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Venice to impose tourist tax for day-trippers in spring of 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

Patrick Clarke | (TNS) TravelPulseThe popular Italian tourist destination of Venice will soon trial a tourist tax that was originally supposed to take effect in the summer of 2022.In an ongoing effort to combat overcrowding during the city’s peak visitor days, officials will charge a €5 or $5.35 tax to day-trippers visiting Venice’s Old City starting in the spring of 2024.Overnight travelers with hotel stays, commuters and those with properties in Venice will be exempt.Visitors will pay the tax via an online booking system that has yet to be introduced. Those who are exempt from the fee will still need to register their trip in the online booking system.UNESCO recently recommended adding Venice to its endangered list amid overtourism compounded by cruise ships and a surge of day-trippers during its busiest periods._____©2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Is erythritol a safe and healthy sugar substitute?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

By Mayo Clinic News NetworkDEAR MAYO CLINIC: A friend has a family history of diabetes and obesity. She is diligent about eating healthfully and enjoys sharing new recipes and information about food. Recently she mentioned a sugar substitute called erythritol. I’m not familiar with this product. Can you explain what it is and if it is healthy?ANSWER: Sugar is one of those ingredients that always seems to be in the news.Eating and drinking too much sugar can negatively affect one’s health. Sugar found naturally in food, such as whole fruits, is not associated with increased health issues. But added sugar has been shown to contribute to dental cavities and is associated with multiple chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, fatty liver disease and Type 2 diabetes.Sugar has many forms. Most people are familiar with sucrose, the white granulated sugar found most often in kitchens, and raw sugar, also called turbinado sugar, which is crystalized and light brown. Other...

Is it time for playoff-bound Orioles to finally leave ‘Country Boy’ behind? | STAFF COMMENTARY

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

A letter to the editor from Mike Heaps of Forest Hill suggests that John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” deserves a replacement at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, where the song has long been played during the seventh-inning stretch — the brief interlude when the visitors have finished their at-bats in the seventh inning and the home team Orioles are about to take their swings. It is traditionally a moment when fans are encouraged to stand and “stretch” (hence the name) as many have likely been sitting for two hours or so, and, let’s face it, can start to feel a bit drowsy, especially at a night game with requisite hot dogs and beer consumed. You want the Orioles to win? We need ticket holders in loud, energized, foot-stomping, hand-clapping form.The letter writer thinks the Birds deserve something new and more reflective of Baltimore, which is not exactly a country town — and he’s got a point. Still, the history here i...

How family meals offer mental and physical health benefits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

September is National Family Meals Month, a movement started by the Food Marketing Institute Foundation in September 2015. Now with 35 years of global research on the topic, we know that family meals offer mental and physical health benefits and more.With summer travel winding down and back-to-school routines established, September is an opportune time to focus on family meals. To start, family meals create togetherness and foster relationships and communication. Some of the mental and social benefits of eating together include improved performance at school and at work, improved cognition and lower risk of depression and eating disorders. Youth who eat dinner with their parents are less likely to use substances. They are also at lower risk for teen pregnancy, bullying, suicide and violence.Furthermore, engaging in regular family meals helps children build confidence, self-esteem and resilience while promoting better communication skills. Mealtime conversations help build children’s...

Mayo Clinic Minute: What Black men need to know about prostate cancer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

Sonya Goins | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkSeptember is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. It’s one of the leading causes of cancer death among all men. However, Black men are disproportionately hit hard by the disease. One in 6 Black men will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime — compared to 1 in 8 in other men. They are also more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer.Dr. Cassandra Moore, a Mayo Clinic oncologist, explains what Black men need to know to reverse the disturbing trend.Black men harshly impacted by prostate cancerMen often don’t talk about health issues that occur below the belt, but maybe they should.“It is the most common cancer in men outside of skin cancer, and it’s the second most common cause of cancer deaths in men,” says Dr. Moore.It’s unclear why Black men are harshly impacted by prostate cancer. There are likely many contributing factors, such as genetics, diet, environment, access to care and racial bias.R...

UK police open sexual offenses investigation after allegations about Russell Brand

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

By JILL LAWLESS (Associated Press)LONDON (AP) — British police have opened a sex crimes investigation triggered by news reports about comedian Russell Brand.London’s Metropolitan Police force said Monday that it had “received a number of allegations of sexual offences” after a television documentary and newspaper investigations. It said there have been no arrests.Brand, 48, denies allegations of sexual assault made by four women in a Channel 4 television documentary and The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. The accusers, who have not been named, include one who said she was sexually assaulted during a relationship with him when she was 16. Another woman says Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.The police force did not name Brand in its statement, but referred to the recent articles and documentary. It said detectives were investigating allegations of “non-recent” sexual offenses, both in London and elsewhere.“We continue to encourage any...

Woman stabbed in Vista; pursuit ends in suspect arrest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

VISTA, Calif. -- A woman was stabbed Sunday night in Vista, and deputies arrested the suspect after a pursuit, authorities said.San Diego County Sheriff's Department received a call around 10:20 p.m. about a stabbing near Phillips Street and Civic Center Drive, near a SPRINTER station, the department said. The girl, who had been stabbed two to three times in her upper body, was taken to a hospital where she remained in stable condition Monday. Driver killed in North County rollover crash A deputy spotted a driver matching the suspect's description on a street in Vista, authorities said. A pursuit began but quickly ended when the driver crashed while attempting to get on state Route 76, authorities said. The driver got out of the car and ran, but was captured and arrested with the help of a K-9.The suspect was taken to a hospital and was then sent to Juvenile Hall, authorities said.It was not immediately known whether the suspect and victim knew each other.

At least 3 people are killed and 15 are missing in a landslide in Guatemala

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Heavy rains set off a landslide in Guatemala’s capital early Monday sweeping several humble homes into a river and leaving three people dead and at least 15 people missing, including 10 minors.Guatemala’s National Disaster Reduction Coordinator confirmed the three dead, including a young girl, in a statement Monday.The 5-year-old girl was recovered by firefighters partially buried in debris and mud some 3 miles (5 kilometers) down the Naranjo river.The landslide swept away six homes and the families who lived in them around 2 a.m. Around 5 a.m. the firefighters announced they would start a search.Landslides are a constant threat during Guatemala’s rainy season, which extends to November. There are few controls on where people build their homes, especially in poor settlements, putting them at greater risk.Images provided by rescuers showed a long path of the landslide and evidence of domestic life strewn along the river bank. The military set up a command ...

NDP, Bloc say Speaker should resign after honouring man who fought for Nazis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it is deeply embarrassing to Parliament to all Canadians that the Speaker of the House of Commons invited a man who fought for the Nazis to attend a speech by the Ukrainian president. Trudeau says Speaker Anthony Rota has acknowledged his mistake.But that’s not enough for the New Democrats and Bloc Québécois, who are calling for Rota’s resignation. Both opposition parties say he has lost the confidence of the House.But the Conservative Party is placing the blame on the Prime Minister’s Office, saying the government has a responsibility to vet guests at high-profile events. Rota said in the House this morning that he alone was responsible for inviting and recognizing Yaroslav Hunka, who fought for the First Ukrainian Division in the Second World War, at an address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last Friday.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2023.The Canadian Press

France’s Macron unveils latest plan for meeting climate-related commitments in the coming years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel Macron on Monday unveiled plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the country’s climate-related commitments within the next seven years, including via reducing dependency on fossil fuels and boosting electric car use.Macron said France’s goal to reduce its emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, in line with a European Union target, is “attainable,” after holding a special government meeting.To get there, he said, the country must go more than twice as fast as before. “We need to succeed in reducing emissions by 5% per year over the period 2022-2030” — to compare with a 2% reduction per year over the past five years, Macron said.“This whole strategy will enable us to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, essentially coal, oil and gas… from 60% to 40% by 2030,” he added.Macron confirmed that the country’s two remaining coal-burning plants would cease operating and be converted to biomass energy, ...