Russia's remote permafrost thaws, threatening homes and infrastructure

The old airport in the Siberian settlement of Churapcha has been unusable for years, its runway transformed into a swampy field of puffed-up mounds and reliefs. Like cities and towns across northern and northeastern Russia, Churapcha is suffering the consequence of climate change thawing the permafrost https://graphics.reuters.com/CLIMATE-CHANGE/PERMAFROST/oakveelglvr/index.html on which everything is built. "There isn't a single settlement in Russia's Arctic where you wouldn't find a destroyed or deformed building," said Alexey Maslakov, a scientist at Moscow State University.

Some Hooters servers on TikTok are saying new shorts are too short

A change to the Hooters uniform at some locations has prompted a handful of the restaurant chain's servers to share their concerns on TikTok. In the videos, which have racked up millions of views since popping up on the platform last week, Hooters servers hold up the new black shorts while sharing their thoughts. The videos have reignited criticisms of Hooters for fostering an outdated concept centered around sexualizing servers' bodies.

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  Hooters clarifies uniform policy after servers’ outcry over controversial new shorts

  TODAY
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  Hooters Servers Are Complaining About the Chain's Inappropriate New Uniforms

  Eat This, Not That!

Colin Powell’s Death Starts Twitter Shouting Match Over Vaccines, Cause of Death

The death of Colin Powell ignited a shouting match on Twitter Monday as readers of the nation's major news outlets railed against what they saw as a context-free declarations about the efficacy of vaccines. Powell, who was 84, died of COVID-19 complications and his family noted in their statement on his death that he was fully vaccinated. Writer Rebecca Soffer added that the omission from the headline had her “blood boiling.”

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  Colin Powell's death doesn't contradict efficacy of coronavirus vaccines, experts say

  Yahoo News
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  Blinken pays tribute to Colin Powell

  Yahoo News Video

Vaccines, masks? Japan puzzling over sudden virus success

Some possible factors in Japan's success include a belated but remarkably rapid vaccination campaign, an emptying out of many nightlife areas as fears spread during the recent surge in cases, a widespread practice, well before the pandemic, of wearing masks and bad weather in August that kept people home. But with vaccine efficacy gradually waning and winter approaching, experts worry that without knowing what exactly why cases have dropped so drastically, Japan could face another wave like this summer, when hospitals overflowed with serious cases and deaths soared — though the numbers were lower than pre-vaccination levels.

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  Japan puzzled over the cause of sudden drop in coronavirus cases

  Yahoo News Video
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  Japan's sudden coronavirus success puzzles experts

  Associated Press Videos

Billionaire ex-Walmart exec says the first 'settlers' of his planned $400 billion city 'Telosa' will likely be selected through applications - and they could move in by 2030

Former Walmart exec Marc Lore wants to build a futuristic utopia called Telosa. Telosa will be built on the concept of "equitism," a mash-up of equality and capitalism. There will be an application for the first 50,000 Telosa "settlers," who could move in by 2030.

Ted Cruz blasted Australia’s COVID rules. A top Australian official didn’t hold back

The chief minister of the Northern Territory of Australia responded Monday to comments made by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz about the country's strict rules to protect against COVID-19. The territory announced last week that workers who interact with the public must receive their first vaccination shot by Nov. 12 or face a $5,000 fine, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. The mandate got a harsh response from Cruz, a senator who has often lashed out against COVID-19 polices in the United States.

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  Australian Leader Smacks Down Ted Cruz Over COVID Rules: ‘We Don’t Need Your Lectures, Mate’

  The Wrap
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  Australian politician rips into Sen. Ted Cruz for mocking COVID-19 vaccine requirements: 'We don't need your lectures, thanks mate'

  Business Insider

Freed murderer charged in Florida with slaying of single mom

Police have charged a convicted murderer who was released from prison last year with the slaying of a South Florida woman whose body was found in a canal after being missing for three weeks. Eric Pierson, 54, was charged Saturday with first-degree murder for the slaying of Erika Verdecia, 33, hours after her body was found Saturday near Fort Lauderdale. Pierson had been released from prison in September 2020 after serving 27 years of a 40-year sentence for the 1993 beating and strangulation murder of 17-year-old Kristina Whitaker, whose death helped galvanize a push for longer prison sentences.

A California Construction Worker Asked a Speeding Motorist to Slow Down. He Was Shot Seven Times In Response.

The family of a California Black construction worker wants answers after their loved one was shot several times in what is now being looked at as a potential hate crime. Bobby Gayle is still recovering, KCRA reported this week, after being shot seven times this month in the town in California's Central Valley. Bobby's brother, Marlon Gayle, told the outlet that his brother had just finished the job when the shooting occurred.

Climber's body recovered from mountain after she sent message for help

Rescue personnel and a helicopter successfully completed the highly technical recovery of a 29-year-old Denver woman's body from Kit Carson Peak in Colorado on this weekend. Anna DeBattiste of the Colorado Search And Rescue Association confirmed to CBS Denver that rescue team members safely returned from the operation some time after midnight on Saturday after recovering the body of Madeline Baharlou-Quivey. Kit Carson Peak Climber Madeline Baharlou-Quivey's Body Retrieved By Rescue Crews, Helicopter https://t.co/cp4tHpeXlr pic.twitter.com/efkuciFFH7 — CBSDenver (@CBSDenver) October 17, 2021 Using ropes and climbing harnesses, Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue personnel made the climb from...

Texas trucker convicted in fiery, fatal crash in Rocky Mountains

A Texas truck driver who lost control of his semi-trailer along a Colorado mountain highway in 2019, ramming into stopped traffic and killing four people in a fiery crash, was convicted late Friday of vehicular homicide and related charges. Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos, 25, was convicted by a Jefferson County, Colorado, jury of four counts of homicide and more than two dozen other charges, including vehicular assault, reckless driving and careless driving resulting in death. Prosecutors said during the trial that Aguilera-Mederos knew his brakes were failing as he descended Interstate 70, west of Denver, on April 15, 2019.

Brian Laundrie's father was captured removing a yellow protest sign about his daughter from his front yard, report says

The father of Brian Laundrie was captured in photos removing protest signs from his front yard. New York Post obtained images of Chris Laundrie in front of his Florida home on Saturday. The father of 23-year-old Brian Laundrie was captured removing protest signs from his front yard on Saturday, the New York Post reported.

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  Brian Laundrie’s father emerges from house to tear down protest sign from lawn

  The Independent
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  Gabby Petito's mother says she thinks Brian Laundrie's family knows about her daughter's killing

  INSIDER

Turkey's Erdogan says U.S. proposed F-16 sales in return for its F-35 investment

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that the United States had proposed the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey in return for its investment in the F-35 programme, from which Ankara was removed after purchasing missile defence systems from Russia. Reuters reported earlier this month that Turkey made a request to the United States to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes. Speaking to reporters before departing for a trip to West Africa, Erdogan said Turkey wants a return for its investment in the F-35 programme and that talks on the issue are ongoing.

Untaming a river: The stakes behind America’s largest dam removal

Environmentalists already see fish migrations dwindling in tributaries of the Klamath – a warning of further decline to come – and tribes no longer can count on fish as a source of food and a central part of their culture. Farmers upriver, meanwhile, who depend on irrigation, will continue to lay claim to their share of water from the river system. All of which means that the contentious issues that have swirled around the mighty Klamath for decades won't vanish with the removal of four massive walls of earth and concrete.

Never Order Seafood Unless You've Asked Your Server This, FDA Warns

Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and protein, seafood consumption has been linked to increased longevity, better heart health, and weight loss. If you're ordering raw seafood, like sushi, oysters, ceviche, or tuna tartare, at a restaurant, you should always inquire with your server about how it's been stored prior to serving, the FDA recommends. Specifically, the authority says that anyone ordering raw seafood should ask if the food they're ordering has been frozen, thawed, and kept on ice.

Gambian Toufah Jallow tells of surviving rape by dictator

Toufah Jallow's name resonates deeply in Gambia as one of the few women who has taken a public stand against sexual assault in the small West African state. She gained fame at the age of 18 when she won a university scholarship in a national talent competition for young women. But in 2015 she fled Gambia, fearing for her life, after dictator Yahya Jammeh allegedly drugged and raped her, angry that she had turned down his marriage proposal.

Stimulus Check Update: Here's Who May Be Getting Another $1,400 Check

Senior citizens are among the most economically vulnerable in the country. A letter sent by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) Chairman Rick Delaney to Congressional leaders illustrates the situation faced by some seniors. The letter reads in part: "We've heard from thousands of them (seniors) who have exhausted their retirement savings, who have started eating just one meal a day, stated cutting their pills in half because they can't afford their prescription drugs, to list just a few of the drastic steps so many have had to take because of what inflation has done to them this year."

Electric vehicles certainly do pollute — their battery packs are poised to be one of the biggest new sources of pollution

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said this year it's expecting 145 million electric vehicles (EVs) worldwide by 2030. Although EVs do not release carbon dioxide during their use, their production exerts the same toll on the environment as that of conventional cars, while the recycling of lithium-ion batteries poses unique challenges. Lithium-ion batteries are bulkier and take more space than their traditional counterpart, lead-acid batteries.

Japan PM says Fukushima wastewater release can't be delayed

Japan's new prime minister on Sunday said the planned mass disposal of wastewater stored at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant cannot be delayed, despite concerns from local residents. Speaking at his first visit to the facility since taking office, Fumio Kishida said his government would work to reassure residents nearby the plant about the technical safety of the wastewater disposal project. The Fukushima Daiichi plant suffered a triple meltdown in 2011 following a massive earthquake and tsunami.

Ex-Spy Behind Salacious Trump Dossier Has Damning Theory About Alleged Pee Tape

Christopher Steele, the British former spy behind a salacious and unverified dossier about Donald Trump, said he believes one of the most infamous allegations in the document. Steele told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that the “pee tape” is “probably” real, according to a promo for the upcoming series, “Out of the Shadows: The Man Behind the Steele Dossier.” The dossier claims Trump in 2013 hired prostitutes in Moscow to perform a golden showers show as he watched.

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  Christopher Steele stands by discredited anti-Trump dossier claims about Michael Cohen in Prague and 'pee tape'

  Washington Examiner
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  Ex-British spy Christopher Steele defends Trump dossier and says kompromat tape ‘probably’ exists

  The Independent

A Florida school says vaccinated students must stay home for 30 days after each shot, citing a false claim that they'll infect others

Centner Academy in Miami, Florida said any student who gets vaccinated must quarantine for 30 days. The school is promoting a dangerous, debunked rumor that vaccinated students can infect others. An infectious-disease expert who spoke with WSVN characterized the false claim as "science fiction."

Coast Guard: 1,200-foot ship dragged California oil pipeline

Investigators believe a 1,200-foot (366-meter) cargo ship dragging anchor in rough seas caught an underwater oil pipeline and pulled it across the seafloor, months before a leak from the line fouled the Southern California coastline with crude. A team of federal investigators trying to chase down the cause of the spill boarded the Panama-registered MSC DANIT just hours after the massive ship arrived this weekend off the Port of Long Beach, the same area where the leak was discovered in early October. During a prior visit by the ship during a heavy storm in January, investigators believe its anchor dragged for an unknown distance before striking the 16-inch (40-centimeter) steel pipe, Coast Guard Lt. j.g.

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  U.S. Coast Guard boards ship in connection with California oil spill

  Reuters
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  Investigators believe cargo ship dragged California oil pipeline in January

  The Week

The Workers Won’t Be Coming Back, Covid or Not. Here Are Theories on Where They Went.

More people are choosing not to work, confounding employers and economists and leading to worrisome labor shortages and supply chain problems. The September jobs report showed the slowest pace of hiring all year, a surprise decline in labor-force participation and a rise in wages. Whatever the explanation for the worsening labor shortage, it goes beyond temporary factors associated with the pandemic.