dominated the paint by scoring 26 points on 12-for-16 shooting to power the New Orleans Pelicans to a 129-93 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.“Tonight was a glimpse of what we could be,” said New Orleans coach Willie Green, who was especially pleased with the Pelicans’ season-high 38 assists. “Z (Williamson) and B.I. (Ingram) are capable of doing this, night in and night out. It’s good to see them continue to grow and play off each other.”Ingram said his offensive synergy with Williamson will continue to grow as the two stars get more playing time together. Injuries have short-circuited that in the last three seasons.“It’s just communication,” Ingram said. “If somebody has it going, you’re going to let him keep going. I got it going (in the third quarter). There’s enough time on the basketball clock, and it’s being patient and getting the best sho...

Jalen Hurts leads second-half rally as Eagles beat Chiefs 21-17 in Super Bowl rematch

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 02:15:30 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles insisted that their Super Bowl rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs had nothing to do with revenge.They got a little bit of it anyway.After allowing the Chiefs to methodically build a 10-point halftime lead Monday night, the Eagles shut out Patrick Mahomes and Co. over the final 30 minutes. Jalen Hurts overcame a poor start in a cold, driving rain to run for a pair of touchdowns, and his go-ahead tush-push in the fourth quarter allowed the Eagles to walk away with a 21-17 victory.“We weren’t thinking, ‘Hey, we’re coming up here to avenge a loss,'” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said afterward. “That’s a different magnitude of game. That was for everything. So we’re just pleased to get the win tonight.”Besides, Sirianni said, “they ain’t giving us the rings back. I know that.”Still, the Eagles (9-1) became the first team to win at least nine of their first 10 games in consecutive seasons since the Colts in...